Chef's Recipe Catalog

Making Beef Jerky

2012-01-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

Beef Jerky is really easy to make if you have a smoker or food dehydrator. I have been recently experimenting with it lately and have been pretty pleased with the results.

Top Round Beef Jerky

5 lbs - thinly sliced top round
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons fine ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated onion or onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated or powdered garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 level teaspoon pink salt
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar

Partially freeze the meat and thinly slice against the grain at approximately 1/4" thick. I use a meat slicer because that keeps everything uniform so it dries evenly in the dehydrator. Mix marinade and marinate/cure for at least 12 hours.

Dehydrate at 160 degree's until it is dry but not brittle. Drying time varies due to thickness of the meat, humidity in the air, and the type of dehydrator you are using. Once it has cooled you can either vacuum seal it or store it in a zip lock in the fridge.

The Best Hangtown Fry

2012-01-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

The Hangtown Fry originated in the gold fields of California back in the 1850's. Legend has it that a miner struck it rich and went into a restaurant in Placerville, Ca and asked for the most expensive meal that they could make. The combination of fried oysters, eggs, bacon and cream was what they were able to come up with.

Our version isn't the original but I think you are going to like it a lot better even though you have to go through a couple of extra steps to assemble what is basically a frittata. We layer this dish in a way that doesn't allow any of the ingredients to overwhelm each other.

One pint extra small shucked oysters
1/2 lb of diced bacon
2 cups sliced mushroom
1 cup diced fried potato
1 cup diced onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 cups fresh spinach
6 eggs
Tabasco
1/4 cup whole cream
Nutmeg

1/4 cup butter

Oyster Breading

Buttermilk
Flour
Panko Bread Crumbs
Cornmeal
Salt and Pepper to taste

Soak the oysters overnight in buttermilk.

Preheat oven broiler to high.

Fry the bacon in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat until almost crisp. Remove the bacon and fry the potatoes until crisp with the onions and set aside with the bacon. Dredge the oysters in a mixture of flour, panko, and corn meal and deep fry for 90 seconds and set aside.

Add the potatoes, onions, spinach, mushrooms, garlic to a hot pan. Saute for a few minutes in hot butter then whisk in the eggs, cream, tabasco, and nutmeg. Fold into the pan while stirring at medium heat in the same you would make an omelet.

Broil in oven until eggs are set than take out and top with fried oysters, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. Place the frittata back under the broiler to finish cooking.

Divide into 4 portions and serve hot.

Langostino's in Taso Cream Sauce over Fried Polenta

2012-01-03T14:07:00.000-08:00

We recently have had access to some nicely priced large bags of cooked and frozen Langostino's at our local Costco. Langostino's are tasty little slipper lobsters that are excellent in stews, soups, and pasta dishes. If you don't have access to langostino's just substitute some shrimp or scallops.

This is a great dish that has multiple levels of flavors and texture that is really easy to make. If you serve this at a dinner party people are going to really freak out because this is really good and it looks really pretty on the plate.

Fresh Polenta is something I really love to eat. There are just so many ways you can go with it. In this dish we keep it pretty basic but add some texture and color with the sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and garlic.

Langostino's in Taso Cream Sauce

1 lb langostino's
2 finely diced red peppers
1 small finely diced onion
2 stalks finely diced celery
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 oz finely diced Taso Ham
1/4 cup butter
1 cup whole cream
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
Cajun seasoning (to taste)

Dice celery, onions, peppers finely using a food processor. Melt butter in sauce pan and saute taso ham, crushed garlic, diced celery, onions, and red peppers until the onions are translucent. Add the Cajun seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Add cream and bring to temperature without boiling and add the langostino's.

Serve over homemade fried polenta....see below.

Fried Polenta

1 cup yellow corn meal
4 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 oz parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp finely diced sun dried tomato
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Bring four cups of water to a boil and then slowly add one cup of corn meal slowly to the water while stirring constantly for the next 15 minutes to make sure that there are no lumps and that the corn mush reaches the right consistency.

At the end of the fifteen minutes stir the butter into the mush followed by the Parmesan, sun dried tomato's and caramelized onions which were prepared earlier. Mix it up and pout it into a pan that was treated with cooking spray so nothing sticks to it and refrigerate for around an hour until firm.

Cut the Polenta into squares and fry until crispy in olive oil.

Cioppino

2012-01-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Cioppino originated in San Francisco's traditionally Italian North Beach neighborhood.

Local legend suggests that the name of the seafood stew originated from the custom of "chipping in" ingredients into a boiling pot after a day out on the bay fishing to create a communal meal.

Cioppino is a real simple dish that anyone can make. The freshness of the seafood and the layering of the flavors in the broth are two key elements to pay attention to.

In this recipe I use clam juice as a substitute for fish stock. Either works fine in the dish. I just happen to have a lot of clam juice on hand at all times because we are such clam chowder fiends. How you actually finish this stew with the fresh seafood without overcooking it is a trick that is easily mastered which I will share with you below.

52 oz clam juice or fish stock
16 oz diced San Marzano plum tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
4 finely diced red and yellow sweet peppers
1 bunch diced celery
1 finely diced onion
2 oz chopped garlic
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp Italian spice
1 tbsp basil
Tabasco (to taste)
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp Olive oil

16 Steamer Clams
1/2 lb Bay Scallops
1/2 lb Langostinos
2 - 2 lb Dungeness Crabs
8 - U-15 prawns
16 Mussels

(Keep in mind that all the seafood ingredients can vary due to availability)

Finely dice the garlic, onion, celery, and red peppers in a food processor. Heat the olive oil in your pan and cook the vegetables until the onions become translucent. Add bay leaves, basil, italian spice, salt, and pepper to taste. Add the clam juice or fish stock. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for two hours which will allow the flavors to meld together

Once you are ready to serve add the mussels and clams to the broth and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling until the shells open. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and add the Langostino's and Prawns (make sure they are thawed). Cook them for approximately three minutes.

Prepare your eight serving bowls by dividing up the raw scallops and putting them into the bottom of the bowls. Poor the steaming broth from the stew over the scallops and artistically divide the cooked seafood among the eight bowls. Scallops don't need a lot of heat or time so this insures that you and your guests are going to be eating perfectly cooked scallops.

Divide/cut your (cooked and cleaned) Dungeness crab into eight sections and hang it over the edge of the bowls with the legs sticking out and serve. The crab doesn't need much heat because it already cooked. Resist the temptation to dump it directly in the stew while cooking the mussels and clams. If you like it warm simply dip into the sauce as you eat it.

I like serving this with San Francisco sourdough garlic-butter toast points on the side.

Serves Eight

The Original Joe's Special

2011-10-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Joe's Special, Ukranian Joe's, Italian Joe's, Mexican Joe's, Portuguese Joe's, are all egg dishes that had their start in San Francisco back in the Gold Rush days. They are all a simple combination of eggs, butter, cream, cheese, and whatever type of tasty protein you happen to have around.

They are quick and simple to make which has made them a star attraction at places like Original Joe's in San Francisco and 13 Coins in Seattle where I worked in the kitchen on weekends thirty-five years ago during high school.

The Original Joe's Special

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground sir loin
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound fresh spinach
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Heat the olive oil and add the crumbled ground sirloin, chopped onions, and minced garlic. Cook until the beef is almost browned and the onions and garlic are tender. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they soften. Stir in spinach. Cook the mixture until just heated throughout. Add the beaten eggs and cook, stirring, until the eggs are firm but still tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmessan cheese.

Ukranian Joe's

Serve garnished with sour cream on top after cooking

Italian Joe's

Substitute Italian sausage for ground beef

Mexican Joe's

Substitute chorizo sausage for ground beef
Substitute Mexican oregano for italian spices
Substitute Mexican cheeses for Parmesan
Substite cilantro for spinach

Portuguese Joe's

Substitute linguisa sausage for ground beef

Farmer Joe's

Substitute country sausage for ground beef
Add fried bacon
Add fried red potato

Hot Dish Madness - Cowboy Bean Casserole

2011-10-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last spring I put together some lower calorie but tasty updates to traditional casseroles and hot dishes. Having everything pre measured and portioned out really helped us track the calories and lose weight.

I used to love this bean casserole when my Mom used to make this for us when we were kids. What I have done is fancied it up a bit to give it some different layers of flavor. Serve this with a salad and you have a pretty good meal.

People have been asking me for the recipes so it is time to get them posted as we move into the cooler part of the year.

Cowboy Bean Casserole

28 oz Van Kamps Pork and Beans
1 Can Red Beans
1 Can Black Beans
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
8 oz Smoked Sausage
8 oz Cooked and Drained Bacon
1 Medium Onion
1 Envelope Onion Soup Mix
1/2 Cup Ketchup
2 TBS Brown and Spicy Mustard
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup French's French Fried Onions

Total Calories   3545
Calories Per Serving   295
Makes 12 Servings

Fry the smoked sausage and set aside. Brown the lean ground beef and set aside. Slice up the onion and fry it till it is translucent. Dice and fry the bacon until brown and set aside. Mix all the ingredients with the exception of the french fried onions and put into a 9 x12 casserole. Top with the French Fried Onions and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

If you want to save a few more calories and carbs you can substitute Splenda Brown Sugar for the regular Brown Sugar.

Enoy!

Crispy Hot German Potato Salad

2011-10-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

I went to an Oktoberfest party last night at an old school German restaurant in Lake Zurich, Illinois called Fritzl's European Restaurant and Pub. It has the reputation of being one of the better German restaurants in the greater Chicagoland area.

They make a fine schnitzel and have a decent German potato salad. I have always liked the traditional tangy flavor of a Hot German Potato Salad. It is a pretty old school dish whose recipe traditionally revolves around potato, onion, bacon, mustard, and vinegar.

Anyway some genius that was sitting at the bar ordered his hot German potato salad grilled/fried on the flat top. It looked great when it hit the table and it inspired this recipe which updates an old favorite. Texture and the layering of flavors is what makes this one a little different than any other one you have had.

My father was a true potato salad aficionado. He was an engineer and engineers are typically pretty precise people. He made a precise traditional mustard potato salad which remains the very best I have ever had in my life. Nothing comes close to it and the thing that made it special was the texture.

He always said what made his so good was how he controlled cooking and cooling times which resulted in the perfectly textured potato. He also precisely controlled the size and crispiness of the Walla Walla Sweet Onions, sweet pickles, and boiled eggs. Everything was the uniform perfect size so every ingredient worked exceptionally well with the other.

I use the same principles of potato salad preciseness as my father with what I call the Crispy Hot German Potato Salad. I like to serve this with grilled sausages and sauerkraut...Lederhosen optional!

2 1/2 lb Yukon Gold Potato
1/2 lb Bacon
1 Medium Red Onion
1/4 Cup Crushed Garlic
1/8 Cup Chopped Chives or Scallions
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp Brown Sugar
Paprika to taste
Fresh Dill
1/8 Cup Stone Ground Mustard
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the Yukon Gold Potato's and refrigerate overnight. Slice the cold potato's into 1/4 inch rounds and set aside. Dice the bacon into 1/2 inch slices and fry it in a cast iron frying pan until crisp and set aside. Fry the onions and the garlic in a trace amount of the bacon grease until translucent and set aside. Fry potato rounds in the olive oil until reasonably crispy on both sides.

Combine red onion, garlic, chives, bacon, cider vinegar, and the stone ground mustard and toss with potato's and return to the frying pan for a final crisping on both sides. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with paprika, chives, and fresh dill.

Root Beer Short Ribs

2011-10-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Root Beer Short Ribs are all the rage these days. They are hearty, easy to make, economical, and quirky enough even to impress everyone at your next dinner party. I like to serve them over smashed red potato's with something green on the side such as steamed green beans, asparagus, or brussel sprouts.

Make sure you use a good quality cane sugar based root beer. No matter where you are in the country there is a fantastic boutique root beer. A couple of examples readily available in the Chicago area would be IBC, Stewarts, Goose Island, or Sprecher.

What makes this recipe different is kicking it up a notch with smoked chipolte powder and adding some richness by adding demi-glace while finishing the sauce.

4-1/2 pounds beef short ribs
Sea salt and pepper
Garlic powder
2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1" wedges
1 bunch celery, cut into 1-1/2" pieces
12 baby carrots, cut into 1-1/2" pieces
8 sliced garlic cloves
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon smoked chipolte powder
One 1.5 package of demi-glace gold
3-1/2 cups beef broth
2 cups root beer

Preheat oven to 275^oF. Season ribs generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat oil to high. In batches, brown ribs on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Transfer ribs to a plate and pour off all but 2 Tablespoons fat from pot.

Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, cumin, smoked chipolte pepper, and star anise. Cook until the onions are soft which usually takes about five minutes.

Return the ribs to the pot and add broth and root beer. Bring to a rapid simmer, cover, and place pot in oven. Cook until meat can be easily pierced with the tip of a pairing knife, about 3 hours. With a slotted spoon, transfer ribs to a large straight-sided skillet; discard solids by pouring/straining liquid through a sieve or strianer. Skim off fat from cooking liquid. If you have time, place liquid in the refrigerator for a little while, making it easier to discard the fat that will accumulate on top.

Add demi-glace gold to strained liquid. Boil liquid and ribs over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced by half which takes about 20-30 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye on it and move the sauce around to add a glaze to the ribs.

Smashed Garlic-Bacon-Onion Red Potato's

8 medium red potatoes
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 strips chopped bacon
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cover the taters with cold water in a 3- to 4-qt pot and add 1 tbsp salt. Boil until almost tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and lightly crush to about 3/4 inch thick with a potato masher, keeping potatoes intact as much as possible.

Finely chop four strips of bacon. Fry bacon in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until it light brown and remove. Reserve the oil and add garlic and onions to the skillet and cook till translucent and remove. Add potato's to skillet and top with the onions, garlic, and bacon then lower heat to medium-low and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 20 minutes total. Serve sprinkled with cheese. Season generously with pepper.

Serves 6-8

Cajun Cornbread Stuffing

2010-11-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

I've been making this recipe for around ten years and I always get requests for the recipe after thanksgiving. It isn't very complicated or fancy but it hits the spot

One Box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
One Egg
Milk
One Can Niblet Corn
Cayenne Pepper
Chopped Onions
Chopped Celery
Chopped Sweet Bell Pepper
Chopped Jalapeno
Diced and Fried Andouille Sausage
Chicken Stock
Cajun Seasoning

Directions

Follow the directions on the box of the Jiffy Mix and bake your corn bread using the egg and the milk. Add some cayenne pepper to the mixture to spice it up.

Dice and fry the andouille sausage. Dice and saute the trinity of onions, peppers, and celery along with the andouille till they are translucent. If you like it a little hotter add a diced jalapeno to the mix.

Break up the cooled cornbread and mix with onion, pepper, celery, andouille ,corn, and chicken broth. Season with Cajun seasoning to taste.

Toss it in the oven and bake approximately 40 minutes at 375.

The Art of Making Mostarda

2010-11-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Mostarda is an ancient Italian condiment that probably had its start as a way of preserving fresh fruit throughout the year. It is is very tough to find in the United States outside of a few specialty stores which import it directly from Italy.

I tried it for the first time in Chicago at a restaurant called Folia in the West Loop. The owner imports it directly from the town he was born in on Amalfi Coast. I tried it with cheese and salumi and was blown away by the way it complimented the cheeses and meats. The essence of the mustard and the sweetness of the fruit gives this condiment the definition of agrodolce.

Mostarda can be made many ways but it typically has the same base which consists of fresh, or dried fruit, sugar, and either mustard essence, or powdered mustard diluted in white wine, or white wine vinegar.

Mustard essence is difficult to obtain in the United States but it can be purchased while in Italy from a chemist/pharmacist. Mustard essence or the essential oil of mustard is a volatile irritant which can be highly toxic if used incorrectly. It is sold in small vials and measured out precisely with an eye dropper when used as a flavoring.

A little of this stuff goes a long way. You can also achieve great flavor with powdered mustard which is safer to use and easier to obtain but the advantage of mustard essence is it is a clear concentrated liquid which won't cloud the simple syrup the fruit is steeped in over a three day period of time.

What do I use this stuff on?

Traditionally Italians used it as a way to spice up boiled meats. It goes very well with a braised or boiled meats such as beef brisket. It also works well with roasted pork loin and porchetta.

Mostarda makes an impressive and easy appetizer when served drizzled over various cheeses which was the way it was originally introduced to me. Your guests have never had anything like it before and they are either going to love it or hate it.

Ingredients

10 lb Fresh Fruit
5 lb Sugar
Powdered Mustard or Mustard Essence
Fresh Orange Juice

Step One - Select and prepare the fruit

The most magnificent Mostardo is made using whole pieces of fruit. So I usually look for fruit that would look good suspended in the jar by the syrup. Apples, pears, peaches, apricots, kiwi's, tangerines, oranges, mandarins, limes, cherries, quinces, cranberries, strawberries, mangoes, are a few of the choices you can use to make great Mostardo.

I also sometimes add walnuts or hazelnuts to the mixture to add a crunch texture to contrast with the soft fruit. Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of combination's. I often add thinly sliced jalapeno's to the mixture to kick up a little heat. Some folks might be inclined to add some red chili pepper flakes too.

The first step is to peel and core the fresh fruit. Apples and pears are favorite ingredients which can be sliced in halves or quarters. Berries can be added whole.

When I do limes and oranges I leave the peels on but select varieties with a very thin skin and slice them extremely thin using a mandolin. I like to use mandarin oranges whole because they are visually pleasing and easy to peel.

Step Two - Steeping the Fruit

Once you have your fruit prepared and loaded into a bowl you then add 1/2 pound of sugar per pound of of fresh fruit to the top of the mixture. You then pour four cups of fresh orange juice over the top. You then let it sit uncovered for 24 hours giving it a turn or two to mix the ingredients along the way.

Step Three - Concentrating the Syrup

After 24 hours the juice in the fruit begins to be replaced by the sugar it is absorbing. All the sugar should now be dissolved. Empty the mixture into a colander to drain it into a sauce pan. Return the fruit mixture to its bowl. Heat the syrup until it starts to boil and reduce for five minutes. Once that is done return the syrup to the bowl where the fruit is residing. Let the mixture sit for another 24 hours once again giving it a turn or two.

Step Four - Concentrate the Syrup again

Repeat step three and let rest for another 24 hours. You should be noticing that your fruit is beginning to shrink which is natural because the sugar is leaching the liquid from the fruit.

Step Five - Concentrate the Syrup one last time

Once again repeat step three but this time we are going to prepare to season and can the mixture.

Step Six - Sterilize and Pack the jars

Sterilize your jars and lids in boiling water for ten minutes. I prefer to use pint jars when making Mostarda. Add the fruit pieces to your jars and fill to the top. Try to be artful in how you arrange and divvy up the fruit. Mostardo just isn't a condiment in Italy it is a work of art.

Step Seven (A) - Season with Mustard Essence

Remove four ounces of the reserved syrup and add approximately 20-30 drops. Be careful to avoid contact any skin contact with this stuff and make sure that you don't get a sniff of it. After adding the fruit pour it in, and then add hot concentrated syrup to cover, tapping the jar repeatedly to dislodge air bubbles as you fill.

