Cook on your feet

Beef Carpaccio

2012-03-13T09:30:00.001-07:00

Carpaccio is one my favorite simple dishes to eat. Carpaccio basically means thinly slices of raw meat or fish. This is a quick version using buffalo tenderloin. A lot of times in the restaurant business chef's will tie the tenderloin or strip steak and freeze it into a cylinder shape. Then using a electric slicer shave paper thin slices of the meat. Since I don't have an industrial meat slicer I improvised a bit.

Ingredients

8 oz buffalo tenderloin tail end

1/4 cup of capers

1/4 cup of shaved fennel, paper thin

1/4 cup of shaved parmesan

1/2 cup of chiffonade butter lettuce

1/4 cup of green onion slices

5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp of Grey poupon whole grain mustard

1/3 cup of mayo

pinch of salt

I used the tail end of the tenderloin, then seasoned it heavily with salt and pepper. Sear it quickly on all sides in a hot pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Rest the meat for 5 minutes and wrap it tightly in plastic. A tight plastic wrap will enable you to make thin slices of meat without shredding the seared exterior. With a sharp knife, slice the meat through the wrap to make thin slices. Remove the plastic and lay out the slices on a new piece of plastic on the counter. Cover the slices with another piece of plastic, so the meat slices are in between two sheets of plastic. With a mallet lightly tap the meat slices to flatten them paper thin, without tearing the meat. Remove all the plastic and place the slices of meat on a plate, wrap and refrigerate until time to serve. The slicing and refrigerating should be done in advance for a party.

Mix mayo, grey poupon, and salt and put into a squeeze bottle. Uncover the meat and squirt streaks of the mustard over the top. In a bowl mix fennel, butter lettuce, and green onion. Season with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Line the greens over the meat and top with shaved parmesan. Finish the plate with a drizzle of the remaining olive oil. Add capers and a little sea salt.

Consult your doctor about eating rare meat and fish.

Four Cheese Cannelloni with Fresh English Peas

2012-03-12T13:19:00.001-07:00

I had in mind a "peas and carrot" dish, Italian pasta style. So I created this recipe with carrot puree as one of the pasta ingredients. The dough isn't overly orange nor too strong tasting as I would have liked, but you can deepen the color and flavor with a bit more carrot puree. I love Italian cuisine, and what compares to homemade pasta? Freshly made pasta brings out the Italian in me (my last name is Servidio). There are different ways to make good pasta, and I share one of my favorite techniques with you.

Pasta Dough
3 cups of all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp of carrot puree (optional, I used 3 but might want to go with 5 tbsp)
1 tsp salt

Cannelloni Filling
1 lb Ricotta cheese drained of water
5 oz fresh mozzarella
5 oz Fontina cheese
2 oz shredded fresh parmesan
1 egg
Salt and black pepper

English Pea sauce
2 cups fresh shelled english peas
2 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups of chicken stock
2 sprigs of basil
2 tbsp of butter

1 cup of english peas

For the pasta, place the flour in a bowl, make a well or hole in the center of the flour. Place the eggs, olive oil, salt, and puree (if using) into the hole. Using a fork, beat the eggs, puree, and oil until smooth. With the fork, gradually stir in the flour little by little until the egg isn't so sticky. Using your hands instead of the fork, begin forming the dough by folding the flour into the mixture. Continue the folding action until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Adjust the amount of flour depending. You may need a little more or less depending on whether you included the puree. Once the dough is formed, knead it for 5 minutes, wrap it in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, make the cheese filling. Pulse the mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan in a food processor until the cheese is in tiny pieces. Add the ricotta cheese and puree until smooth. With the food processor running, add the egg. Stop the processor to scrape the sides of the bowl and season the filling with salt and pepper. Puree one last time and taste to adjust the seasoning if needed. Refrigerate the filling until ready for use.

For the sauce, add oil, garlic, and shallots to a small sauce pan on medium high. Saute for 2 minutes and add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Add 1 tbsp of salt and then english peas. Cook for 3 minutes and pour the sauce into a blender. Add the basil sprigs and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasoning and place the sauce a small glass bowl. Set the sauce bowl into an icy water bath (fill a larger bowl with ice water and set the smaller bowl in it). Stir the sauce to cool it quickly. Cooling the sauce quickly keeps it a nice bright green and not an overdone army green color.

For the pasta. Fill a large soup pot full of water, add salt and bring to a boil. Take the full amount of dough and cut it in half. Half of the dough is sufficient for this recipe. Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin. Place the flattened dough in the pasta machine on the thickest setting, and pass it through. Adjust the thickness of the setting with the knob. For cannelloni style pasta, I adjust the setting to a 5 or 6, and not much thinner. Pass the pasta through the machine down to a 5 or 6 and then fold the dough back up and repeat the process, a total of 3 times. You might need to add a little flour if the pasta is sticking. Repeated folding and passing the dough through the pasta machine builds structure into the pasta which will enable it to attain the the aldente when boiled. On the last pass through, don't fold the pasta. Lay the sheet out on a floured surface or table and cut the pasta in rectangular sheets every 3 inches.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl and place it next to the pot of boiling water. Add a few pieces of pasta to the boiling water and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Put the cooked pasta into the water bath. Repeat until all the pasta sheets are cooked. Drain the cooled pasta and toss lightly with olive oil. Lay out a few pasta sheets on a flat cutting board and place a line of cheese on the bottom third of each sheet. Roll the pasta into a tight tube. Repeat the process with the remaining pasta sheets and cheese. This makes roughly 8 to 10 cannelloni's. Add a few ladles of pea sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and place the cannellonis on top. Place the dish into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. I didn't cover mine and got a little color on the top but if you don't want that you can cover and bake for 30 minutes.

To serve, heat up 2 cups of english pea sauce and add 2 tbsp of butter to finish the sauce. Blanch a cup of english peas in salted boiling water, strain and add the peas to the sauce. Place one cannelloni onto the plate with a ladle of sauce and peas next to it. Garnish with micro basil leaves, shaved and shredded parmesan.

Mushroom Soup

2012-03-11T11:47:00.001-07:00

I love mushroom soup. There are three things to remember in making outstanding mushroom soup. Good mushrooms, good wine, and good chicken/beef stock. I've made this mushroom soup for years, but I include ingredients on hand to vary the basic recipe. Recipes guide you in a specific direction, and you make your own version by experimenting with what's on hand.

Mushroom Soup Ingredients

4 large portobellos sliced with stems and gills

4 oz of Maitake mushrooms chopped roughly

4 garlic cloves sliced

2 shallots sliced

1/2 onion sliced

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup of flour

1/2 cup dry sherry

48 oz of chicken stock

32 oz of beef stock

1 tbsp thyme leaves

2 tbsp oregano leaves

3 tbsp of black truffle oil (optional)

Salt and black pepper

In a large soup pot on medium high heat, add butter, oil, shallots, onions and mushrooms. Season with a little salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes and add the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes and add the flour. Adding the flour makes a roux. Cook the roux for 1 minute and add the sherry. Continue cooking to reduce the wine by half. Add the chicken and beef stock, bring to a boil and turn down the heat to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes and add the herbs. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until it is silky smooth. Add a touch of half and half to make it "cream of mushroom soup" and to lighten the color, if you wish. However, it's delicious without the half and half, too. Finish the soup by seasoning with salt, freshly cracked pepper and truffle oil. Serve with croutons, creme fraiche, fresh oregano and olive oil.

Flour-less Chocolate Cake

2012-03-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is one of the lightest and moist chocolate cakes I have tasted and I don't really like chocolate cake. Because it has few ingredients, this cake is fast and easy to make. Once you've made this recipe, you may want to try varying the cake by adding your favorite spices, nuts, and flavorings. For all you lovers of chili spice in chocolate cakes, this one would be a perfect to add to it.

Flour-less chocolate cake
9 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp amaretto
1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven 375.

Prepare a spring form pan by lining it with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray and set aside. Melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler. When the chocolate has melted, take the pan off the heat and whisk in sugar. When the sugar has been blended in, whisk in 1 egg at a time until all are incorporated. Add the vanilla, amaretto, and cinnamon and whisk until blended. Pour the batter into the spring form pan and bake for 25 to 30 min. Test the cake by sticking a toothpick into the center, and it should come out clean. Allow the cake to rest for 15 minutes. The sides of the cake separate from the spring form pan making it easier to remove the form. Slice and serve warm with patron chocolate caramel sauce. A scoop of vanilla ice cream adds just the right finish.

