Mussels in grain mustard nage

I just thought that I would post this dinner that I made for my wife and I. I was proud of how all the flavors came together.

These bowls are pretty lame, So you cant really see the the broth, but It was a simple preparation of white wine, mustard, a pinch of saffron, garlic confit (which I had made a couple days earlier) and shallots. I toasted the bread in the garlic butter and garnished with micro-arugula. 

Inexpensive, Tasty, simple, all around great. 

I think though that I am going to invest in some cooler bowls and plates, for presentation purposes.

-Tim

"Sous Vide" Lamb Sirloin W/ Braised cabbage, Date Compote, and mushrooms

Did I use a vacuum sealer and a sous vide machine to cook the lamb sirloin? no. Did I use a zip-loc bag and a large pot of water? Definitely.

That's what us cooks call ghetto sous vide.

By "us cooks," I mean me. No one else.

Anyway, The lamb turned out marvelous. but perhaps the plating could use a little work.

I had been reading about sous vide cooking lately, and really wanted to try it. Unfortunately, equipment for said cooking method is quite spendy and out of my current price range. However, I was reading my recently purchased cookbook, Alinea, in which the author states that although professional sous vide equipment is required for consistency, The sous-vide effect could be achieved with large pot of water and an airtight bag.

I decided to give it a shot. I had just purchased some lab sirloins from Don and Joe's Meat in Pike Place Market (We use them a lot at Cafe Campagne for things like pork fat, chicken livers, and other meats used for charcuterie) for a dinner I was cooking for some in-laws that were in town.

For the "sous-vide" water bath, I just filled A big pot full of water and turned the burner on low, which turned out to be 137 degrees fahrenheit- A perfect temperature for cooking lamb. After tightly sealing the lamb in a zip-loc bag with olive-oil, salt, pepper, and sprigs of thyme, I plopped it into the water bath and cooked it for about twenty minutes to medium-rare.

The date compote was a slightly modified version of a recipe in the Alinea cookbook. It's basically a pureed jam with a little olive oil. Simple but tasty. 

For the cabbage, I rendered a little shallot and garlic in a pan of butter and olive oil and threw in the cabbage. After cooking the cabbage down a little I added red wine and put a cover on the pot. After about 20 minutes, I took it off the heat, added a good amount of butter, salt, fresh black pepper, and a little vinegar.

The mushrooms were pretty standard as well. Butter, olive oil, garlic, shallots, thyme, salt, pepper. 

To garnish, I made a parsley-sage oil by blanching said herbs and blitzing them with a 50-50 olive oil-canola blend. I used a coffee filter to strain it out to get a nice clear oil. I also threw on some micro greens for good measure. The plating was pretty straightforward, just like the picture. 

It was delicious: The lamb was extremely tender, and went well with the fig compote and herb oil, and the cabbage came out just right. I think that I would have done a couple of things differently though.

While I was in New York, I had a beef dish that was cooked to medium-rare, and was perfectly seared on the outside with the beautiful pink meat facing up.

 I was going for the same effect but fell a little short. The way that the lamb loin was cut made cubes a little awkward to sear after being cooked in the water bath. I wanted to Have perfect cubes of meat, with two nicely seared sides. As you can see, that didn't really happen. perhaps next time, I will get a different cut of meat and cut it more carefully. I also think that next time I will leave out the mushrooms, or possibly just arrange them more carefully.

Despite my concerns, I think that the dish was a general success. I was happy with it, and I think that my guests were as well. I even got my sister-in-law to eat it (and apparently, she generally doesn't like mushrooms OR rare meat-score)!

As always, thanks for reading!

Until next time,

-Tim

Braised Pork Belly W/ Black Trumpet Mushrooms and "Nage De Porc"

This is one of my favorites.

A while back, I made a post(<--this is a link) about a pork belly sandwich with balsamic onion jam, spicy mustard, and pickled cabbage. It turned out pretty well (I certainly enjoyed it), but I think that ultimately it was just a jumping off point for me. What I got the second time was something completely different, but pretty cool.