Step Seven (B) - Season with Coleman's Powdered Mustard

Take four ounces of mustard and dissolve it into they syrup. It doesn't have to be four ounces...you can add and whisk in by taste.

Step Eight - Canning and Storing

Cover the jars, wipe them clean, and put them on a cool dark shelf in your pantry. The Mostarda will be ready in 2 week's time. It is not necessary to heat seal the jars. The sugar content is high enough to prohibit the formation of bacteria.

Rebuilding the Weber Gas Grill

2010-03-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

I bought my Weber Genesis Silver B Gas Grill back in 2001 and it has served me well over the past decade. I purchased the triple burner grill at Home Depot for around $500 so you could say that after a decade that it has payed enough dividends to be worthy of replacement with a new shiny stainless steel version. The cost for purchasing what I would like to buy in a new Weber would be around $900 plus tax.

If I went a different direction and did a Kalamazoo or something in that category the cost can be as much as $4000. You would definitely have the coolest grill on the block but that was more expensive than my first new car back in 1976!

To be honest I really hadn't taken really good care of the grill over the years. I never bought a cover for it so it was exposed to the elements constantly. The simple act of buying a cover probably would have extended the life of the grill at least another five years but I just never got around to parting with the extra fifty bucks to make that happen.

When the original cast iron cooking grates needed to be replaced I replaced them with porcelain cast iron cooking grates which also rusted out after around four years. Same thing with the flavorizer bars which were replaced at the same time.

This winter during a snow storm I went out on the deck and lifted the lid of the venerable old relic and the hinge broke off of the cast aluminum cooking box signaling the end of its useful life. When the first warm day came around I went out to examine the grill and came to the conclusion that everything except the cart was pretty much rusted out and needed to be replaced.

I went to the Weber website soon after that looking for a new grill when I noticed that the cooking box and the lid had a lifetime guarantee and that got me thinking. Sure there are fancier grills out there but this unit had always worked perfectly for me around 99.9% of the time. It cooked steaks extremely well and it was big enough to handle most of the gatherings at our home. If I was going to buy a new grill it was going to be approximately the same size so why not see what it would cost to rebuild the existing grill since most of the cart and the thermoplastic trim pieces were in decent shape.

I called Weber and they sent me a new lid and cooking box out to me at no cost under the guarantee. I then ordered new stainless steel burner tubes, slide-out bottom tray, catch pan holder, warming rack, warm up basket, stainless cooking grates, stainless flavorizer bars, control panel, burner control knobs, and a new left frame to replace a part of the cart which had rusted out pretty good.

The amazing thing about Weber is you can buy a grill from them a decade or more ago and they still have the part you need in stock to keep your grill running and looking like new. Weber is very loyal to their customer base and when you give them a call they treat you extremely well.

The total cost for all the parts to restore the grill was slightly under $300 and I now have a gas grill that looks just like new and is actually better than it was when I bought it a decade ago because of all the stainless steel parts on the inside.

There are a lot of fancy grills on the market these days. One of the more interesting innovations are infrared ceramic burners. Since the patent rights have expired on this innovation almost every company out there has come out with some version of it for their grills.

The advantage of the ceramic burner is the heat that it can put out. You can definitely achieve a Ruth Chris or Morton's type of char on your steaks with one of these units. You don't have a lot of warm up time with these burners either. Your turn them on and you are pretty much ready to go.

I have friends that have them and the problem is they burn way too hot for my liking. If all you do is steaks maybe that is OK...but if you like to do other things lower and slower on your gas grill and it has a 100% ceramic burner configuration it can be real problem.

I think that if you go that direction you should purchase a hybrid so you have a charring station powered by the ceramic burner and old fashioned burner tubes for more controllable temperature in the majority of the grill.

Weber for some reason hasn't jumped on the ceramic bandwagon. They do have some higher priced models with a high temp char station but they haven't bought in yet as far as ceramic burners go.

My steaks on my Weber Gas Grill just happen to be fantastically charged anyway without the use of a ceramic burner...so I didn't really feel the need to take it to the next level by going that direction.

Getting back to rebuilding the grill. First of all it is a bit of a messy job. Make sure you buy some WD-40 and spray all the bolts, screws, washers, and nuts the night before you attempt to take the old grill apart. You will find the job will go a lot quicker if you follow that one simple step.

Taking it all apart took around an hour and putting it all back together was a little quicker. Weber has manuals online for all their grills no matter how old they are so if you just follow the directions you should have no problem. Another thing that they do which is neat is that they send directions which each replacement part that you order.

The bottom line on all this is there are a lot of different directions you can go when it comes to purchasing a new gas grill. I endorse Weber for the simple fact that twenty years from now they are still going to be around with the parts and advise you need to keep your grill working like new.

Weber is the most popular brand of grills and barbecues in the world and there is a reason for that. They are a family owned American company located in the suburbs of Chicago that treats their employees and customers like family. They build quality products and they stand behind them. I guess that is why I will always have a Weber on my deck or patio.

I plan to also purchase a Green Egg in few weeks. If you haven't been to a demonstration of what this type of grill can do you really need to check it out. We considered buying a pizza oven this year but the rep over at the BBQ store swore that the Green Egg would do just as good a job with Pizza and bread plus we could smoke and grill in it too!

He said he hated to talk himself out of selling a wood fired pizza oven that runs around $3500 but he said the Green Egg for around $1000 with all the bells and whistles was a much better investment. The money I saved by simply rebuilding the Weber will go toward the purchase of the Green Egg.

I do smoke a lot of ribs and brisket during the summer. I have always used a cheap Brinkman bullet type water smoker with very good results. The one thing I don't like about the unit is it is messy. I have had both the charcoal and electric versions. I prefer the electric because you are just burning wood chips and not charcoal which cuts down on the creosote plus keeps a more even temperature.

Switching to the Green Egg for my smoking needs will represent a change in technique because it does not require water or restocking the unit with wood chips. You pretty much set it up once, leave it alone, and open it up ater a set time. I have tasted ribs and brisket done on the Green Egg and they are just as good as ones done in the little water smoker. Once we get the hang of it I will report back on how it is working.

Cassoulet My Way

2009-12-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

It is winter out here in the Midwest and we all turn to comfort foods this time of year. One of my favorites is Cassoulet which is a French dish which simply means Caserole in English. There are a lot of ways of making this dish in France. Every region has a different version but the Gascony and Toulouse regions seem to be the most accepted versions. Simply put this is a bean casserole with some incredible ingredients which take more than a few steps and authentic ingredients to faithfully reproduce.

My mom made a great bean casserole when I was a kid that consisted of hamburger, Liptons onion soup, ketchup, brown sugar, pork and beans, plus a few other odds and ends such as dry mustard that resulted in what my father used to call white trash cassoulet. I still love it today but true Cassoulet is a once a year treat we make for the New Year.

Simply put authentic Cassoulet is the best bean casserole you have ever had in your entire life but it takes a little time and money to put together which makes it a great traditional choice for the holidays and special occasions when it is cold outside.

Cassoulet My Way

Two Pounds Dry French Tarbais Beans (You can also use Cannellini Beans, Great Northern Beans, or Flageolet Beans.)

Chopped Onion
Chopped Carrots
Chopped Celery
Crushed Garlic Cloves
Bay Leaf
Thyme
Parsley

2 Smoked Ham Hocks
8 Confited Duck Duck Legs (Make them yourself or get them pre-made from Grimaud Farms or D'Artagnan.)
1 Pound French Garlic Sausage (Available fresh from D'Artagnan or make your own see below.)
1 Pound Duck and Armangac Sausage (Available from D'Artagnan or Sweet Italian can also be used.)
12 Ounces Smoked Duck Breast
1 Lb Ounce French Pancetta (Bacon works just as well)
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
8 oz Lb Plum Tomato
8 0z Lb Duck and Veal Demi Glace (You can also use chicken broth)
White Wine
Salt
Paprika
Cayenne
Pepper
Two Cups Bread Crumbs
Duck Fat (You could use rendered Pork Fat if you wish but you can get Duck fat inexpensively from Grimaud Farms. Duck fat is the real deal.)

1. Soak beans in a 4-qt. bowl in 7 1⁄2 cups water overnight. Heat 2 tbsp. Duck fat in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add half the garlic, onions, and carrots and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add ham hocks along with beans and the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer beans until tender, about 1 1⁄2 hours.

2. Transfer ham hocks to a plate; let cool. Pull off meat; discard skin, bone, and gristle. Chop meat; add to beans. Set aside.

3. Heat 2 tbsp. Duck fat in a 5-qt. dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic, onions, and carrots; cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Fry bacon or Pancetta Tie together oregano, thyme, and bay leaves with twine; add to pan with tomatoes; cook until liquid thickens, 8–10 minutes.

Add wine; reduce by half. Add demi-glace; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, until liquid has thickened, about 1 hour. Discard herbs; set dutch oven aside.

4. Brown sausages in the fat, about 8 minutes. Sear Garlic Sausage and Slice Smoked Duck Breast.

5. Heat oven to 300 degree's. Mix beans and and all ingredients stew in Caserole. Cover with bread crumbs; drizzle with remaining duck fat. Bake uncovered for three hours. Raise oven temperature to 500 degrees and cook crust till golden.

6. Sear Confited Duck Legs in tbsp in Duck Fat until Crispy. Serve with Duck Legs on the side of the crispy Cassoulet.

Cassoulet is heavy so serve with a light salad, marinated olives, and toasty French Bread. you could also do some potato wedges fried in Duck fat on the side if you wish.

Bon Appetit!

Home Made French Garlic Sausage

3-lb medium ground pork butt
3-tsp sugar
2-lb medium ground beef chuck
2-tsp white pepper
1 1/2-tbsp salt
10-cloves pressed garlic
4-tbsp liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients, mix well & stuff into hog casing.

Smoked Duck Breast

Remove the bone and skin from the duck breast halves. Rinse well.

Brine

1/2 quart of Apple cider
1 Cup Armangac
1/4 cup Kosher salt
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 clove of garlic
Cracked Peppercorns

Mix the ingredients, making sure the salt is completely dissolved. This will be enough brine for up to 1 and 1/2 pounds of duck breast halves. Soak the duck in the brine at least two hours, and overnight if possible.

After brining, give the duck a quick rinse and then pat dry with paper towels. Coat each breast half with melted Duck fat or bacon grease.

Place the duck breasts into a 225 degree Fahrenheit meat smoker for one or two hours, depending on the size of the breast sections. Use a small amount of apple, cherry, or pear wood for the smoke.

Duck is ideally eaten medium rare, but if you prefer well done, take them out when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.

They can be eaten right away or vaccum packed and frozen for later use.

Duck Confit

2009-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Years ago I was in the South of France on an incentive trip where I had lunch in a medieval castle. The medieval city was great but the Duck we had at lunch was the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life.

The friend who was with me asked me I could you make it at home and I said sure not certain what the heck we had actually eaten. I experimented with some roasted duck legs which turned out not so good but never dreamed that the dish I had eaten had actually been cooked for around eight hours in rendered Duck fat.

A number of year later I was at a restaurant called La Toque in Napa Valley and ordered Pork Confit and the light bulb went on. The tasty dish I had in France was Duck Confit and that was confirmed by the chef who instructed me on how to make it and other confited meats in the classical French manner.

You may might not like Duck (probably because you never have had properly prepared Duck) but if you like bacon you are just going to love Duck Confit. The similarities between the Duck and Bacon are fat. They are both rich in it. If you know how to master Duck fat you slide up a couple of levels in the cooking chain because it just may be one of the most delectable things out there.

Duck Confit is actually a very simple dish which takes some time in the oven coupled with the right ingredients. The most important ingredient is rendered Duck fat. You can render your own or buy it from a place like Grimaud Farms who will send it to you via UPS within two days at a very reasonable price. You could also use simple lard but why use that then you can buy the real thing inexpensively and continue to re-use it after some straining?

Duck Confit

Eight Plump Duck Legs with Thighs
Kosher Salt
Garlic Cloves
Shallots
Rosemary
Black Peppercorns
Juniper Berries
Bay Leaves
Thyme
Lemon Zest
Rendered Duck Fat or Lard

The key here is to take the Duck legs with thighs attached and season them to taste with the above for around 36 hours in a plastic bag in your fridge. What you are doing at this stage is curing and seasoning the Duck. Make sure you use only dry herbs.

Confiting is simply an age old way of preserving meat. Duck Confit can last for six months in the fridge if you follow these simple steps.

After the 36 hour curing period arrange the legs in an enameled cast iron (Le Creuset) pan. Dry the legs off and and completely cover the legs with rendered Duck fat and bake at 200 degree's for eight hours in your oven.

Take them out of the oven and allow then too cool. Cover them with the restrained Duck fat. Make sure you have at least a one inch layer of fat on top of the legs. Store in a canning jar or whatever container you wish. The Duck will continue to cure over time and only get better but you can eat it right away if you wish.

I like to eat mine over greens with marinated olives on the side as an accompaniment. I also use it as one of mine ingredients in Cassoulet which will be the next recipe coming up on the blog. We have it every New Years.

If you are eating it alone I recommend that you heat up a cast iron skillet to around 350 degrees and fry the Duck skin side down until crispy and serve over greens. Ww are talking about really good eating here!

Render your own Duck Fat? Simple just roast a Duck or two for Dinner!

Duck is tricky if you don't know what you are doing. It just isn't as simple to cook as chicken but if you follow a few easy steps you can master this fowl which is much tastier than plain old storw bought chicken.

It is pretty simple to render your own duck fat. All you do is buy a whole duck or two from the butcher. Duck usually comes frozen which is fine because like all poultry it freezes well. You can either butcher the Duck yourself or have your butcher do it for you in advance. Make sure you thaw the Duck slowly in cold running water.

Brine it for at least two hours in a mixture of 1/2 cup Kosher Salt, 15 black peppercorns, one bunch fresh thyme, 4 smashed garlic cloves, and an acidic juice such as pineapple or orange or even a blend of the two. Juniper Berries are also a good thing to add if you want.

Butchering a Duck is easy if you have poultry shears. Simply cut up on both sides of the back bone to seperate the duck in two. Snip off the wings. Reserve the back and wings for making your own demi glace or broth for use later. Seperate the breast from the the thigh and leg portions by making a semi circular cut and you are finished.

The next step is scoring the breasts three ways lengthwise and across with a sharp knife. Set up a steamer and bring it to boil. Add the breast and thigh portions to a colander and steam for 45 minutes.

In the meantime set your oven to 475 degree's and heat up a cast iron frying pan to the same temperature. Place the leg pieces skin side down in the pan and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Add the breast after that and cook for an additional 7 minutes before removing from the oven.

You should have some very tasty and crispy Duck which is great served with some potato wedges fried in Duck fat. Most importantly make sure to skim and save the Duck fat for future uses. Freeze and it will be ready any time you need to use it.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

We have twenty people coming over for dinner this year and we are doing two 16-18 lb turkeys and an 8 lb breast to cook. We are smoking one of the turkeys and it will take around 12 hours to do that. We are using the Char-Broil infrared fryer to do the other turkey and the breast.

The Char-Broil Infrared Fryer is great because you can safely cook a Turkey outside at a rate of around of only nine minutes per pound which frees up a lot of time and most importantly otven space. If you don't have one of these you have to get one. They turn out absolutely perfect Turkeys plus you can use them for a variety of different things.

I inject and dry rub all my turkeys. I find they turn out a lot moister and flavorful that way. If you have an injector it is pretty easy to make your own different mixtures. Here are a few

Smoked Turkey

I usually use an Apple Wood or a blend of Apple and Cherry for the right blend of sweetness. I have some friends who swear by Grape Wood which is actually pretty easy to find if you live by a vineyard. Pop by a vineyard during thinning season load up the car take it home and chop it up if you have a chipper.

I have been using a little red electric Brinkman water smoker for years. I prefer it over charcoal because it is easier to control the heat and you get pure smoke without any of the creosote you might get from briquet's.

I put cheap red wine, water, aromatics such as sage, rosemary, and thyme in the water pan. I also stuff the in the cavity with aromatics and place them under the skin along with rub and some butter. Butter keeps everything moist and adds good flavor.

Smoked Turkeys take around 30-40 minutes per pound depending on the temperature of the smoker and the local weather. Make sure you use a meat thermometer. It can get cold around Thanksgiving in Chicago so with a 16 lb or bigger turkey it still isn't up to 165 degrees even after 12 hours. I just throw it into our gas grill to bring it up to safe temperature in a roasting with a little water to develop some steam finish it off.

Smoked Turkey Injection Liquid

This is an absolutely original Smoked Turkey injection liquid which has worked well for us. What this does in combination with a 24 hour molasses brine is produce a sweet smoked turkey with ham like qualities.

One Cube Butter
Jack Daniels Whiskey
Brown Sugar
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Powdered Sage
Powdered Thyme
Powdered Ginger

Smoked Turkey Rub

Onion Powder
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Powdered Ginger
Powdered Sage

Fried Turkey Injection Liquid

This is your basic Cajun Injection. Nothing really new here unlike above but it is the perfect way to reproduce the flavors of a Cajun fried turkey when using the infrared fryer.Another thing we do in the fryer is take a large Heineken keg can and fill it full of aromatics and stick it in the butt of Turkey.

One Cube Butter
Beer
Chicken Broth
Kosher Salt
White Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Tabasco Sauce
Powdered Sage
Powdered Thyme

Fried Turkey Rub

You could just use Tony Chacherie's Creole seasoning rather than blending your own.

Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Dried Oregano
Dried Basil
Dried Thyme
Black Pepper
White Pepper
Celery Seed
Cayenne Pepper
Paprika
Kosher Salt

Savory Turkey Injection

This one turned out pretty good in fact people liked the seasoning blend for this turkey the best this Thanksgiving among the Fried Turkeys.

One Cube Butter
Chicken Broth
Kosher Salt
Worcestershire Sauce
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Ground Bay Leaf
Ground Thyme
Ground Sage

Savory Turkey Rub

Kosher Salt
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Powdered Thyme
Powdered Sage
Black Pepper
White Pepper

Andouille Corn Bread Stuffing

Making stuffing isn't the easiest process for our family because one of the kids has severe food allergies. That means everything we do has to be made from scratch including all the spice blends due to fears of cross contamination.

We make the Corn Bread ourselves muffin style with Jiffy Corn Bread mix. Using muffins rather than loaves gives us more cruch surface area to work with. We slice the muffins into cubes and dry them out in an oven over 18 hours at 175 degrees. Getting the bed bone dry rather than stale is the key to great stuffing. For this large batch we used three boxes of muffin mix to make the muffins.

Fry the sausage with the spice blend till browned. Add Onions, Celery, and Peppers and saute till onions are clear.

Melt the butter, add chicken broth, and two eggs which are scrambled in. Mix everything together in a foil turkey roaster pan and roast in the oven.