Sauce

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of butter

1/4 cup of patron chocolate tequila liqueur

2 tbsp of heavy cream

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and sugar together until they are both dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and pour in patron. Be careful if your working on a gas stove because the alcohol will ignite. Gently cook off the alcohol and finish with the heavy cream.

This is an easy gluten free recipe for chocolate cake.

Sous Vide Turkey "Pastrami"

2012-02-28T11:54:00.002-08:00

In response to the interest in sous vide, I share with you a quick version of Turkey Pastrami. Sous vide preparation keeps turkey breast or any other meat moist. Retaining moisture is especially important with turkey because it tends to dry out quickly. The usual way of preparing pastrami is by curing or corning the meat. In the sous vide method, I get the traditional flavor by using spices. You notice in this version of pastrami there are no added nitrites or nitrates to preserve the meat. This might sound like an intimidating recipe but it really couldn't be any easier. At the store I bought bone-in turkey breast and filet them but you could just buy the breast and skip that step. I would try to buy one with skin on instead of skinless.

2 Turkey Breast (approx 2 1/2 - 3 lb total)
1 tbsp Green Peppercorn
2 tbsp red peppercorn
2 tbsp black peppercorn
1/4 cup of coriander seeds
2 tbsp of butter
4 tbsp of Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Set the temperature of the water bath with a thermal circulator at 141 degrees.

Pulse all of the spices in a coffee grinder or spice grinder until coarse. Apply the spices heavily to the skin of the turkey breast. Place the spiced breast into a plastic cryovac bag along with 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Seal the bag air tight with a vacuum sealer. Place the bag in the heated water bath.

Sous Vide (process) the turkey breast for about an 1 1/2 hours to an hour and 45 minutes, depending on the size of the breast. Feel to check the firmness of the breast as the cooking progresses. After an hour the color will start to turn from pink to more white and the meat should feel firmer. In the sous vide process, the color of meat will not always look like the meat cooked by in a different manner. For example, a steak cooked to medium on the grill and sliced will be brown around the edges and the center will be red to pink. A steak cooked sous vide will be more uniform in color throughout. The meat will retain an overall red to pink color although it is medium. This indicates that the whole piece of meat cooked exactly at the same time and to same temperature.

When the turkey is done you can allow it to rest for awhile in the bag or you can save it for another day in the bag. If you are preparing to serve it right away then take the breast out of the bag and allow it to rest for a minute on a cutting board. Season the breast with salt on both sides. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a saute pan and heat to medium high. Sear the salted turkey on the skin side for a 3 minutes to brown the skin and firm texture. Flip the breast over and cook for 1 minute. Let the breast rest again for 5 minutes to complete the cooking. You want to make sure the turkey is done, but remember from the example of sous vide steak, the meat may be slightly pink. Slice the turkey and season it with a little more salt if desired.

This is what it should look like out of the bag but not seared yet.

And after it is seared and sliced it should look something like this

You can always use your thermometer to check the temperature of the turkey is completely done.

Mini Tuna and Yellow Tail Tacos with Black Garlic

2012-02-24T12:01:00.001-08:00

I enjoy preparing Sushi night for the family once every few weeks, featuring what's available at the market or on hand. Recently I used left over hamachi ( yellow tail) and Ahi Tuna along with black garlic. The deep, rich licorice flavor of black garlic is developed by fermenting natural garlic. Black garlic has gained attention in the last 5 years here in the United States, but the Japanese and Koreans have long used it for medicinal as well as culinary purposes. Black garlic is said to have twice the antioxidants and other nutrients of regular garlic. The Chinese produce most of the world's garlic and black garlic and use it as a cancer preventative.

Using some of the same ingredients described in "sushi night," and borrowing mini taco idea from Nobu I prepared these tartar tacos for Congressman Loyd Doggett. He loved it, so I pass it on to you.

To make mini tacos use 1 package of small wonton skins. Unfold each wonton skin and using a ring mold, cut each skin into a circle. Fry the circles in a hard taco fry basket. I've included a source if you want to use my technique for making the little mini tacos. You can purchase the taco fry basket at webrestaruant.com

I removed the triangular steel molds that hold the tortillas in the taco fry basket and use them as my form or mold. I place a wonton round over the bottom of the triangular mold to make the taco crease then place another triangular steel mold on top to hold the wonton in place for frying. I fill a cast iron skillet half way with oil and place the triangular steel molds in sideways so that each side gets fried with a minimum amount of oil. Fry for 1 minute and then flip the mold to fry the other side of the wonton. If this is not clear please let me know and I will post "how to make mini tacos."

For the Fish

8oz Ahi sushi grade Tuna, small diced

De-seeded dried peppers:1 ancho, 1 guajillo, 1 pasilla, 1 new mexico, 1 chipotle

Put the chiles in coffee grinder and pulse until smooth.

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lime juiced

1 clove of black garlic sliced

Salt and pepper

Cilantro

8 oz Hamachi, small diced

3 tbsp of miso mayo

1 tsp Sriracha

1 clove black garlic julienned

2 leaves of mint julienned

pinch of salt

1 cup Guacamole

In one bowl mix all the tuna ingredients except the black garlic and set aside. In a second bowl mix all the hamachi ingredients except black garlic and set aside. Using small spoons add a little guacamole in the bottom of a cooked wonton taco shell, then top with the tuna. Garnish the tuna tacos with black garlic and chopped cilantro stems. Repeat the process with the hamachi, but garnish with fresh mint. Serve the tacos immediately so the wontons don't get soggy.

Truffle Oxtail "Cake"

2012-02-23T15:10:00.001-08:00

When I was in San Francisco working under Daniel Patterson and Ron Boyd (now of Coi, IL Cane Roso, and forthcoming Brancini) we served a fabulous oxtail potato cake. Years ago I enjoyed an oxtail/ truffle dish in Paris at Le Grand Vefour. My recipe captures a little from each of those excellent entrees. Oxtail is a great meat for braising. Although the yield per pound is less than other cuts of beef, oxtail is packed with flavor. If you want a little variety, try this knock out oxtail cake with creamy mashed potatoes.

4 lb Oxtail cut in sections (this is normally how it is sold)

1 onion cut in quarters

2 Carrots cut in half

2 stalks of celery cut in half

8 garlic cloves

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 bay leaves

2 cups of red wine

1/4 cup of tomato paste

10 cups of water or stock

3 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Caramelized onions

2 small onions sliced thin

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt

2 Tbsp of black truffle oil

2 Tbsp of olive oil

Non-Stick spray

Season oxtail with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large braising pot on medium high heat, add oil and oxtail. Brown the oxtail for 3 minutes on the first side and then flip it over. Add all of the vegetables and herbs on top of the oxtail. Cook for another 2 minutes and add the wine. Continue cooking to reduce the liquid by half. Add the tomato paste and water and bring to a boil. Cover the braising pot and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the meat is tender.

In a medium saute pan on medium high heat, add oil, butter, and sliced onions. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally as the natural sugars start to caramelize and brown. Do not add salt until the onions are caramelized. Salt draws water out of the onions so it requires a longer time to brown them. The caramelizing takes 10-20 minutes, depending on the heat of the pan and how much attention you give to stirring. Once the onions are caramelized, add salt and let them cool to room temperature.

Strain the meat from the braising pot onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Allow the meat to cool to room temperature. Pull all of the meat away from the fat, bone, and cartilage. Large dice the meat and add the caramelized onions, truffle oil, salt and pepper.

In a cast iron skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and add a steel ring mold. Spray the mold with non-stick spray ( I use the olive oil spray). Fill the ring with the oxtail and onion mixture and brown for 4 minutes on each side. Might need to play a little with getting the spatula under the ring mold but it can be done if you have a flat steel spatula and wiggle it a little. Serve the cake on top of mashed potatoes with a little bit of the broth from the braise and a touch of butter. The oxtail cake has a nice crisp top with soft meat in the middle. On top of creamy potatoes and natural juice, it is delicious!

