Pappardelle with Corn, Bacon and Sage in a Brown Butter Cream Sauce

One of my favorite combinations in the whole world is brown butter and sage, especially in the colder months.  Throw in some corn or butternut squash somewhere and you're really onto something special.

We had the jones for fresh pasta after reading about the folks at Sauced had their homemade orecchiette.  We had some corn in the freezer and some bacon... we were just a few herbs away from pasta bliss.

I hate to toot my own horn, but this was a triumph.  The combination of bacon, brown butter, sage and corn CANNOT BE STOPPED.  It CANNOT BE REASONED WITH.  It's just gonna keep on comin'.

I FINALLY got my hands on some chervil, which is NEVER available for some reason.  It added a slight aniseed hit and a really fresh, herby background note which really tied it all together. 

BASIC PASTA DOUGH

200g tipo '00' pasta flour or strong white bread flour

2 eggs

1 tsp olive oil

pinch of salt

Combine altogether until it forms a ball.  Knead furiously for 15 minutes until smooth and somewhat elastic.  Leave to rest for 15 minutes under a damp cloth.  Roll out in sheets using a pasta machine.  Hang the sheets to dry on a broomstick or something for at least 15 minutes to let it dry a bit.  Cut into pappardelle, dust liberally with flour and lay into a well-floured tray. 

PAPPARDELLE

3 big strips smoked bacon, cooked until crisp, blotted dry, crumbled

1 big chunk of unsalted butter

2 cups corn, rinsed (thawed if frozen)

20 or so leaves of sage, chopped

small handful chervil

salt and pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water

Cook the bacon and set the crumbled bits aside.

Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil.  Get everything else going while you are waiting for the water to boil.

Put the butter in a deep pan over medium heat.  Let the butter melt and bubble.  After the bubbles subside, it will start to go brown and give off a nice nutty aroma.  Put the bacon in and stir it around and put in the corn.  Give it a stir and pull it off the heat.

When the water is boiling, put the pasta in for about 1-2 minutes or until done.  Reserve a bit of cooking water and drain the rest.

Put the bacon-butter-corn mixture back on medium heat.  Add the sage and cook for a minute or so, until the sage goes really green and is giving off good aroma.  Put the pasta in, followed by the cooking water, cream and salt and pepper.  Stir through to combine, then chuck in the chervil and give is a good toss.

Serve in deep bowls and top with Parmesan and/or a drizzle of good olive oil.  Serve hot. Serves 4 (or 2 greedy people). 

Roasted Beetroot and Orange Salad with Walnut-Orange Vinaigrette

What a difference natural light makes! And using 'tiltshift' photo editing filters have produced a pretty decent picture. I worry about the dismal quality of my photos here in that they NEVER look as good they the food looks (or tastes!) in person.

Well, this was taken during the day with some decent natural light around (for once). Not that the dish is all crazy posh. We had some leftover beets, goat's cheese and oranges to get through. We were one bunch of salad leaves away here from making something edible. Pretty nice citrus hit from the oranges, though it took quite a lot of orange juice to get the note just right.

1 bunch variety salad leaves (arugula, radicchio, lamb's lettuce, all winners here)
2 oranges, segmented, juice from remainder reserved
4 T walnut oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
50g goat's cheese, crumbled in small pieces
2 T sunflower seeds
1 large beet, peeled and roasted, cut into matchsticks
Parmesan cheese shavings, for garnish

Wash and dry the leaves. Set aside.

Combine the orange juice, walnut oil, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning, acid level, etc.

Put the orange segments, goat's cheese, sunflower seeds and beet sticks in with the leaves and toss well to combine. Dress with the dressing and taste a few leaves to be sure. Plate.

Top with Parmesan shavings and serve.

Simple Roast Chicken and Broccoli Sauteed in Wine and Garlic (Broccoli al Frascati)

Often I am asked, "What would you eat for your last meal?" I answer, without hesitation, "A perfectly roasted chicken." End of story.

Readers of this blog and our friends over at Sauced will know that a few Thomas Keller recipes crop up every now and then. He is a prolific chef and the harbinger of joy for many a meal at Chateau Bruyette over the last few years.

I bought his cookbook, Bouchon, a while back and this roast chicken recipe is the first recipe in the book. I thought to myself "Jeez, this doesn't look that hard. How good could it possibly be?" Well, good enough that I would want to eat it for my last meal on Earth, that's how good.

In that you are only dealing with a few ingredients here, they should be the absolute best you can afford. And I am really talking about the chicken here, folks. Organic, free-range is the only way to go. Next time I make this, I am going to try it with a Bresse chicken, which is supposed to be the best chicken in the world. But I digress...

Once again, simplicity reins! A chicken. Salt and pepper. Knob of butter. Some thyme. That's all that separates you between a few raw ingredients and utter dining bliss. I have a few recommendations:

1) Get one of those thermometers which you can plug the sensor into meat (in the oven) and it reads out on a small machine (outside of the oven). Handy if it has the ability to set an alarm and have it go off when your meat reaches a certain temperature, in this case 160F exactly. You're going to want to stick that sensor into the thickest part of the thigh, thought to be the last place on the bird to cook through.

