Yelp reviews

Crispy cauliflower, cauliflower cream sauce, fusilli

Crispy cauliflower, cauliflower cream sauce (vegan), fusilli 

Here's another play on the 2 very different personalities of cauliflower, crispy & creamy.  The first time I made a cauliflower cream sauce it actually came out tasting like vanilla custard.  I used almond milk in place of regular milk.  I  pressure cooked the stems in the almond milk and pureed it.  Yep...tasted like a dessert and was unbelievably creamy.  I'll save that for another healthy dessert recipe and will definitely need to revisit.

In place of almond milk I now use veggie stock and it still comes out incredibly creamy.  In fact if you didn't know you would probably think you were eating a cream sauce, except you wouldn't feel bloated afterwards.

Crispy Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic

salt

pepper

Lay the cauliflower on its side and slice down a 1/4" from the edge.  Rotate and continue to do so until you reach the stems.

Saute on medium high heat stirring occasionally until the florets are brown and crispy.  Finely mince the garlic and add at the very end.  If you add before the cauliflower is cooked it will burn since we're cooking on pretty high heat.  I also add some anchovy paste or a few finely chopped anchovy fillets at the end.  Just go easy on the salt if you do this since anchovies already have a lot of salt.  Anchovies really give the dish amazing flavor but this is of course optional.

Cauliflower Puree
remaining cauliflower stems
2 cups veggie stock
2-3 cloves garlic
Italian parsley
salt
pepper

Pressure cook the cauliflower stems and garlic in the veggie stock on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Strain (reserve liquid) and puree, adding remaining liquid to achieve desired consistency.  Season with salt & pepper.

Serve with your favorite pasta or rice.  Mix in the cauliflower cream sauce with your pasta, add crispy florets, and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Cauliflower soup, pan fried cauliflower, deep fried oyster

Cauliflower soup, crispy cauliflower florets, deep fried oyster

Crispy Cauliflower Florets
1 head cauliflower
olive oil
salt
pepper

Cut some large florets off of the cauliflower and with the bottom of  the florets facing up get 10 vertical cuts that are about 3/8" thick.  Save remaining cauliflower for soup including the stem.  Saute on medium-high heat and season with salt & pepper.  Cauliflower can take a good amount of heat so cook about 5 minutes per side until you get it nice and brown and crispy.  Try not to move it too much and just let it do its thing.

Cauliflower Soup
remaining cauliflower

1 large white potato

1 medium vidalia onion

2 cups veggie stock

olive oil

salt pepper

Cut the cauliflower into 1/2" pieces.  Peel and cut the potato into 1/2" pieces.  Cook the cauliflower and potato in veggie stock until soft (about 10 minutes).  Dice the onion and saute in olive oil until soft and slightly caramelized.  Puree the cauliflower, potato, and sauteed onion, and season with salt and pepper.

Fried Oysters

8 oysters

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup panko

1 egg

cayenne pepper
salt
pepper

Dry the oysters and roll in seasoned flour and shake of excess.  Dip in egg and then in seasoned panko crumbs.  Deep fry in 350 degree oil until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Ladle soup in a shallow bowl, add crispy cauliflower florets, and place firied oysters on top of the florets

Exploration of Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a great vegetable that is often underrated. I've been experimenting with it lately and have some recipes that pack a lot of flavor and are very healthy to boot offering numerous benefits. It's very low cal, is packed with nutrients, is full of anti-oxidants, helps the body detox, is anti-inflammatory, and provides cardiovascular support to name a few.  It's a very diverse vegetable and can be prepared in several ways from light and crispy to creamy.

Cauliflower Steaks in Cauliflower Puree with Seared Scallops in White Bean Puree

Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cups veggie stock
1-2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.  With the stem facing up, slice 3/4" steaks from the cauliflower and cut the remaining into 1/2" pieces.  Lightly coat the steaks with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Using an oven proof frying pan, saute on med-high for about 5 minutes a side.  You want each side to be brown and crispy.  When both sides are nicely browned bake in oven for 10 minutes.

Put the remaining cauliflower and garlic in a pressure cooker and just cover with veggie stock and pressure cook for 5 minutes (alternatively boil about 10 minutes until nice & soft).  Strain and put cauliflower in blender and add remaining liquid a little at a time to get the desired consistency.  Season to taste.