Sous Vide 1 Hour Egg

2012-02-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Sous Vide is a technique that has been around for some time now. Typically you put meat, fish, or vegetable into a cryovac or vacuum sealed bag with some sort of fat or liquid and then place it into a controlled temperature water bath. I will be showing a lot more sous vide recipes in the future but today a beginner one. Recently a company called Polyscience has come up with this electric coiled heater that keeps any temperature you want constant. About 10 years ago I was taught the sous vide technique but this machine was not on the market yet, so we just used a thermometer to keep an eye on what temperature the water was by making adjustments. If it got too hot then we would add a little ice and if it was too cold then we turned up the heat. This is the way I have been doing sous vide for the last 10 years and this is how home cooks can sous vide if you don't want to spend about $800 on the polyscience machine. Granted you will not be as precise as if you had the machine but it can be done with a little practice. All you need is a vacuum seal machine (you can buy them at target) and bags. In this recipe though I am doing one hour eggs. If you cook the egg "slow and low" the egg yolk will have a creamy consistency and the whites will set softly. To me it seems like the yolk almost doubles in size and the creaminess is incomparable. If you have the time and the tools its a great alternative to a poached egg. You can add this slow cooked egg to whatever dish you want. Salads, soups, vegetables, pastas, meats, and anything else you can think of.

If you have the sous vide machine set it at 146 degrees and let the machine come up to temperature. Follow the directions of your polyscience machine for set up or at home bring your pot of water to that temperature. Slowly lower 8 eggs into the water bath. Set a timer for 1 hour and forget about it. Take out the eggs and serve immediately. I served it with ratatouille. One note is you want to drain some of the water inside the egg before you place it on the plate.

Coconut and Pineapple Panna Cotta ( Pina Colada )

2012-02-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

Panna Cotta is a classic Italian gelatin dessert that includes some form of dairy and sweetener. I prepared this delicious panna cotta recently from a version I came up with two years ago. Like many chefs, I have forgotten some of my "serve that one again" entrees because I didn't write down the ingredients. But I've test run this recipe for you, checked the ingredients and directions; I'm putting this one in the cookbook but I couldn't resist sharing it. This refreshing dessert will be a favorite with your guests and family.

Piña Colada Panna Cotta

2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup sugar
1 pkg of gelatin
1 lime zested and juiced
1/2 vanilla bean split in half and seeds scraped
Pinch salt

Pineapple jam
1/2 fresh pineapple, small diced, about 2 1/3 cup fruit
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp pryat rum
1/2 vanilla bean (left over from above)
2 tbsp butter
Pinch salt

In a bowl place 3/4 cup of coconut milk and gelatin. Stir together, set aside, and let it bloom (hydrate) for about 10 minutes.

In a medium sauce pan, place 1 1/4 cup of coconut milk with the scraped vanilla bean seeds, sugar and pinch of salt. Bring this to a boil, remove from the heat, and pour the hot liquid over the gelatin and coconut milk. Whisk in the yogurt, lime zest, and juice. Ladle this into individual ramekins or any other attractive serving dish. Place the ramekins or serving dish in the refrigerator for at least an hour to set.

In medium sauce pan add butter, vanilla bean ( the half remaining from above) and pineapple. Cook for about 5 minutes until the pineapple starts to caramelize. Then add the rum, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until the pineapple mixture becomes jam like. Chill the jam in a glass bowl. When you are ready to serve, add a spoonful of the chilled pineapple jam on top of the panna cotta in each ramekin. You'll find this a light and refreshing dessert that doesn't take long to put together.

Almond Paste Clafoutis

2012-02-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

Typically, Clafoutis is a delicious dessert consisting of a light egg batter poured over fruit. Clafoutis bakes into a light bread-like pudding. I prepared this dessert with almond paste instead of fruit. Clafoutis allows you to be creative depending on "what you throw in." I've made in the past banana and chocolate, blueberry, apple and even corn. The corn clafoutis will be a recipe in my upcoming book. My recipe includes almond paste because it is one of my favorite flavorings and I had some left over. I also love my Le Creuset terrine mold and that's what I prepared this recipe in. It evenly distributes heat during baking and provides a beautiful shape to the dessert.

Clafoutis Batter
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
12 oz almond paste (see below)
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Almond Paste

1 1/2 cups blanched almonds
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare Almond Paste by processing the dry ingredients in a food processor, then adding the egg and wet ingredients until smooth. Weigh out 12 ounces for the batter.

Place the batter ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Spray the terrine mold with non-stick spray. Pour the batter into the terrine mold. Place a lid on top of the terrine and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the top and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown. Let the clafoutis cool for 10 minutes and it will be easier to remove from the mold. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream. Clafoutis is also delicious at room temperature with creme anglaise.

Miso Soup

2012-02-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Miso soup is good for you. It's delicious and easy to prepare. I've made this simple version but it can be enriched by your own additions. I prefer using the milder flavored white miso or yellow miso. The darker misos are rich, salty and add deeper color. Dark miso makes a good base for robust soups. Miso recipes often call for dashi, which is a fish broth or dry flavoring made from bonito flakes. Dashi is sold in asian markets. When I made this particular soup, I didn't have any dashi in the pantry, or fish bones, or bonito flakes--nothing that resembled fish. I improvised. Here is my version.

Miso soup

9 cups of chicken stock

14 oz of white miso

2-3 tsp of sriracha, a Thai hot sauce ( more if you like it really spicy)

1/2 lb of shitake mushrooms sliced and stems removed

1 lb of medium tofu diced

1 bunch of green onions

2 tsp of tamari soy sauce

In a medium soup pot, bring the chicken stock and mushrooms to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and whisk in the miso paste. Add sriracha, tamari, tofu and green onions. Cook for about 4 minutes, and the soup is done. Adjust the seasoning if needed. This light, easy, and healthy soup is packed with protein. If you have dried dashi, add 2 tbsp to complete the soup.

Osso Bucco and Barley Soup

2012-02-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

I've put together a slightly different version of classic beef and barley soup, using osso bucco (veal shanks) instead of stewed beef. My recipe requires a few extra steps--but it's well worth the effort! I braise the osso bucco first and then puree the broth with all the braising liquid and vegetables. The rich broth gives the soup deep flavor and body.

Osso bucco barley soup

Braising

3 lb of veal osso bucco

1 onion cut in quarters

4 carrots cut in half

2 stalks of celery cut in 3 pieces

8 garlic cloves rough chopped

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 cup of red wine

10 cups of chicken stock or water (beef stock is a good option, too)

2 sprigs of thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp of olive oil

Soup

1 onion small diced

1 leek washed and small diced

2 carrots small diced

2 parsnips small diced

1/2 cup of barley

2 to 3 cups of braising liquid

1 tbsp of thyme chopped

1/4 cup of green onions chopped

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tsp of fresh cracked pepper

Salt to season

Season both sides of Osso bucco with salt and pepper. In a large braising pot on medium high heat, add oil and seasoned osso bucco. Sear the veal on the first side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the veal over and add the vegetables for braising on top. Cook for about 2 minutes and add the wine. Cook until the wine is reduced by half and add stock or water. Add the canned tomatoes and herbs and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

About an hour and a half into the veal braising, start the soup. In a separate soup pot on medium high heat, add olive oil, and all the soup vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes without browning the vegetables. Add the barley to the vegetables.

Using a small fine strainer, ladle out 3 cups of the braising liquid from the veal pot and add it to the soup vegetables and barley. Add another pinch of salt, cover and cook for about 45 minutes on medium low. When the barley is done the veal should be about done, too.

Pull the veal, thyme, and bay leaves out of the braising pot. Discard the herbs and separate the meat from the bones. Small dice the meat and set aside. If you like bone marrow ( my boss does) it can be added back into the soup. You can also top off the finished soup with marrow or save the marrow for another purpose.

Instead of discarding or composting the braising vegetables, why not use them to enrich the soup? Place the braising liquid, tomatoes, vegetables into a blender and puree until smooth. You might have to do this in batches. My puree was a beautiful orange color from the carrots. I added all but 2 cups of the braising puree to my vegetable and barley soup. Now add the diced veal to the soup.

I finished the soup by bringing it back to a simmer, then seasoning it with fresh chopped thyme, green onions, salt and fresh cracked pepper. The soup is wonderful in a fancy coffee cup or a favorite bowl. If you want to make it real fancy add marrow foam and call it a osso bucco cappuccino. As pictured, I served the soup with toast points, a drizzle of olive oil, and a green onion sliver.