2) Do the chicken in a cast-iron (or comparable) skillet. This was the first time I tried it this way and it was much easier to baste the bird when I pulled it out, and easier again to drain off the basting liquid into a small bowl for final basting at the table.

3) The 15-minute rest of the meat is KEY. You can eat the wing joints early, though, to tide you over.

I should mention that we did a simple broccoli side dish from Mario Batali's cookbook, Molto Italiano, which is another powerhouse cookbook that has never let us down. Nice interplay of mild spicing with the fruity zests.

Every time Vanessa and I make this, we are always over ot the cutting board when I break the chicken down after the 15-minute rest, scavenging for the 'oysters' (read the recipe below) and little scraps of meat. It is SO delicious and the dish that makes me happiest in life. You MUST try this super-easy and super-rewarding chicken. Nothing beats it in my book.

My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken

1x2-3 lb. farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme
unsalted butter
Dijon mustard (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken-I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a saute pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone - I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes (Kevin's note: I have a fan oven which dramatically reduces cooking time. The ONLY WAY you'll REALLY know the PERFECT POINT to pull that chicken out is that thermometer. 160F is the magic temperature). Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip-until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be super-elegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

Broccoli Sauteed in Wine and Garlic (Broccoli al Frascati)

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 pounds broccoli, cut in spears
1 cup Frascati or dry white wine
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange

In a 10-12 inch saute pan, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until just sizzling. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding the wine to keep the garlic from browning, until the stalks are tender, 8-10 minutes Add the red pepper flakes and zests, tossing well, and serve immediately.

Orange Coeurs A La Creme with Strawberry Raspberry Sauce

Vanessa found this recipe online and Coeur a la Creme is something we had been meaning to try. In that it is meant to be heart-shaped, Valentine's Day seemed like a better-than-usual time to execute this dessert.

I really loved this. It was rich and creamy, while dainty enough to still be light. The berry acidity cut through the creamy richness like a dream.

We had ordered the special molds (which have holes in the bottom to let the watery dairy bits drain out) on Tuesday, expecting that they would arrive by Saturday. Well, they didn't, and it put us in panic mode. No one around here had the molds either. We settled on some heart-shaped silicone baking cups, probably designed for muffins or something. We pokes some holes in the bottom and cracked on with it. I'm happy to report that everything worked out just fine. This is lovely and a nice cap to an evening of great food.

⅓ cup 1% cottage cheese
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
4 ounces Neufchatel cheese (or soft goat's cheese)
¾ cup plain low-fat yogurt
5 ounces strawberries, quartered (1 cup)
3 ounces raspberries (2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
Special equipment: cheesecloth, 6 (3-inch) heart-shaped coeur à la crème molds

Cut 6 (8- by- 6-inch) rectangles of cheesecloth without unfolding it. Rinse with cold water and wring dry. Line molds with damp cheesecloth, allowing it to hang over sides, and put molds in a shallow baking pan.

Purée cottage cheese with 1/3 cup sugar and zest in a food processor or blender until very smooth, then add Neufchatel cheese and purée until smooth. Add yogurt and pulse just until blended, then divide mixture among molds. Cover tops of molds with a sheet of plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 8 hours.

Purée berries with liqueur and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor, then force through a fine-mesh sieve set into a bowl, discarding seeds.

Invert molds onto dessert plates and remove cheesecloth. Serve coeurs à la crème drizzled with sauce.

Roasted Loin of Venison with Braised Red Cabbage and Parsnip Chips

Holy crap. This is the best thing I have cooked in a long time.

I owe a good bit of credit to our good friends Dave and Karena who got us a certain cookbook which deals with sous vide (vacuum bag/water bath) cookery. I am very quickly becoming of a mind to simply sous vide every piece of meat that comes my way. I mean seriously, this was EASILY the best venison I have ever tasted, let alone cooked. It is ALL owed to the sous vide method. I just sealed up one loin, seasoned with salt and pepper, in a bag with a knob of butter and sprig of thyme.

Oh, did I mention that all of the supporting components were perfectly matched to the venison? The braised red cabbage? Best I've ever had and will be the way I cook it from here on out. Lovely, creamy ceps. Crunchy, yet still soft beetroot. The red wine sauce together with the syrup created by the cabbage. And little blobs of parsnip sweetness. Wow.

This is out of the Gordon Ramsay 3-Star Chef cookbook. His flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is one of only three restaurants in the UK to have 3 Michelin stars. All of the recipes in the book were at one time, or are still now on the menu there.

There are a few steps here which need to be done in advance. But let me tell you: IT IS WORTH IT. Start by making the red wine sauce, which requires a veal or beef stock. After you've made the sauce, everything else comes together pretty quickly. I reprint the recipe here as it was written (cooking the meat in a traditional way). If you are lucky enough to have a water bath and a vacuum sealer, cook your venison at 60.5C for 45 minutes, then finish in a screaming hot pan.