White Bean Pureee & Scallops
1 cup cannellini beans (2 cups if using canned)
fresh rosemary
juice of a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
8 scallops
cumin
salt
pepper


For the bean puree I make my own beans but canned beans come out pretty good too.  A lot of people soak their beans overnight prior to cooking but I use a pressure cooker to prep them instead.  Add a cup of beans, cover with about an inch of water, and add a sprinkle of salt.  I then let the pressure build until the pressure cooker starts steaming and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Let the pressure dissipate and rinse your beans.  Then put back in the pressure cooker, cover with 2 inches of water, 1 tbsp chopped rosemary. Cover and let the pressure build up and cook over medium heat for 50 minutes.  Let the pressure dissipate, and drain beans (save the cooking liquid).  Puree beans in a food processor, add some chopped fresh rosemary, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil, add cooking liquid as needed to achieve desired consistency, and season with salt & pepper to taste.  Add the juice of 1/2-1 lemon at the very end.

Whenever you sear scallops make sure they are nice and dry.  If they contain moisture they will not brown.  Season with salt, pepper, and cumin.  Sear in hot oil for a minute per side.

To serve, ladle the cauliflower puree onto your plate and put a cauliflower steak over it.  Ladle the white bean puree onto your plate and place your scallops in it.

Iron Chef Ming

We have a hidden treasure in Fairfax, VA (aka funfax) called Sakura.  Sakura is a chain restaurant in a strip mall (of course) with hibachi on one side and sushi on the other.  Now I normally do not frequent chain restaurants but the sushi side is independently run so that's my disclaimer.  What makes Sakura so good is its head sushi chef, Ming.  I call him Iron Chef Ming because he constantly comes up with new creations and is very innovative.  In fact celebrity chef Emeril was known to frequent Sakura when he was filming his show Emeril Green on the Planet Green Network in the Fairfax Whole Foods.  So next time you happen to be in Fairfax, VA and crave some good sushi be sure to swing by Sakura.  I'll post pictures of Ming's creation and update with new pictures as I get them.

Marina & Emeril at Sakura

fried clam

Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking [Hardcover]

It's here, the holy bible of cookbooks. Only $461.62 at Amazon.com and already sold out. Anyone looking for gift ideas for me, here you go. ;-)

A sampling of what you'll discover:

• Why plunging food in ice water doesn't stop the cooking process
• When boiling cooks faster than steaming
• Why raising the grill doesn't lower the heat
• How low-cost pots and pans can perform better than expensive ones
• Why baking is mostly a drying process
• Why deep-fried food tastes best and browns better when the oil is older
• How modern cooking techniques can achieve ideal results without the perfect timing or good luck that traditional methods demand

Many invaluable features include:

• Insights into the surprising science behind traditional food preparation methods such as grilling, smoking, and stir-frying
• The most comprehensive guide yet published on cooking sous vide, including the best options for water baths, packaging materials, and sealing equipment; cooking strategies; and troubleshooting tips
• More than 256 pages on meat and seafood and 130 pages on fruits, vegetables, and grains, including hundreds of parametric recipes and step-by-step techniques
• Extensive chapters explaining how to achieve amazing results by using modern thickeners, gels, emulsions, and foams, including example recipes and many formulas
• More than 300 pages of new recipes for plated dishes suitable for service at top-tier restaurants, plus recipes adapted from master chefs including Grant Achatz, Ferran Adrià , Heston Blumenthal, David Chang, Wylie Dufresne, David Kinch, and many others

From the professional chef to the home cook, Modernist Cuisine is an indispensable guide for anyone who is passionate about the art and science of cooking.

Apparently there is an entire chapter dedicated to water.  So if you want to take your cooking to a new level and learn things you never knew about food this is your book.

southwestern crab, corn, avocado, red bell pepper, pasta

Here's a quick and easy recipe just loaded with flavor and great for the coming of spring.

1 cup lump crab meat
4 ears of corn
2 tbsp olive oil
2 hass avocados
1 red bell pepper
1 cup diced sweet or yellow onion
2 serrano or jalepeno chilis
2 green onions
2 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 tsp ground cumin
juice of 1-2 limes
flaky salt
pepper
pasta or rice

Pick through crab to remove any remaining bits of shell.  Remove corn from husk.  I used a mandolin but a knife works too.  Slice bell pepper into 1 inch strips.  Dice onion.  Dice avocado and cover with lime juice and store in airtight container to avoid oxidation.  Thinly slice scallion.  Thinly slice chilis (I love spicy food so I add some variation of hot to about everything I make so scale back if hot is not your thing).  Chop cilantro.