New 263 Restaurant and Provisions

2012-02-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

I'm excited about a new very local restaurant in Austin, Texas that is weeks away from opening. The 263 Restaurant and Provisions (Facebook.com/The263) is located in the heart of the Cuernavaca neighborhood off of Bee Caves Road. Dennis Liddy is the owner and visionary. Dennis' background is peppered with all sorts of experiences including running kitches as a chef and sous chef in New Mexico and central Texas, operating a General Store with his Father in New Mexico and most recently running a high end landscape design and construction company. Because of this breadth of experience the space is defined by tons of custom work that you won't find anywhere else and he brings all of his past experience to the table. This restaurant and general store are going to be a great mix of food, drinks, speciality groceries and entertainment. Half of the building and outside will be for food and entertainment including music, movies, and TV. The other half will be a quaint gourmet grocery and cafe. The look and feel of the place is fantastic. There are all kinds of little quirky details that fit in perfectly with the neighborhood. If you have never been in this neighborhood before it is probably the widest mix of people ever. It is a melting pot of Austin's diversity all in one zip code. It is literally one minute from Lake Austin, so if your on the lake a lot this will be a great pit stop! You might be wondering about the name – it's a nod to the telephone number prefixes in the neighborhood. The story goes that if you lived in Westlake you referred to the Cuernavaca neighborhood as "263 Trash". Well Dennis is owning The 263 is a whole new way. The restaurant should be a instant hit with locals and Austinites, it has something for everyone. Very casual comfort food with a selection of premium beer and wine. Dennis also plans on offering a killer sunday brunch and weekly specials as well.

I am consulting with Dennis on menu and recipes because it won't be a chef driven restaurant. The menu is in the works and he hopes to get the doors open by end of the month. Here are a few sneak peak photos of the space….

Opening date, menus, and more pictures coming soon.

Patron XO Cafe Ice Cream Float

2012-02-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is something I came up with the other day. It stemmed from a buddy of mine who is about to open a restaurant in a few weeks. I am helping him with the menu and will post his restaurant very soon. Because there really hasn't been any winter this year and it was 75 degrees, I was looking for a refreshing dessert. My boss JP, owner of Patron loves when I incorporate it into dishes. Patron XO Cafe is a great coffee liquor that can be mixed with many things. I have done a lot with this liquor and this is just another one to add to the list.

Patron XO Ice Cream Float
Recipe
1 tall shot glass
1 and 1/2 tsp of Patron XO Cafe ( add more if you want it strong )
6 tsp of vanilla ice cream ( mine was homemade)
2 tbsp of soda water

Great for breakfast, dessert, or this weekends super bowl party.

Mini Hoagie Rolls

2012-01-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

I like to make this soft, crusty bread for mini hoagies, veggie sandwiches, and little steak subs. This recipe calls for packaged yeast and requires no starter. The rolls have a nice exterior crust but remain soft inside (which I love).

Mini Hoagie Rolls

4 cups Bread Flour

1 pkg. instant yeast or quick rising yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt ( I use Kosher )

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil

Additional olive oil

In a glass liquid measuring cup add the warm water, sugar and yeast. Stir briefly with a fork to blend the mixture. Set aside the measuring cup and allow the yeast to activate for 5 to 10 minutes. In a moderate sized bowl mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the flour and pour in the activated yeast. Mix by hand from the center outward, or use an electric mixer fit with a dough hook. Mix the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured board or counter for 5 minutes. Place the dough back into a clean bowl and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise about an hour or until double in size. Punch down the dough and then divide it into 3 oz balls. (I formed the balls into football shapes and then placed them onto a sheet pan lined with a silpat. ) Cover the rolls with a light weight towel and allow them to rise again for at least 30 minutes. Slash a fine line down the top of each roll with a sharp knife or razor blade.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drizzle the slashed rolls with olive oil and a pinch of salt and place them in the oven. I use olive oil to finish the rolls instead of egg wash because we love olive oil. The oil drained to the bottom of the roll which they soaked up. Bake the rolls for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. In my oven the rolls are done and have a lovely color in 15 minutes.

Pierce Brosnan and Cheech Marin Dinner

2012-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sharing a few photos from a recent celebrity dinner. My mother is a fan of Pierce Brosnan, and I thought she would appreciate a picture of us together. I enjoyed cooking for Pierce and Keely Brosnan, Cheech Marin, and his girlfriend. After dinner they graciously agreed to a photo. This was the first time I had ever asked for a photo with celebrities, it is just something I haven't done. Cheech's friend played the piano and they tried out a new comedy song for our enjoyment.

I started this dinner with one of my favorites, a truffle mushroom soup. I used a variety of mushrooms in the soup, especially the chanterelle. I topped off the finished soup with slices of fresh black truffles. For the next course I served a surf and turf composed of Hawaiian snapper and duck confit. With the number of components that made up this entree, I hustled to do the plating--but it worked beautifully. Serving VIPs is a welcome challenge. I try different techniques and always learn something beneficial. An important occasion helps me realize that sometimes "simple is the best way to go."

For dessert I served ginger 3-ways, a fantastic recipe that will go in my cookbook.

Almost Vegetarian-----Roasted Portobello with poached egg and stewed beans

2012-01-18T11:42:00.000-08:00

It's nice to have a meal without meat occasionally. A simple way to add protein without meat is to include eggs and/or beans. In the following recipe I use both. I bought some heirloom beans called "x-mas beans" at whole foods market, though you might substitute other beans in this recipe. I didn't have time to give the beans a full soak, but did soak them about 15 minutes or so. Following the short soak, I cooked the beans an hour and twenty minutes with chicken stock, carrot, onion, and garlic. The heirloom beans had a meaty texture and almost a potato-like flavor. Sticking with the meatless objective, I included roasted portobellos, sautéed spinach, fresh dill, and poached eggs.

1 cup xmas beans or any similar kind of bean

7 cups chicken stock

2 carrots diced

1 onion diced

3 garlic cloves minced

2 sprigs of fresh dill chopped

2 tbsp of sherry vinegar

2 portobellos roasted

2 eggs

olive oil

1 lb. of spinach

Salt and pepper

Saute the onion, carrot, and garlic in a tbsp of olive oil in a small soup pot for 2 minutes. Add the beans and stock to the sautéed vegetables. Bring the soup to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for an hour. Add 1 tbsp of salt half way through the simmer process. Once the beans are tender, finish the soup with vinegar, dill, and olive oil. Season with additional salt and pepper.

For the portobellos: arrange them on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven pre-heated to 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.

For the eggs: Splash some vinegar into a small pan of simmering water. Break the eggs into a saucer and slip them into the simmering water for 3-5 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on the portobello-spinach bed.

Burrata and Fresh Mozzarella

2012-01-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

I go in waves of what I want to make and what I think my boss wants to eat. I had a great fresh mozzarella dish when I was in Aspen a week ago which got me thinking. We used to make our own cheese at one of the restaurants I worked for and I haven't really prepared it since. I have been wanting to make fresh mozzarella and burrata for sometime now; so a few days ago I was at the local grocery store where they make there own mozzarella and asked if they had curds they would sell to me. They did so I got 1 1/2 lbs of fresh curds.

The first step you will need to do is dice them into uniform pieces.

There is two ways to do it from this point you can either place the curds into a bowl and pour the whey or salted water (1 gallon of water and 1 cup of kosher salt) over it or you can place the curds into a colander and drop them down into the hot salted water. I chose the first. You also will need a cool water bath to place the mozzarella in after you have formed it. It does not have to be ice water. The water that you pour over the mozzarella should be around 160 degrees. Give it a few minutes until the curds are soft enough to work with. Then take some of the curds to form a ball. Do that but folding the top part down to the bottom tucking it into the middle (like kneading a small dinner roll in your hand) Do that a few times stretching the cheese to form a nice ball. Then place it into the water bath. You want to be careful though not to overwork the cheese because that will toughen it.

To make burrata you do the same procedure except instead of making a ball of cheese, flatten it out and stuff it with ricotta. For the ricotta I took about 4 oz with a 1/4 cup of half and half, seasoned it with salt and pepper. I used a ramekin as a guide, I made the mozzarella thin and then stuffed the center with the ricotta mixture. The you pinch together the ends to seal it. Then turn out the cheese.