Fresh Cubed Corn Bread (Dried till bone dry)
Aidelle's Cajun Andouille Sausage (12 Links Diced)
Can of Corn Kernels (12 Ounce Can)
Diced Onions (6 cups)
Diced Red and Yellow Peppers (6 Cups)
Diced Celery (6 Cups)
Diced Jalapeno (2 small)
Tony Chacherie's Creole Seasoning (To taste)
Fresh Parsley
Three Cubes of Butter
Chicken Stock (you determine the amount depending on how moist or dry you like your stuffing)
Eggs (two)

Fall is here

2009-10-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

Fall is here and that means football season is upon us. I have to apologize for not posting more often on the blog but I will be adding recipes to it on a regular basis.

One thing we did get done this past summer was canning. We canned salsa, marinara, dilly beans, dixie relish, chutney, and mustard pickles in August. I will have the recipes up on the blog for all those tasty items over the next few days.

The Char Broil Infrared Turkey Fryer

2009-10-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

One of the cooler things we purchased in the last year was the CharBroil Infrared Turkey Fryer. You can pick one up at Costco, Sam's Club, or a number of other retailers.

It looks like a large deep fryer but there the similarities end. This is a propane powered infrared roaster, black steel on the outside and stainless steel on the inside. It doesn't cook as fast as a deep fryer would. Typically a fryer cooks at 4 minutes a pound while this unit is closer to 9 minutes. This means you can get a 16-pound turkey (largest recommended size) in about 2 1/2 hours. Still much faster than you would get out of your oven. One of the advantages is that you can load up this bird with injections, rubs and even stuffing before it goes into cook.

Frying a Turkey in peanut oil is expensive and it can be dangerous if you have had a few cocktails and don't know what you are doing. Oil runs about thirty dollars a batch and that greatly increases the price of a turkey. We have done a number of turkeys in this thing and every single one has turned out perfect.

With any turkey I recommend that you brine it for 12-24 hours before you cook it. Brining makes sure the bird will stay extra juicy. We also are big fans of injecting the bird with an oil or butter based marinade of your choice and stuffing fresh herbs under the skin.

I did a bird for the Washington at Notre Dame football game a couple of weeks ago and it was a big hit. Surprisingly though the biggest hit was a spiral cut ham with a Jack Daniels glaze which wasn't shabby either.

Anyway if you don't have one of these things you need to buy one. We fry a bird and smoke a bird for thanksgiving out on the deck without giving up any oven space which is crucial for all the great sides you want to make!

Check this puppy out here.

16 Bean Ham Bone Soup

2008-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

The other day my mother in law Joy called me to remind me that I had a ham bone in the fridge left over from Easter. Spiral cut ham is one of the many features of our annual Easter Brunch, and we always reserve the bone after we are done to make a soup.

We usually have 25-30 people show up which means we are dead for at least the next week, so making some soup is a nice simple way to enjoy some home cooking after the leftovers are gone.

This year while perusing the food aisle of the local Jewel-Osco I spied bags of a dried 16 bean mixture. Usually I go with traditional split pea, but I decided the cornucopia I ran into was worth trying instead this year.

I start up by boiling the ham bone in water with some salt, pepper, diced onions, carrots, celery, shallots, and minced garlic. For convenience sake I just reach into the fridge and use a scoop of the pre-chopped garlic.

I bring this mixture to a boil and let it simmer for 3-4 hours in a stock pot. When the water gets a little low I add some more. Once it is done simmering I remove the bone and dice up the ham and add it back to the mixture, be sure to remove all the bone.

The beans are simple, you either soak them over night, or you bring them to a boil and cover them for an hour so they soften up before you use them which works just as well. An hour in to simmering the bone and stock just add the beans, let them cook till they soften up to the consistency you prefer, and you are ready for some good eating. Oh ya, make sure you rinse the beans well before, and after cooking.

When the water gets a little low I add some more. Once it is done simmering I remove the bone and dice up the ham and add it back to the mixture, be sure to remove all the bone.

One thing I noticed was how expensive dried beans were, I mean $2.59 for a small bag? These things used to cost as little as .49. I guess if you like beans, and you have a dry place to store them like a bucket, you can buy them in bulk which seems to be the best way to shop these days. The chain super markets just kill you on most items. I mention this because back in college we could whip up a big batch of this soup for under a buck since they used to almost give away ham hocks and dried beans.

Meaty Ham Bone, or Ham Hocks
Water
2 bags of dried 16 bean mix
Diced Onion
Diced Carrots
Diced Celery
minced garlic
Seasoning Salt
Pepper
Dashes of tabasco

No exact recipe measurements?

Thats right, just season and add ingredients to taste. Not smoky enough? Add a dash of liquid smoke.

Argentine Chimichurri Sauce

2007-04-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

My wife wants to celebrate a friends birthday, and her recent engagement while they were on vacation in Argentina. She decided to throw a surprise party next Saturday, and invite 14 people to an Argentine Feast to recreate the memory of their engagement.

Argentine cuisine evolved distinctly from the rest of Latin American cuisine because of the heavy influence of Italian, Spanish, French and other European cuisines which makes the typical Argentine diet a variation on what is often called the Mediterranean diet.

Argentines are famous for their high protein diet, particularly beef. Grilled meat (parrilla) from the asado is a staple, with steak and beef ribs especially common. Chorizo (pork sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), chinchulines (chitterlings), mollejas (sweetbread), and other parts of the animal are enjoyed. In Patagonia, lamb and chivito — goat — are eaten more than beef. Whole lambs and goats can be seen on the asado. While Argentina has a large seacoast most of the fish caught is exported, and is not consumed there because of the abundance of beef, pork, and poultry.

South America is quickly gaining recognition for producing wines of exceptional quality that are still reasonably priced. Argentina and Chile have taken Old World grapes and found varieties uniquely suited to their particularly long growing seasons.

One up and coming variety is Malbec. Originally from the Bordeaux region where it is used primarily as a blending grape, Malbec is also the dominant grape of the famous black wines of Cahors in southwest France. But it truly thrives in the sunny, dry Argentine climate, producing fruity wines loaded with blackberry and black cherry flavors. Argentine Malbecs are similar in flavor to their European counterparts, but with softer, lusher structure, more like New World Merlot.

Lesser known is Carmenère, a variety once widely cultivated in Bordeaux and sometimes labeled Grande Vidure. In 1991 winemakers discovered that 40 percent of the vines in Chile that were believed to be Merlot were actually Carmenère. Stronger and spicier than Merlot and lower in acidity, this grape produces wines with soft tannins, rich color and aroma, and abundant flavor. Ever since Chile began actively marketing Carmenère in the mid-1990s, it has come to symbolize that nation, much as Shiraz has come to represent Australia.

The national sauce of Argentina is called Chimmichurri, and if you are going to have an Argentine Feast you will need lots of it on hand. This recipe comes from my friend David Holt, and it will make 3 cups which is about what we need for marinating, basting, and dipping.

The taste of Chimichurri is often described as dragging your steak through a garden.

Chimichurri Sauce

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar, or to taste
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon ( I sometimes just use limes)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Argentinian Feast Menu

We are going to put together a menu from the following items. I will be sharing the recipes for everything throughout the week as we plan the dinner party.

Main Dishes

The Argentines love their organ meats, while Americans of this generation are a little bit squeamish when it comes to such things as sweetbreads. We are going to keep it simple by using Flank Steak which marinates well, and slices easily. We are also going to use some fresh sausages of various types.

The marinated game hens weigh about 1 pound each, and I have the butcher saw them in half. I marinate them the night before, grill them in the morning to get a nice char, then finish them in the oven stuffed with a mixture of chorizo, spinach, caramelized onion, corn, raisins, pine nuts, and a little bit of cornbread to hold it all together. You can use any type of game bird, but split game hens are easy to marinate, safe to stuff, easy to order, and make an elegant presentation.

For the seafood we try to find the freshest white fish available and grill it with a finish of capers, and marinated artichokes.

Chimichurri Flank Steak
Grilled Sausages Basted with Chimichurri sauce
Marinated Games Hens
Fresh Snapper or other white ocean fish

Side Dishes

Sides are simple in Argentina, and as you would guess corn plays a major role, but with an Italian twist. A polenta with Poblano chiles and cheese works well as a starch.

Salads are very simple in Argentina, and are a popular side to beef dishes. the Fresh Mozzarella, and sliced tomato harken back to the Italian influence.

Grilled Asparagus and Baby Squash
Polenta with Poblano Chile, and Cheese
Tomato's and Fresh Mozzarella
Tossed Green Salad

Assorted Miniature Emapanda's

Empanadas, or small meat pies are served all over the world. The Argentine version has Moorish influences that came over with Spanish settlers. Empananda's are easy to make if you purchase Goya wrappers at a Latin Market. If not just use pie dough and make your own. The meat recipe we will use is strictly Argentine with cumin, chorizo, and raisins, etc... . the others are just ones we thought up as we were going. We decided to make our own because the one's we found pre-made were pretty pedestrian.

Meat Empanadas
Bacon Empanadas
Seafood Empanadas

Assorted Miniature Tamales

Yes, they do have variations of Tamales all over South America. We cheated here by buying some from Williams Sonoma. They are excellent, individually wrapped in different colors. They are a great time saver if you can spare the $64 including shipping for three pounds of these puppies. Sure you can make them at home for a fraction, but why bother when you have so many other things going on before a big party?

Beef and California Chile Tamales
Chicken and Smoked Gouda Tamales
Pork with Green Chile Tamales
Blue Corn Green Chile and Jack Cheese Tamales

Charcuterie

Argentina like Spain is known for Jambon which is a dry cured ham which is very similar to Prociutto. We make it easy on ourselves and purchase sliced Italian specialty meats including prosciutto, garnished with cheese, olives, and large capers.

Ceviche Cocktails

Ceviche is a native dish of Peru, but it served all over Latin America, and the Caribbean. Ceviche consists of white fish cooked in lime juice with red onions and mild hot peppers.

Pork Tenderloin with Michigan Cherry Sauce

2007-04-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

I think it's Spring, at least that is what the calendar on the wall says despite the 4 inches of snow on the ground and winds raging between 30-40 mph today in Chicago.

This pork tenderloins recipe works well with fresh, or frozen cherries.

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup pitted Bing cherries (see note)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch bits

Cut the pork tenderloin into 6 pieces. Put the pieces, one at a time, between layers of plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer or rolling pin to pound them into rounds about 4 inches across. Sprinkle the rounds with the salt and pepper.

Put the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, cook the pork, turning once, until the surface of each piece is golden brown, about 7 minutes altogether.

Use tongs or a fork to transfer the pork to a plate. Toss the cherries in the oil left behind in the pan. Pour the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar over the cherries and turn the heat to high.

When the broth has boiled down to about half its original volume and the cherries are tender, about 5 minutes, return the pork to the pan, along with any juices that have collected on the plate.

Reheat the pork in the sauce for a minute, then transfer it to serving plates. Swirl the butter into the pan juices and pour the sauce over the pork.

April Showers

2007-04-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are in April and I have gotten a little behind in updating the blog. I think one of the reasons is we have gotten a little repititious in our meal planning at home as the weather cooled back down. Nothing stifles the creativity more than a cold snap in early Spring. If you are not in Chicago I want you to know that we had a White Easter.

The Lenten diet ended on Good Friday, but I really wasn't able to take advantage of much because of the holiday. That's right, no Culver Burger. The diest worked well, in six weeks I shed 23 pounds which isn't bad. Anyway we will have some more recipes up soon as we get back into the swing of things.

Halibut with Citrus Dill Butter

2007-03-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and that means we are going to see a lot of fresh ocean fish start rolling in from the West Coast. Halibut recently arrived into local markets and I have had it three different times in the last couple of weeks.

Halibut is one of those things that is very easy to make, and is very good when fresh, in fact the fresher the better. I like to broil it in the oven, or grill it up out side on the bbq. I just place it on a piece of foil and it is ready to go.

Citrus works well with Halibut and sometimes I do a quick marinade of fresh tangerine and lim juice when I have the time.

Halibut with Citrus Dill Butter

1 LB Fresh Halibut
1 Orange, or Tangerine
1 Lime
1 oz Butter
Dill

Place the Halibut Filet on a piece of foil and grill on the bbbq, or broil in the oven till a golden brown. I usually make a compound butter of lime, tangerine, and dill to serve on top. Simple, easy, and good for you.

Perfect Prime Rib

2007-03-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

I've cooked Prime Rib a lot of different ways, smoked, rotisserie style outside, indirect on a gas, or charcoal BBQ, timed in the oven at a constant temp with a meat thermometer, encased in rock salt, and finally today's recipe which requires a little math to put together the correct cooking time. I actually like this one the best because it produces the great crust you expect when you dine out at a restaurant which specializes in Prime Rib.

This recipe if followed correctly produces perfect Prime Rib with little hassle.

1. Coat the Prime Rib with olive oil, kosher salt, rosemary, cracked pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and diced fresh onion. Wrap in a plastic bag and let marinate overnight in the fridge.

2. Preheat oven to 500° degrees F.

3. It is easy to determine the exact cooking time to roast a prime rib, guaranteed every time, by multiplying the total roast poundage by 5 minutes. Be as accurate as possible. Example: the prime rib roast weighs 5.53 pounds. Multiply 5.53 (pounds) times 5 (minutes) which equals = 27.65. This means the prime rib will roast for (27.65) or 28 minutes at 500° degrees F. After 28 minutes immediately turn the oven temperature off. Do not open the oven door during the next 2 hours the prime rib roast is still cooking.

(Make sure you take the Prime Rib out of the fridge 2-3 hours ahead of time so it can go into the oven at room temperature.)

This method will cook a perfectly rare prime rib, roasted to perfection producing a crispy outer crust and perfectly rare throughout.

Mini Taco Salads

2007-03-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

We had Mexican Night on Sunday and everyone brought Mexican themed food. So we are going to continue on with that theme this week. Mini Taco Salads are a great appetizer that are easy to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer till needed.

Mini Taco Salads

Frozen Mini Pastry Shells
1 lb Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Small Can of Salsa
Water
Finely Diced Onion
Finely Diced Sweet Peppers
Shredded Lettuce
Sour Cream

Brown ground beef, and drain the grease. Season with Taco Seasoning, and brown a little more, add salsa and water, simmer for twenty minutes.

Finely dice the onions and sweet peppers, shred and dice the lettuce

Spoon taco meat into the shells, top with cheese, and bake in the oven for ten minutes at 350, or freeze for later use.

Take out of the oven, and top with the diced vegetables, a little sour cream, and serve. Never freeze the lettuce, peppers, and onions, always add them fresh when you are about to serve.

Easy Chile Relleno's

2007-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Chiles Rellenos are made of Chile Poblano (Ancho) or Anaheim chiles, with skins removed, dipped in batter, stuffed with cheese, or meat, and covered with lightly spiced green, or red sauce. Blistering fresh chiles is one of the tricks of the Mexican food cooking, and it can be a major pain in the ass if you are making these in any type of quantity. You can however buy mild, whole, canned green chili's which makes putting these together a snap. You can find everything you need at any Super Mercado. I like to make this dish, and bring it to pot luck's, or dinner parties. They are easy to make and always a hit.

Easy Chile Rellenos

2 Large Cans Mild Whole Green Chili's
1 lb Chorizo Sausage
1 lb Grated Cheddar Jack Cheese
6 Eggs
Salt
Cayenne
1/4 cup Flour
1/8 cup Corn Meal
2 cans Salsa Verde

Cook the bulk chorizo until browned and crumbly. Blend with 1/2 the cheddar jack cheese and stuff into the peppers.

Seperate the yolks from the egg whites. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer till peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with one tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and stir until you have a thick paste.

Roll the chiles in 1/4 cup flour and dip each one in the egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

Place the fried Chile Relleno's in a caserole pan, it's ok to stack if neccesary, and top with Salsa Verde, and the grated Cheddar Jack cheese. Heat in oven at 350 until cheese bubbles and serve.

Low Carb Variation

Substitute Low Carb Thickener for the flour in the egg batter. Substitute Soy Flour for the wheat flour and you cut out all the carbs.

Grilled Flank Steak with Pesto

2007-03-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

I like to marinate Flank Steak overnight before cooking with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and either Red Wine Vinegar, or Balsamic. The Balsamic can be a little strong but is great when I am in the mood for it. Sometimes we roll, stuff, and grill it, other times we just grill it, and slice it on the bias, serve it with salad and grilled vegetables.

Flank Steak is incedibly simple, and it tastes great.

One Flank Steak
Red Wine Vinegar
Chopped Garlic
Olive Oil
Rosemary
Kosher Salt
Pepper

Marinate the Flank Steak overnight and grill on the BBQ till done to your liking. Flip only once, and once top with pesto. Slice on the bias, or against the grain.

Northwest Oyster Stew

2007-03-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Oysters can be eaten half shelled, raw, smoked, boiled, baked, fried, roasted, stewed, canned, pickled, steamed, broiled (grilled) or used in a variety of drinks. Preparation can be as simple as opening the shell, while cooking can be as spare as adding butter and/or salt, or can be very elaborate.

Oyster Stew is a very simple dish to make, and in it's traditional form consisted of oysters, a little butter, salt, and pepper added to scalding milk. Our recipe is almost as simple, but we liven it up a little bit to make it interesting. It is truly more of a soup, than a stew since little cooking time, and no braising are involved.

It is traditionally served during the Winter months, especially during the holidays in the Midwest. Oysters were once shipped in by rail, in bushell baskets, on ice, and were an expensive luxury enjoyed during that time of year. Obviously the cold Winter temperatures aided in their shipment before the advent of refrigeration.

Oyster Stew

2 tablespoons butter
4 strips of diced bacon
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
2 dozen small Pacific Oysters, shucked, with their liquor
1 cup dry sherry
3 cups heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

In a large heavy saucepan, brown the bacon and set aside, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the celery, bell pepper, and onion; sauté until softened but not browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bacon, Worcestershire, Tabasco, Old Bay, Oysters with their liquor, sherry, and heavy cream. Serve with some oyster crackers, or sourdough bread.

Cajun Chicken Stew

2007-03-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

This isn't your average Chicken Stew because of the addition of the "Trinity", and Cajun seasonings. Chicken Stew can be boring to me, but the Cajun spices help it out.

Cajun Chicken Stew

1 chicken, about 4 pounds, cut up, or use parts
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper chopped
1 large sweet or yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 tbls Cajun Blackening Powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, sliced
3 to 4 medium potatoes, peeled, cut in cubes
1 cup pearl onions, peeled, or use frozen or canned, drained pearl onions
2 tablespoons butter
8 to 12 ounces andouille sausage
1/4 cup flour
kosher salt
freshly fround pepper

Wash chicken and cut up; pat dry and remove any excess fat. Season with a little olive oil and the Cajun Blackening Powder. Heat 1 tablespoon butter, and olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven; add celery,onion, bell peppers, and chicken and brown chicken pieces slowly on all sides.