Heat olive oil in pan and saute onions on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until soft.  Add corn, coriander, cumin, lightly salt, and pepper, and cook another 5 minutes or so, then add red bell pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes until slightly soft but keep firm for the most part.  Turn off heat and add avocado, cilantro, scallions, flaky salt (I use fleur de sel) and gently stir to combine.  The crunch of the salt goes well with the corn.  Add fresh lime juice and serve over warm pasta or rice or even black bean soup immediately (fresh citrus juice starts to loose its punch after 20-30 minutes).  Pile on some lump crab meat and eat up.

Sous vide duck breast, duck fat fries, cherry/wine reduction, smoked paprika olive oil pudding, roasted butternut squash

Duck breast is another sous vide winner.  It came out a perfect medium rare and was very tender and moist with a nice crispy skin.  I finished it of in a pan to render out some fat and then with the kitchen torch to give it a nice sear.  I had some leftover olive oil pudding in the fridge and wasn't quite sure what to do with it so I decided to add some smoked paprika to it.  This gave it a nice smokiness but it wasn't quite what I wanted so I pulled out my smoking gun www.cuisinetechnology.com/the-smoking-gun.php and added some more smoke to it and that did the trick.  The perfect accompaniment to duck fat fries.

sous vide duck breast
1 duck breast
salt
pepper
smoked paprika

Dry breast completely with paper towel and if possible leave uncovered in fridge for an hour.  Season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, and vacuum seal on high.  Heat sous vide bath to 135F and cook for 2 hours.  Pan sear skin side to render out some fat and crisp skin and finish off with a kitchen torch.

duck fat fries
3-4 yukon white potatoes
peanut oil for deep frying
duck fat
salt

I cut the fries with my new benriner mandoline.  Be careful, this thing is sharp and I cut my finger but it works extremely well.  I deep fried in peanut oil at 350F until almost golden brown, removed and salted, and drained on a cooling rack.  I then gave them a pan fry in the rendered duck fat.  I didn't have enough duck fat to deep fry but this worked pretty well.

cherry/wine reduction
juices from sous vide duck
1 cup 100% cherry juice (don't use the 10% juice stuff)
1 cup zinfandel
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp diced shallot
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper

Add all ingredients to sauce pan, reduce by half, strain, and reduce some more until thick.  Keep warm until ready to use

roasted squash
1 butternut squash
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt
pepper

Peel and cut squash into 1/2 inch dice.  Spread evenly in one layer in glass or corning baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil, and season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.  Bake at 500F for 35-40 minutes.  This gives the squash a nice crust and makes it very soft inside.

smoked paprika olive oil pudding
2 tbsp olive oil pudding (recipe in earlier post)
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt

Combine olive oil pudding and smoked paprika and give a good smoke with smoking gun.  To do this I put it in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, inserted hose, filled with smoke and then let sit for a bit to suck up that smoky flavor.  I used applewood sawdust for the smoke.

To serve I sliced the duck, covered with cherry/wine reduction, fries, butternut squash, smoked paprika olive oil pudding, and a faux egg

72 hr sous vide short ribs, port/wine reduction, braised heirloom carrots, carrot top sauce, fingerling mash

The main course of the evening was 72 hr sous vide short ribs.  I had read a lot about how amazing these come out so I had to give them a try and it was well worth the wait.  The preparation is actually quite easy and just requires some patience and planning ahead.  The ribs came out medium rare, extremely flavorful, very moist, amazingly tender, and just oh so good.  I had made the braised carrots and carrot top sauce before (this is from Michel Richard) and it's a great combo of veggies.  I included purple heirloom carrots this time and the purple carrots bled and  altered the presentation of the dish.  They are also more dense than other carrots and require longer cooking time.  If I make them again I'll definitely cook them separately.  The braising liquid for the carrots is a component of the carrot top sauce and the purple made it a dark green.  The first time I made this it was a much more vibrant green and nicer presentation although the taste was still very nice so that was good.  The taste has a mild carrot flavor and creamy texture.  And of course I don't have to talk about the mashed potatoes.  They're great no matter what.  I used fingerling potatoes and added fresh chives.

beef short ribs
4 short ribs
salt
pepper

Cut fat from ribs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Vacuum seal on high.  Heat sous vide bath to 133F.  Cook ribs for 72 hours.  I finished them off with my kitchen torch and seared them on the sides and top.  Another option is to deep fry at 350 for about a minute or pan fry on high for 30-45 seconds per side.  I prefer the kitchen torch because it's less clean up, is fun to use, and looks cool.