To serve simply add pesto and balsamic, little olive oil with some greens. Serve with toasted bread or crackers

Pear and Almond Pannekoeken

2012-01-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

My mother made a lovely european pancake for breakfast one morning not long ago. It was filled with fried apples, overlaid with batter, then baked. The pancake recipe is actually dutch and it is called Pannekoeken. My version of this breakfast pancake has a bit more batter and is more cake-like. I think you'll find it delicious and easy enough to share with family and friends. It is great recipe for brunch.

4 bartlett pears peeled and sliced
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of butter
pinch of salt

Almond Cream
1 1/2 cup almond flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tbsp of flour
6 tbsp of soft butter
1 tbsp of cornstarch
2 tbsp of almond extract
1 tbsp of vanilla extract

Pancake batter
1 3/4 cup of ap flour
1 tbsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (grape seed)
2 eggs separated

Powder sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
For the almond cream add almond flour, butter, and sugar to a food processor. Puree until smooth. While on add egg and egg white. Stop and add the flour's. Puree again and finish with the two extracts. Should be a smooth and creamy almond paste.

For the pancake dough combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients except for the egg whites in two separate bowls. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well. Then with a hand mixer whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into the batter and set aside.

In a 11 inch cast iron skillet on medium high heat add butter, sugar, pears, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the pears start to soften and the sugar has dissolved. Then pour all of the almond cream on top of the pears. Then I poured all of the pancake batter on top of the almond cream and baked it in the oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick came out clean. Now I would suggest to do only half of the pancake batter if you want to have a thinner pancake like consistency. I did all of it and it turned out more like a soft cake ( which was fine ). If you choose to do all the batter I would add a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar to the batter because the batter is not sweet (unless you don't like really sweet things) even though the pears and almond paste are sweet it still needs a little added sugar to it. If you decide to do half of the pancake batter you really don't need any added sugar. After it is baked flip it over onto a plate after 5 minutes of resting and finish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Roasted Veal Prime Rib

2012-01-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

I found whole veal racks at "Cut" butcher shop in edwards, Colorado (near vail and beaver creek) and thought it would be great for prime rib. Prime rib is just really the whole rack of beef roasted, it can be on the bone or off. Personally I try to cook on the bone whenever I can. When you take the same cut of meat and fabricate steaks with it, that is called a ribeye. So the prime rib is really just a ribeye cooked whole. In this case I had the younger version with the veal.

Recipe

1 whole rack of bone in veal ribeye
8 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp of chopped fresh thyme
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Take the whole rack and trim any of the connective tissue away from the meat or have your butcher do this when you buy it. Since a lot of places will give you a cheaper price if you buy the whole piece uncleaned and a lot of times I don't want to wait for the place to clean it, I just buy it whole and uncleaned. After you have it cleaned you can tie each chop with butcher twine for uniform presentation. You don't have to do this if you don't have the twine. I actually didn't tie it and it turned out great and uniform in cooking temperature.

Next drizzle the rack with oil, smear the garlic all over the meat. Season with salt and pepper very aggressively. Then top with the herbs. Place onto a roasting pan with a rack to catch the juices and place into the oven. It should take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half depending on your oven. You want to check the roast with a thermometer in the middle of the rack and the temperature should read 125-130 degrees. At 125 degrees that is a medium rare and you should let the meat rest at least 15 to 20 minutes before cutting, this is typically where prime rib should be at. You have to remember the carry over cooking will take it to 130. If you pull the meat out at 130 degrees and let it rest this will give you a more medium internal temperature.

Cut a chop for each person and serve with au jus or classic horseradish cream.

Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower

2011-12-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

Romanesco Cauliflower is an Italian breed of cauliflower. It is in the broccoli family and sometimes it is called broccoli romanesco but the taste is just like cauliflower. The buds look like a spine of a ancestral dinosaur which gives a real uniqueness for presentation. This variety of cauliflower is very dense from the core but is very tender at the same time. You can prepare this just like any other cauliflower. I like to simply roast in the oven and let them caramelize which intensifies the flavor.

1 Romanesco Cauliflower de-cored and cut into equal buds
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Place all the ingredients into a bowl, toss well and season with salt and pepper. Spread out evenly onto a sheet pan and roast for about 15 to 20 minutes. The cauliflower should be tender and ready to eat.

Candied Limequats

2011-12-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Limequats are very similar to kumquats with the exception of tasting like lime instead of orange. limequat has a bit of the sweet key lime flavor as well. You can eat the skin just like kumquats. In addition to eating them whole, I also like to candy them. I like to pair the limequats with savory items like cheese or proteins. Here I did a simple pairing with some sharp provolone cheese straight from Italy.

10 limequats sliced
1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cup of water
2 fresh shiso leaves chiffonade
Cheese any of your choice

Simply add the sliced limequats to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and strain them. Cover with water and bring to a boil 2 more times. Here you are blanching the limequats and trying to get rid of any bitterness that might be in them. After the third time, use the measured water and sugar. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off and cool completely and then finish with the shiso leaves. Serve with cheese or anything else that you like lime in.

Santa Monica Seafood and Sardines

2011-12-19T10:52:00.000-08:00

If your in the Los Angeles area just visiting or you live there and want to have the freshest fish available, then you have to visit Santa Monica Seafood. It is located on 1000 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica. They have the widest variety of fish and seafood that I've seen offered to the public other than an open seafood market. They are one of the biggest distributors on the west coast, they have a deli, oyster bar, wine area and gourmet products. If you want the highest quality of fish then this is the place to go. They have fish from local waters as well as imports. When I'm in L.A. that is where I buy the majority of my fish. They have all kinds of featured chef's and products throughout the store as well. Whether you are going to get a bite to eat or going to buy some fish to prepare at home, Santa Monica Seafood is the place to go.

Because I like to get whole fish when I can and saw they had these huge sardines I decided on that. I thought of a simple Spanish dish called Escabeche. It is basically a partially cooked piece of fish that is covered in vinegar and olive oil. I decided to do a quick version and the recipe follows.

Sardine Escabeche
1lb whole and gutted Sardines ( roughly 5 to 7)
1/2 yellow onion small diced
1/3 cup of capers
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 yellow heirloom tomato
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp chile flakes
Salt and Pepper

First season sardines with salt and pepper on both sides and set aside. In a medium hot saute pan add 2 tbsp of olive oil and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, paprika, capers, chili flakes, and cook for another 2 minutes and then add the vinegar. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the sardines. Cook them for about 2 minutes on the first side and then add the rest of the olive oil and cook for another 2 minutes and turn off the heat. Finish with parsley and season to taste. I poured everything in to a glass dish and covered it with plastic wrap. You can let them sit for 5 minutes and then eat or let them cool to room temperature and have them. Traditional escabeche they will cover completely with vinegar and oil and let vinegar cook the fish the rest of the way normally at least one day.

Finger Lime (Natures Caviar)

2011-12-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a new item, a product from Australia that Idon’t recall seeing when I was

There. When I found them here in Austin, I wondered, “whatare these things?” Actually they are finger limes. The instructions on thepackage said to cut off the ends of the limes and watch the caviar ooze out. So I paid $8.00 for roughly 20little limes, took them home, and tried it out.

After you cut off the end of the fruit, you have to roll thelime a little and squeeze it to get the caviarout. What comes out certainly looks like real caviar but has the taste of limerather than fish. The little pearls havea wonderful texture. They give a little pop when you bite down on them and arenot at all mushy. I served the caviar on top of fish. It added a greatcitrus flavor and delightful contrast. I'm sold on finger limes and will definitely continue to explore with them.

Black Truffles

2011-12-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

Black Truffles are wonderful mushrooms to splurge on if you have the extra money. Since JP loves them I try and get them whenever I can. You can get good domestic ones which are far less expensive then the foreign but the domestic truffles usually don't have the strong smell or flavor that the european ones do, but again are a great alternative. Some chef's infuse some of the truffles with oil's to make the scent and taste stronger. I think if they aren't that strong in smell or flavor then they might not be worth the extra money but you will have to decide and take it on a case by case basis. Normally you want to buy ones with really strong smell and firmness. Whole foods and Central market will sometimes have these available in the summer and winter time. There are endless recipes for truffles. Simple ones are to just slice thin on pasta with butter or cream sauce or in scrambled eggs. I made a black truffle and chestnut mousse that I stuffed inside a chicken and sous vide it. I hope to bring more recipes for truffles in a few weeks. I will be in L.A. for the next few weeks and the farmers market in Santa Monica, and in Malibu always has a mushroom guy who has truffles this time of year. White ones are even stronger in smell and taste so I will try and get those if they have them.

