Thursday : February 28, 2008

Sweet Sassy Molassey

My friend and food mentor Tom Romig was in town this week. We had a nice lunch at Bess and covered the usual topics: how he taught me to cook, etc. Apparently, he has been scouring the European Continent and found the source of all things Balsamic. He even ponied up a bottle for the cause to prove his point. All of the sudden, I feel like my normal Balsamic has been lying to me.

Wednesday : February 27, 2008

Upside Down Chicken Parmesan

Close your eyes if you are scared of change. Before you is the lazy man's Chicken Parmesan. Never the less, it gets the job done. (Even if the unbreaded chicken is sitting on top of mozzarella.)

Tuesday : February 26, 2008

The State of Water

I just saw a TV commercial advertising a bottled water product that boasts it is low-calorie. Water doesn't have calories! I also read that bottled water is the fastest growing 'specialty food group'. If that is true, how come I can't get a glass of it that doesn't taste like crap?

Monday : February 25, 2008

Flash Fried

Light, crunchy herbs from the garden. Quickly fried in a little oil. I use them as a garnish or for a pizza topping. If you get up to the Domain shopping center, check out the restaurant North. They have wonderful flash fried zuchinni chips.

Saturday : February 23, 2008

Workers Comp

This is a place I would want to work. They have wonderful pizza and that should be enough. But, to keep everyone who works there sharp, they closed down for a few days and went to New York for a pizza field trip. Kudos.

Friday : February 22, 2008

A Little Bird Told Me

This is handy. You can sign-up for the Sunset Valley Farmers Market to send you email updates on their goings-on. A: it lets me know what is in stock. B: it reminds me that I should go.

Friday : February 22, 2008

Waiting On Summer

Summer is trying to get in the mood, but it's not quite here. I'm looking forward to having the garden roaring again, grilling over coals and eating outside. Trying to force the issue, I made a salad for lunch. Pan grilled chicken, Pure Luck goat cheese, red romaine and the house vinaigrette

Thursday : February 21, 2008

Production Line

This is the making of the roasted squash tortellini from Valentines Day. I fooled around with a few different folds, so I guess they technically aren't tortellini. They kind of looked like Manta rays.

I thought the little pockets on top would be useful in holding a little bit of the sauce. I thought wrong. The cute little sauce pockets actually inflated during cooking, making the pot look like some demented pasta hot air balloon race.

Tuesday : February 19, 2008

Deviled Chicken

Braised chicken with mustard and herb bread crumbs on top of scalloped potatoes and leeks.

Monday : February 18, 2008

Cold Batter, Hot Oil

Inspired by a trip to Damian Mandola's Hill Country restaurant, Trattoria Lisina, I decided to try cooking up some Tempura.

The batter is a mix of flour, corn meal and cold soda water. That's it. The neat thing is, without any seasoning, the vegetables really sing through. Baby artichokes, red onion, asparagus, fennel, cauliflower and zucchini. Crowd favorites were the red onion and the fennel.

Monday : February 18, 2008

TV Worth Watching

As the Food Network continues its slow slide towards mediocrity, lets turn our attention to more inspired food TV. An anonymous tipster alerted me to Gourmet's 'Diary of A Foodie'. I have seen previous episodes of this series and it is worth a watch.

Friday : February 15, 2008

Valentine Dinner

I could have also titled this post, "What My Baby Wants, My Baby Gets". She signed-off on the roasted squash tortellini, poached in chicken stock, with fried herbs. I mixed the pasta dough much longer than I usually do (thank you, Kitchenaid). I think it improved the texture. I also used a new spice mix: coriander seed, fennel seed, red pepper and garlic. Two thumbs up.

Standard house salad (always a pleaser): romaine, tomatoes, goat cheese, red onion, pecans, tossed with a honey mustard vinaigrette.

Wednesday : February 13, 2008

Meyer Lemonade

Meyer lemonade. Thinly sliced lemons, scant sugar and boiling water. Stir, count to thirty, add ice. Crazy blue glass optional.

Tuesday : February 12, 2008

Open Range

My version of Migas; eggs, Anaheim chilis, caramelized onions, fried tortillas, cheddar cheese and salsa. Serve it with a campfire burned flour tortilla and you'll be good-to-go.

Monday : February 11, 2008

Fried Okra

Rural Texas at it's best: fried okra. I remember eating them for lunch in first grade. (I thought they were weird Tater Tots). I bread them with flour, corn meal, garlic salt and chili powder. Fry them in peanut oil and dip them in some of that spicy ketchup that was made for the Po-Boy.