I poured the liquid from the ribs into a sauce pan, added a cup of zinfandel, a cup of port, half a diced shallot, a bay leaf, some salt & pepper.  Reduce by half, strain, and reduce until it's thick and keep warm until ready to use.

braised carrots
assorted heirloom carrots with greens
1 orange
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
pinch of coriander
pepper
salt

Remove and reserve carrot greens.  Now you can peel the carrots in one of two ways.  With a peeler or if you're completely anal like me you can blanch the carrots in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then submerge in ice water.  Then rub the skins off with your fingers and rinse under water.  You can also use the back of a knife.  This requires more time but preserves the true shape of the carrot and makes for a nicer presentation.

Remove zest from orange and reserve juice.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter and saute onion for 30 seconds, add the orange juice, pinch of salt, coriander, and carrots.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, and simmer for another 15 minutes of so.  (If using purple carrots cook separately and they will require at least 20 minutes).  When the carrots are done remove from liquid and keep warm until ready to serve.  Reduce remaining liquid to 1/2 cup.

carrot top sauce
Bring pot of water to boil.  Pick the leaves from the stems and discard stems.  Blanch the leaves in water for 15 seconds and submerge in ice water, then strain, and dry with paper towel.  In blender combine reserved liquid from carrots, 2 tbsp of butter, carrot tops, and salt & pepper, and blend until smooth.

To serve add a portion of mashed potatoes, place ribs on top, spoon ribs with port/wine reduction.  Place carrots on plate, add portion of carrot top sauce on plate.  Dust carrot top sauce with orange zest.

Transparency of Manchego Cheese

The following is another recipe from Alinea.  It was not as visually appealing as I would have liked but the taste and flavors were good.  I mean you can't go wrong with melted manchego cheese with semi-hidden treasures of goodness below them.  The olive oil pudding was very interesting.  Has the consistency of pudding and tastes like olive oil.  I ended up adding closer to 40-45g of olive oil to give it a stronger olive oil flavor.  I also added a faux egg, which I got from Michel Richard.  In my haste I forgot to take the egg out of the freezer so I tried a quick melt with my kitchen torch and ended up giving it more of a char.  We waited a little while for it to melt but it was still somewhat frozen when we ate it. The white was made from buffalo mozzarella, paremsan, milk and gelatin, and the yolk was made from tomato, milk and gelatin.  The funny thing is I had ordered molds to make this egg and the egg white was on back order.  I just had to make these faux eggs though so I spent hours on end looking everywhere for a mold.  I even went to Jo-Ann fabrics and I can't stand that place.  I finally found something that would work at World Market.  They had a real egg shell filled with hazelnut & chocolate that came in a plastic case the shape and size of an egg.  And that did it..


Olive Oil Pudding
262g whole milk
2 egg yolks
64g sugar
19g corn starch
4g kosher salt
30g olive oil

Fill large bowl with ice water and set smaller bowl inside it.  In large saucepan bring milk to a boil over medium low heat.  In small bowl whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk half of milk into yolk mixture to temper.  Pour mixture back into saucepan, reduce heat to low and bring to a simmer whisking constantly.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in oil.  Strain through chinois into bowl set over ice water.  Let cool to room temperature.  Transfer to squeeze bottle and refrigerate.

Roasted Garlic
1 head garlic
7g olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly coat garlic with oil.  Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.  Roast for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and let cool to room temperature.  Peel garlic cloves taking care to keep cloves whole.

Roasted Red & Yellow Peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper

Char peppers over open flame until skin is completely blackened.  Immediately transfer peppers to container, cover tightly and let cool.  Remove skin, seeds and ribs (do not rinse under water as you'll wash away the oils which contain the flavor).  Cut peppers into 1/2 inch squares.  Reserve colors in separate containers.