Chestnuts and Quail

2011-12-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

Wintertime is the season for chestnuts. I love chestnuts,and they are one of my dad’s favorite treats. In Europe chestnuts are roastedand sold on street corners. Chestnuts have a naturally sweet flavor. They areversatile and can be used in sweet or savory dishes.

To prepare chestnuts you’ll need a sharp knife. Cut an X inthe flat side of the chestnut, before roasting or boiling them. To roast thenuts, place them on a sheet pan and place them in a 375-degree oven for 30minutes. Let them cool slightly then peel. To boil chestnuts, place them in asmall pot and cover with water. Bring the water to boil then turn down the heat to simmer for about 10minutes. Turn off the heat and slightly cool the nuts before peeling. Chestnutsare easier to peel when they are still warm.

Candied grand marnier orange chestnuts

1 lb boiled peeled chestnuts

1/4 cup grand marnier

1/2 cup sugar

1 mandarin zest

1 cup of water

pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a light simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Cool to room temperature. Once you have cooked down the chestnut mixture, pair it withcheese and crackers, use it as part of a dessert, and try it with savory foods.I have stuffed a quail with the candied chestnuts and then roasted it.

For the Quail

4 semi deboned quail

3 tbsp of dried herbs de provence

1 tbsp of crushed coriander seed

6 tbsp of grand marnier chestnuts (from above)

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the quail, drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil over it and seasonall sides with salt, pepper, coriander and herbs de provence. Place 1½ tbsp. chestnut mixture inside thequail. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil in a cast iron pan or sauté pan.Place the quail breast side down and brown for about 2 minutes. Turn the quailover and place the pan into a pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes. When the quailis done, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.I served the stuffed quail with another drizzle of olive oil and a side dish ofbutternut squash puree.

Butternut Squash "Linguini" with chestnuts and brown butter sage

2011-12-07T14:13:00.001-08:00

Here is a simple recipe and all you need is one tool. The tool is Kanekichi-BN5-Turning-Slicer and you can find it on Amazon or at your local restaurant supply store along with a number of other places online. They run about 75$ and if you don't want to splurge on this gadget you can easily make this same recipe using a mandolin and julienne the butternut squash. I thought this would be a great fall and winter dish for vegetarians with classics flavors and little twists. This could also be an excellent first or second course at a dinner party.

3 to 4 lb butternut squash peeled and bottom section with seeds cut off
4 tbsp butter
1 clove of garlic minced
7 whole leaves of fresh sage
3 whole chestnuts quartered
1 pinch of ground fresh nutmeg
4 oz grated petit basque cheese or parmesan, manchego or any other you like
Salt and fresh black pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a boil seasoned with salt.

Take the butternut squash and place it into the kanekichi slicer, centering the squash in the middle of the slicer. Crank the slicer so that it turns out thin ribbons of "linguini". In a saute pan add butter, sage, and chestnuts. Saute for about 2 to 3 minutes until the butter starts to brown ( don't burn) and add the garlic. Meanwhile take a handful of the squash (first batch) and place it in the boiling water for 5 seconds and strain into the saute pan with all the other ingredients. Toss once or twice and turn off the heat. Season with salt, fresh pepper, and nutmeg. Plate onto a plate or bowl and shave fresh cheese on top along with another pinch of nutmeg. Serve immediately. Because it is squash and not real pasta you cannot cook too long or else the squash will start to fall apart.

The amounts above ( butter, garlic, sage, chestnuts, and nutmeg) are for one "batch". I had a really large butternut squash so I could make roughly 5 batches so you would need to multiply the amounts to accommodate how many people you are serving. I would say if it is just two people a small butternut squash would be plenty.

Picture of the Kanekichi slicer with butternut squash

Flourless Apple Tart

2011-12-05T07:07:00.001-08:00

I thought of this dessert because I wanted to make an apple pie-like tasting dessert without actually making an apple pie. This is quite easy and all it really consists of is thinly sliced apples, sugar, and spices. I cooked mine in a terrine mold but if you don't have one you can just use a small loaf pan. This is also a good recipe for gluten free.

The recipe goes

4 granny smith apples peeled and shaved almost paper thin on a mandolin
1 cup of brown sugar
2 tbsp and 1 tsp of cinnamon spice ( cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice)
4 tbsp of butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 Terrine mold
non-stick spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Take terrine mold and spray with non-stick spray. Line the terrine mold with plastic wrap so that you have enough to hang over the mold. Then take shaved apples and place only layer of apples on the bottom. Sprinkle evenly over the apples approximately 1 tbsp of sugar, and a pinch of spice. Then add another layer apples. This time evenly distribute 1 tbsp of butter, sugar, spice, and a few grains of salt. Then continue and add another layer apples just like the first layer with sugar and spice. You can do 2 layers here and then do another layer with butter and salt. Basically you alternating layers and every 3 or 4 you add the salt and butter until you have filled the terrine to the top of the mold. Then fold over the plastic and place the lid on top. Place the terrine into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. The apples will have shrunk down about halfway or more down the mold. So don't expect t have the same height as your mold with the finished product. The edges got almost like caramel and candy-like which gave it different textures. I cooled mine completely and served it the next day. But if you wanted to serve hot wait 20 minutes and un-mold to slice. Serve with vanilla ice cream or your favorite topping.

You can cut the ends off and cut into bite size pieces for little snacks.

You could easily substitute agave, or honey for the sugar and omit the butter if you wanted to go really healthy. You could easily add nuts, caramel, or a dozen other things to really bring more life to this simple but tasty recipe. Basically slice apples and alternate what ever you want in between the layers.

How to butcher whole buffalo tenderloin

2011-12-02T08:06:00.001-08:00

Well we all know that buying the whole chicken is cheaper than buying just the breast or leg meat. It's the same with meat, and fish. Markets will normally give you a much cheaper rate on buying the whole fish, or chicken, or cut of meat than just the steak. I prepare a good amount of buffalo because it has almost the same flavor as beef but is much leaner, around 70% leaner and 50% less cholesterol than beef. Bison also have a higher resistance for disease so it doesn't normally need antibiotics. JP has said that it is one of only a few animals that doesn't get cancer, ( don't know if that is true or not so don't hold me to it ). You can get local buffalo/bison in the grocery stores here at central market, heb, and whole foods. Plenty of local farmers that will also sell their livestock, they will butcher and ship to you as well. We have actually bought a whole buffalo before and split the buffalo meat with another family. You need a big freezer to store about 40lbs of meat but it comes to about 1$ to 2$ a pound and you will get all the prime cuts as well as ground. If you want more info on that you can contact me.

This is one that my brother I think would appreciate, so this one dedicated for him. When they have specials on tenderloin he will buy one or two but doesn't always know how to clean them, so I end up doing it or he struggles through it. So this demo would be exactly the same as a whole beef tenderloin except that the beef will probably be a bit bigger and with a little more fat on it. It is the tenderloin so its never going to be super fatty. But you will see that the buffalo tenderloin is very lean with minimal fat and connective tissue.

Whole Tenderloin

I start off with separating what most call the "chain" of the tenderloin. You can do that a lot of times with your hands or at least start the process. It will be on one side of the tenderloin and should be very easy to recognize. You might have to again get in there with your hands and start pulling at the fat

Continuing

At some point you will need to grab your knife and cut in between the chain and the tenderloin to separate it.

So this is when the chain has been completely removed

On the other side, is a bigger cap or piece and again I like to use my fingers to separate the cap from the main tenderloin

I like to cut that flap off. You don't have to do this, you can leave it on but for me its much cleaner to take it off

I have a sheet tray lined with parchment paper to put the cuts of meat on and to keep everything nice and clean. Here is the chain and the cap piece. I don't show cleaning the chain or cap but its very easy to take off the fat. I like to chop up the chain and use if for breakfast tacos.

Then I like to take off the top fat lining. You do that by taking your knife and cutting into it on the very end

Then turn the knife going the opposite direction and pulling the fat tight with the other hand, cut the fat running down the tenderloin

continuing

You will need to repeat the process one or two more times to get all the fat off

You might have to turn the tenderloin to get a better angle at getting the fat off

This is what the tenderloin should look like when almost all the fat is removed off the top and sides

Flip over the tenderloin and take the fat off the back end. As you can see the bison tenderloin is very lean with hardly any fat. The beef will have quite a bit more but all you want to do is trim off the fat.