Beef Stock

3 kg beef bones, chopped
vegetable oil, tor frying
3 carrots, peeled and halved crossways
2 onions, quartered lengthways
3 whole leeks, cut crossways into 3cm lengths
½ bulb garlic (cut crossways)
3 celery sticks, halved crossways
3 sprigs of fresh or dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato puree

Heat the oven to 220C. Roast the bones in a very large, heavy roasting pan for about 30 minutes until dark golden brown, turning them every 10 minutes or so. Lift the bones out and let the excess fat drain off, then put them in a very large, heavy pan. Pour in enough cold water to cover (about 4.5 litres) and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, heat 4 tbsp oil in a large, heavy pan and fry the carrots over a high heat until dark golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander. Repeat with the onions, then the leeks and garlic, and finally the celery, adding more oil as needed.

Return all the vegetables to the pan and stir in the thyme, bay leaf, and tomato puree. Cook for about 5 minutes, and drain in a colander. When the water reaches boiling point, skim, then add the vegetables.

Bring back to the boil and skim again, then turn the heat down to very low. Cook very gently for 4-6 hours, uncovered, skimming regularly. Ladle into a colander set over a bowl, then pass the strained stock through a muslin-lined sieve into a clean pan. Boil until reduced to about 1.5 Iitres. Use straightaway, or cool quickly and refrigerate in a covered container, then remove any surface fat before using.

Red Wine Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped
100 g meat trimmings (beef, veal, venison or poultry)
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
few thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
750 ml red wine (I recommend a GOOD Cabernet Sauvignon)
400 ml chicken stock
400 ml veal or beef stock
sea salt and black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy-based saucepan and saute the shallots for 4-6 minutes until they are soft and begin to caramelise. Add the meat trimmings and fry for a few minutes until browned. Add the peppercorns, thyme, bay leaf and sherry vinegar. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and bring to the boil. Boil the liquor rapidly until reduced by three-quarters to a rich syrupy glaze. Add the chicken and veal stocks and return to the boil. Once again, boil vigorously until the sauce has reduced by half, or until it has reached the desired consistency. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and adjust the seasoning. Reheat to serve.

Roasted Loin of Venison with Braised Red Cabbage and Parsnip Chips

VENISON:
600 g loin of venison fillet
sea salt and black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
few knobs of butter
BRAISED RED CABBAGE:
1 small red cabbage, trimmed
100 g butter
150 g light brown sugar
75 ml sherry or red wine vinegar
PARSNIP PUREE:
2 parsnips
150 ml milk
75 ml double cream
25 g butter
BEETROOT FONDANT:
2 beetroot
15 g butter, plus a few knobs
1 teaspoon olive oil
100 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
PARSNIP CRISPS:
2 medium parsnips
groundnut oil for deep-frying
CREAMED CEPS:
200 g fresh ceps, cleaned and chopped
20 g butter
60 ml double cream
TO SERVE:
1 quantity RED WINE SAUCE (above)
olive oil to drizzle

FIRST, PREPARE THE RED CABBAGE. Halve, core and finely shred the cabbage. Melt the butter with the sugar and vinegar in a pan. When the sugar has dissolved, tip in the cabbage and toss to coat. Cover with a crumpled piece of greaseproof paper and cook over a low heat for about 1 1/2 hours until the cabbage is tender. (Lift the paper and give the cabbage a stir every now and then.) If there is still a fair amount of liquid, drain the cabbage and set aside while you boil the liquid to reduce to a syrupy sauce, then pour over the cabbage and toss to coat.

NEXT, PREPARE THE PARSNIP PUREE. Peel the parsnips and finely slice the thinner ends. Cut the thicker ends into quarters, cut out the tough cores, then thinly slice. Put into a saucepan with the milk and cook for 20-25 minutes or until very soft. Tip the cooked parsnips into a blender with about half of the liquor and whiz to a fine puree, adding a little more of the milk if necessary. Return to the pan and stir in the cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a squeezy bottle and keep warm in a pan of hot water.

FOR THE BEETROOT FONDANT, peel the beetroot and cut into 1.5cm thick rounds. Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan. Season the beetroot rounds and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until browned. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.

DOT THE BEETROOT with tiny knobs of butter, then put a piece of greaseproof paper on top. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until most of the stock has been absorbed and the beetroot is tender.

TO MAKE THE PARSNIP CRISPS, peel the parsnips and finely slice into long ribbons, using a mandolin or a swivel peeler. Heat the groundnut oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fryer until hot. (A piece of bread dropped in should sizzle immediately.) Fry the parsnips in batches until golden brown and crisp all over. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Keep warm in a low oven.

WHEN READY TO SERVE, preheat the oven to 200°C. Season the venison loin with salt and pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan, then add the olive oil. When hot, add the venison and brown for 4-5 minutes, turning to colour evenly and adding the butter after a minute or so; spoon over the venison to baste as it melts and foams. Put the pan into the oven and roast for 6-8 minutes until the venison is medium rare; it should feel lightly springy when pressed. Remove and set aside to rest for a few minutes.