Croutons
1 small loaf sour dough bread

Preheat over to 325F.  Trim off crust from loaf and then cut loaf into 1/4 inch cubes.  Spread in single layer on sheet tray and toast turning cubes every 5 minutes for 10 - 15 minutes until evenly browned.  Reserve in airtight container.

Manchego Square
115g Manchego cheese

Now you're supposed to use a meat slicer and cut into 4 1/16 inch slices.  I don't have the luxury of a meat slicer so I used a sharp knife and cut at thin as possible.  I think next time I'll take my cheese to the deli and have them cut it.

Dried Olives
8 Nicoise olives

Dehydrate at 150F for 24 hours.  Reserve in airtight container

To Assemble
3 white anchovies
16 baby arugula leaves

In center of plate arrange the following in single layer: olive oil pudding, 1 crouton, 1 square roasted red pepper, 1 square roasted yellow pepper, 1 clove roasted garlic, 2 dehydrated olives, and 1 anchovy.  Cover ingredients with manchego square and using broiler or kitchen torch melt cheese over ingredients.  Garnish each plate with 2 arugula leaves.

Oyster, ginger, salmon roe, beer

Here's another recipe from Alinea.  I made some modifications such as replacing trout roe with salmon roe because it's much easier to find.  This is probably one of the easiest recipes I've done from this cookbook and  my favorite so far.  Grant Achatz is a genius and I hope to one day be able to go to his restaurant Alinea in Chicago.  His food creations know no bounds and he's one of my food idols.  Until then I'm stuck with my interpretations of his food.

8 Oysters
Rinse well
Shuck oysters and liquid into a bowl nestled in iced and reserve in fridge

Ginger Gelee
62g ginger peeled
250g water
50g sugar
1g salt
2 gelatin sheets

Slice ginger very thinly with mandolin.  In small sauce pan bring water, sugar, and salt to a boil.  Add ginger slices and remove from heat.  Cover and let steep for 10 minutes.  Immerse gelatin sheets in ice water for 5 minutes,  Strain ginger through chinois and discard ginger.  Gather gelatin and squeeze out excess water.  Stir gelatin into warm ginger until dissolved.  Pour into container and refrigerate until set.

Beer froth
1 bottle Alagash white ale (or similar beer)
50 g sugar
3g soy lecithin

In medium sauce pan bring beer and sugar to a simmer and skim away foam.  Add lecithin and stir to combine thoroughly.

To assemble and serve:
1 scallion
25g salmon roe

Using a sharp knife, slice green part of scallion on slight bias as thinly as possible.  Using immersion blender, blend beer until it has head of froth.  Allow to rest for about 2 minutes before plating and serving.

Spoon in a good size scoop of ginger gelee into bottom of glass.  Spoon 2 oysters, 5 slices of scallion, and salmon roe atop of gelee.  Top with beer froth.

This was a definite winner.  The ginger gelee itself was worth the efforts of this dish.  This was my first gelee and it has given me lots of other ideas for using other gelees in other dishes.  It's kind of like ginger jello and it really captures the essence of ginger and compliments the other components very nicely.  The beer froth really works with the oyster and the saltiness of the salmon roe contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the beer and oyster. 

Tuna & Yellow Tail Poke with Butternut Squash

I first made this for a dinner party we had with another couple where the theme was butternut squash and I included it in every dish.  I wanted to showcase butternut squash in a new way and decided to sous vide it to maintain a firm texture and shape and yet be fully cooked.  Yuzu goes well with raw fish and it works with the squash too.  The butternut squash adds a lovely element of taste and color.

8 oz sushi grade tuna

4 oz sushi grade yellow tail

1/2 cup cucumber 

1 cup butternut squash

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp cilantro chopped

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

3 tsp yuzu juice

Prepare the squash ahead of time.  Cut into a uniform small dice (about 3/8 inch).  Heat sous vide to 185F.  Freeze 2 tsp of yuzu juice and vacuum seal with cubed squash on high.  Cook in sous vide for 1.5 hours then immerse in ice water to stop cooking.  