Flip the Tenderloin back over to cut individual steaks

Continue slicing to make approximately 5 oz steaks

Here is a view of everything I did, You have half of the filet, the steaks, cap, and chain

Hope this helps everyone.

Good Day Austin with Lidia Bastianich

2011-12-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

This morning helped out Lidia Bastianich food styling, and prep on "Good Morning Austin" on Fox 7. For those of you who don't know who she is; She is the Italian queen with restaurants all over New York, cooking show on PBS "create"called Lidia's Kitchen, she's an author with eight cookbooks. Her latest cookbook which she is promoting is called "Lidia's Italy in America". She has her own line of pasta's, sauces, and wine, along with several lines of merchandise like knives and pottery. She is both a home cook and a professional chef. Here are a few pictures of this mornings segment.

You can go to "Good Day Austin" link to see the segment and the recipe.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/good_day/In-The-Kitchen:-Lidia-Bastianich-20111201-ktbcw#axzz1fJha9WsR

I have a pretty funny story about one of the burners on the set. I will share it a little later. There always has to be a little drama in the food business.

Next time, hopefully, it will be me doing the segment. Keep you posted when that might be

Pumpkin Creme Caramel

2011-11-27T08:38:00.001-08:00

If you still have some pumpkin left over and your not tired of it yet, here is a recipe that is light and tasty. Creme caramel is like the inverted creme brulee or like the latin flan. I thought I would make something with the flavors of pumpkin pie but with a little different texture and feel.

Pumpkin Creme Caramel
4 yolks
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups cream
1 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 15oz can pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove

Caramel
1 cup sugar

25 2 1/2oz ramekins
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

For the caramel.
Add the sugar to a pot and turn on medium low. Allow the sugar to caramelize and turn a golden brown. Pour the caramel in the bottom of each ramekin, it will harden almost immediately but that is okay. You want about a tbsp roughly in each ramekin.

For the custard.
In a medium sauce pot add cream and milk and scald ( bring to boil and shut off). In a kitchen aid mixer add eggs, yolks, and turn on medium low. Add the cup of sugar while it is mixing and then turn up the speed to medium high. Whip for about 2 to 3 minutes until the egg mixture is pale white and fluffy. Turn the mixer down to low and slowly temper the eggs with the milk and cream mixture by slowly pouring the milk into the eggs. Continue to temper the eggs until all the milk is combined with the eggs. Add the pumpkin and spices and mix thoroughly. Ladle 2 oz of pumpkin custard to the ramekins and place in a shallow baking dish. Once all the ramekins are filled and in the baking dish add hot water into the pan so that the water goes half way up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake for roughly 30 to 35 minutes or until the custards sets with a slight jiggle if you shake the ramekin. You could also test with a toothpick until it comes out clean. Cool down in the water bath and then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. To plate, cut around the ramekin and invert onto a plate. If you have trouble try placing the ramekin in a hot water bath for 5 seconds and flip over onto a plate.

Try it and enjoy.

Chicken Soup with lime and Cilantro

2011-11-18T14:58:00.001-08:00

Well this is the season for being and getting sick. I've been sick the last few days so I decided to make the classic cure for it, Chicken soup. I know almost everyone has a recipe for this, but here is one I made with things I had at home and with a little Latin flare. It's right along the lines of classic chicken soup with a couple of additions.

Recipe

2 Whole chicken carcasses ( mine were left over from roasted whole chickens)
2 organic chicken breast
5 carrots
2 onions
2 potatoes
4 stalks of celery
1 bay leaf
1 whole garlic bulb
3 sprigs of fresh oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
1 gallon of water or enough to cover everything in the pot
1 lime
3 tbsp of chopped cilantro

Place 2 carrots, 1 onion, garlic bulb, bay leaf, 1 stalk of celery, chicken bones, water, oregano, in a large stock pot, place on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat after it comes to a boil so that the stock can be at slow simmer. Reduce for 3 hours or so until it has half the liquid that you started with. In a small sauce pot, ladle 2 cups of stock into it; add the two chicken breast and cover. Poach the chicken breast for about 45 minutes or until tender enough to shred. Pull the chicken out of the sauce pot into a bowl and shred with two forks. Pour the stock back in with the main stock. Then strain off the stock and discard all the vegetables and bones. Rinse out the pot and return to the stove. Dice the remaining vegetables trying to have them roughly the same size (carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, ) and return them to the pot with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Saute for about 4 minutes with a good pinch of salt. Add the strained stock and bring back to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Add the shredded chicken and cook for 5 more minutes. Finish the soup by seasoning it with lime juice, salt and pepper, and fresh cilantro.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream (What to do with Ripe Bananas?)

2011-11-15T14:45:00.001-08:00

Do you have a bunch of frozen over ripe bananas in your freezer and not sure what to do with them? Do you want something sweet but don't want to make bread or muffins. How about Ice cream? Have peanut butter? How about both together?

I love peanut butter and banana combination so I decide to make some ice cream. This is another recipe that will go in my up coming book but thought I would share it as a test recipe.

Peanut butter banana ice cream
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp Mexican vanilla extract
3 ripe frozen banana thawed and peeled
1 cup creamy smooth peanut butter
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

Place yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl and whip for about 3 minutes until pale yellow. Heat milk and cream together in a sauce pot and bring to a boil to scald the mixture. Turn off and cool slightly. Add half the cream/milk mixture to the yolk mixture while the whisk is on low. This is to temper the eggs. Add the bananas and peanut butter to the other half of the milk/cream mixture in the pot and mix well. ( I used a Hand blender and blended really smooth). Then add the yolk and cream mixture to the peanut butter mixture in the pot. Bring the pot back over to the stove and turn on medium. Heat the mixture until it becomes thick about 5 to 7 minutes stirring continually so that eggs don't curdle. Turn off, add the vanilla, and cool the mixture completely ( You can strain if you desire but its not necessary, I didn't) . Place in an ice cream maker and use as directed. Roughly About 30 min

You can take some banana slices sprinkled with sugar and with a hand torch brulee the bananas to top the ice cream with. If you love peanut butter and bananas like me you would love this easy ice cream

Flounder Stock and Pan Seared

2011-11-13T08:21:00.001-08:00

Wanted to follow up with the flounder stock. Normally you want to remove the gills of the flounder because they are red and normally bloody, which in return would turn your stock or broth cloudy. For stocks in general you want to have some aromatics (vegetables, herbs, spices) and the main ingredient in this case the Flounder skeleton. Stock is just a fancy word for a flavored water, but in cooking this is what will take your dish to another level.

Basic Ingredients

1 whole flounder skeleton
1 gallon of water
3 carrots cut in half
1 whole garlic bulb cut in half
3 stalks of celery
1 onion cut in quarters
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
2 sprig of parsley
1 tbsp black peppercorns

Optional if you have them (celery root, parsnips, leek tops, mushroom stems,)

Place all the ingredients into a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a light simmer. Cook for roughly 3 hours or so skimming off any fat in the process. I reduced (cooked) the stock all the way down to about 2 1/2 cups and then strained through a fine mesh strainer into a small sauce pot. I will continue the whole flounder dish and what I made for dinner.

Sauce Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of fish stock
1 lemon juiced
1/3 cup of capers with a little brine
1 tbsp chopped dill
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp cold water
salt and pepper to taste

Once you have the 2 1/2 cups in a sauce pot bring the stock back to a boil. You want to skim off any fat again so that you don't have separation in your sauce.   Add the lemon juice, capers, dill and a pinch of salt and stir.   Then mix the cornstarch and water together in a small cup to make a slurry. With a whisk, while the sauce is simmer hard, add the slurry stirring continually to the stock to thicken up the sauce. It should thicken slightly right away. Turn down to a simmer and cook another 5 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.    The sauce should thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick then add a little water.   If it is not thick at all and still looks like water repeat the step with the cornstarch until you get the right consistency of a sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If it is bland keep adding seasoning until you get the results you want. Don't just stop because this is the end of the recipe, cooking is all about adjusting to what the end product is so if it needs more lemon, or dill or capers then add it. You or your guest will be eating it so you want it to taste perfect.