Cajun seasoning, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken pieces and let cool slightly. Skim any visible fat from the broth. Meanwhile, add carrots, potatoes, and onions to the broth; cover and continue simmering.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat; sauté the smoked sausage until browned. Stir in 1/4 cup flour until well blended with the fat. Add the sausage mixture to the simmering stew.

Remove chicken from the bones; chop and add to the stew. Bring the stew back to a simmer; cover and continue cooking until vegetables are tender and stew is thickened. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Beef Stew

2007-03-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Braising (from the French "braiser") is cooking with "moist heat," typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid which results in a particular flavor. Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to successfully break down tough connective tissue and collagens in meat. It is an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. Stews, and Pot Roasts are both styles of braising.

Most braises follow the same basic steps. The meat or poultry is first browned in hot fat. Aromatic vegetables are sometimes then browned as well. A cooking liquid that often includes an acidic element, such as tomatoes or wine, is added to the pot, which is covered. The dish cooks in relatively low heat in or atop the stove until the meat is fork-tender. Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce or gravy.

Beef Stew

1 1/4 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup flour
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups beef stock
1 cup of Guinness beer
1 cup of red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups peeled baby carrots
Kosher Salt
Ground Pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Season and flour the beef and then brown on all sides. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.

Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Beef Bourguignon

2007-03-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

Beef Bourguignon is a retro dish that was very popular in the 50's, and 60's, in fact this recipe is based on one from Julia Child who helped make French Cuisine popular in this country.

Beef Bourguignon is a well-known, traditional French recipe. It is essentially a type of beef stew prepared with cubed beef stewed in red wine (preferably an assertive, full-bodied wine such as Burgundy), generally flavoured with garlic, onions, carrots, bacon, a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions and mushrooms.

Blanching the Bacon to remove the smoke flavor is traditional, but sometimes I don't do it because I like the smoky flavor of the bacon even though it isn't technically correct for the dish.

Beef Bourguignon

6 oz of blanched bacon
2 to 3 Tbsp cooking oil
4 lbs trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and
freshly ground pepper
2 cups sliced onions
1 cup sliced carrots
1 bottle of red wine
2 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 medium herb bouquet (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, and 3 large cloves of smashed garlic together in cheesecloth)

Beurre manié for the sauce: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a pasted with 2 Tbsp butter

24 small brown-braised white onions
3 cups sautéed quartered mushrooms

Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.

In a large frying pan, sauté the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat in browning. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and oil, season with salt and pepper, and turn them into a heavy casserole pan. Add the bacon to the casserole pan as well.

Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat. Deglaze the pan with wine, pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 325 degree oven, until the meat is tender. Check at about 40 minutes.

Remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then degrease and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout.

Country Captain Chicken

2007-03-12T02:42:00.000-07:00

While living in the South I came across this recipe for an unusual curried chicken dish. It is pretty unique to the Southeast, so if you haven't lived down there for an exteneded time you probably have never come across it.

The chicken is browned and then stewed in a sauce of tomatoes, "The Trinity", garlic, and curry powder. At the end, golden raisins are added. The dish is served over rice sprinkled with toasted almonds. As with all chicken recipes in the South, Country Captain Chicken varies with the cook. Some prefer it with just boneless breast meat, while others like the whole fryer cut up into pieces. One thing is always certain about this dish; it is perfumed and spiced with curry.

This delicious dish, known throughout Georgia, dates to the early 1800s. It is thought that this dish was brought to Georgia by a British sea captain who had been stationed in Bengali, India and shared the recipe with some friends in the port city of Savannah, Georgia. Savannah was then a major shipping port for the spice trade. The dish was named for the officers in India called “Country Captains.”

Country Captain Chicken

1 Broiler Chicken cut into parts
1/2 cup flour
4 slices chopped bacon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup celery chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper chopped
1/2 large green pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can plum or Roma tomatoes, crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder or to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 rounded tablespoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 . In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Roll chicken pieces in flour mixture to coat all sides. In a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat, brown the bacon, and remove once brown. Add chicken pieces and cook 5 minutes per side or until light brown.

Transfer chicken to an oven-proof dish and keep warm in the oven; reserving drippings in frying pan.

Reduce heat to medium low. To the pan drippings, add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes, curry powder, salt, pepper, and thyme; cover pan and simmer gently an additional 15 minutes. Add the browned chicken and golden raisins; cover and simmer another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender.

I like serving this with some Mango Chutney, on the side with some Rice.

Italian Pot Roast

2007-03-10T13:19:00.000-08:00

Pot Roast is right near the top of the list when it comes to comfort food, and it is really pretty easy to make. Pot Roast is a braised beef dish. Pot Roast is typically made by browning a roast-sized piece of beef (taken from the tougher chuck cut) to induce a Maillard reaction, then slow-cooking in an acidulated liquid in a covered dish. What you get is a very succulent, and tender cut of meat.

I have found that Gallo Hearty Burgundy does a great job as a cooking wine in braising dishes requiring a full bodied red wine. You can use whatever you like, but at around 6 bucks a bottle you don't mind dumping it in a stew, or roast. I don't mind sipping it either while cooking. A little bit for the stew, and a little bit for me, a little bit for the stew.... .

Italian Pot Roast

4 pound Beef Chuck Roast
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 cup red wine
1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes,
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Italian Spice Blend
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large Dutch oven, with a lid, over medium-high heat. Season the meat generously with salt, pepper, Italian Spice and flour. Add the oil to the pot, lay the meat in the pan and sear on both sides until brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Pour off most of the fat but leave a little for the vegetables.

Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the pan, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining flour, and with a wooden spoon scrape up any browned bits that cling to the bottom of the pot Add wine and tomatoes and cook until liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes more. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaves, bring to a boil. Return the roast to the pot, cover, place in the oven and cook about 2 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and continue to cook, uncovered until tender about 1 hour more. You can also add any vegetables you want to roast and serve with it at this time.

Low Carb Variation

Very simple, just leave out the flour, increase the seasoning while browning the meat so it crusts up well. Add ThickenThin not/Starch thickener which works like cornstarch instead of the flour before you put it in the oven. Roast up some squash, or cauliflower and avoid the starch.

Seafood Gumbo

2007-03-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

High on the list of favorites of Cajun cooking are the soups called gumbos. Gumbo exemplifies the influence of African and Native American food cultures on Cajun cuisine. The word originally meant okra, which is a word brought to the region from Western Africa. Okra, which is a principal ingredients of many gumbo recipes, is used as a thickening agent and for its distinct vegetable flavor.

A filé gumbo is thickened with sassafras leaves, a practice borrowed from the Choctaw Indians. The backbone of a gumbo is a dark roux, which is made of flour, toasted until well browned, in fat, or oil, not butter as with the French. The classic gumbo is made with chicken and the Cajun sausage called andouille, but the ingredients all depend on what is available at the moment.

Cajun cuisine originates from the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants in the Acadiana region of Louisiana. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation is simple. An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot affair, with one pot dedicated to the main dish, one dedicated to steamed rice, skillet cornbread, or some other grain dish, and the third containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available.

The aromatic vegetables bell pepper, onion, and celery are called by some chefs the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine. Finely diced and combined in cooking, the method is similar to the use of the mire poix in traditional French cuisine — which blends finely diced onion, celery, and carrot. Characteristic seasonings include parsley, bay leaf, "onion tops" or scallions, and dried cayenne pepper. The overall feel of the cuisine is more Mediterranean than North American.

Cajun cuisine developed out of necessity. The Acadian refugees, farmers rendered destitute by the British expulsion, had to learn to live off the land and adapted their French rustic cuisine to local ingredients such as rice, crawfish, and sugar cane.

Cajun Dark Roux

The Acadians inherited the roux from the French. However, unlike the French, it is made with oil or bacon fat and more lately olive oil, and never butter, and it is used as a flavoring, especially in gumbo and etoufée. Preparation of a dark roux is probably the most involved or complicated procedure in Cajun cuisine, involving heating fat and flour very carefully, constantly stirring for about 15-45 minutes (depending on the color of the desired product), until the mixture has darkened in color and developed a nutty flavor. A burnt roux renders a dish unpalatable. The scent of a good roux is so strong that even after leaving one's house the smell of roux is still embedded in one's clothes until they are washed. The scent is so strong and recognizable that others are able to tell if one is making a roux, and often infer that one is making a gumbo.

Ragin Cajun Gumbo

This recipe makes a big batch, but it easily scales down for smaller portions. Some people like Okra, some don't, so if you omit the Okra, or cut back on it, just add more vegetables of your choice, and some File powder so it thickens correctly.

The Stock

4 quarts Chicken Stock
4 Quarts Shellfish Stock
8 ounces onions, chopped
4 ounces celery with tops, chopped
4 ounces carrots, chopped
2 heads garlic, cut in half horizontally

Sachet d'épices

In a small cheesecloth bag or tea ball, place:

1 teaspoon or so black peppercorns, cracked
A few parsley stems
1 bayleaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

The Roux

1-1/4 cups flour
1 cup oil

All the rest

2 cut up chickens
1-1/2 pounds sliced andouille sausage
4 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound can of Blue Crab Meat
2 pounds okra, sliced
3 onions, chopped
1 bunch green onions with tops, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
5 Cloves of minced garlic
3 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Creole seasoning to taste
Salt to taste
Tabasco, or to taste.

Simmer the stock with the vegetables, and the Sachet d'épices for a couple hours to let the flavors meld. The longer it simmers the more character the stock develops,

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with Creole seasoning and brown in the oven. Slice the sausage and brown.

Sauté the onions, green onions, bell pepper and celery add them to the roux, then mix into the stock.

Add the Chicken and Andouille.

Add the bay leaves and Creole seasoning to taste and stir. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer; let simmer for about 45 minutes. Keep tasting and adjusting seasonings as needed.

Add the okra and cook another 30 minutes or so then add the shrimp. Give it another 6-8 minutes or so, until the shrimp are just done, turning pink. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp; adding the shrimp should be the very last step. (Okra acts as a thickener, if omitted make sure to add some File Gumbo Seasoning.)

If there is any fat on the surface of the gumbo, try to skim off as much of it as possible

Low Carb Gumbo Alternative

This dish is anything but low carb because of the flour roux, and rice, but serving it over spaghetti squash rather than rice is a great low carb substitute.

When creating low-carb versions of your favorite dishes, you won't be happy unless the texture and thickness is close to what you expect. For example, with gravy - do you want it watery or do you want a nice thick gravy? If you can't have starch what do you do for thickening?

I came across this stuff while dieting to use as a substitute for flour, and cornstarch, it is called ThickenThin not/Starch thickener which works like cornstarch. It's easier than using starch. Just dump it in the Gumbo instead of the roux, and stir it in. It has more thickening power than flour so use half as much. Add a 1/4 cup of olive oil to make up for the oil that was omitted in the making of the roux. The product isn't a soy derivative, it is made up of various vegetable gums.

This product works great, but you will miss the nutty taste that is created with the traditional roux, but it allows you to cook with one cup less oil, no carbs from the flour, and when you are low carb dieting you will swear it is very close to the original.

Spicy Southern Fried Chicken

2007-03-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

The best Fried Chicken I have ever had at a restaurant was at Ezell's, which is a little hole in the wall in Seattle. Seattle isn't exactly a Soul Food capital, but Oprah Winfrey who also lives in Chicago is a big fan of Ezell's, and actually has it flown in on occasion when she gets the craving for Fried Chicken, and isn't watching her diet.

Fried Chicken is a very simple food, and it is easy to prepare, but it isn't exactly easy to make great Fried Chicken. Here are a few key's.

The first key to great Fried Chicken is marinating it in Buttermilk 12 hours, or more before cooking. If you like tender juicy chicken there is no substitute for doing it this way. I like my Chicken spicy, moist, tender, savory, and crunchy. This particular recipe achieves those goals every time.

The second key is those elusive, eleven herbs and spices. You will find a recipe for a Fried Chicken Seasoning mix below you can make up ahead of time. I am pretty sure you will like it much better than the legendary KFC recipe which is now just a shadow of the way Colonel Sanders' used to do it fifty years ago. He fried it in a pressure cooker which sealed the juices in, and most importantly cooked the chicken faster which is important in a restaurant.

The next key is putting together a dry batter mix that gives the chicken plenty of texture, and sticks to the chicken without falling off. We double dip our chicken using Buttermilk on the first dip, and Egg Wash on the second. If the recipe is too spicy for you just omit, or limit the Red Pepper Sauce.

The final key is cooking it correctly. Traditionally in the South most families have a large, deep, covered, black, cast iron pan from Lodge Cookware that has been in the family for a generation, or two, or in larger quantities it is simply deep fried outdoors. Whichever way you do it you want to make sure the oil is heated to 375 degrees which seals the chicken, and prevents it from becoming greasy,

Spicy Southern Fried Chicken

Soak the Chicken Overnight

2 1/2 pounds Frying Chicken
Buttermilk
1/2 cup Hot Sauce (optional)

Spicy Chicken Egg Wash

3 eggs
1/3 cup water
1 cup hot red pepper sauce (optional)

Fried Chicken Breading Mix

1 cup self-rising Flour
1/2 cup Corn Meal
1/2 cup Cracker Meal
1/2 cup Potato Buds
Fried Chicken Seasoning
Peanut, or Vegetable oil for frying

Fried Chicken Seasoning

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon marjoram leaves, crushed finely
1 teaspoon thyme

Mix the buttermilk and the hot sauce, marinate the chicken overnight.

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the water. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange.

In another bowl, combine the Flour, Corn Meal, Cracker Meal, Potato Buds, and Fried Chicken Seasoning to make the breading mix.

Season the wet chicken with the Fried Chicken Seasoning. Dip the wet buttermilk soaked Chicken in the seasoned breading mixture, then dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well again in the breading mixture.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a deep pot, or fryer. Do not fill the pot, or fryer more than 1/2 full with oil.

Fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer then white meat. It should take dark meat about 13 to 14 minutes, white meat around 8 to 10 minutes. Fry the first couple of pieces, white, and dark, one at a time, and sample to make sure it is cooked long enough.

Stuffed Giant Tiger Prawns

2007-03-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Prawns are one of those things that freeze well when processed correctly. The best frozen prawns are caught, and processed within 15 minutes of catching. Giant Prawns are fun to play with because they are getting almost Lobster sized at this point. You can get them as large as 6-9 per pound, but you need to call around.

Stuffed prawns are easy to put together as long as you have a Prawn large enough to stuff. I wouldn't go any smaller that 14 prawns to one pound.

Prawns are very versatile and easy to prepare in only a few minutes. Make sure you don't overcook the Crustacean because there is nothing worse than a rubbery Prawn.

Prawns are produced all over the world in fresh, and salt water. Over half of the Prawns eaten today are produced in farms overseas. I prefer the wild Mexican Prawns, and they do grow to a quite a large size. The largest prawns I have ever seen come from off the coast in Chile.

Stuffed Giant Tiger Prawns with Basil Cream Sauce

12 Giant Tiger Prawns (9-1, peeled, deveined and butterflied)
12 oz. Dungeness Crab, or Blue Crab meat (flaked)
1 each red, yellow, and green Bell peppers (finely diced)
1 rib celery (finely diced)
2 Tbs. scallions (sliced thin)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup fresh sourdough bread crumbs
2 whole eggs (beaten)
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1 Tbs. fresh garlic (chopped fine)
1 Tbs. fresh basil (minced)
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt & milled pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce (to taste, several shakes recommended)
6 slices of bacon (cut in half)

In olive oil, sauté peppers, celery, and scallions to soften (no more than a minute). Remove from heat and add bread crumbs and crab meat, mixing well. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and add remaining ingredients (except bacon slices). Mix thoroughly. Add crab mixture and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Heat oven to 400° F. On a cookie sheet, divide and shape stuffing into twelve walnut-sized portions. Press one portion into each butterflied prawn and wrap with bacon slice, finishing with the seam side down. Bake for eight to ten minutes until bacon is starting to crisp.

Basil Cream Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup diced onions
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 quart heavy cream
1 teaspoon chicken base
3 tablespoons Pesto,
1 teaspoon Roux

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add garlic and onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by half. Add heavy cream and chicken base and reduce by half again. Add pesto and roux, bring to a simmer and heat until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

2007-03-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

I have always love Beef Stroganoff, and there is a place near Chicago by O'Hare Airport that does it for you right at tableside called Le Cave.

The place looks like it is straight out of a Sinatra movie, and he has actually been there a number of times when he was roaming the earth. The interior is designed to look like a cave, and it really does, sort of like eating in a French Wine Cellar. They do a lot of things well there, but they are known for there Stroganoff.

Beef Stroganoff, in its modern form, is dish of strips of beef filet with a mushroom, onion, dijon, and sour cream sauce. It is usually served over rice, or noodles. If you are on a low carb diet there are plenty of good lo carb pasta's out there.

The dish comes from Russia, but was adopted by the French, and became the rage in the 1950's when it was prepared tableside in continental restaurants.

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb Fillet of Beef
1 1/2 medium Onions
1 clove crushed Garlic
1 clove chopped Shallot
4 oz sliced Mushrooms
1 oz Butter
1/4 cup Beef broth
1/8 Pint Sour Cream
Dijon Mustard
Tomato Paste
Worcestershire Sauce
Cognac, Brandy, or Sherry
Salt
Black Pepper

Slice the Filet into thin medallions. Slice the Onions thinly. Cut the stems off the Mushrooms and also slice thinly. Over a low heat melt half the Butter (with a tad of Olive Oil) in a Frying Pan and add the Onions. Move around regularly until they are translucent. It is important that they do not burn. Add the sliced Mushrooms and toss around for a minute or so until they are soft and coated with the juices.

Spoon out the Onions, and Mushrooms into a dish.

Add the remaining Butter to the Frying Pan and allow it to get very hot - so that it froths. Drop in the Beef medallions and fry briskly on all sides. The Beef really needs only to be browned and not over-cooked in the middle. A couple of minutes at the most, and finish by deglazing the pan with the cognac, or sherry.

Tip the Onions and Mushrooms back into the Frying Pan. Season well with Salt & Pepper. Add Beef Broth, Tomato Paste, Dijon, the Sour Cream, and cook at the same heat for another minute so that the Cream reduces to a syrupy consistency.

Garnish with chopped scallions, and serve with pasta, or rice.

Stuffed Sole with Scallop Mousse

2007-03-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Sole is easy to find across the United States. If you live in Seattle you have access to great fresh Sole almost every day. Sole is a very light fish, and can be pretty boring. Great Sole in other words, in my opinion, depends on the Sauce. The Sauce is what you will remember anytime you order great Sole in a restaurant.

26 years ago I first stayed at a small boutique hotel in Sausalito, California called the Casa Madrona. It is still there, and has become more fabulous as the years have gone by. Around the corner from the hotel there was a new French Bistro opening that evening. I went there, was one of the first customers, and had an incredible meal.

Christophe Restaurant Francais is still going strong even though I haven't been there in awhile. It still serves some of the best regional French Cuisine in California at decent prices. This recipe is from the first meal I had on opening night at Christophe's.