MEANWHILE, COOK THE CEPS. Melt the butter in a saute pan until it begins to foam. Add the ceps, season and saute for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Warm up the red wine sauce.

TO SERVE, put a neat pile of braised red cabbage in the centre of each warm plate and top with the beetroot fondant and a generous spoonful of creamed ceps. Squeeze little dots of parsnip puree around the plates. Slice the venison thickly and arrange, overlapping over the creamed ceps. Carefully pour the red wine sauce around the plates and drizzle with a little olive oil. Garnish with the parsnip crisps and serve at once.

Gewurztraminer-Poached Moulard Duck Foie Gras with Gerwurztraminer Jelly

The Valentine's onslaught begins with this Thomas Keller recipe out of his French Laundry cookbook. Fans of the blog know I don't like to skimp on cooking, ESPECIALLY when world-enforced romantic holidays are concerned.

Now, I must confess, while I didn't exactly skimp on the main ingredient, I did take a short-cut and I think it cost me in the final product.

We had roast goose for Christmas and the butcher we get our stuff through gets it from a farm near here and you get all of the 'stuff' with it (e.g., neck, gizzards, liver, etc.). Well, we thought to ourselves that we should put that goose liver to use someday, and into the freezer it went. Until this weekend.

The recipe was good, but I KNOW it would have been better to use actual foie gras for the dish. Next time, I'll order the thing and do it properly. This was pretty good though. I was happy to just employ the techniques and learn something out of having done it. You'll want to use a good, buttery brioche to add a little sweetness and toasty-ness to cut through this rich dish.

1 ¼ pound grade A moulard duck foie gras
DRY MARINADE
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon pink salt
POACHING LIQUID
1 bottle Gewurztraminer
1 cup water
THE REST
1 ½ sheets gelatin, soaked in cold water
gray salt
black pepper
brioche

DAY 1: MARINATING THE FOIE GRAS: Rinse the foie gras under cold water. Pull apart the lobes and use your fingers to remove excess fat from the bottom of the small lobe (a towel is helpful in gripping the fat).

FOR THE DRY MARINADE: Mix the ingredients together. Sprinkle them in an even layer on all sides of the two lobes. Place the foie gras in a covered container and refrigerate overnight.

DAY 2: Wrap the lobes of foie gras in separate pieces of cheesecloth, Tie each end snugly with a piece of twine, but do not squeeze the foie gras; you want to maintain the natural shape of the pieces.

Place the wrapped pieces of foie gras in a pot top side up with the Gewurztraminer and water. The liquid should come about halfway up the foie gras. Place the pot over low to medium heat and slowly heat the liquid until a thermometer reads 140°F. (about 4 minutes). Turn the pieces over and continue to heat until the temperature is 170F. Turn over a final time and heat until the reading is 180F. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the foie gras to remain in the pan for 4 minules. (It is important to cook the foie gras gently to reduce the loss of fat, which would result in a reduced yield.)

Remove the lobes from the pot and place them in a container. Pour the poaching liquid over the foie gras, cover the container, and refrigerate overnight.

DAY 3: Remove the fat that has solidified at the top of the poaching liquid and discard. Remove the foie gras from the liquid and measure out and reserve 1 cup of the liquid for the jelly. Return the foie gras to the liquid remaining in the container and refrigerate.

Squeeze the gelatin sheets to remove the water and place in a metal bowl, Place the bowl over hot water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk into the reserved poaching liquid, Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for the jelly to set.

TO COMPLETE: Remove the foie gras from the cheesecloth and use a hot knife (heated under hot water and dried) to cut it into 1/2" slices, Arrange the slices on a platter. Stir the jelly to break it up, spoon it into a small serving bowl, and serve with gray salt, pepper and the croutons.

Wintry Rabbit Pasta

Right. So, I don't have a funky name for this. Honestly, we just needed a quick way to use up the remaining rabbit and sauce from earlier in the week. This delivered the goods. Spiciness from the red pepper flakes with wintry rosemary coupled with the already wintry-tasting rabbit was a nice warm-up. A nice nutty hit from the good Parmesan at the end. Delicious.

2 T olive oil
5 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
2 T tomato paste
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only chopped
2 cans chopped tomatoes, with their juice
1 1/2 cups rabbit leftover from earlier in the week
3/4 cup sauce from the leftover rabbit
200 g fettucine or other long, thin pasta
Parmesan, for grating
extra-virgin olive oil, to finish

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch each of salt and pepper and sweat down for 5-7 minutes, until the shallots are softened and translucent.

Add the tomato paste and rosemary and stir around to combine and cook until the tomato paste becomes darker and sweeter-smelling, about 90 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, rabbit and sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, drop the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, make the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water toward the end of the cooking and add it to the sauce. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Drain and rinse the pasta when cooked to al dente, and then add it to the sauce, stirring to combine. Serve in bowls with grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil.

