Welcome to this special Road Edition of The Good Life, coming to you from Vanessa's Mom's house in San Antonio. Part of our living arrangement is that, in exchange for being able to stay here, we have agreed to pick up the kitchen duties. This is fine by me, as I was starting to get the itch to cook even before we left the UK.
And even though we have packed basically everything we'll need until March into a few suitcases, I still managed to get my cookbook fix by buying another cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller. Chef Keller is widely regarded as one of the best chefs in the United States and has been for many years. His restaurants The French Laundry and Per Se are both in the world Top 10. (On a side note: our good friends Dave and Karena have scored a reservation at French Laundry for when we visit them next week!)
His restaurant, Ad Hoc, is all family-style classics, but with the same product stream as his other restaurants. So think Fried Chicken, only using the best possible chicken, buttermilk and a team of highly skilled chefs. You get the idea.
Anyhow, it is a wonderfully simple and accessible book, loaded with great recipes and great technique tips. We're trying to clean out Mom's refrigerator and found this to be a great opening salvo. A few different components here, but that made it great and complex. Mom, not normally a blue cheese dressing eater, DEVOURED this. The tomatoes were a burst of acidic sweetness against the rich dressing and salty, smoky bacon. Delicious.
(Last Note: We had a leftover chicken breast, which we seasoned and fried off in olive oil. Cooked until done, sliced, and added to the rest of it)
8 ounces applewood-smoked bacon
4 heads baby lettuce
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 pieces OVEN-ROASTED TOMATOES (see below)
croutons (we used some of our fresh baked bread, cubed and fried off in some olive oil)
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
BLUE CHEESE DRESSING (see below)
Cut the bacon into lardons about 1" long and 1/2" thick. Pour 2 tablespoons water into a medium saucepan and set over medium heat (the water will keep the bacon rom crisping as the fat begins to render). Add the bacon and reduce the heat to medium low, and let the bacon render its fat for 30 minutes. The bacon will color but not become completely crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Remove the outer couple of leaves from each head of lettuce (reserve for another use if desired). Cut out the core end and discard. Cut each head crosswise into 3 rounds. Place the slices on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the lettuce on a platter. Tuck the tomatoes in and around the lettuce. Sprinkle with the croutons, lardons and parsley. Spoon some of the dressing over the salad and serve the remaining dressing on the side.
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
12 plum tomatoes
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 sprigs thyme
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
To peel the tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Prepare and ice bath. With a paring knife, cut out the core of each tomato. Score an X on the bottom of each tomato, extending the cuts about two-thirds of the way up the tomato.
Drop the tomatoes in water and simmer just until the skins are starting to pull away from the tomato. This may only take a few seconds, depending on the ripeness of the tomato. With a skimmer or slotted spoon, immediately transfer the tomatoes to the ice bath. Remove them as soon as they are cold and peel them.
Cut the tomatoes lengthwise in half and place cut side up on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over each one, letting it run into any crevices. Scatter the thyme sprigs over the top and season with salt and pepper.
Put in the oven and cook 5 to 6 hours, until the tomatoes have shrunk but are moist. Let cool on the baking sheet.
Transfer the tomatoes to a storage container and pour any oil from the pan over them. The tomatoes can refrigerated for up to a week.
Blue Cheese Dressing
1 cup AIOLI (we used mayonnaise mixed with some minced garlic)
¼-½ cup buttermilk
½ cup creme fraiche
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon chives, minced
1 teaspoon parsley, minced
1 teaspoon mint, minced
1 1/2 c crumbled blue cheese (we used Danish Blue)
kosher salt
Put the aioli in a large bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup buttermilk and all the remaining ingredients. The dressing can be used now or refrigerated. Before serving, lift up a spoonful of dressing and pour it back into the bowl-it should run freely. If it is too thick, add additional buttermilk as necessary. Refrigerated in a covered container for up to 1 week (the herbs may darken after one day).
No comments:
Post a Comment