The original purpose of the sandwich was to put something new on the menu for my place of work at the time. My chef loved it, and said something that gave me the idea for this dish.

It went something like this: "You know Tim, this reminds me of this time that i was in hong kong. I had a pork belly that was like crème brûlée..." He said some other words after that, but I can't remember what they were. I'm pretty sure that the pork belly sandwich tanked in the dining room, but I didn't care - I was on to something new. I wanted to make some pork belly that was like créme brûlée- tender, almost creamy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. I drew some ideas in my sketchbook, where they laid dormant for quite a while. It was only recently that I decided to try it out.

I kept the pork belly recipe exactly the same. I picked up a nice 5-spice blend from World Spice Merchants to rub the pork belly with. After letting it cure over night, I rinsed off the excess rub and braised it for 8 hours in chicken stock on a low heat with a bit of onions and carrots.

Needless to say, the end result was an extremely tender piece of meat. However, I wasn't finished. Last time when I braised pork belly, I saved the cooking liquid, for, well....something. I actually ended up throwing it away. After all, how could some greasy-looking chicken stock go with a sandwich? It couldn't. But with a piece of crispy and tender pork belly? Totally different.

I'm not sure why I chose to turn it into a nage instead of a glaze or a sauce of some kind. I suppose it was just one of those things that I wanted to do that stuck with me until I executed it.

So while the pork belly was cooling off in the fridge, I took some pieces of pork that I had saved and got a hard sear on them and deglazed with brandy and some fresh mirepoix. After sweating the vegetables, I added the strained cooking liquid and began to reduce it. When it was reduced just enough, I added in a few pieces of butter for richness, texture, and shine.

The mushrooms were fairly simple. I started by bringing some olive oil and brown butter to smoking point and adding the mushrooms. After getting some good caramelization, I added in a touch of stock to emulsify the butter and then threw in some thyme, shallots, and garlic and turned off the heat.

At this point, I had most of the dish nailed down, I just needed a couple of finishing touches.

I decided that the dish was really only lacking acidity. And what better way to obtain this acidity then through several classic flavor combinations with pork- fennel and apple. I decided that some nice simple apple slices would be nice, as well as some some shaved fennel dressed in lemon. All that was left was to crisp up the pork belly.

I think that if I were to serve this in a real restaurant, I would pour the nage on at the table side so that the customer could see what they are getting.

I think that I was pretty satisfied with the dish overall. The only thing that I would change is the bowl that it was served in. Perhaps something wider and more grand?

Anyway, that's it for this week. As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to check out my other posts.

Roasted Scallops with avocado cream and cilantro salad.

It’s been a while since my last post. Lots of things have been going on that have kept me from working on new content, like getting a new job (on top of my other one). But alas, I have returned with what I believe to be some great content.

About a week ago, I cooked a huge dinner for my wife, partly just because, and partly to try out some new ideas. Some of which were:

-Pan-roasted scallops with cilantro red pepper salad, avocado cream, and peanuts

-Green tea risotto with baby bok-choy and green onions

-Crispy pork belly with black trumpets, apples and pork nage

-Banana mousse with salted tarragon caramel

Today I wanted to focus on the scallops.

I actually tried this idea out several months ago, but it was really raw, and I could not seem to execute what the ideas that I had in my head. The plating was awkward and the flavor profiles were subtly clashing. I had also originally added in a lemongrass vinaigrette, but it just ended up being an awkward part of the dish that added nothing but an oily mouth feel.

So I began to draw- I started recording some of the visions that I had about the dish and the roles that I wanted the ingredients to play (I often do this to help me see what something will be like before I execute it.)

The scallops themselves were easy. A quick pan-sear in grape seed oil (which I chose because of it’s high smoke point and neutral flavor) and some time in the oven did the trick.

