I keep seeing this in print and I must agree. A common response when a chef is asked about what they like to eat, the response is commonly ‘bread with a little butter’. I like the rosemary sourdough from Whole Foods and Falfurria’s butter.
Burnt Cheese
This is a great, quick meal if you have all the ingredients at hand. Shredded chicken, onions, white cheddar cheese and corn tortillas. Season with chipotle powder, garlic, salt and pepper. The best part of this is the inevitable burnt cheese that creeps out onto the hot pan. What a wonderful accident.
Tasting Proves Testing Works
Remember when I made lemon confit? Yeah, me too. It didn’t come out exactly as I thought. It got better with age, but never got it to where I thought it should be. The recipe was from a wonderful cookbook from a prominent chef (I’m not naming names). It called for you to let the confit sit for three to four days in the fridge. I just found another recipe that calls for it to sit for three months! And the joke is I think the three months version is correct. I am not really down with making something that takes three months, but at least they can give me the correct information. Did they think that the 90 days would scare me off so they just told me three? I am amazed how many cookbooks have misinformation in them. No wonder people get frustrated cooking.
Hot Tacos
This is another quick dish to make in the A.M. There are only a few components, so they all need to be high quality. I buy the tortillas from Central Market. They are made fresh daily and they are not very expensive. I just started using a new hot sauce, Crystal, from Louisiana. It is not as harsh as some of the others (I’m talking to you Cholula), so more of the flavors come through.
Roasted Chipotle Ketchup
Restaurant: Balthazar (New York)
Balthazar in New York City. This restaurant has been around for a while and now I know why. Wonderful food and a great atmosphere. On a Monday night at 7:00 PM the place was packed. I had to sit at the bar. The bar was wonderful so it wasn’t that bad. I had the Duck Shepherds Pie and chatted up one of the regulars.