Epicurean Safari

Uni Pasta with Shrimp and Crab

2012-04-25T03:05:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try my hand at Uni Pasta. This was adapted from Alan Wong’s Blue Tomato book.

INGREDIENTS

400 g (14 oz) Uni
400 g (14 oz) lump crab meat, drained and cleaned, make sure there are no bits of shell or other detritus.
350 g (12 oz.) shrimp, peeled and deveined
400 g (14oz) uncooked thin spaghetti
400 g (14oz.) unsalted butter at room temp
450 ml (16 oz.) Dashi
24 shiso leaves, cut into chiffonade
Katsuobushi
Soy Sauce
Finishing Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place room temperature butter in a non-reactive bowl, fold in the uni, leaving large pieces and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta al dente and drain.
3. In a large sauté pan bring 400 ml of Dashi to a boil then add the drained pasta to the pan.
4. When the Dashi has returned to a boil add uni butter, shrimp and crab.
5. Cook until the shrimp is done and sauce is thickened use remaining Dashi if needed.
6. Remove from heat and mix in half shiso chiffonade, drizzle lightly with soy sauce and salt to taste.
7. Serve immediately

Bacon Pizza

2011-12-16T01:25:00.000-08:00

Delicious!

Gilled Weke 'ula

2011-12-13T03:59:00.000-08:00

Grilled Weke 'ula

Weke 'Ula is the Hawaiian word for the yellow-stripe goat fish (Mulloidichthys vanicolensis) or Akahimeji in Japanese. It is one of the most common goat fish in Hawaii and delicious as well. Baby goat fish called 'oama and are normally eaten whole simply grilled or fried.

INGREDIENTS

2 1 to 1.5 lb Weke ‘Ula or your fish of choice.

For Marinade

1/4 cup Sesame oil

1/4 cup Soy sauce

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1/4 cup Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons Garlic

1 tablespoon Shallots

1 tablespoon minced chili peppers

Fresh herbs for garnish

Finishing salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make marinade and let sit at least 4 hours.

2. Take cleaned and scaled fish, slash the sides and stuff with garlic from marinade then marinade fish in container or plastic zip top bag for 1 hour.

3. Grill fish and baste with marinade as the fish is cooking. The fish will cook very quickly so be sure to pay close attention to it, each side will only need a few minutes depending on the heat and the size of the fish.

4. Finish with fresh herbs and salt.

5. Serve with your favorite sides. I like steamed white rice and Chinese style Choi sum.

Agnolotti

2011-11-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

Sweet potato Agnolotti with sage cream, brown butter and prosciutto from Thomas Kellers French Laundry cookbook.

First roast the potatoes with a pad of butter.

Make the Pasta Dough and roll to about 5.5 inches wide and thin enough to see your fingers through it but not translucent. It is important to work quickly before the pasta dries out.

To fill Agnolotti simply pipe the filling about 3/4s of a inch in from one edge using a 1/2 inch pastry tip. If you don't have one a plastic zip-lock bag works great just cut one tip to dispense the filling 1/2 inch thick. Fold over and pinch in one inch increments, make the pinches about 3/4 inch wide so when the Agnolotti are cut they do not unravel.

To make the sauce blanch the sage leaves for 2 minutes, drain, set in a ice bath then drain again, place in blender and roughly chop. Heat the creme fraiche, beurre monte and salt until hot, combine in blender with chopped spinach.

Cook the Agnolotti for 4 or 5 minutes and add to sauce combine gently and plate.

Fugu!

2011-09-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Fugu!

Fugu Sashimi

Fugu is the Japanese name for Pufferfish, a very infamous delicacy famous for being poisonous. It has a history of being consumed in Japan for over 2000 years.

I got a call and was told "I have fugu come down!" Of course I made my way there right away.

Our chef first presented us with a dish of sashimi, a lot of sashimi! The Fugu tasted a bit fishy and had a bit of tooth to it. I would liken the texture to Hirame and had a very strong ocean flavor. The sashimi was served with a sauce made of ponzu, chili and green onions. The sauce was instrumental in the palatability of this fish. After a few minutes our chef brought us a large stone pot of Chirinabe, we were instructed to dip some of the sashimi into it like a hotpot and to continue using the sauce.

Fugu Chirinabe

The Nabe is filled with cabbage, konbu, tofu, rice noodles, Fugu Bones and meat as well as water crest, the Fugu gave this dish a interesting taste that was very mellow and enjoyable.

Once the vegetables and fish was eaten our chef added rice and egg to make a jook. The jook was verry tasty with a underlying taste of a well constructed broth that had developed after the nabe was eaten. The texture of the egg was wonderful, light, airy and savory.

It was a fantastic experience and I am glad I tried it. We did experience a slight numbing and tingling of the lips and tongue a bit more than you would get from Szechuan peppers.

Seared Ahi Salad

2011-01-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

Here in Hawaii we are blessed to have a fantastic selection of top quality fish. Yellow fin tuna Ahi as it is known here is a extremely versatile fish. Ahi is easily identified by its red color that looks like red meat. The fish gets this color from a large amount of myoglobin in its muscles that is used to help it swim for long periods of time. Ahi is also frequently treated with carbon monoxide to preserve its color. Carbon monoxide will make the fish flesh stay red but does not in away way help keep the fish fresh. Ahi treated with carbon monoxide has very bright color and will not turn brown even if its spoiled. So get your fish fresh from a reputable fish monger or better yet catch it yourself!

Here is some fresh Ahi caught by a friend of mine that I turned into a salad after we had had our fill of sashimi and poke. It's very very easy, has a nice presentation and is delicious!

Take your Ahi and season it with your favorite seasoning, I used cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper for this. Let the fish come to room temp for a few minutes and slap it in a lightly oiled pan or on a hot grill, I like to give it a quick oiling with some high temp spray oil on the fish and pan or grill. Then sear it! Sear it in a very hot pan quickly on each side unitl it has browned nicely. Do it fast, the fish will keep cooking with the carry over heat for a few minutes.

Put together a quick salad, dress it with anything your heart desires and there you go. A delicious salad. This whole meal took exactly 7 mintues including all the prep and making a quick salad dressing.

Indigo Restaurant

2009-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Indigo Restaurant
1121 Nu'uanu Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 | Phone: (808)-521-2900

Indigo is a very popular spot in Honolulu's colorful Chinatown. One of the first restaurants to take advantage of the up and coming arts district it quickly established its way into a staple of the art scene. From wine tastings to live music and dancing.

The evening we had The Grilled Scallops and Shrimp and Enoki mushroom summer rolls for appetizers along with a chocolate martini for my date and a Goose Collins for me. I got a three olives martini instead of my tom Collins but I was thirsty so took the drink and didn't complain.

The scallops were great, I loved them. Simply grill some protein and give it a nice spicy sauce and I will be a happy boy.

The summer rolls were ok, not great but not by any means bad.

I being a carnivore I had the steak. Thin but quite flavorful I enjoyed this steak. They definitely make it look nice. Veggies were fresh and crisp and the slaw was there. The beurre blanc sauce worked well with the steak.

Now the roasted duck confit. It tasted like turkey, good turkey but still turkey, that is all.

Welcome To the Blog.

2009-05-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love food. This blog is dedicated to great food and the wonderful people who create, serve and enjoy it.