This recipe sounds hard to make, but it is actually pretty simple, and only takes around a half hour to put together if you have your ingredients handy. It is one of my favorites, and people bow when you make this recipe, but the secret is, it is very simple to make.

Stuffed Sole with Scallop Mousse

1 lb of Fresh Petrale Sole Filets
1/2 pound bay or sea scallops
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 chopped Shallot
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/8 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup White wine

Place the scallops into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 4 to 5 times. Add the egg whites and pulse until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon zest and parsley. Pulse to incorporate. With the machine running, slowly add all of the cream. Scrape down the sides of the bowl 1 last time, put the lid back on and run for 5 more seconds.

Wrap the Sole Filets around the Mousse and place in a pan with butter and lightly brown. Place filets in pan with wine as the braising liquid, and put in the oven to cook at 375 for 14 minutes. Take out, and plate with a little base of champagne sauce. Drizzle the champagne sauce over the top, and serve.

What Sauce to Use?

Well we just spent a week going through the mother sauces, what do you think would work well? Hollandaise, Beurre blanc, and Veloutte's all come to mind for me.

I am going to go for something that is Veloutte based. Veloutte as we know is one of the mother sauces. Since this is seafood I am going to reach in the freezer, and bring out a portion of the shellfish based veloutte I have made.

I like to keep four different veluote's pre made in the freezer. Chicken, Fish, Shellfish, and Veal. I make them once a year, and freeze them in portion cups. Shellfish, chicken, and fish are easy to make in a couple of hours, the veal however takes awhile. I make Shellfish veloute out of lobster, crab, crayfish, or shrimp shells.

Champagne Sauce

1/2 cup shellfish veloute, or you can substitute with fish stock, or chicken broth

1/2 cup champagne

1/8 cup cup butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a medium saucepan, reduce 1/2 cup of champagne, and 1/2 cup veloutte to approximately 1/4 cup of liquid. Add the cream and reduce mixture to 1 cup of liquid. Add butter and stir until butter melts and thickens the mixture.

Truffles

If you have any fresh Truffles around this is a great time to use some. Truffles can be overpowering, not to mention expensive, so only use a little bit. If you live in the Northwest keep an eye out for the fabulous Oregon Truffles. Oregon Truffles are much less expensive than their French, and Italian counterparts. James Beard felt the Oregon Truffle was on a par with the European Truffle, but take that with a grain of salt because the late great chef who lived most of his life in New York City was born and raised in Portland, Oregon.

Chanterelles

Chanterelles grow wild out in the Northwest, but they also abundantly grow wild in Western Michigan. Sliced Chanterelles are also a great addition to this sauce when they are in season. Same with the fantastic Michigan Morels.

Corned Beef and Fried Cabbage

2007-03-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

St Patrick's Day is only a couple of weeks away, and in Chicago you can find Corned Beef in most of the Grocery Stores, and Butcher Shops. We have a Butcher shop in our area called Orchard Prime meats which cures it's own briskets at this time of year. So we like to eat it a couple of times in March, and get the craving out of our system.

Originally "Corned Beef and Cabbage" was a traditional dish served for Easter Sunday dinner in rural Ireland. The beef, because there was no refrigeration at that time was salted or brined during the winter to preserve it, it was then eaten after the long, meatless Lenten fast.

Since the advent of refrigeration, the trend in Ireland is to eat fresh meats. Today this peasant dish is more popular in the United States than in Ireland. Irish-Americans and lots of other people eat it on St. Patrick's Day, Ireland's principal feast day, as a nostalgic reminder of their Irish heritage.

The Best Corned Beef I have ever had was from a butcher shop in Seattle that does nothing but Corned Beef, and Pastrami called Market House. Market House, located in the Denny Regrade, was started back in 1948, and specializes in curing beef briskets for 14 whole days which is the old fashioned way of doing it in a barrel. Corned Beef today is mostly injected with an industrial needle and cured in that fashion. The best, and most traditional Corned Beef is barrel cured.

Most people boil Corned Beef, but I don't. I follow the Market House Recipe, and roast it in the oven for around 3 hours depending on the size of the brisket. A full size brisket can take as long as four hours.

Market House Corned Beef

Corned Beef Brisket
Water
Coca Cola, or Dr Pepper

Place the brisket, fat side up in a roasting pan with water, and 1/2 can Coca Cola. Tent with foil, and roast for at least three hours at 350 degrees depending on the size of the brisket. Take off foil for the last 1/2 hour of roasting. You can also add a Sweet Mustard Onion Glaze at that time if you choose. I can't remember where I picked up adding the Dr. Pepper, or Coca Cola to the braising liquid, but it supposedly helps tenderize the brisket while it is cooking.

Sweet Mustard Onion Glaze

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/8 cup Whole Grain Mustard
1/4 cup Honey

1 oz Cider Vinegar
One Onion
1 tsp Sugar
Olive Oil

Saute onions with olive oil until they are translucent. Add a teaspoon of sugar to caramelize the onions at higher heat. Keep cooking till they browned and caramelized. Set aside to cool. Combine the mustard's, honey, caramelized onions and blend together. thin with a little cider vinegar and you have your glaze.

Fried Cabbage

Boiled Cabbage is really boring, but Fried Cabbage is simple, and fantastic. Even though you are using bacon it never tastes greasy. Fried Cabbage is a great low carbohydrate side dish by the way that is filling, a nutritious.

One Head of Cabbage
Two Onions
4 Strips of Bacon
Lots of Ground Pepper
Kosher Salt

Dice Bacon and cook till browned. Slice Cabbage, and Onions thinly. Fry the Cabbage, and Onions in the drippings with plenty of Cracked Black Pepper, and Salt to taste.

O'Brien Potato's

Once again we aren't into the boiled cabbage, and potato's, but we keep it Irish by making our special type of O'Brien Potato's when we are not watching the carbohydrates.

Diced Cooked Potato's (Cooled)
Diced Onions
Diced Sweet Green Peppers
Diced Sweet Red Peppers
Olive, Vegetable Oil, or Bacon Drippings

Corned Beef Hash

When we make a big brisket, we slice the best, and hash the rest. Corned Beef Hash is an excellent treat for breakfast. We always make sure we have some leftover to make hash. On a large brisket we usually reserve the tip, and fattiest portions for the hash.

Cooked Corned Beef
Bacon
Onion
Potato's
Carrots
Salt
Pepper

If you have a meat grinder you can simply grind up all the ingredients together and mix. I prefer to carefully chop and dice each ingredient by hand to give it more texture. How you prepare it is your preference. Once it is ground, or diced and mixed together we simply fry it in a pan till crispy brown, and serve. A note on the bacon, don't use a maple bacon, it doesn't mix that well with the corned beef.

Seasonal Planning

2007-03-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

True seasonal cuisine follows a schedule throughout the year influenced by the weather, holidays, vacations, and the products available at different types of the year. In this modern world we can make anything, anytime we want due to the advanced transportation, freezing, and preservation processes that have been developed over the last century.

Still food, and cooking has it's season's, and if you want to have a gourmet kitchen you need to put together a schedule that works for you so you always have the freshest ingredients on hand. Planning ahead maked it easy throughout the year.

We just talked about the Mother Sauces this week, and the reason is that you can prepare a number of them ahead to use throughout the year. When you have that stuff done ahead of time it is really easy to grab a small portion from the freezer and produce a meal that would take most people a couple of days to prepare. Today I am sharing with you the things I have done in the past to prepare for the culinary year.

Right now we are in Lent, so I focus on protein which means we eat a lot of Seafood, Beef, and Pork. Since fish is a staple of Lent we are going to spend a lot of time with that among other things till Easter.

Winter- Late January, and February

Everything, including animals, and humans slows down this time of year right after the New Year, and I tend to make savory dishes, and stews during this time of the year. It is a time for smaller dinner parties, and relaxation after the bustle of the Holidays.

We have people over at Super Bowl, but we limit it to keep it comfortable, and get away from cooking for the masses after the Holiday orgy.

Fresh Dungeness Crab is a great treat this time of year since the harvest starts around Christmas out in the Northwest. The best crab of the year is available at this time because of the body fat the crab contains at this time.

Lent - Late February, March, Very Early April

This is the time for us to get back in shape. We tend to go low carb, and high protein this time of year mixed with exercise. Since we cut off the alcohol, and the empty calories it provides, the party is usually on hold for six weeks. We do however find that we save a lot of money which is great for our Spring travels.

St Patrick's Day is a big holiday in Chicago, or another excuse to get drunk depending on who you talk to. They dye the river green, have a big parade, in downtown, and the South suburbs. It's lent for us, so no green beer over here, no potato's either, but I do roast the traditional brisket of Corned Beef and serve it with something called Fried Cabbage.

Lent doesn't have to be boring, every Friday there is Seafood, and during the week we grill quite a bit on our indoor grill. We try to get imaginitive with the sauces, and work our away around the absence of carbohydrates.

Early Spring - Late March, April

To me it all starts with Easter Sunday which is a day I can have anything I want since the self imposed Lenten restrictions are over. Ham, Lamb Rack's, and Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint are traditional.

Time to get the vegetable, and herb garden in shape for the Summer months. It is also time to catch up, and make your stocks for the year. I like to make, when I have the freezer space, batches of Fish Stock, Shellfish Stock, Veal Stock, Chicken Stock, Beef Stock, Veloute's, and Espagnole during this time of year. I try to make a years supply over a few rainy weekends.

Things I like to have in the garden

I'm not running a farm, but I do like things fresh from my own garden. We live in rural Chicago and there are plenty of farm stands to pick from during the season. We also have access tot he bounty Southwestern Michigan has to offer. Still there are a few things I prefer to grow myself in the space provided that are easy to take care of.

I have grown onions, potato's, cucumbers, and corn, in the past, but unless you have a large patch of ground it really isn't worth the time for me since they are inexpensive commodities available fresh, and usually in better shape from a farm side produce stand.

Out at my childhood house in Seattle we had a number of fruit tree's in the yard. My cousin in Orange County carries on the tradition by really studying growing fruit in his backyard. He has about twenty different types of tree's going back there. He has a huge avocado tree, but he hates Avocado's, so we load up when we are out there.

I am sure we will plant a couple of fruit tree's here at the new house outside of Chicago, but I am not sure yet which way I will go yet.

Vegies

Beefsteak Tomato's
Cherry Tomato's
Plum Tomato's
Eggplant
Hot Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Scallions
Garlic
Salad Greens

Herbs

Basil
Dill
Fennel
Oregano
Rosemary
Parsley
Chives
Tarragon
Chervil
Sage
Thyme

Berries

Strawberries
Raspberries

Spring - May and Early June

Fresh Seafood and other ingredients are in abundance. The garden of course is started full of vegetables I plan to can in the Fall.

Soft shell crabs from the East Coast start to be harvested. We eat them quite a bit when they are in season.

At the end of June the fresh berries are in from different places around the country. If you live in the Pacific Northwest you really have it made since some of the best berries in the world are harvested in the Puyallup Valley.

Michigan is prime Blueberry country, and it is a great time to buy them to use fresh and freeze the remainder for use the rest of the year. Michigan also has great Cherries that you will rarely find anywhere else. Wild Chanterelles, and Morels are abundant when the ground is moist.

Traditional Preserves

Pepper Jelly (Red, and Green)
Blackberry
Raspberry
Strawberry
Blueberry
Boysenberry
Apple Butter
Cherries

Since Kate is Diabetic I am going to be delving into the world of Sugar Free Preserves this year for the first time. I think Splenda is truly a gift from the God's because it opens so many new doors for people who cannot tolerate sweets. This is also a great time of year to put those fresh Berries into pie's.

Summer - July, August, and Early September

Corn is a big deal in the Midwest, and I have a good friend, Bob Korn, no I am not kidding, who drives around Minnesota trying to find the sweetest corn on the cob he can find. Bob is very picky about his corn, and according to him there is an art to picking, and preparing proper corn on the cob.

Fried Chicken is another favorite which we make outside so we don't stink up the house. Fried Chicken is not an easy thing to make well. I have seen a lot of great Chef's including Bobby Flay fall flat on their faces while trying to duplicate Southern Roadhouse Fried Chicken.

Potato Salad is another Summer favorite, and I am very picky about Potato Salad since my dad made the best one I have ever tasted. To him it was all about texture, and patience. A great potato salad takes two days to make to achieve that perfect consistency his was famous for.

Fish Fry's, Clambakes, Pig Roasts, BBQ Rib's, these are the things we concentrate on when the weather get's hot, and we can comfortably entertain outside.

It is prime BBQ season, and we tend to cook, and eat outdoors every night that the weather permits. This summer we will be building a couple of decks, putting in a stone patio, hot tub, outdoor cooking area, outdoor fireplace, vegetable/herb garden, backyard landscaping, and outdoor lighting. It is going to be quite the Summer long project.

Fall - Late September and October

It is time to harvest the fresh herbs, and dry them for for future use. Canning tomato's, pickles and relishes take's up time, and fills the home with a nostalgic breeze while the first football games of the year are on TV. Canning is an art, and we are going to spend a lot of time going over that come Fall. My parents did a great job canning, and you can really taste the difference using farm fresh, or ingredients directly from your garden throughout the year.

The Ball canning guide which was first written in the 1930's is till the bible to use. Botulism is a danger in canned goods, so make sure you follow the directions, and don't cut any corners.

What we didn't grow in our garden in Seattle, we used to supplement with fresh farm grown produce from Pike Place Market, or sometimes we would head East of the mountains to the Yakima Valley to get the best produce to can.

Just a few of the traditional items I like to can

Tomato Sauce
Red Salsa
Green Salsa
Taco Sauce
Sweet Cucumber Chips
Mustard Pickles
Dixie Relish (Chow Chow)
Corn Relish
Green Tomato Relish
Pesto
Asparagus
Green Beans
Mango and Pear Chutney

Wine and Spirits

Fall is also the time of the crush in wine producing regions like California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Michigan. Kate loves great wine, and we have a cellar in our basement which holds her collection which can be quite extensive at times.

Michigan has a young wine industry that does well, but I think what they will known for worldwide someday is their Eau de vie, Grappa's, and Appertif's which are craft made in Western Michigan, where an abundance of different fruits, including grapes are grown.

Eau de vie is a French term for a colourless brandy distilled from fermented fruit juice. The term is informally used for like beverages from non-French speaking countries. It is distilled from young fruit and rarely aged in wooden casks, thus preserving the freshness and aroma of the fruit. Spirits in this category include kirschwasser, a cherry-based beverage. When the eau de vie is made from from the pomace, the result is called Pomace brandy or in France Mar (wine), sometime eau de vie de marc. Eau de vie is used in the production of Calvados.

The Holidays - November, and December

The wheels come off over here starting at Halloween through the New Year. This is the time of the year for the big parties as we invite different groups of friends, and family over to celebrate. We also attend quite a few functions,

This is the time of year when Kate, and her mom take over the kitchen making the most incredible cookies, breads, and other baked goods. I am not much of a baker, but I have dabbled a bit in Artisan breads.

Think Turkey, Ham, Prime Rib, Roast Tenderloin, Lobster, Alaskan Crab Legs, and whatever extravagant, and gluttonous feast we can think up. We all entertain, and we entertain big, having twenty, or more people over on the weekends.

The Mother Sauces....Tomato

2007-03-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

The Mother Sauces....Beurre Blanc

2007-03-02T02:28:00.000-08:00

Béchamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise, Mayonnaise, Tomato Sauce, and Velouté are the mother sauces of French cuisine. We also have added Beurre Blanc which isn't officially a mother sauce, but it also is a solid base other sauces are built from. Once you know how to make these you can add a few different ingredients to each base to make 100's of different variations.

Beurre Blanc, or Butter Sauce as we said isn't officially one of the mother sauces, but as I said it is a base you can build many interesting, and easy sauces from.

In cooking, Beurre blanc—literally translated from French as "white butter"—is a rich, hot butter sauce made with a reduction of vinegar and/or white wine and shallots into which cold, whole butter is blended off the heat to prevent separation. (Lemon juice is sometimes used in place of vinegar and stock can be added as well). This sauce originates in the Loire Valley cuisine.

It is not uncommon to see recipes that include a beurre blanc sauce to which heavy cream has been added as a "stabilizing agent". This is a point of contention amongst many culinary enthusiasts and can be heavily frowned upon. To be precise: Adding heavy cream to beurre blanc turns it into beurre nantais (Nantes butter) which is a variation of the mother sauce and not the base.

Beurre Blanc

2 tablespoons shallots, finely minced
1/4 cup white wine or dry vermouth
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice or white wine vinegar
4 ounces unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste

In a non-aluminum saucepan, combine shallots with the wine. Reduce a glace (until syrupy). Add the lemon juice or vinegar and reduce a glace. Remove from heat and add one chunk of butter, stirring with a whisk to blend. Slowly add all the pieces of butter until well combined. This technique is called monter au beurre, to finish, or "mount" a sauce with butter. If you need to return the sauce to the heat to incorporate all the butter, do it over very low heat, or the sauce will break.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and serve immediately, or hold in a double boiled over barely simmering water, or in a Thermos.

Variations

You can go anywhere from this basic beurre blanc, with endless variations -- herbs, onions, fruit juices or purées, soy, chiles ... your imagination is the only limit.

Ray's Boathouse BoPo and Fire Butter

If you have ever been to Ray's Boathouse, and had some steamed clams you probably have noticed that the butter dipping sauce is quite incredibly addictive. Well it is high grade 100% butter that has been melted down, and separated, then it is recombined, and whipped with a whisk to make the creamy sauce. When you melt butter it separates into 2-3 components. The first is the Salt, next is the clarified butter which is oil, the last is the Whey which is white, and creamy.

To make this you need to be willing to melt at least a pound of butter. If you use salted butter you skim off the salt which is at the very top first. Next you ladle off all the clear, or clarified butter. Once you have the butter separated you slowly mix back in, while whisking, the clarified butter, into the Whey. This is what they call an Emulsion, and that is what you are creating. You don't add all the clarified butter back in, or it is going to break, so you need to find a use for the additional 1/4 of clarified butter remaining. One idea is you can mix it with garlic throw it on some bread, or use it to make a little Hollandaise.

This is also a good basic sauce to flavor with some Citrus, or Tabasco. Patrons of Ray's Boathouse often ask for Tabasco to spice up their Chowder, or BoPo to create what they call Fire Butter.

Compound Butters

Compound Butters are excellent, go great with Fish, and are very easy to make from whatever ingredients you have in the vegetable, or fruit drawer. For halibut I like to mix a little fresh Orange, Lime, and Lemon Juice with cold Buttter. I then re-refrigerate the butter and serve sliced on the top of the cooked fish, or vegetables. As it melts it turns into a savory, creamy sauce.

The whole idea on any type of compound butter, or Beurre Blance is to do it at low heat so the butter does not separate.

The Mother Sauces....Mayonnaise

2007-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Béchamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise, Mayonnaise, Tomato Sauce, and Velouté are the mother sauces of French cuisine. We also have added Beurre Blanc which isn't officially a mother sauce, but it also is a solid base other sauces are built from. Once you know how to make these you can add a few different ingredients to each base to make 100's of different variations.