Coconut and Chocolate Sorbet with Banana and Rum

I have a book called "The Flavor Bible" by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. It is probably, out of my 90+ cookbooks and technique books, the most important book I own. It, and "The Cook's Book" by Jill Norman form the two-book foundation for coming up with our own stuff in our kitchen and have been responsible for unlocking a lot of creativity. If you don't have either of these books, buy them both RIGHT NOW.

The Flavor Bible is a reference book. A bunch of world-class chefs got together and took all of the ingredients known to man and put them in this book. For instance, the entry on lavender takes up about a whole page of OTHER ingredients which pair well with lavender. Here's a sample:

LAVENDER
Taste: sweet, sour
Weight: Light
Volume: loud
Tips: Caraway seeds can substitute for lavender

almonds
apples
baked goods (cakes, cookies, scones, shortbread)
blueberries
cheese, ricotta
CHICKEN
CREAM AND ICE CREAM
creme fraiche...

and so on....for every ingredient know to man. Where bold letters signify a classic pairing (as agreed upon by this group of world-class chefs) and CAPITAL BOLD LETTERS mean, mister, you are a moron if you don't try this pairing. I mean, the header entry for leeks is like this:

LEEKS
Season: Autumn-Spring
Taste: Sweet
Botanical relatives: chives, garlic, onions, shallots
Weight: Light-medium
Volume: Quiet
Techniques: Boil, braise, fry, grill, roast, steam
Tips: Add early in cooking process

Hopefully, you could see the utility of such a book and that it can lead you in different creative directions, down to integration of textures in a dish and so on.

Why am I telling you all of this? I made a really good sorbet today, and I used this book to do it. We had some bananas that were overripe. Looking up the entry for bananas, it screamed at me to use CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, ICE CREAM and RUM (using the book's formula).

So I did. And there was much rejoicing. This is so good and rich and delicious. The key to great sorbet is the boiling time of the sugar syrup. Four minutes achieves the perfect density of sugar in the water. Such that scooping it out (even after days in the freezer) still maintains lovely, scoopable consistency.

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
½ cup desiccated (dry unsweetened shredded) coconut
1 ½ cups sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups water
½ cup rum
3 overripe bananas

Finely chop the chocolate and coconut in the workbowl of a food processor.

Combine the sugar, salt, water and rum together in a heavy saucepan and heat over high until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup comes to a boil. Then, let the liquid boil for exactly 4 minutes.

With the processor motor running, gradually add the boiling syrup to the chocolate and process until smooth. Refrigerate the mixture in a bowl until cold.

Place the peeled, chopped bananas in the processor with the chocolate mixture, and process until blended and smooth. Scrape the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer sorbet to a container and freeze for at least 4 hours. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.

Mussels with Garlic and Basil (Hoi Ma Laeng Poo)

Heh heh. He said 'poo'.

But seriously folks, this is a simple Thai dish that will leave you wanting more. Or not, especially if you give yourself 1 kg of mussels to polish off between two people.

The thing about mussels that ALWAYS fascinates me, is the pure simplicity of it. Mussels recipes almost never have a ton of ingredients in them, but always deliver MASSIVELY on flavor. Case in point: these mussels.

This comes from a cookbook called "Savoring Southeast Asia" which is a Williams-Sonoma cookbook that was given to me as a birthday gift some time ago. Everything we have made out of it so far as been a winner and this is another to add to the list.

We lucked out in that the mussels we got were ALL alive. That NEVER happens. And they gave up so much of their yummy liquor to the broth - amazing. With the fish sauce, you won't even need salt. This one just takes care of itself.

½ teaspoon peppercorns
2 red jalapeno or serrano chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded just before cooking
¼ cup chicken stock
½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup Thai basil leaves
cilantro

In a mortar, pound the peppercorns until crushed, then add the chiles, garlic, and coriander roots or stems and pound or grind until a rough paste forms.

Preheat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the chile paste and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the oyster sauce and fish sauce. Add the mussels, discarding any that fail to close to the touch, and stir and toss with the sauce to mix. Add the stock and sugar, then cover and cook until the mussels open, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with fish sauce.

Toss in the basil leaves and cook only until they begin to wilt. Transfer the mussels to a platter, discarding any that failed to open, and garnish with the coriander leaves.

Rabbit, My Nemesis

I have a strange relationship with rabbit. Namely, I find myself unable to produce a quality finished product. And because I have never cooked rabbit and had it turn out the way it is supposed to turn out, I keep sticking to recipes, which fail.

Well, I did manage to inch closer to an acceptable product here, but still not quite there yet. I think I need to cook it for just a bit longer, maybe 20 minutes or so.

The good news is that the polenta cake was AWESOME and the simple saute of Savoy cabbage and smoky bacon were a nice accompaniment. Low temp and long cooking time is the way to go with rabbit, and I might have left it in the oven longer if we weren't so damn hungry at dinner time last night. If you try this (the flavors WERE right), cook it a little longer than the recipe calls for.