For the avocado cream, I was a bit more precise.  I wanted to keep the lemongrass in the dish because it goes wonderfully with scallops and avocado both, but I didn't want the unpleasant oiliness. This led me to making an avocado cream with lemongrass and lime. I only added a touch of the latter for a nice acidity and to keep the mixture from browning. I let it pulse in the blender with  a touch of cream until it was smooth and pressed it through a fine strainer to eliminate any small chunks, which resulted in a perfectly smooth texture.

The cilantro salad was also simple: Cilantro, lime, salt, pepper, and fine juliennes of red pepper with a little bit of sesame oil.

The peanuts were fairly straightforward as well: ground into a fine powder in the blender.

In the end, I was rather pleased with the dish. The flavor of the scallops went well with the acidic qualities of the salad and avocado cream without out shining the creamy and savory characteristics of the dish.

Thanks for reading!

Coming next: Crispy pork belly with apple, black trumpets, and pork nage!

-Tim

Restaurant Daniel

           On my honeymoon to New York City, I had the fantastic opportunity to eat at Restaurant Daniel, ranked number ten in the world by San Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It was a pretty incredible experience.

            Let me start from the beginning. I was originally recommended Per Se, Thomas Keller’s “urban interpretation” or his restaurant, French Laundry. I tried making a reservation through Opentable.com, but it kept coming up as unavailable, so I thought I would try the phone. I suppose that Per Se is a popular restaurant, because I got an automated answering machine, and listened to classical music for 20 minnutes. After a second attempt later in the week, I gave up. Perhaps trying to make a reservation at Per Se a mere month in advance was foolish of me. I decided to try Restaurant Daniel.

            I made the reservation over the phone, and instead of getting a machine, I got an extremely helpful and friendly lady on the other end who made my reservation and informed me of the “jackets required” rule. Excellent. That week, after making a trip to H&M to buy a reasonably priced blazer, we made our way to the restaurant. The exterior was (of course) clean and classy, with a revolving door.

After entering the restaurant, I was immediately impressed with the interior. Five huge “Chandelier” type lights hung from the ceiling, softly illuminating the dining room. We were seated in a plush seat along the wall with a nice view of the rest of the restaurant, complete with little pillows behind us.

After being greeted warmly by a smiling waiter with a French accent, we were presented with a rather large wine list and Janice (my wife), ordered a glass of 2008 German Riesling (of which I cannot remember the name) and it tasted marvelous. After the wine was poured, our menus were presented to us and we decided to order the six- course tasting menu.

            For each course, you have an option of two dishes, so Janice and I ordered alternating dishes on each one for the purpose of tasting everything we could. But before anything else happened, we were presented with the amuse bouche of the night-A tasting of parsnips.

It did exactly what an amuse bouche is supposed to do. Which is to say it didn’t take my breath away. However it teased my palette with some interesting textures and flavors. I particularly liked the middle, a parfait of parsnips.

Next, A bus boy brought out a basket full of about 8 different kinds of freshly baked bread. I chose the mini baguette. It was still hot and crispy! 

           Unfortunately, for the first course, I didn’t get a picture. Mostly because I was pretty excited to eat it. Mine was a Duck liver and foie gras terrine with macrona almonds,  apple confit, and mache salad. I was so excited to eat this that I forgot to take a picture. But it was served with two pieces of toast. I suppose this is kind of an upscale take on a classic bistro item. My wife got a foie gras terrine with marinated bok choy, which was equally delicious.

            The second course, which was by far my favorite as far as presentation goes, and possibly taste (although I am undecided on the matter) was fantastic. First, my selection was that of crab salad, avocado, heirloom tomato jelly, shaved vegetables and crostini, finished with a drizzle of a delicious Tuscan olive oil. I am a huge fan of avocado and crab, so this hit the spot. And you could tell that the heirloom tomatoes used for the jellies were fresh, and perfectly ripe.

            My wife got the Thai snapper ceviche, which was equally as good if not better, and was finished with a delicious Jus of Fennel and avocado, and topped with caviar.

Third Course: sea scallops. Sliced very thin and served over Hawaiian hearts of palm and an avocado tomatillo coulis and pickled peppers. This dish was rich but refreshing in a way, and gently warmed. Very nice.