Mayonnaise is a staple in this country, and around the world. It is hard to find a household that doesn't have a jar of Hellman's, or Best Food's Mayo in the fridge. Processed Mayonnaise is a handy thing to keep around, but you really have not had Mayonnaise until you have tested the homemade fresh variety.

Fresh Mayonnaise is a mother sauce, processed Mayonnaise, not so much.

Mayonnaise is a thick sauce made primarily from vegetable oil and egg yolks. Whitish-yellow in color, it is a stable emulsion formed from the oil and yolks and is generally flavored with salt, pepper, vinegar and/or lemon juice, and frequently mustard.

Mayonnaise is made by slowly adding oil to an egg yolk, mustard, vinegar, and salt. The mustard helps to keep the emulsion stable while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil into the liquid. Egg yolk contains lecithin, which acts as the emulsifier. All ingredients are added at the beginning of the process to prevent speckles. Adding the salt after emulsification can cause white speckles.

The traditional French recipe is essentially the same as the basic one described above, but it uses top-quality olive oil and vinegar. Some nouvelle cuisine recipes specify safflower oil. It is considered essential to constantly beat the mayonnaise using a whisk while adding the olive oil a drop at a time, fully incorporating the oil before adding the next tablespoon.

Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 to 5 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1-1/2 cups olive or other salad oil
4 teaspoons hot water

Beat yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl until very thick and pale yellow.

Place yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 3 teaspoons lemon juice in blender cup or work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, and buzz 15 seconds (use low blender speed). Now, with motor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil (use moderately high blender speed). As mixture begins to thicken, continue adding oil in a fine steady stream, alternating with hot water and remaining lemon juice. Stop motor and scrape mixture down from sides of blender cup or work bowl as needed.

Variations

Sauce Nicoise: Prepare mayonnaise as directed and set aside. Mix 2 tablespoons tomato puree with 2 minced pimientos and 1/2 crushed clove garlic; press through a fine sieve and blend into mayonnaise.

Ailoli Sauce: Prepare mayonnaise as directed and mix with fresh crushed garlic.

Russian Mayonnaise: Prepare mayonnaise, then mix in 1/4 cup black or red caviar, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill.

Mustard Mayonnaise: Prepare mayonnaise, then mix in 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard.

Curry Mayonnaise: Prepare mayonnaise, then blend in 1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder.

Chantilly Mayonnaise: Prepare mayonnaise, then fold in 1/2 cup heavy cream, beaten to soft peaks.

Fruit Mayonnaise: Prepare mayonnaise, then beat in 3 tablespoons each orange juice and superfine sugar, 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind, and a pinch nutmeg. For added zip, mix in 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other fruit liqueur. Serve with fruit salads.

The Mother Sauces....Veloute

2007-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

In preparing a velouté sauce, a light stock (one in which the bones used have not been roasted), such as chicken, veal, shellfish, or fish stock, is thickened with a blond roux.

Thus the ingredients of a velouté are butter and flour to form the roux, a light chicken, veal, fish stock, or shellfish stock, salt and pepper for seasoning. Commonly the sauce produced will be referred to by the type of stock used e.g. chicken velouté.

It is often served on poultry or seafood dishes, and is used as the base for other sauces. Sauces derived from a velouté sauce include Allemande sauce (by adding lemon juice, egg yolks, and cream), Suprême sauce (by adding mushrooms and cream to a chicken velouté), and Bercy sauce (by adding shallots and white wine to a fish velouté).

Veloute Sauce

1 1/2 cups white stock (veal, chicken, or fish) - white stock just means the bones were not roasted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan.

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over low heat (don't let it burn) and add the flour. Raise the heat to medium and stir the butter and flour together for about 2 minutes. You are making the roux. Take a good whiff and it should have a pleasant toasted smell.

Whisk the simmering stock into the roux and keep heating and whisking. When the stock begins to simmer again, turn down the heat to low and cook until the sauce thickens. A thin skin may form, just skim it away with your spoon. Depending on your stovetop, the sauce may take 5 - 10 minutes to get to your desired consistency.

Season with salt and pepper. Strain if you have a fine mesh strainer or chinois.

White Veal Stock

10 pounds Veal bones
2 large onions
2 to 3 cloves
2 stalks celery
2 white leeks, washed
4 carrots, peeled
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
4 to 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 bunch parsley (1 cup loose)

Cover the bones with cold water. Bring slowly to a boil and skim the solidified blood and albumin that rises to the surface of the water. Boil for 2 hours, skimming regularly. Most Of the scum will rise to the top during these first 2 hours.

Stick one of the onions with the cloves. Add to the pot along with the celery, leeks, carrots, garlic, seasoning and herbs.To give an amber golden color to the stock (if a consommé or aspic is to be made from the stock), cut an unpeeled onion in half and brown in a skillet on medium heat on top of the stove until the cut side turns quite dark. Add to the stock.

Boil slowly for 6 hours, or 2 hours if you use only chicken or fish bones. Evaporation will reduce the liquid. Add water periodically to compensate. Strain and reduce to 3 quarts. Refrigerate overnight then discard the fat which will have solidified on top of the stock. Pack in small containers and freeze if not needed.

White Fish Stock

10 pounds White Fish Bones (Halibut, and Cod work well, Salmon is too strong)
2 large onions
2 to 3 cloves
2 stalks celery
2 white leeks, washed
4 carrots, peeled
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
4 to 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 bunch parsley (1 cup loose)

Cover the fish bones with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour and periodically skim the foam off the top.

Add your vegetable and seasonings, and simmer for another hour.

White Chicken Stock

10 pounds Chicken bones
2 large onions
2 to 3 cloves
2 stalks celery
2 white leeks, washed
4 carrots, peeled
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
4 to 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 bunch parsley (1 cup loose)

Put the leftover bones and skin from a chicken carcass into a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Add veggies like celery, garlic, onion, carrots, parsley.

Add salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper.

Add the rest of your spices.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to bring the stock to a low simmer.

Simmer uncovered at least 4 hours, occassionally skimming off the foam that comes to the surface.

Remove the bones and strain the stock.

Shellfish Stock

4-6 cups shellfish shells, from shrimp, lobster, and/or crab
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 large yellow onion, sliced or chopped
1 carrot, roughly sliced or chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly sliced or chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 sprigs of thyme
Several sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
10-15 whole peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt

Break thick shells (lobster and crab) into smaller pieces by putting in a sealed, thick plastic bag and either rolling with a rolling pin or hitting with a meat hammer to crush. Cut up thinner shrimp shells with a chef's knife. Don't crush or cut too small. You can even skip this step if you want, if you are already dealing with broken up shell pieces (like cracked crab). Put in a large stock pot and cover with an inch (but no more than an inch) of water.

Put the stove temperature on medium high and slowly heat the shells in the water. As soon as you see that little bubbles are starting to come up to the surface, reduce the heat to medium. Do not let it boil. You want to maintain the temperature at just below a simmer, where the bubbles just occasionally come up to the surface. Do not stir the shells. Stirring will muddy up the stock. As the bubbles come up to the surface a film of foam will develop on the surface. Use a large slotted spoon to skim away this foam. Let the shells cook like this for about an hour; skim the foam every few minutes. The foam comes from shells releasing impurities as their temperature increases.

Put the thyme, bay leaves, and parsley in cheese cloth. Secure with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni.

Once the stock has stopped releasing foam, you can add the wine, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, herb bouquet garni, and peppercorns. Bring to a low simmer and reduce heat so that the stock continues to simmer, but not boil, for 30 minutes. If more foam comes to the surface, skim it off. Add salt and remove from heat

Dampen a few layers of cheesecloth and place over a large, fine mesh strainer, over a large pot or bowl. Pour the stock into the strainer. Discard the solids. Either use the stock right away, or cool for future use. If you aren't going to use in a couple of days, freeze (remember to leave some head room at the top of your freezer container for the liquid to expand as it freezes.)

Variations

Poulette: Mushrooms finished with chopped parsley and lemon juice
Aurora: Tomato puree
Hungarian: Onion, paprika, white wine
Ivory/Albufera: Glace de viande
Normandy: Mushroom cooking liquid and oyster liquid/fish fumet added to fish veloute, finished with a liaison of egg yolks and cream
Venetian: Tarragon, shallots, chervil

Allemande Sauce

The classical Allemande sauce is made with veal velouté, but you can use chicken veloute if that's all you have on hand.

1 quart veal (or chicken) velouté
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste Place the veloute in a saucepan and bring to a simmer; reduce very slightly.

Beat the yolks and cream together in a stainless steel bowl. Temper the liaison by slowly adding a small amount of the hot veloute; repeat until you've incorporated about a third of the sauce into the liaison.

Slowly stir the liaison back into the pan.

Reheat to a very low simmer. Do not bring to a boil. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Strain through cheesecloth.

Supreme Sauce

1 quart chicken veloute
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cold butter
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Heat the veloute in a medium saucepan and simmer until reduced by 1/4, stirring occasionally. Pour the cream into a metal bowl and temper by slowly incorporating a small amount of the hot veloute. Slowly stir this into the sauce, and return to a very low simmer. Swirl in the raw butter until melted, then season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Strain through cheesecloth

Ted Kennedy's Annual Lenten Diet

2007-02-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

Lent is here again, and while I am more of a lapsed Catholic than anything else, we always try to give up something for Lent. Since we do like to party over here it makes sense for me to give up Carb's, and Alcohol during this period of time that lasts till Easter.

I love flour, bread, potato's, and sugar, beer, wine, and spirits, but it doesn't really like me, so I use this time of year to shed the excess weight put on during the Holidays, and the Fall. This year I am pretty serious about it, and plan to be well under 200 lbs by Memorial Day or sooner.

One of Kate's cousin's greeted me as Lou Ferrigno at a wedding in Jamaica this year, so no more of that for awhile. I am not a diet guru, but I find that keeping it low carb, and staying under 20 carbs a day helps me lose weight the quickest, and also satifies my appetite. So you are going to see a lot of protein being dispayed in different ways over the next six weeks, and we won't forget fish on Friday's.

When you are eating like this you need some serious sauces, so that is why we are going through and detailing how to make the Mother Sauces of France this week. Once you know how to make the right Sauce, the most boring food tastes fantastic. Sure it is rich, but it is on my diet.

I am 6'0 tall and I should weigh around 190 pounds based on my frame. I have been known to flirt with 240 on occasion. The first year of marriage is never easy on the waist line so by doing this diet over Lent I should lose close to 30 pounds. I stay on a moderate version through Memorial Day, and enter Summer at an optimum weight so I can have some fun, and actually take my shirt off in public.

Eating well, and correctly isn't the only thing we do. We make sure we get out and walk 3-4 miles around the neighborhood every day when weather permits. We also have been known to strap on the cross country ski's, and cruise around the golf course when we have time. A little activity, and the right diet is all it takes.

The Mother Sauces....Espagnole

2007-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

Béchamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise, Mayonnaise, Tomato Sauce, and Velouté are the mother sauces of French cuisine. We also have added Beurre Blanc which isn't officially a mother sauce, but it also is a solid base other sauces are built from. Once you know how to make these you can add a few different ingredients to each base to make 100's of different variations.

Espagnole is the true Brown Sauce, it has a strong taste and is rarely used directly on food. As a mother sauce, however, it then serves as the starting point for many derivative sauces, such as: Sauce Africaine, Sauce Bigarade, Sauce Bourguignonne, Sauce aux Champignons, Sauce Charcutiere, Sauce Chasseur, and Sauce Chevreuil, just to go as far as the "Cs". There are hundreds of other derivatives in the classic French repertoire.

In a restaurant the classic method of making espagnole is to prepare a very dark brown roux, to which are added several gallons of veal stock or water, along with 20–30 lb of browned bones, pieces of beef, many pounds of vegetables, and various seasonings. This blend is allowed to slowly reduce while being frequently skimmed. The classical recipe calls for additional veal stock to be added as the liquid gradually reduces but today water is generally used instead. Tomato sauce is added towards the end of the process, and the sauce is further reduced.

A typical espagnole recipe takes many hours or even several days to make, and produces four to five quarts of sauce. In most derivative recipes, however, one cup of espagnole is more than enough, so that the basic recipe will yield enough sauce for 16 to 20 meals. Frozen in small quantities, espagnole will keep practically indefinitely.

Espagnole, and Veloute is a project I like to do on in either Late Spring, or Fall on a rainy weekend to pass the time while watching some football on TV. When I do it try to make four different types of stocks, veloutes, or other base sauces at the same time. It is sort of like pickling, and preserving. I pour them in individual foam containers, and freeze them in 1/2 cup, or 1 cup portions.

Basic Brown Stock

Yield: 2 gallons

Ingredients:

8 pounds veal marrow bones sawed into 2-inch pieces
6 pounds beef marrow bones sawed into 2-inch pieces
16 ounces tomato paste
4 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups chopped celery
4 cups dry red wine
1 bouquet garni
Salt and pepper
16 quarts of water

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Remove the bones from the oven and brush with the tomato paste. In a mixing bowl, combine the onions, carrots, and celery together. Lay the vegetables over the bones and return to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the roasting pan on the stove and deglaze the pan with the red wine, using a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan for browned particles.

Put everything into a large stockpot. Add the bouquet garni and season with salt. Add the water. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the stock for 4 hours, skimming regularly. Remove from the heat and strain through a China cap or tightly meshed strainer.

Espagnole Sauce

2 gallon brown stock, hot
3 cups brown roux
1/2 cup bacon fat
4 cups chopped onions
2 cup chopped carrots
2 cup chopped celery
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tomato puree
1 bouquet garni

In a stock pot, whisk the hot stock into the roux. In a large saute pan, heat the bacon fat. Add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir the tomato puree into the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato/vegetable mixture to the stock/roux mixture. Add the bouquet garni and continue to simmer, skimming as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for about 45 minutes. Strain the sauce through a China cap.

Variations

Madeira sauce: Espagnole sauce mixed with Madeira wine.

Mushroom sauce: Espagnole sauce and mushrooms.

Bordelaise sauce: Espagnole sauce with red wine, shallots and herbs.

Lyonnaise sauce: Espagnole sauce with chopped onions, parsley and white wine.

Charcuterie Sauce: Espagnole sauce with chopped onions, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, white wine.

Sauce Africaine: Espagnole sauce, tomato, chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, salt, garlic white wine, basil, parley, bay leaf, and thyme.

The Mother Sauces....Hollandaise

2007-02-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

Béchamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise, Mayonnaise, Tomato Sauce, and Velouté are the mother sauces of French cuisine. We also consider Beurre Blanc a base or mother sauce, even though the French do not. Once you know how to make these you can add a few different ingredients to each base to make 100's of different variations.

Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of butter and lemon juice using egg yolks as the emulsifying agent, usually seasoned with salt and a little black pepper or cayenne pepper.

Hollandaise is notoriously difficult to make well and to hold. Properly made it should be smooth and creamy, and if beaten long enough will hold its shape as firmly as whipped cream. It tastes very rich and buttery, with a mild tanginess added by the lemon juice and seasonings. It must be made and served warm, but not hot. If the ingredients are not mixed properly, or if they are kept too cold or too hot, they will separate, resulting in an oily mess filled with particles of egg yolk.

Most authorities use something like the following method: A wire whisk and a thin-bottomed bowl work fine. The egg yolks must be beaten thoroughly first, then the lemon juice beaten into them. Then the butter (preferably clarified butter; clarified, meaning it has been melted and the milk solids removed) is added very slowly, while the mixture is being continually beaten and held over a pot of simmering water.

Once you have made Hollandaise as a base you can add some simple ingredients to make multiple variations such as Bearnaise which is always great with a steak, or even better in the rich appetizer lobster recipe I show you at the end.

Hollandaise Sauce

2 tablespoons white-wine or tarragon vinegar or fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons boiling water
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt the butter and keep it warm. Heat lemon juice until just warmed. Have small saucepan with boiling water and a measuring tablespoon ready. Place the top of a double boiler over (not in) hot water. (This means the bottom of the top of the double boiler sound not make contact with the water heating in the bottom half of the double boiler.)

Place the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler and whisk until they begin to thicken. Now add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water. Continue to beat the sauce until it begins to thicken. Repeat with the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time, beating the mixture after each addition.

Now add the warmed vinegar or lemon juice. Remove the double boiler from the heat. Beat the sauce briskly with a wire whisk. Continue to beat the mixture as you slowly pour in the melted butter. Add the salt and cayenne and beat the sauce until it is thick. Serve immediately.

Variations

Sauce Mousseline - - whipped cream folded in to Hollandaise (also known as Sauce Chantilly).

Sauce Aux Capres - add drained capers

Sauce Bearnaise - - replace lemon in recipe with a reduction of vinegar, shallots, and fresh chervil and/or tarragon, strained.

Sauce Maltaise - - orange zest (blanched) and juice, blood orange for authenticity.

Sauce Divine - - reduced sherry folded into whipped cream.

Sauce Noisette - - Hollandaise made with browned butter (beurre noisette).

Sauce Bavaroise - - cream, horseradish, thyme.

Sauce Foyot - - add meat glaze (Glace de Viande) to Bearnaise; also known as Sauce Valoise.

Sauce Colbert - - Sauce Foyot with addition of reduced white wine.

Sauce Paloise - - Bearnaise but substitute mint for tarragon (great with Lamb).

Sauce Creme Fleurette - - add Crème fraîche.

Sauce Choron - - Foyot plus tomato purée.

Sauce Dijon - - add Dijon mustard (also known as Sauce Moutarde or Sauce Girondine).

Sauce vin Blanc (for fish) - - add reduction white wine and fish stock.

Lobster Escargot Style

You can make this recipe with Lobster, Scallops, or Prawns, but I prefer the lobster. Buy a couple New Zealand, or Australian tails for this dish.

1 Lb Shelled Lobster Tail
Grated Gruyere Cheese
Bearnaise Sauce
Butter

Melt some butter and put a little in each hole of an escargot dish, or mini Muffin pan.
Cut the lobster tail into bite size pieces and put in the hole, cover with bearnaise sauce, and Gruyere cheese and bake at 375 till brown, usually about 10 minutes.

The Mother Sauces....Bechamel

2007-02-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

Scallops Three Simple Ways

2007-02-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

Scallops are readily available through out the country. There are Bay Scallops which are the small one's, singing Scallops which are fresh steamed in the shell, and the larger Sea Scallops. The part of the Scallop we eat is actually the muscle that holds the shell together.

You can buy Scallops fresh, or frozen. The Sea Scallops you usually see at your local grocery store are most likely thawed rather than fresh. I buy bag's of Alaskan Sea Scallops at Costco and they are excellent. A bag usually runs around $17, and contains 2 pounds. if you have ever ordered Scallops at a restaurant you realize while expensive, it is still a pretty good deal.

Sea Scallops are one of those items, like Prawns, that freeze well if processed correctly. They thaw in just a few minutes soaking in cold water. Make sure that when you buy Scallops that they are individually frozen, show no frost, and are not stuck together.