Braised Rabbit with Aged Balsamic Vinegar
2 rabbits, cut into loin and leg-thigh pieces
1 bottle dry white wine
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
leaves from 1 bunch sage, minced
Leaves from 3 sprigs rosemary, minced
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and minced, plus sprigs for garnish
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups low-salt chicken or beef stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with
1 teaspoon cold water (optional)
3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Place the rabbit in a glass or ceramic baking dish and pour over 2 cups of the white wine and the vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Remove the rabbit from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

In a mortar or a food processor, combine the sage, rosemary, the 1/2 bunch parsley, the garlic, and the 1 tablespoon olive oil and grind them to a paste.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the rabbit from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Pat the rabbit dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or large flameproof casserole, heat the 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat and brown the rabbit on all sides in batches. Add the herb paste to the pan and stir until aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the reserved marinade and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the rabbit from the pan.

Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir to blend. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Return the rabbit to the pan. Cover and bake until fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the rabbit to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Return the pan to the stove and cook to reduce the pan liquid until thickened. Add the cornstarch mixture to thicken further, if you like.

To serve, divide the rabbit pieces among warmed plates and pour the sauce over. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Maytag Blue Cheese Polenta Cylinders
2 ½ cups water
1 cup milk
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups quick-cooking polenta
½ cup minced fresh chives
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces Maytag or other blue cheese
¼ cup olive oil

In a large saucepan, combine the water, milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until the polenta is thick enough to allow the spoon to stand up in it, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the chives, Parmesan, and blue cheese and continue to stir until the cheese has melted, 6 to 7 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

With a spatula, press the polenta mixture into 8 lightly oiled 6-ounce souffle cups. Smooth and level the surface, pressing down gently to create a flat top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the cylinders from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. Invert the souffle cups to unmold. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the polenta and cook until seared, lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper rowels to drain.

Transfer the cylinders to an oiled baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until heated through. Serve at once.

I Am the Smartest Person Alive

Ferran Adria of Spain is widely regarded as the best chef in the world. His restaurant, elBulli, has been voted the best restaurant in the world the past three years in a row. He is only open six months out of the year and receives a WHOPPING 2,000,000 reservation requests for his available 8,000 seats each year. It is, without question, the most sought after reservation in the world.

I am lucky enough to have a few of his cookbooks. Now, he is absolutely cutting edge in his use of techniques, equipment and ingredients to comepletely blow your mind and alter the way you think about food. Many of the 'avant garde' chefs of today are copying his moves from 10 years ago. He is, in my mind, the godfather of modern cooking.

Well, I decided that I was going to go after some of his recipes. Most of them are WAY out of reach. But I am going to start small, and every now and again, I am going to try to attempt something and put it on here.

A few weeks ago, I bought a foam siphon for making foams for food applications. My journey through the elBulli recipes begins with a cocktail and blood oranges, which are in season briefly and something with which I have been dying to make a recipe out of.

Vanessa loves cocktails with Campari (a bitter Italian liqueur), so this was a big bonus. It was wonderful. The funky science behind it ensures that the foam stays on top and very slowly dissolves away into the cocktail. Like magic.

AMERICANO (Blood Orange Juice with a Campari and Vermouth Foam)

CAMPARI/MARTINI FOAM
200 g Martini Rosso
200 g Campari
100 g blood orange juice
2 ½ 2g sheets gelatine (previously rehydrated in cold water)
½ liter ISI foaming canister
1 N2O cartridge

ORANGE JUICE
500 g blood oranges

FOAM
1. Heat the blood orange juice and dissolve the gelatine in it.
2. Remove from the heat and mix with the remaining ingredients.
3. Sieve and fill the cartridge using a funnel.
4. Foam and leave to rest in the fridge for 2 hours.

JUICE
1. Squeeze the oranges
2. Sieve the juice and place in the fridge.

FINISH
1. Fill the glasses halfway with the very cold orange juice.
2. Top the glasses with the foam. It should not be too cold, as this would change its density.

Temple Garden Chowder (Unpen-Jiru)

This is a nice, clean, wintry soup which comes from a really good book on Japanese home cooking called 'Washoku' by Elizabeth Andoh. There are four variations of this particular soup, one for each of the seasons. This is the winter offering.

Even though there are a few components to deal with here, it's pretty quick to throw together. The result is very clean tasting and minimalist, but flavorful and comforting, which is what I like about a lot of Japanese cooking.

Basic Sea Stock (Dashi)

15-20 square inches kombu (page 42)
4 ¼ cups cold water, preferably filtered or spring water
½ cup loosely packed katsuo-bushi (page 18)

Place the kombu in a pot with the water. To draw out maximum flavor, let soak for 10 to 15 minutes before placing the pot over medium heat-this will further infuse the water with the flavor-enhancing properties and nutrients of the kelp.

Remove the pot from the heat as soon as small bubbles begin to break on the surface and at the edge of the pot. Add the katsuo-bushi, scattering the flakes across the surface of the water. After several minutes, the fish flakes will begin to sink. The larger the flakes, the longer they will take to sink.