Now that you have the sauce you can do what ever you want with the fish. Grill it, steam it, bake it, sear it. etc.... I'll share with you what I did and what I think was a fairly easy preparation but with great results in flavor.

Ingredients

6 4oz fillets of Flounder
2 tbsp of fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt

Veg
1/2 yellow sweet onion small diced
1 celery root peeled and small diced
1 tbsp of fresh minced garlic
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp chopped tarragon
1 cup of fresh fried garbanzo beans

For the veg add olive oil, onion, and celery root to a saute pan on medium high heat. Add a pinch of salt to release the water from the vegetables.   Cook for about 4 minutes and then add the garlic. Turn down the heat a bit if it gets to hot. Cook for another 2 minutes or so until the vegetable are done. Finish with tarragon, salt and pepper.

For the fresh garbanzo beans just peel them and fry them in 350 degree oil for about a minute or two until they get golden brown. (note. be careful because they can splatter and even explode a little bit so I would suggest a cover for the fryer the first minute. ) Strain and season with salt.

For the fish, drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil on the fillets and season aggressively with salt and black pepper on the fillet side. In a big saute pan add the rest of the oil and heat on medium high heat and place the fillet in the pan with the bottom side of the fish up. ( that means the pepper side is cooking). Season the bottom side of the fish with a little salt and cook the fish for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the fish gets a nice golden brown crust. The fish should cook 90% of the way on the first side. So when you get that golden brown crust you turn the fish over and turn off the heat. The fish only needs about a 30 seconds to a minute on this side because it should be almost done. You want the fish to be nice and moist and you have to remember that everything continues to cook even after it is off the heat.

Place two spoonfuls of celery root compote in a bowl, add the fish on top, ladle the sauce on top and sprinkle the garbanzo beans around.   And enjoy!

How to Filet a Flounder (Basics)

2011-11-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

Found whole flounder yesterday at the market and haven't cooked that in a long time so I thought I would give it a go. I also wanted to show people that butchering a fish is not that difficult. You just need to have a few things in mind. One, you need a really sharp knife and good clean work space. Two, not being scared to get your hands dirty. That's about it! I'll try and show you most of the steps to cleaning this gulf flounder. First you want the butcher to scale and de-gut the fish for you unless you would like to do that. I was in a hurry so I told the guy to just scale it because he looked like he was struggling with the rest.

1. Run your knife down the spine of the fish just to get it started. Letting your knife run along the back bone of the fish. When you come to the tail make a little slash across it where the meat starts and fin stops.

2.Turn the fish around and do the same thing with the bottom of the fish

3. Cut behind the head and gills starting from the top to the bottom of the fish, this step can be done first but I wanted to show you without all the guts.

4. Then continue to run your knife down the back bone of the fish and the filet should start to pull away from the body

Continuing.

Shouldn't leave meat on the body if your using your knife and running it along the body of the fish

5. Flip over and repeat the same steps. Run your knife along the top and bottom of the fish

Cutting behind the head and gills

Running your knife along the body of the fish to cut away the fillet

6. Once your have both the fillets then you want to take the skin off. You start by grabbing the tail and holding it tight. You take your knife and you want it at about a 20 degree angle, you don't want your knife to be completely parallel to the board.

Pulling the skin tightly towards you, start slicing the filet away from the skin in a smooth sawing motion.

Still using your death grip, pull the skin towards you and keep cutting away the filet

Skin should have no meat on it.

7. You should be left with 2 filets, the first side should be a little more meaty than the bottom. First I trim the sides for bones and the little flap of meat where the spine is. Then I cut them down the middle using the natural line of the fish to remove any connective tissue and to portion out 4 to 5 ounce pieces. This is what your left with.

Now your ready to cook. I will share the stock and recipe for the flounder next.

Chicken Torta

2011-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

I ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant a few weeks ago here in Austin and saw the table next to us had a huge torta that looked fantastic! Unfortunately I had already ordered and eaten my cabrito and tongue tacos along with a sopa, so I didn't try it. Even though everyone here at the house loves Mexican, I really haven't cooked Mexican in awhile so I thought it would be perfect and somewhat easy because I've been on this french kick for a little while. I took a look at what I had on hand in the kitchen and I had some dinner roll dough left over from yesterday's photo shoot for my book. So I decided to make my own version of the Torta, or Mexican sandwich. I had all these ingredients at the house and that is how this dish was born.

2 chicken breast
4 tbsp of homemade chile powder , seeds removed (3 ancho, 1 chipotle, 2 pasilla, 3 new mexico chile )
3 cups of water
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp salsa spicy (homemade or store bought)
1 tbsp of cilantro chopped

Black Bean puree
1 1/2 cup dry black beans (soaked preferable)
1 ancho chile seeds and stem removed
1 new mexico chile seeds and stem removed
2 garlic cloves
5 cups of water
2 tbsp cilantro
2 tbsp salt

Chipotle Slaw
2 sides of green cabbage julienne
1 cup of julienne jicama
2 red radish julienne
1/3 cup of chopped green onions
1/3 cup of chipotle mayo ( 1 cup mayo and 3 tbsp adobe chipotle sauce or 1 whole adobe chipotle blended)
1 tsp of salt

1/2 cup of French Feta
1 Avocado sliced
Mayo

Homemade Dinner Rolls

For the Slaw.
I like to cut the cabbage around the outside leaving the core ( think of cutting an apple around the core, not through the middle, four slices and your left with a square looking core) Take all the julienned vegetables, green onions and place into a bowl, add salt and chipotle mayo. Mix well and let it marinate for at least a half an hour. Set aside until ready to assemble

For the beans.
In a medium sauce pot add beans, garlic, dry chiles, and water and bring to boil, turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or so and add the salt. Cook for another 40 or so minutes or until the beans are nice and tender. Strain out the beans reserving some of the water and place into a food processor. Add the cilantro and puree the beans until smooth, you might need to add some of the bean water to make a smooth consistency. Taste the beans and adjust the seasoning if need be. Set aside and keep warm

For the chicken.
Take the chicken season with salt and 2 tbsp chile powder and place in a small sauce pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a very light simmer. Cover with a top and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes. Pull the chicken out of the water and discard 3/4 of the water leave 1/4 in the pot. Using tongs, or forks or your fingers shred the chicken into little chunk of chicken. Place the chicken back into the pot of water and add the salsa. Turn the heat back on, season the chicken with the other 2 tbsp of chile powder and a pinch of salt. Cook until all the liquid is gone and finish with cilantro.

To assemble the torta slather a little mayo on each side of the bun. Place shredded chicken on the bottom half, add a healthy spoonful of beans on top. Add the slaw, french feta, finishing with fresh avocado. If you like lime a squeeze of that wouldn't hurt. And get ready to use a napkin because its a little messy.

I can provide the roll recipe as well if anyone wants it or maybe that will be the next post.

Cauliflower and Mushroom

2011-11-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first post and recipe. This is a dish that I was inspired to make right after I came back from France a few weeks ago. It is pretty easy and doesn't take a ton of time. I think it is a great appetizer and vegetarian dish. I plan on putting this one in my upcoming cookbook so try it out and let me know how it worked.

Ingredients
1 very large cauliflower
Juice half of cauliflower stems too for approximately 1 cup of cauliflower juice
1/2 head cauliflower sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 bunch of brown beech mushrooms
1 shallot
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cream
1 tbsp white truffle oil
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp of olive oil

In a small sauce pot add 3/4 cup of Cauliflower juice, 2 tbsp of butter, cream, pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Taste seasoning, adjust if needed, and add truffle oil. Keep warm until ready

In a medium hot saute pan add olive oil, 1 tbsp of butter, shallots, and mushroom. Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the Cauliflower. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to bring out the flavors of everything and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the veg stock and 1/4 cup of cauliflower juice cover and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes. You want the cauliflower to be just done, not crunchy, and not mushy but just done. You might need another minute or two depending on the amount of cauliflower and size.

Place cauliflower and mushrooms in a bowl and pour some of the broth in the bottom of the bowl. Take a hand blender and froth the cauliflower sauce. You do that by sticking a hand blender and frothing just the top of the sauce by tilting the pot on its side. Just think of milk foam for coffee. If you are having a harding time getting good foam you can add a splash of water and a little more butter. Skimming just the top of the sauce to get the foam and pouring it around the bowl. Garnish with fresh herbs and drizzle of truffle oil

Here is another slightly different view