The key to cooking Scallops is not to overcook them. They don't require much heat, and depending on the thickness only need 1 1/2 minutes on each side till they are done. Cook them to long and you have expensive rubber.

Scallop's make an easy meal, or accompaniment because they can cooked in only a few minutes, and the way's they can be served our endless.

Today we are going to share three of my favorite way's of cooking them.

Japanese Style Sesame Scallops

Pour 1/4 cup of flour in a bowl or container. Season the flour with the spices and sesame seeds. In the pan melt the butter, and add the olive oil and bring up to heat. Dip the scallops lightly in the flour mixture and fry 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Serve with a little teriyaki sauce drizzled on each piece.

1/2 Pound Sea Scallops sliced in half
1/4 cup Flour
2 Tbsp Butter
Olive Oil
Sesame Seed
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Teriyaki Sauce Drizzle

Bacon Fried Scallops

Dice two pieces before cooking and fry till semi crisp. Add Scallops to hot drippings and immediately season with the spices. Cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side and serve with the bacon bits and chives as a garnish.

1/2 Lb Sea Scallops sliced in half
2 Slices of Bacon diced
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chives

Classic Scallops

Melt the butter in the pan, and add the chopped Scallions and Garlic. Cook for around five minutes till translucent. Add sliced Scallops to the pan, and cook a 1 minute on first side, and 1 1/2 minutes on the other. Add wine at finish for 30 seconds and serve garnished with the chopped Chives.

1/2 Lb Sea Scallops sliced in half
3 tbsps Butter
1 oz White Wine
2 Chopped Garlic Cloves
1 Thin Sliced Shallots
Chives

Char Siu...Chinese BBQ Pork

2007-02-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Char Siu, is Chinese Barbecue Pork which is a very popular appetizer in Chinese restaurants on the West Coast. The best Char Siu can be found in the Chinatown's of Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Portland.

When you walk by a restaurant in Chinatown, and see the reddened meat hanging in the window under heat lamps you know you have a chance to try the real thing. The red comes from the red dye #2 in the Chinese BBQ Glaze, and the marinade the meat sits in for a day or two. I pass on the red dye #2 in my recipe, but you can add a few drops if you wish, it won't hurt you, and it add's the traditional aesthetic appeal.

Back to the meat in the window...it was marinated for a day, or two in a mixture that includes the red dye, and it is never Pork Tenderloin because Pork Tenderloin does not have a lot of fat in it, and dripping fat of course is what gives meat it's extra flavor. Pork in the US is much leaner than it used to be, so it is tough to get the authentic Char Sui of our fathers even when you use a fattier cut like Boston Butt.

Most of the West Coast Chinese restaurants that don't have a Char Siu Window follow a traditional recipe like this to create a Westernized version of the dish.

Char Siu Pork Tenderloin

4 Pork Tenderloin's
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
Garlic Cloves
Finely Chopped Shallots
Sesame Oil
Brown Sugar
Red Dye #2
Powdered Ginger Root
Hoisin Sauce
Five Spice Powder
Hot Pepper Flakes
Rice Wine
Kosher Salt
Dry Sherry
Sesame Seeds
Chinese Mustard
Chopped Scallions

Combine all the ingredients except for the scallions, mustard, and sesame seeds. Warm in a sauce pan to meld the flavors. Place the meat in a zip lock bag. Pour the cooled marinade over the meat, and refrigerate for a day or two.

Since we are using a Pork Tenderloin which is very lean we have to be very careful how we cook it so we don't dry the cut out. Roast the Pork at 220 degree's for 20 minutes on a rack over a 1/4 inch of water. Turn the Pork and reduce the temperature to 185 degrees and roast for another twenty minutes, don't forget to baste with the marinade.

Take the pork out of the oven and turn the broiler on high. Coat the Pork with the sticky Char Siu Glaze. You can buy it at almost any grocery store store, or make it from the recipe below. Broil the meat for five minutes till the glaze caramelizes, and the edges of the meat start to char. Take it out and glaze the other side, and repeat the process.

It can be served hot, or cold, but it is always sliced thinly. I garnish it by putting Sesame Seeds and Chopped Scallions over the top. I then dip it in the hot mustard, and dredge it through the Sesame Seeds then stuff it into my mouth.

Char Siu Boston Butt

If you want to be more authentic you can use a Boston Butt rather than a Pork Tenderloin. You need to trim it out into smaller pieces and leave a lot of the fat on. You then marinate the meat in the same recipe as the Pork Tenderloin. The difference is how you cook it. You hang the meat on small sharpened stainless steel "S" hooks, and suspend it over broiler pan of water in the oven. This mimics the technique done under the heat lamps in the Chinatown restaurants. The cooking time is longer because the meat is a tougher cut, but you still use your broiler to caramelize the the sauce on the meat.

Both versions are great, the difference is the tenderloin is lean, and very moist, while the Boston Butt has more fat. As the fat melt it bastes the hanging meat.

Char Siu High Tech

Chinese Barbecue is different from Western Barbecue because of the absence of smoke. They both however utilize steam to keep the meat moist. Historically Char Siu was fatty pieces of marinated Pork that was roasted on a skewer over an open fire than promptly eaten caveman style. Heat lamps have replaced the open fire as the dish has adopted more of a Greek Gyro style of cooking.

A custom, modern, oven capable of doing Char Sui the would be an infrared rottiserie which is now available with some outdoor grills as an option.

Char Siu Fried Rice

Fried Rice is actually China's favorite way of serving leftovers. Chinese families take the leftover Rice from last nights dinner throw it in a Wok and mix it what was left in the larder. In America it is more standardized, and is a popular side dish at dinner in all Asian restaurants. Fried Rice for breakfast however was a standard with many Asian families.

1 Cup White, or Brown Rice
2 Cups water
Chicken, Beef or Pork Bullion
Slice of Butter

Bring the water to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook the rice for 45 minutes in a pot with a tight fitting lid. When the rice is done I prefer to cool it a few hours, or overnight in the fridge before using it.

Cold Cooked Rice
Soy Sauce
Egg
Scallions
Chopped Onions
Chopped Celery
BBQ Pork
Sweet Chinese Sausage
Sliced Almonds
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Peanut Oil
Sesame Oil

I heat up the Wok and add the Peanut Oil.

One the peanut oil is hot I add the egg and fry it up. This is the key, scramble the egg first before adding the other ingredients.

Once the egg is cooked break it into to small pieces, and add the vegetables, get them warm and a little translucent before you add the rice. One the rice is added cook the mixture for five minutes stirring it in your Wok, and then add your Pork, Sweet Sausage, Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, and Almonds to finish. Cook until the mixture develops a nice glaze and serve topped with chopped Scallions.

The Perfect Crab Cake

2007-02-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

Making the perfect crabcake is easy if you have the best, and freshest crab available. The Crab of course is what makes the Crabcake. Remember it is called Crabcake, not Crabloaf, so the goal is to make sure it is light, crispy, and not in the least bit fishy tasting.

The best Crab in the world in my opinion is the Dungeness which ranges between Northern California, and Alaska on the Pacific Coast. If you are from the East Coast of course you think I am crazy because the Blue Crab is what made the Crab cake famous, and Baltimore and the Chesapeake are Crab cake Central.

You guy's are insane, East Coast Crab Cakes go heavy on the Old Bay, and that is to cover up the media the foul tasting crab you actually import from Asia most of the time. Dungeness is the best way to go if you want to achieve the perfect Crab cake.

Dungeness is best when steamed live after catching. You may see live one's at a restaurant, but after a couple of days they start losing body fat so they are not nearly as good as when they are captured. So the only place to get the best Crab is at the dock while you watch it being cooked, or bring it home live and cook it yourself that evening.

Whole Dungeness doesn't freeze, or ship live very well. We have whole previously frozen one's at Costco in Chicago, and they are a pale imitation to the fresh one's on the West Coast. When I want Crab and I don't want to travel to Seattle I call one of the Fishmonger's at Seattle's Pike Place Market. They Fed Ex it out to me on ice and I have it in time for dinner the day after I order.

If you have Crab cake in a restaurant chances are very good that your crab came in a can from Southeast Asia. I have had various grades of the canned Swimming Blue Crab from Phillips and their highest grade which is sold in one pound cans at Costco isn't bad at all, but you can't make the perfect crab cake with it.

You can get very good canned Dungeness Crab from various Internet purveyors, and it works very well for Cakes, or Salads. The stuff the Northwest restaurants usually use is frozen in five, or ten pound cans.

I have had frozen Dungeness Crab ($22 per pound) from Alaska that was vacuum packed in plastic, and it wasn't that great, I wouldn't say it was salad quality. It was fine for crab cakes after it had been soaked in cream for a couple of hours to return some fat, and leach the brine.

For the perfect Crab meat expect to pay around $28 per pound plus the cost of getting it here overnight. It is well worth the expense, and a pound of Crab meat makes a lot of Crabc akes.

The Perfect Crabcake

1 Pound Fresh Dungeness Crab Meat
1/4 Cup Breadcrumbs
1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs (Optional)
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
3 Tsps Mayonnaise
1 Egg beaten
1 finely diced Onion
2 diced Shallots
1 finely Sweet Bell Pepper (Red, Yellow, or Orange)
Old Bay Seasoning
1 cloves of crushed Garlic
Fresh Lemon Juice
A dash of Tabasco
White Pepper
Cayenne
Salt

Chop your vegetables and combine with all the ingredients except the Panko bread crumbs and refrigerate an hour or more before using. You are going to notice that you have a pretty runny mixture that doesn't easily hold together or form into a cake, and that is exactly what you are looking for in the creation of a crab cake that is light as air.

Think like your cooking a pancake.

I heat up my griddle, and rub butter all over it and scoop out the crab mixture. Using a small ladle I drop each mound on a some Panko bread crumbs, then toss them on the grill in a free form shape to brown and cook. Don't touch them, or try to flip them till the bottoms are golden brown. When that happens they are able to hold their shapes and you can simply flip them over with a spatula and brown the other side to finish. At this time you can use your spatula to flatten them a bit to give them a more desirable shape.

These Crab cakes rely on the eggs, and cream more than the breadcrumbs inside to hold them together. The secret to light crab cakes is using the least amount of breadcrumbs on the inside that you can get away with.

I like to serve them with a number of different sauces depending on my mood. Hollandaise, Remoulade, Tartar, Cocktail Sauces, or a mixture of Sour Cream, Dijon, and Dill.

The New Taco Casserole

2007-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time my mom brought home a kit to make Taco Casserole when I was a kid, it immediately became a new favorite around the house, and ranked right up there with Pork n Bean Casserole, and Lasagana.

I have to admit while I make the occasional Lasagna to feed a group, I haven't made Taco, or Pork n Bean Casserole's since I was a college student. Taste's change as we get older and we develop a more sophisticated palate.

The opportunity came up after we had around 2 1/2 pounds of broiled hamburger patties left over from a cookout here at the house.

What do you do with a day old, cold, broiled hamburger?

You can microwave them, and serve them again which is pretty disgusting, throw them out after you get tired of looking at them in the fridge, and even let the dog sample a few.

What you could do is crumble them up, and spice them with Taco Seasoning, Salsa, Onion, and simmer with a cup, or so of water to help give them another life.

I seldom use kit's, but I do try to use up stuff in the pantry when doing up left over's. My version of Taco Caserole is much better than the kit version.

2 1/2 Lbs of Hamburger
1/3 Cup Taco Seasoning
2 Cups Water
One Can chopped Onions (Optional)
1 Can Black Olives
Red Salsa
Cheddar Jack Cheese
8 Soft White Corn Tortilla's
Crisp Tortilla Chips
I Can Kidney Beans (Optional)
1 Can Mild Diced Green Chili's (Optional)
2 Cans of Enchilada Sauce

If you are using yesterdays old burgers like I did just warm them up in a pan a bit and crumble them down with your hands. Add your Taco Seasoning (which I buy in bulk at Costco) fresh onions, and mix together till warm, add water, and salsa, bring to a boil, them simmer for a half hour. Add the chopped Black Olives, Beans, and Mild Green Chili's at the end.

If you are using fresh burger just brown it, drain the grease, then add the fresh onions and cook till the start to turn translucent, then add your seasoning, water, and salsa. Once again add your Chili's, Beans, and Olive's at the end.

After that you need to spray a casserole dish with some Pam, and brown some fresh tortilla's in a drop of olive oil. When the tortillas are crispy cut them into quarters and line the bottom of the caserrole dish.

Add the first of what will be three layers of taco meat and top with shredded cheese. When you have three levels you pour the two cans of Enchilada Sauce over the top. Follow that by Crunching up some Crisp White Tortilla Chips for the topping, and add a final layer of shredded cheese.

Cook in a pre warmed oven at 375 for 45 minutes till the cheese bubbles on the top.

Since we were cooking burgers for a group of 20 the day before we had a lot of shredded lettuce left, so when we took the Casserole out of the oven we served the slices on a bed of the shredded lettuce with a dollop of Sour Creme, and Guacamole with some Salsa on the side.

This recipe is a big hit because it is spicy, cheesey, and has the great taste of white corn tortilla's melding with the Enchilada Sauce which keeps it steamy, and moist. I think you will agree once you taste it that while it reminds you of Mom's old kit recipe, it really can be a lot better when you make it on your own without the kit.

Like any casserole you can add or omit ingredients to suit your families tastes, and that is why I listed the Olives, Beans, and Chili's as optional.

Friday Fish Fry

2007-02-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

Fish Fry's are popular all over the country, but the variety of fish does vary by region. My favorite fried fish is Alaskan Cod. Alaskan Cod is pretty easy to get in any region of the U.S. because it is often processed, and frozen at sea. You can't really tell the difference between frozen, or fresh Alaskan Cod because of the rapid processing, and flash freezing. F.A.S. is the anachronism you should be looking for with frozen Cod.

I find the frozen product to be very consistent in the Midwest. Sure we have it fresh here, but it is often a roll of the dice getting a cut of fish here that was caught within the last day, or two, that being the case, I prefer frozen FAS in the Midlands. Costco carries a very nice product.

Frozen fish needs to be handled differently then fresh fish, it needs to be refreshed. Refresh it by rinsing in cold water, and soaking it in buttermilk, cream, or beer batter 45 minutes before cooking. If you do this you will avoid rubbery, tasteless fish. Frozen fish is usually packed in a brine solution which preserves the fish, but leaches the oils, and moisture out of the fish. By soaking the fish in a dairy product you are able to replenish the fish with oil and moisture while leaching out the salt solution it was packed in.

Wisconsin is a big time fish fry state. It could be because the state is heavily Catholic, and even though the edict of fish on Friday's is long gone, except for during Lent, the tradition continues up there year round. They fry all kinds of fish up there, but Baby Perch is the favorite which would seem odd if you are from the West Coast where fresh water Pan Fish are not popular.

In the Midwest we often like to substitute fresh Walleye, Crappie, Baby Perch, Blue Gill's, or any other Pan Fish. They are all excellent, and they have little, or no mercury compared to a larger fish which is a concern in the Midwest.

Some like it breaded, some like it battered, or beer battered, here is the way I like it.

I make a simple beer batter... .

Light Beer
1 Cup Flour
Seasoning Salt to Taste
Garlic Powder to Taste
Black Pepper to Taste

If your fish is frozen soak it in the batter at least 45 minutes before frying. It makes a big difference, and refreshes the fish.

I then lay out a mixture of Japanese Panko Bread crumbs, Sesame Seeds, and drudge the beer battered filet's in the mixture, and put them in the fryer at 375 degree's.

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Seasoning Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste.
Sesame Seeds

You cook the fish till it is golden brown, and floating, it only takes a couple of minutes, and then it is done. Serve with Cocktail, Tartar, or Remoulade Sauce.

What is Fish without the Chips?

I hand cut Russet's, or use a mandolin for a large crowd. I soak the potato's in a rinse of ice water to get the the starch off the potato's. Process usually take around a half hour. You Blanche the fries in oil heated to 325 degrees for 3 minutes, then set aside to cool. Before you fry the fish finish the fries at 375 degree's and keep warm in the oven at 225 degree's before serving.

Serve with Tartar, Cocktail, or Remoulade Sauce. Malt vinegar is another great drizzle to put on after the finish with a little Sea Salt. Cole Slaw is a traditional side, and Clam Chowder is a great starter.

Seattle is Fish and Chips central on the West Coast. The best stands, store, or chains are Skipper's, Ivar's, Spud, and Totem House. Duke's Chowder house is more upscale, and serves very good Fish and Chips. All the places have their various sized portions, and styles, but the recipe above I am sharing with you is the best of all.

If your are a sportsman in the Midwest you usually just egg wash your fish, and drudge it in a mixture of cracker meal, white flour, garlic, salt and pepper. The Shore Lunch is a big tradition among fisherman in the upper Midwest. Make sure to fry your fish in at least two inches of oil heated to 375 degree's.

I like the cracker crust too, and sometimes make it side by side with the Panko Beer Batter.

You need some Sauce to go with it

You need some great Tartar, or Cocktail Sauce to go with great Fish and Chips. Why buy it from the store when you can throw it together in a couple minutes with ingredients you usually have on hand anyway.

Tartar Sauce Recipe

Mayonnaise
6 Finely Chopped Dill Pickle
One Finely Chopped Onion
4 Oz Small Capers
1/1/2 Tbsp Horseradish
A sprinkle of Caper Juice
Fresh Lemon Juice
A couple of shakes Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
Dill Weed
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder

Cocktail Sauce Recipe

1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
Horseradish to taste
8 Small Chopped Dill Pickle's
Finely Chopped Onion
2 oz Capers
Fresh Lemon Juice

Remoulade Sauce Recipe

1 cup mayonnaise
1 diced hard cooked Egg Yolk
1/4 cup chili sauce
4 tbsp. Creole mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Tabasco
1 1/2 tbsp. horseradish
2 tbsp. Vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 medium scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon capers, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped green olives
2 tablespoons minced celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Beef Carbonade

2007-02-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

When it gets cold outside we think of food's that stick to our ribs Beef Carbonade is one of those type of things you want to eat when you are trying to build your body fat. If you leave out the flour, and dust with the meat with spices before browning, and add a lo-carb thickener to the stew about a half hour before cooking it is a true low carb treat. Low carb thickener is great stuff, and I have no idea wht they put in it, probably some soy flour mixture, anyway the dish tastes identical either way. Splenda will work to caramelize the onions.

Beef Carbonade is a decadent Winter Style Stew from Belgium. It isn't the easiest thing to make because it requires some time consuming steps, but the it is basically stew meat, bacon, onions, dark beer, and a few simple spices.

5 Lbs Stew Meat
1 Lb Bacon
3 Large Sweet Onions
1 Bottle of Dark Beer
Carton Sliced Mushrooms
Dollops of Sour Creme
Scallions as a Garnish
Shallots as a garnish
Flour or Low Carb Thickener
Sugar, or Splenda just a dab to caramelize
Thyme Leaf
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper

Sounds real simple right, well it isn't, if you are going to make this set aside a good hour and a half to put it together.