To keep the stock from tasting fishy, pour it through a sarashi cloth (page 77) or coffee-filter-lined strainer within 3 or 4 minutes of adding the fish flakes. Reserve the kombu (see notes) and discard the remaining solids.

YEAR-ROUND BASIC SOUP
2" piece daikon, about 4 ounces
1 carrot chunk, about 2 ounces
3 ½ cups BASIC SEA STOCK or BASIC VEGETARIAN STOCK
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sake

To make the year-round soup, scrub the daikon and carrot, but do not peel, to preserve the integrity of the vegetables. Cut the daikon into 5 or 6 circular slices, stack the slices, and cut the stack into 6 or 8 wedges. If the carrot is slender, slice it into thin rounds. If the carrot is more than 1 inch in diameter, slice it in half lengthwise, place the halves cut side down on a cutting board, and slice on the diagonal into thin, elongated half-moons about 1 inch long. Set the vegetables aside.

Pour the stock into a sturdy 2-quart pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady but not vigorous simmer. Season with the salt and sake and then add the daikon and carrot. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are barely tender. Skim away any froth that appears. Remove the pot from the heat while you prepare the vegetables for the seasonal soup you are making.

IN THE WINTER
1 small leek, preferably Japanese leek, about 3 ounces
1 small parsnip, about 4 ounces
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2-inch piece broccoli stalk, about 1 ounce, cut into julienne
⅓ cup BASIC SEA STOCK or BASIC VEGETARIAN STOCK
1 ½ teaspoons light-colored soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a paste

To make the winter soup, trim the leek and cut the white portion on the diagonal into 1/3-inch-thick slices (save the green tops and trimmings for enriching stock). Place the leek slices in a strainer and rinse carefully to remove any sandy soil that might be hidden between the layers.

Scrub the parsnip with the rough side of a kitchen sponge, or scrape with the back of your knife to make sure it is free of dirt and other gritty material. The peel, however, is nutritious and tasty and should not be removed. Slice the parsnip in half lengthwise. Place the halves cut side down on a cutting board and slice on the diagonal into thin, elongated half-moons about 3/4-inch long.

Add the sesame oil to a nonstick skillet and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the leek and parsnip and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant and slightly wilted. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for another 30 or 40 seconds, or until slightly translucent. Blot up any excess oil with paper towels.

Add the stock, soy sauce, and mirin, and bring to a simmer for 30 to 40 seconds to allow the flavors to meld. Skim away any froth that appears. Transfer the leek, parsnip, and broccoli with the broth to the pot with the daikon, carrot, and stock.

Raise the heat to high and stir in the cornstarch paste. Continue to stir for about 45 seconds, or until the broth thickens. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve immediately.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cari Ga)

People sometimes ask me "Does anything ever NOT work out?"

Well, this would be one of them. Vanessa hated it. I thought it was merely mediocre. I don't know, the whole thing just lacked PUNCH. I mean, there was good heat to it, just not hitting all of the right spots, I guess.

This recipe comes from "The Ultimate Curry Bible" which is written by Madhur Jaffrey, who is sort of a household name (from a few decades back). This is the second recipe we've had from the book and the second disappointment. We're thinking of writing the publisher and having the word "Ultimate" stripped from the title.

That's not to say that you couldn't play around with it to make it better. Having not cooked it before, I was reluctant to tinker with it too much the first time around. Looks like I'll have two more chances to rescue this (for leftovers) as Vanessa has vehemently stated that she will not be having the leftovers.

Good luck!

UPDATE: We tried this again, getting rid of the vegetables and just having the sauce, jasmine rice and the chicken after it sat for a few days and the flavor was MUCH better. Looks like we may not burn that book just yet!

2 ½ tablespoons hot curry powder
4 chicken legs, about 1.15 kg, skinned and divided into drumsticks and thighs
140 g shallots, peeled and chopped
1 stick lemon grass, the knot at the end removed and the bottom half cut crossways into fine slices, or 1 teaspoon ground lemon grass
2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 dried hot red chillies, crumbled
4 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
1 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 large onion, about 225 g, peeled and cut Into 8 pieces
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
4 small waxy potatoes, each about 90 g, peeled and halved
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1 tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
350 ml coconut milk, from a well-shaken can

Rub 1 1/2 tablespoons of the curry powder all over the chicken pieces and set aside. Put the remaining curry powder, shallots, lemon grass. ginger, garlic and chillies in a blender along with 4-5 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth, pushing down with a rubber spatula when necessary.

Pour the oil into a large, preferably non-stick, lidded pan and set over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cinnamon and bay leaf. Stir once, then add the onion. Stir and fry until the pieces turn brown at the edges. Put in the paste from the blender. Fry, stirring at the same time, for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes. Stir and fry until they have turned to a paste. Add the chicken pieces. Stir for a minute. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for a further 7-8 minutes, lifting the lid now and then to stir. Now put in the potatoes, carrots, fish sauce, sugar and 250 ml water. Stir and brinng to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

Taste for salt and add as much as you need. Stir. Add the coconut milk. Stir and cook, uncovered, for a further 3-4 minutes.