Cut tuna, yellow tail, and cucumber into a uniform small dice.  Gently combine the tuna, yellow tail, cucumber, 1/2 the squash, soy sauce, cilantro, sesame seeds, and remaining tsp of yuzu juice.  (With yuzu a little bit can go a long way and it opens up with time and increases in flavor so be careful not to add too much)  Center a ring mold on a plate and fill 3/4 of the way with the poke then top off with the butternut squash.  I like to keep some of the squash separate to maintain its beautiful orange color.

The little orange blobs with green are my attempt at creativity and trying to kick my presentation up a few notches.  Didn't quite turn out like I hoped but I'm making progress.  They kind of dried out and became flimsy by the time I used them.  Should have stored them in an air tight container.  They actually tasted pretty good and were a very different texture from the sous vide squash.

Butternut squash leather
butternut squash juice (200g)
simple syrup (30g)
a splash of yuzu
grated ginger (5g)
agar agar (1g)

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil then run through chinois and pour onto acetate (spray with cooking spray and wipe off with paper towl).  The mixture will firm as it cools.

Cilantro Sauce (this recipe is from Alinea) 
1 bunch of cilantro
2000g of water & 75g salt for blanching
250g ice water
2.5g salt
10g simple syrup
10g ultra-tex 3

Pick leaves from stems and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes and transfer to ice water to cool.  Drain and place in blender.  Add 250g ice water and blend on high speed until smooth.  Strain through chinois and reserve in covered container.
Return strained liquid to clean blender.  With blender running on low speed add 2.5g salt, 10g simple syrup, and 10g ultra-tex 3.  Blend thoroughly and strain through chinois.  Reserve in squeeze container.

I cut out circles of the squash leather and cut smaller circles out of them and squeezed in the cilantro sauce.  The problem with that was the cilantro sauce is thick however I had to dehydrate it to firm it so that I could be able to transport it and this dried out the squash leather a bit too much.  I had actually made the cilantro sauce for something else and this was an afterthought.  You can see the sauce squirted on the finished plate as well.  Next time I'll have to modify the cilantro with agar agar so it sets.  Here's a picture of before it went in the dehydrator.

Dinner with friends

It's always exciting cooking for friends that share a common interest in food.  The other weekend we had our good friends Daphne and Bill over for dinner.  I always go the extra mile for these two because Bill is a chef of many years and really inspired and taught me to become a better cook.  The first time he had some friends and me over for dinner he just blew me away with his cooking.  I had been to great restaurants and experienced good food and at that point never saw myself making food at that level.  I was an ok cook and enjoyed dabbling in the kitchen but this guy Bill made some amazing food and was always happy to show me the way and teach me new things.  I was also at dinner with him one time and he made a comment of what he would have done differently with a dish and told me he always liked to change dishes to make them more his own.  That really changed the way I looked at things and has lead to a lot of creativity for me in the kitchen.

I remember the first time I had these guys over for dinner I was so nervous and intimidated and I think it took me a year to figure out the menu.  It's a few years later and I've learned a few new things and it took a lot less than a year to come up with my menu this time.  I made my version of tuna poke, 2 recipes from Alinea - 'oyster, ginger, salmon roe, beer' & 'transparency of manchego cheese', 72 hour sous vide short ribs with a port/wine reduction served with fingerling mashed potatoes, braised heirloom carrots and carrot top sauce, and for dessert Marina made a chocolate & tonka bean creme brulee.  For the most part everything came out quite nice...especially dessert.  There were some snaffoos along the way and I completely forgot to add some things but if you go all out and don't mess a little bit up you're not pushing your personal limits in the kitchen.  I'll share the recipes in future posts.

Black Bean Soup

There's something very special about black bean soup.  It's extremely versatile and is great to eat year round.  The flavor is rich and hardy and it goes with just about anything.  Here's my basic recipe and I'll talk about some of my favorite variations and different ways to dress it up.  Every now and then I'll make my own beans and they're definitely better than canned but the thing I love about this soup is that when short on time you can make very quickly.  Black bean soup keeps well for up to 5 days or so and the flavor just gets better upon reheating.

2 large cans black beans (I use Goya 29 oz.)
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 cup onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp oil
2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp Mexican oregano
1-2 limes

Saute the onion over medium heat until soft (5 minutes or so) then add the garlic and half the ginger, saute for a minute then add the beans (water & all), tomatoes, the rest of the ginger, chipotles, and the spices.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes to let the flavors come together.  Turn off the heat and puree with an immersion blender.  Add the juice of half a lime and stir in.  Serve and squeeze a quarter lime per serving.  When using canned beans you really don't need any salt but season to taste if necessary.