Start off by mixing the flour with the Thyme, Salt, and Pepper, and set to the side. If doing the lo-carb version omit the flour. I just use more thyme to build the crust of the browning of the meat.

In a dutch oven or metal pot dice and cook the bacon to semi crisp, drain and move to side. Slice the onions thin and fry in the bacon drippings til translucent. Once translucent add the sugar to caramelize the onions. Stir them at a medium temperature till they are caramelized. Take them out of the pot and drain in a wire strainer. Press all the bacon drippings out, and pour the drippings back into the dutch oven.

Mix the flour with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Dust the stew meat after it has been cut into bite size pieces with the blend and brown in the drippings. If you run out out of drippings use some vegetable oil. Once stew meat is browned press between paper towels to remove some of the oil. Place meat, onions, bacon, and one bottle of dark beer in the dutch oven and cook at 350 for 2:30 hours while stirring on occasion. Add mushrooms at the 2:00 point so they don;t get cooked down.

Serve with with sour cream, and chopped scallion's as a garnish. Great with buttered poppy seed noodles, dark bread like a warmed pumpernickle, and maybe some baked apples.

Classic Chowder's

2007-02-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

Clam Chowder is always a favorite wherever you happen to live. It is easy to make, and all the ingredients are available at almost every grocery store. Chowder is great any time of the year, but it is especially appreciated during the winter months. Back East Chowder is often accompanied by a good glass of sherry for mixing in the chowder to taste, and sip while eating. In the northwest we don't bother with such silliness.

Clam Chowder is a very regional type of thing. You have Rhode Island which is pink and creamy. The first Rhode Island Chowder I ever had was only a mile or two away from my childhood home in Magnolia at the now gone Wharf restaurant at Fisherman's Terminal in Seattle. They called it Manhattan, but it was pink and creamy, and as I moved farther East I learned it was actually Rhode Island. Our recipe is reproduction from memory.

New England is and thick, and white. It is your basic white chowder that is served in varying degree's of thickness and is dominated by potato's.

Traditional Manhattan which is red, is more cioppinoish....is looked down upon by New Englander's who swear tomatoes do not belong in chowder. They like to call it vegetable clam soup.

Down in New Orleans they make a Tasso and Crawfish Chowder which is stunning. We are going to share that recipe with you because everything from New Orlean's is good, real, real good.

Northwest Style Clam Chowder is the king of all chowders, and it is best represented at Duke's Chowder House at a various locations in Seattle. Our version is actually better, and I don't think there is a better one served in the country. The thing about Northwest Chowder is the dill, bacon, and abundance of clams, potatoes are more of an after thought. It is clam chowder so why shouldn't clams be the star of the show?

If you have a Costco in your area buy your canned clams there, huge can, great quality, and they are full of juice so you do not need to buy the extra bottle of clam juice! Bumblebee has some great vaccum packed whole baby cams that work great in chowder, but always make sure to use minced clams and juice with it.

If you are on one of the coasts you might be tempted to steam your own clams, and it does make great clam juice. In the Northeast they prefer Quahogs, out West, Geoduck's, or Razor's are the gourmet choice. I have made great chowder with fresh Manilla clams, but the real deal is you can make fantastic chowder with canned seas clams and nobody is going to know the difference except for one thing....the clam juice.

I always steam a dozen manilla, or other small clam to get the fresh juice. Steaming a clam is easy, use either beer, or wine, a little garlic, dill, and butter.

Seattle is really a true Chowder capital. Ivar's, Skippers, Spud's, Totem House, and Dukes are my favorites. Totem House is thick like wallpaper paste, and smoky with bacon. Ivars' Skipper's, and Spud's are most definitely New England, while Ray's Boathouse, and Duke's Chowder House are the classic Northwest style.

Northwest Style Clam Chowder

People in Seattle like their chowder thin swimming in heavy cream. Adjust the amount of thickness by varying the amount of flour in the recipe. Always remember that it is clam chowder not potato chowder. Clams, and bacon should dominate the chowder, not the potato's. Northwesterner's often add a few dashes of Tabasco to taste when they are served.

A rule of thumb on spices....always do it to taste, you might like more, or less than I do, so keep adding as you go throughout the process till you have it to your liking.

12 oz can of chopped clams
Clam Juice 1 1/4 cup
Red Potatoes 1/2 lb diced
Bacon 1 Lb
One Lg Onion diced
Celery 3 stalks diced
Flour 1/2 cup
Thyme 1 tsp
Chopped Parsley 2 tsp
Italian Spice 3 tsp
Fresh Basil 2 tsp
Garlic 4 Cloves Crushed
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Bay Leaves 2 Leaves
Dill 2 tsp
Seasoning Salt to Taste (Lawry's, Johnny's, or Old Bay)
Sea Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
White Pepper Pinch
Old Bay Seasoning Mix To Taste
Heavy Whole Cream 4 cups
Half and Half 1/2 cup
Butter 3 oz

Dice one pound of bacon and fry in the soup pot till browned and drain. Add chopped garlic, chopped onion, chopped basil, and chopped celery, all the spices, and cook in the bacon drippings. Once onions are translucent add flour and butter to make the roux. Cook the roux for five minutes to get rid of the flour taste. Add clams, clam juice, and stir to make the base of the chowder. Let the flavors meld for at least an hour. Add dairy products, and let reduce to desired thickness before serving. Season to taste as necessary.

Salmon Bay Fisherman's Wharf Style Manhattan

When I was growing up in Seattle there was a restaurant at Fisherman's Terminal called the Wharf. It was a childhood favorite of mine and they made the best version of Manhattan/Long Island Chowder I have ever had. This is a recreation of how I remember it.

12 oz chopped clams
Clam Juice
1 1/4 cup Partially peeled Russet Potatoes
1/2 lb diced Bacon
1 Lb Onions
One Lg onion diced
Celery 3 stalks diced
Flour 1/3rd cup
Thyme 1 tsp
Chopped Parsley 1 tsp
Italian Spice 2 tsp
Fresh Basil 4 tsp
Garlic 8 Cloves Crushed
Tabasco Sauce To Taste
Bay Leaves2 Leaves
Dill 2 tsp
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
White Pepper To Taste
Old Bay Seasoning Mix To Taste
Heavy Whole Cream 1 cup
Crushed Tomatoes 1 Lg Can
Butter 3 oz

Dice one pound of bacon and fry in the soup pot till browned and drain. Add chopped garlic, chopped onion, chopped basil, and chopped celery, all the spices, and cook in the bacon drippings. Once onions are translucent add flour and butter to make the roux. Cook the roux for five minutes to get rid of the flour taste. Add clams, clam juice, and stir to make the base of the chowder. Let the flavors meld for at least an hour. Add tomato's and simmer one hour. Add dairy products, and let reduce to desired thickness before serving. Season to taste as necessary.

Crawfish and Tasso Chowder

This recipe comes from New Orlean's, and I have only made it once when I happened to have some Crawfish Tails in the freezer. If you don't happen to have any crawfish tails lying around you can always substitute baby prawns. Tasso is great stuff if you can find it. I have a butcher shop in Chicago that makes there own Tasso, and Andouille. If you can't find Tasso dice up some Canadian Bacon, or Ham and throw a lot of blackening powder on it, and cook it on high till it carmelizes on the ham. Then use it for your recipe.

½ c. Salad oil
½ lb. Bacon, diced
1 cup Tasso, finely diced
1 Large Onion, diced
3 Celery stalks, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 ea. Red and Green Peppers, diced
2 ears Corn, remove kernels from ears
1 Tbs. Tarragon, Thyme, Kosher Salt
1 ½ Tbs. Garlic, minced
2 tsp. Fresh cracked black pepper
1 ea. Bay leaves, 1 pinch Cayenne pepper
½ c. White wine
¼ c. Worcestershire sauce, 2 dashes Tabasco
1/2 gal. Shrimp stock or broth
1 c. Blonde roux
1 qt. Heavy cream
4 c. Crawfish tails, pre-cooked
3 ea. Russet potatoes, cubed and par-boiled Method:

Heat oil in a medium stock pot, add bacon, sauté 3 to 5 minutes or until bacon is slightly crispy. Add Tasso, onions, celery, carrots and peppers, sauté for 5 to 7 minutes. Add corn, garlic, herbs, and spices, sauté another 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, Worcestershire, and Tabasco, simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp stock, bring to a boil then whisk in roux, stirring well, so no lumps form. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes, add heavy cream, crawfish, and strained potatoes. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Understanding Meatloaf

2007-02-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Since we are deep in the middle of a snowy winter I am going to start off with comfort foods. Comfort foods of course aren't usually fancy, and they are the main stays of the household once the weather cools down. Meatloaf is suddenly chic' again as many restaurants have brought it back to the menu. Chef's among themselves, actually admire the simple things that are done well rather than the fancy dishes they cook each day at their restaurants. Simple things like briscuits, meatloaf, and braised item's are often the comfort of the culinary elite.

Meatloaf is one of my favorite things to make, especially in the Winter. It is simple to make, and it takes as much time to make it special as it takes to make it atrocious, in other words there are no decent excuses for a bad meatloaf.

Don't look down on meatloaf either, as it is the American cousin of the French pate's, and terrine's which simply put are just fancy, complex, cold, meatloaf. We will tackle the complicated French version on another day.

Meatloaf of course starts with the meat, and I like to use an even blend of Ground Chuck, Ground Pork, and Ground Veal. The blend gives it more complexity, and flavor. I never use frozen meat, and I never buy chain supermarket meat. Find an old fashioned neighborhood meat market where they grind it daily, or will even grind it while you watch.

In Chicago we are blessed with the Paulina Meat Market on the North side of the city close to Wrigley Field. In the North Suburbs where I live now I was fortunate to find a place called Orchard Prime Butcher Shop in Lake Zurich. we also have a small chain of North shore super markets called Sunset which have excellent meat, and seafood departments.

In Seattle A&J Meats on Queen Anne Hill, and Cascioppo's in Ballard are a couple of my favorites. A big key to any Butcher shop is it should smell smokey when you walk in the door. If they have their own smoker it is a very good sign they care about quality. You might have guessed tha tI am very picky about my meat, and seafood and will go long distances to get exactly what I want.

The next thing to think about is the binder. The binder is what holds the thing together, Most people use softened, seasoned, bread crumbs, egg, and tomato sauce, but I prefer to use oatmeal, egg, tomato sauce, and, or cream. Either variation works, it just depends on how heavy or light you want it to be. Breadcrumbs to me seem to add more of a grainy texture while the oats are lower in carb's and seem to meld better with the meat and soak up the flavor while cooking.

My mother used to add a packet of Lipton's Onion Soup to her meatloaf, and I bet most Mom's still do that today, so we are including a copy of mom's recipe.

I prefer to chop fresh onion, garlic, and add some fresh parsley for color, or basil, or another fresh Herb for flavor. I then add seasoning salt, Worcestershire Sauce, ....sometime's A-1, ketchup, or Heinz 57, black pepper, and Italian spices.

Once you get your meatloaf to this point you have to decide which way to go with it. I usually prefer to keep it simple and make a gravy with the drippings, and serve it with Heinz 57 and some type of potato and leave it at that. Meatloaf gravy is excellent with fries, tots, hash browns. or mashed potato's.

I also have stuffed Meat Loaf's in the past with such ingredients as Italian sausage links, bacon, ham, pepperoni, blue, provolone, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese.

Browned Italian Sausages wrapped with provolone are a favorite stuffing of mine. It's looks cool when you slice the loaf and gives it a little contrast with the ring of cheese ooozing out.

Meatloaf is traditionally topped with either ketchup (sweet), barbecue sauce (tangy), or tomato (mild) sauce. You can also leave it un-sauced while cooking and just let the gravy do the work when it is done.

Meatloaf With Meatloaf Gravy

This is an adult meatloaf made from scratch that has a lighter appearance due to the cream.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
3/4 cup Quaker Oatmeal
2 Egg s
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 Cup Beef Broth
One Medium Chopped Onion
3 Cloves Chopped Garlic
Chopped Parsley
Italian Spices
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the cheese and the links and put in a meatloaf pan. Cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

Drain drippings from the meatloaf, and place in a sauce pan. Warm the drippings up and add flour to make a roux. Add a thin slice of meatloaf and break it up. "once roux has set over low heat for around 4 minutes to get rid of the flour taste add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir till roux is absorbed by the milk and heat till thick stirring occasionally.

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

This is the one you make so people will always comment on the future about your meatloaf. It is simple and easy, but when sliced has a surprise.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
Raw Oatmeal
Egg
Tomato Sauce
Cream
Chopped Onion
Chopped Garlic
Chopped Basil
Italian Spices
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Hot Italian Sausage Links
Provolone Cheese

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the cheese and the links and put in a meatloaf pan. Brown the Italian Sausage on both sides till golden brown and let cool. Once cooled wrap with provolone and insert length wise in the middle of the loaf. top with remaining tomato sauce and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

This one we prefer with a light marinara put together with a can of Rotel, fresh garlic, and some Italian seasonings finished with some salt and pepper.

Mom's Meatloaf

This is the stuff you should have grown up with, it isn't cutting edge, but it has the flavors you grew up with.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
Raw Oatmeal
Egg
Tomato Sauce
Heinz 57 Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Lipton's Onions Soup
Chopped Parsley
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the cheese and the links and put in a meatloaf pan. Top with Sauce and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

Drain drippings from the meatloaf, and place in a sauce pan. Warm the drippings up and add flour to make a roux. Add a thin slice of meatloaf and break it up. "once roux has set over low heat for around 4 minutes to get rid of the flour taste add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir till roux is absorbed by the milk and heat till thick stirring occasionally.

Gut Bomb Meatloaf

You don't want to serve this on date night, but it is great for when you are having the dudes over for a football game. This variation of Mom's Meatloaf is deadly, and you want to make sure you keep the windows cracked after serving.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
Raw Oatmeal
Egg
Tomato Sauce
Heinz 57 Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Lipton's Onions Soup
Chopped Parsley
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Pepperoni Slices
Cheddar Cheese

Topping Sauce is an equal blend of Ketchup, and Heinz 57 with a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the Cheese and the Pepperoni and put half of it in a meatloaf pan. Layer the cheese and pepperoni and then fill in with the rest of the meatloaf mixture. Top with Sauce and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

This one is best served with Heinz 57 or Marinara on the side.

Chefs Recipe Catalog

2007-02-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

This blog is devoted to cooking, and entertaining from a seasonal, and regional perspective. The recipes, techniques, and preparations we are going to show you each week are favorites that have been passed down through the generations from various parts of America. Among the things we will be discussing are favorite regional recipes, entertaining for large numbers, and reviews of the regions cusines we have sampled in our travels.

This Blog is going to be seasonal in it's choices as we make use of the freshest regional ingredients available. I was born, and raised in the Pacific Northwest, but have also lived in Hawaii, Montana, Nashville, Minneapolis, and now Chicago for the past ten years. My wife has lived in San Francisco, Boston, and now of course Chicago. One thing we have learned as we move around and explore the country is that every region has it's succulent specialties you want to try and master. What I have done is taken those favorites and fused them together on occasion to give them their own special flair.

When I moved to Nashville I found it quite interesting because a modern type of Southern Cuisine was beginning to grow popular in the region. Like the Northwest where I was from, they were starting to focus on fresh local ingredients utilizing new lighter techniques to celebrate the traditional cooking methods of the past. Nashville up till 20 years ago was a culinary disaster. Pretty much it was meat and three, fried chicken, and anything else they could stick in a fryer. Over the past 15 years they have been on the cutting edge of Southern cuisine as young chefs have fused idea's, techniques, and regional ingredients.

Hawaii is all about fish, and the number one fish in Hawaii is the Tuna. Everytime I go back to visit I usualy eat some form of Tuna around once a day. At the Four Seasons on the Big Island we picked up a Tuna Tartar type appetizer that was just amazing.

During my time in Minneapolis I was introduced to the tall food phenomena which is an interesting concept we are going to take some time exploring. It was also the first place I tried the best tasting freshwater fish in the world, the Walleye. Corn is king in the Summer out here, and I know some people that are very particular on how it is picked, prepared, and cooked.

Chicago is the belt buckle of the Midwest, and Prime Steaks are really what the city is best known for. Chicago however is a melting pot where 150 different languages are spoken. That ethnic touch allows you to go almost all around the world when eating in Chicago. One of my favorite places is a Belgian Tavern in Andersonville known as the Hop Leaf. They have the cities largest selection of beer on tap, and in bottle, but the star of the show is the exceptional Moules and Frittes served with Ailoli. One of the benefits of living in a city that size is there is always something new around the corner.

Wisconsin, and Michigan also bring a lot to the table. Due to their proximity we spend recreational time in both states and have found great regional styles from those places.
Wisconsin is of course famous for dairy products, beer, sausage, and farm canned goods. There is definitely a German, and Scandinavian influence going on with more than a little Catholicsm. The tradition in Wisconsin is the Friday Fish Fry which goes on at about every restaurant in the state. Doore County which is Northeast of Green Bay on a penisula that juts out into Lake Michigan is another culinary hot spot we will visit.

Western Michigan is home to a thriving wine, and craft distillery industry. The Eastern shore of Lake Michigan is pretty amazing, and it is a very large area for recreation, and tourism. We are going to take you through that area to share with you some secrets of the region. As you head North it really reminds me of the Puget Sound region. Chanterelles, and Morels grow wild here and are readily gathered and available at Farmers Markets.

The Puget Sound region and the entire West Coast has probably had the most influence on me. Hard to go wrong with the fresh bounty of ingredients available at the Pike Place Market on a Saturday morning. I grew up and was part of the renaissance of Northwest regional cuisine which emerged in the 1970's, and 80's. I remember doing such crazy things as selling locally grown snails (escargot) to local restaurants after buying them vaccum packed from a craft supplier in the Willapa Bay area. It was the first time chef's in the region had ever worked with a fresh snail.

In another life I worked ten years in restaurants, and another five after that exclusively within the restaurant industry as a supplier, and broker of specialty foods. At home we often entertain groups of ten or more and it can be daunting even when you worked in kitchens that long to serve any type of dinner for twenty or more people, which is about the maximum I can handle on my own, and formally seat. We are going to show you how to have everything from large dinner parties, to small intimate dinners. In addition to that we are going to share some favorite restaurants from the past and future as we explore this great gatronomic country of ours.

For example did you realize that the Corn Dog, or Pronto Pup was invented in Springfield, Illinois and they still make the best one there at the same place today? We didn't, but we are going to share some of these gems with you each week. You guessed it, I am a fan of the proverbial greasy spoon and we explore these regularly.

Right now we are deep into the Winter out here in the Midwest so we are going to be putting the emphasis on more hearty fare as the temperatures dip close to zero. Soups, stews, caseroles, and other comfort food tend to come to mind this time of year, so we will focus on that to start.

The first thing we are going to explore is the underated meatloaf which is actually undergoing a bit of a revival in a lot of restaurants today. It takes just as long to make a stunning meatloaf, as a mediocre one, so we are going to be sharing that with you first.