Red Lentil Soup

This was simple, uncomplicated fare for tonight. Though, despite the overwhelming amount of red lentils in it (I had to put in about 1/4 cup green mung beans to make up for not having enough red lentils), there is not a TRACE of red color to this dish.

Either way, the cumin did it's job here along with a little thyme, parsley and a good squeeze of lemon juice at the end. Fuss-free! Have some toast to sop up the dregs!

1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup red lentils (7 ounces), picked over and rinsed
3 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Cook onion in oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin, bay leaf, and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add lentils, broth, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are very soft and falling apart, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig, then purée 2 cups of mixture in blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pan.

Stir in parsley and season with salt.

Brill with Creamed Cabbage and Bacon

This was DELICIOUS and, truth be told, I didn't even have bacon to put in it. I ASSURE you, this dish would have been improved even further with some bacon. Bacon does that. It improves things.

Slight creaminess with nice, well-seasoned fish. I had half a fennel and chucked that in there and it REALLY added a nice, subtle aniseed hit not called for in the original recipe. Fennel and fish pretty mush always works and it sure did here.

4 tablespoons olive oil
6 rashers unsmoked streaky bacon, derinded and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
½ celeriac, peeled and diced
½ Savoy cabbage, cored and finely shredded
200 milliliters double cream
salt and black pepper
4x150 g brill fillets, skinned
large knob butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
large handful parsley, chopped

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped bacon and fry for a few minutes, then stir in the carrot and celeriac. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 8-10 minutes over a medium heat until the celeriac turns translucent.

Add the shredded cabbage and cook for 3-4 minutes, then pour in the cream. Simmer for a few minutes until the cream has thickened and the cabbage is tender. Season well and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan and add the remaining olive oil Season the fish with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the fish, skinned side down, and fry for 1 1/2 minutes until golden brown on the underside.

Flip the fish over and add the butter to the pan. Squeeze over the lemon juice and let bubble gently for 1-2 minutes. Toss in the parsley and spoon the herby butter over the fish. Take off the heat.

Spoon the creamed cabbage into the middle of four warm plates and top with the brill fillets. Spoon any remaining pan juices over the fish and serve.

Slow-Roasted Duck with Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cognac

I put off blogging for the past few nights because I have been playing around with my brand-spanking new laptop. Getting it set up has taken some time. But enough about that...

This was pretty good. The two together were a little on the sweet side, but I don't mind that. The skin lost a bit of crispiness when I rested it under some foil. Next time, I might put the potatoes with lamb and rosemary and garlic. These are two great dishes, but I probably wouldn't put the two together again.

DUCK
1.5 kg Aylesbury ducks (can substitute Peking ducks)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
255 g fresh ginger
2 long stalks baby rhubarb
2 handfuls fresh sage
1 bulb garlic, cloves removed and chopped in half
2 red onions, roughly sliced
2 wineglasses Marsala or Vin Santo
285 ml vegetable, chicken, or duck stock

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Season the ducks generously, putting some salt in the cavity as well. Make sure you save the fat and the giblets for the gravy. Coarsely grate half the ginger and rhubarb. Mix this in a bowl with half the sage and all the garlic and onion, and stuff the mixture inside the cavity of the ducks, ensuring there is an air cavity.

Place the ducks on a tray on top of the chopped up giblets and roast in the oven for one hour. Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and cook for another 1 1/2 hours until crisp and tender. The ducks are ready when the skin is crisp and the leg bones can be easily removed.

During this time you will need to drain the fat maybe 3 times into a bowl, this will separate into a clear fat which you can keep for roasting. Once cooked allow the ducks to rest on a warmed plate while you make the sauce. Drain off any remaining fat from the roasting tray.

Pull out all the stuffing and any juices from the inside of the duck and put in the roasting tray and warm this on a low heat. Add the Marsala and loosen all the sticky goodness from the bottom of the tray, and reduce. Add the stock and reduce to a good taste and consistency. Pass the sauce trough a coarse sieve.

Remove the breasts from the ducks with a knife and, using your hands, remove the thighs. Arrange the breasts and thighs on a large serving plate.

Finely slice the remaining ginger and fry off in a little hot oil (or you can use the duck fat) in a non-stick pan. As the ginger begins to colour, add the rest of the rhubarb, finely sliced, and the rest of the sage. Fry until crisp. Sprinkle this over the duck and drizzle with the sauce.

SWEET POTATOES
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled
4 tablespoons butter
Juice of 3 oranges
½ cup honey
¼ cup Cognac or other brandy
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot and add water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Slice the sweet potatoes and layer them in the prepared baking dish. Dot the top of the potatoes with the butter. Combine the orange juice, honey, and Cognac and pour over them. Bake for 20 minutes.

Garnish with the chopped nuts, if desired, and serve immediately.