Friday : February 8, 2008

Fat Tuesday

To mark Fat Tuesday and a tip of the hat to the Big Easy, I broke out a Fried Oyster Po-Boy. It's audacious to think that I could reproduce this sandwich. I believe that you actually need to be standing in the Quarter to have it taste correct. But, it was a valiant effort and pretty much in the ballpark. Cornmeal battered oysters, home made spicy ketchup and coleslaw.

Tuesday : February 5, 2008

Meyer Lemon Confit

I consulted a few books on the whole lemon confit thing everybody is talking about. There seems to be a disparity on how long to let the mixture sit; 3 months or 3 days. I had tried the 3 day method and it came out tasting like salty, raw lemons (imagine that). So, now I am going to try the 3 month method. Check back in 90 days and I will let you know how it went.

Monday : February 4, 2008

Buffalo Salad

Buffalo tenderloin salad with heirloom tomatoes, radish and parmesan.

Friday : February 1, 2008

Eggs with Shallots

At the moment, one of my favorite flavor combinations are eggs and shallots. The light garlic and onion flavor of the shallot is a perfect match to the rich flavor of the egg yolks. Lightly scrambled, they hardly need anything else.

Thursday : January 31, 2008

Chicken Parmesan

If you take the time to pound the chicken breasts flat, they will cook more evenly and the portion size is more manageable (one flattened breast will feed three). I put plastic wrap over the chicken before I go to town on it, to keep it from tearing. Bread it, fry it and serve with some homemade sauce.

Wednesday : January 30, 2008

Book Review: Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook

It has been criticized for being ingredient driven, but I think the simple food combinations make this book remarkable. It's also fun that she has seasonal and special occasion menus. If you like pretty photographs, this book is probably not for you (since it has none). But, if you are into old-school recipes and two color illustrations, this book is a gold mine.

Tuesday : January 29, 2008

Vegetable Piñata

Look at it! It's not a potato, it's a vegetable pinata! An American classic, topped with chedder cheese, crunchy bacon, sour cream and green onion.

Friday : January 25, 2008

Screening

People have been inquiring about pizza screens. You can pick them up at any local restaurant supply or at frou-frou kitchen stores (I'm looking at you, Sur la Table). They come in a bunch of different sizes. I think I am running fifteen inchers. They cost around $5 - $10.

Thursday : January 24, 2008

Lemon Harvest

There you have it. The rest of this year's Meyer lemon harvest. We picked five in total (the squirrels gnawed on an additional three). I'm planning on preserving them again. But, instead of letting them confit for a few weeks, I'll try a few months. The last batch didn't quite turn the way I had hoped.

Wednesday : January 23, 2008

Wasabi Pea Crusted Tuna Steak with Roasted Root Vegetables

Say that 11 times fast! But, mmm, it's good eating. I marinade the fish in teriyaki sauce. Under the fish are roasted potatoes, onions and beets.

It looks frightening, but the Wasabi doesn't have overbearing heat. Just enough to get you going. I mix them with Panko bread crumbs, garlic salt and olive oil.

Tuesday : January 22, 2008

Rockport Fish Taco

I'm not as good at catching it as I am cooking it, but we ate a lot if it this past weekend. Fish tacos with Napa cabbage slaw, Spanish rice and black beans.

Thursday : January 17, 2008

Braised Ligurian Chicken

Lightly floured, pan fried chicken with a sauce of white wine, olive, garlic, tomato and rosemary. Great, simple dish from Jamie Oliver. I like it with a side of mashed potatoes.

Thursday : January 17, 2008

Truth Be Told

It may look like I cook every night, but sometimes I just don't have it in me. Every couple weeks, we give up the kitchen and get take-out. I get Suzie's and my wife orders from Madras Pavilion. Whew, I already feel better getting that off my chest.

Wednesday : January 16, 2008

Balancing Act

Something I forget to do when I am cooking is to taste along the way. Books tell you to do that so you can see how flavors are developing, or at least to see if what you made tastes any good before you serve it to someone else. I was making chicken salad with apples and cumin when this practice hit home for me. I thought I was about done making it and I took a taste. It wasn't very exciting. So, I started asking myself questions: does it need more seasoning, is there a good acid/sweet balance, does it need a complimentary flavor? I ended up toying with it for another half hour. It was one of the best things I made in months and taught me a good lesson along the way.