Janice got the squid ink and artichoke ravioli with clams and shrimp and saffron cream. Need I say more?

Fourth course. This one was awesome. It was halibut so tender that it melted in my mouth, served with an almond foam, which I thought was awesome. I mean honestly….who FOAMS almonds? Seriously though, I was impressed. So much so that I forgot to take a picture. Janice got a Wild Alaskan king salmon with black musto oil. it was also served with a stuffed zucchini, which was quite nice.

Fifth course. The entrée. Janice got the trio of veal, which consisted of a classic red wine sauce, spooned on tableside by the waiter. I don’t quite remember, but I think that it was veal loin, sweetbreads, and braised veal cheeks. The cheeks were especially nice since you don’t often see veal cheeks being used (or at least I don’t) that often, and they were done perfectly. I got the duo of beef, which was a tenderloin, cooked to a perfect medium rare, and was, without a doubt, the best piece of meat I have ever eaten in my life. There was also a nicely braised short rib paired with an eggplant puree. Both were served with bordelaise sauce and a potato crisp.

Before the dessert course was brought out, our waiter brought out the behemoth you see before you, as congratulations for our getting married. I was bummed that we didn’t get to keep the chocolate sculpture, but we did get an additional dessert.

Our tasting menu desserts were lemongrass poached pineapple with sorbet, and chocolate soufflé served with milk sorbet. After we were done with that, the wiater then brought out a tray of petit fours (dessert hors d’oeuvres) and a basket of freshly baked madelines. And I’m talking hot out of the oven. Round it off with our after dinner coffee and I was in dessert heaven.

One of the best parts of the whole experience was seeing the kitchen. I have worked in a few very different kitchens myself, but I had never seen anything like this. There were literally 20 line cooks, all scurrying about, being directed by 2 chefs and about 5 sous chefs. All of the hot food was prepared on separate parts of the line, and then passed down to the sous chefs or chef to be plated and sauced. I guess that’s what you need when you have three Michelin stars.

Looking back at the experience, I can say without a doubt that Restaurant Daniel is the best meal I have ever had in my life. If I am ever in New York again and have a spare five-hundred dollars, I want to go back. The price might seem high, but the level of service that we got was outstanding and the food was even better. Perhaps one day I will have a better meal, but I don’t think that it will happen anytime soon.

Sorry, A Little Busy...

Hey, Just thought that I would stay with the one post a week rule.

I got married on the 2nd of september and have been on my honeymoon in NYC.

Don't worry, tomorrow we are going to the number ten restaurant in the world Restaurant Daniel, and there will definitely be a post about that.

Thanks for reading.

-Tim

P.S. If you are my friend on Facebook, there are about sixty more photos of our trip to New York.

Books that inspire me, Part 2- the French Laundry Cookbook

Last time I discussed the Fat Duck Cookbook. The French Laundry Cookbook is wildly different to say the least.

In this book you won’t find a lot of abstract photography or even a lot of history about the French Laundry Restaurant, or the chef, Thomas Keller except for brief little paragraphs here and there explaining his choice of equipment and methodology or highlighting an important purveyor. Although I would have liked more background in the book, It really helps to focus on what’s important: the food and methodology.

If the French Laundry were to be placed in a category or genre, I suppose it would be classical French, but it goes beyond that in a way. The main reason I love this book is because of the solidly explained classical French techniques that back up his creative recipes, Because for me, it is not only important to understand how to cook things, but also important to understand the methodology and theory behind the actions. And really, once someone has a sound grasp of the basic methodologies of cooking and an understanding of how food works, they can cook and create almost anything their imagination desires.

And lastly, the food in the book is downright amazing. The photography is spot on, and almost all of the recipes have a picture. The recipes themselves are very in depth and often have a short paragraph about the best parts of the dish and how it was created. This is also a great book for beginners because of the included stock recipes, knife skill guides and other basic techniques.

All in all a great book that I think every cook should own.

 As always, thanks for reading!

-TIM