A real easy option is to serve the soup with some freshly chopped cilantro and avocado and these flavors work extremely well together.  I also usually cook 3-4 thinly sliced carrots with the onion.  If you cook for people that claim to not like vegetables they won't even know you've added them as long as you do a good job destroying the evidence with your immersion blender.  Another option to carrots is a roasted butternut squash.

If you want to get a little more fancy kick it up with some crab salad.
1/2 cup lump crab meat
2 tomatoes diced
1 avocado diced
1/2 - 1 thinly sliced jalapeño or anaheim chile
1 tbsp finely diced red onion
2 tbsp cilantro
1 lime
salt, pepper

Gently fold all ingredients together and server on top of the soup.

Butternut Squash Risotto take 2

Here's another option for butternut squash risotto.  This time I used soft shell crab in place of lobster.  Remember me saying to save those seeds?  (Which are a huge pain to separate from the pulp and if anyone has an easy way to do this do tell).  So I took the cleaned seeds and toasted until crispy in a toaster oven.  I then ground them to a medium consistency added some salt and curry powder and used as the coating for the soft shell crab.  The seeds add a great crunch and add a nice nuttiness to the crab.

Butternut Squash Risotto with butter poached sous vide lobster tails and smoked arugula

So for Christmas I got the smoking gun www.cuisinetechnology.com/the-smoking-gun.php and this was my first use for it. I made smoked arugula using the applewood that came with it and it came out great adding another level of flavor to the arugula.

I made this a few weeks ago and will do my best to recollect this recipe. I don't really do measurements when doing variations of recipes I've done in the past so I'll put guesstimates and leave it to the cook to adjust accordingly.

2 cups carnaroli rice (arborio can be used but definitely use carnaroli if you can find it. It comes out creamier and cooks faster. I just bought some today at an Italian deli and was asking the guy why it's so hard to find...he had no idea and agrees it's far superior)

2 tbsp chopped shallot

1 medium butternut squash

1/2 cup dry sherry

2-3 cups arugula + a few leaves for garnish (smoke it if you can but totally optional)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

6 cups or so of veggie or chicken stock

2 lobster tails

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

salt, pepper

To cook the squash I pierce the skin a few times with a knife to let steam escape and wrap the whole thing in aluminium foil. Put in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours or so depending on size. Remove, let cool a little, remove the skin, pulp, and seeds (and save those seeds!)

For the lobster boil the tails for 2 minutes in a pot of water with some salt and a cup of white vinegar (this makes removing the shells easier). Remove from boiling water and immerse in an ice bath. Remove the tail fan, cut along the length of the bottom of the shell, split, and carefully remove tail meat taking care to keep it intact. Vacuum seal on high with 2 tbsp of butter and souls vide for 25 minutes at 140F. Alternatively you can boil or steam for 5-7 minutes)

For the risotto saute the shallot on low-medium heat in the olive oil until soft. Increase heat to medium and add the rice and stir for a few minutes until most of the oil is absorbed then add the sherry and stir until absorbed. Have your stock at a simmer and add 1-2 ladles to the rice at a time and continue to stir. This will take 20 minutes or so. Be patient and don't add more stock until the previous ladle is mostly absorbed. A few minutes before your rice is done add the squash and nutmeg. I like to mash some and keep some chunks to add texture. Taste along the way and season as necessary. When your rice and good and al dente add the parmesan cheese and turn off the heat and stir in the arugula. And don't forget the butter from the lobster! Take a little taste for yourself (nothing like lobster flavored butter) and add the rest to the risotto. Give it a minute or 2 to set up and serve. Slice the lobster tail in half and position on top of the risotto and garnish with a few arugula leaves. Crack open some wine and enjoy!

my first blog entry

So welcome to my blog...foofoody. This is my first entry and my intro to the world of blogging. I've enjoyed cooking for several years now and have come a long way from making homemade spaghetti sauce in my hot pot in college. Over the coming weeks I will share my creations, lessons learned, and hopefully help some other people create something special for themselves, their family, and friends.