Tuesday : January 15, 2008

Local Harvest

I'm not sure, do these look fresh to you? I think they are, because the holes are still in the yard from where we picked them. Now, that's eating local. You pay property taxes for that yard, you might as well use it for something besides Lawn Darts.

Sunday : January 13, 2008

Restaurant Review: Drifters Reef

The real deal is hard to find. If you're looking, and you are running low on fuel over the South Pacific, you should probably stop at a place my grandfather told me about. People find fancy ways to dress things up, new names to call things, but the original is the best. The Colonel told me that if I really wanted a good Scotch Rocket, Drifters Reef was the place. I am inclined to believe him. The classics never go out of style.

Saturday : January 12, 2008

Movie Meal

Cher made this in the movie Moonstruck. Pan fried steak (bloody, to feed your blood...) with buttered pasta, Parmesan and parsley.

Thursday : January 10, 2008

Tell The Neighbors

"Cookbooks will give you ideas, but the market will give you dinner." BAM! I'm sold. Another great book that tells you the way to cook, instead of how to impress your friends with obscure ingredients. I love it. It's not chock full of glossy photos, but ample knowledge about how to find gems in the fresh market, simmer a stock and salt your food.

Wednesday : January 9, 2008

Enough With Stews

After over 14 days of brutal Winter, it is once again grilling time in Austin. Hell, there are even tomatoes at the farmers market! In honor, I fired up the coals in the cast iron grill. Pictured above is grilled chicken with roasted corn, red onion, red pepper relish on Napa cabbage.

Big shout-out to B&B Charcoal. It's nice to find a company not using 2x4's.

Tuesday : January 8, 2008

Alternate Plan

Say your wife is making a 100+ run of tamales and they will be steam cooking in batches all day long, turning your house into a spicy sauna. What do you do? You come up with an alternate plan.

Find that neglected turkey deep fryer that you use once a year. Drag it out, fire it up and put some water in the bottom. Bingo! Mass outdoor steam system. The only downside is that your neighbors will be sniffing around for leftovers.

Friday : January 4, 2008

The Well Is Deep

I was talking with edible AUSTIN's editor, Marla Camp, when the first issue came out. She said the biggest question she was hearing was whether there would be enough stories about food to keep the magazine going. I guess there is. Issue No. 3 just came out and it doesn't look like the end is anywhere in sight. Highlights for me this issue are the Mole, Living Soil and a cliffhanger about an interloper.

Thursday : January 3, 2008

Soufflé

This was fun. I finally got a soufflé to rise. Sometimes cooking takes a little science. I have found that a lot of cooking seems to be based on lore, not science. Case in point, egg whites in a soufflé.

After failing a half dozen times, I looked up what is actually going on when a souffle is rising. Turns out that the egg whites need to have enough air in them to expand the mixture and the base needs protein to stabilize it so it won't deflate. Who knew?

Wednesday : January 2, 2008

Safety Tip

When you are reducing 24 pounds of pureed tomatoes outside on your grill, to make ketchup, you are going to attract a lot of bees. If you don't have one of those net-covered beekeepers hats, at least flip your collar up so it is harder for them to fly down your shirt.

Wednesday : January 2, 2008

New Year's Eve Dinner

The traditional New Year's Eve dinner at our house is Beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes. We threw in some peas this year, too. The potatoes came out extra good, thanks to the new food mill I received for Christmas (thank you, Santa!). They were fluffy from the get-go and needed less milk and butter.

I cooked the tenderloin in clarified butter. Sounds fancy, but it's not. Cooking down a stick of butter separates it into it's three component parts: water, milk solids and butterfat. Normal butter burns at a relatively low heat, and the milk solids are the culprit (white stuff in the bottom of the pan). If you remove those and just use the butterfat (clear, yellow oil), you can get that good butter taste and not have all your smoke detectors go off.

Tuesday : January 1, 2008

Good Pork

I first had this sausage at Kerbey Lane. Wonderful stuff. It is made by Pederson's. Central Market stocks it most of the time. We are also fans of their uncured apple smoked bacon.

Sunday : December 30, 2007

Texas Gold

We use a lot of honey. After trying just about everything on the shelf, we think this is the best bang-for-your-buck. It has a nice round, sweet, natural flavor. Central Market and Whole Foods carry it.

Saturday : December 29, 2007

High Stacks

Chicken, chedder cheese and Anaheim pepper quesadillas. The sour cream is from Organic Valley Family of Farms. They are a co-op of farmers around the country. Also, we have been buying their milk. It's nice to support someone in your backyard.