Le Petit Kitchen

Rack of lamb from Australia

2008-06-28T00:18:00.000-07:00

I was working with some racks of lamb at my job and got inspired to cook some of my own for my family. Here I pan roasted the lamb and placed it on a bed of sauteed crimini mushrooms and spinach, and served it with carmelized brusslesprouts and squash. Tasty.

Start by cutting up the veg. Colour your brusslesprouts face down in some hot oil, then give the squash some colour. Once you complete these throw them in a roasting pan. It is ok if they get cold. Next start by searing your lamb and basting with butter. Once you get a nice colour on your lamb put this in the roasting pan and cook until desired temperature. While it is in the oven save all the pan drippings and throw the mushrooms into this pan, once they develop a nice colour throw in some spinach and you have the bed for the lamb to rest on. To plate spoon some spinach and mushrooms, toss the brusslesprouts and squash on the plate and carve your lamb. Make sure to let the lamb rest for at least 5 minutes before carving. Enjoy

Tasting a bit of Squash

2008-06-22T00:57:00.000-07:00

Here we have eggplant, chayote squash, opo squash, and Japanese eggplant in one dish. The bottom circle is normal eggplant, the twirls are raw chayote squash and laced in the red lentils is Japanese eggplant and opo squash. Frisee salad on top and circled by scallops. Enjoy!

I start by cooking my lentils with some paprika, juniper berries and bay leaves added to water. Be careful as small red lentils cook fast and you don't want it to turn to mush, 5-8 minutes should do the trick depending on how many lentils you have. Then I slice my veg, when I complete this I begin to sear my egg plants and add the opo squash and jap eggplant to the lentils when they are just about cooked. Once your egg plants are getting cooked and developing some color start to cook your scallops in a very hot pan and get some good colour on both sides. To plate up I place a big slice of eggplant and fill a ring mold with the lentil mixture, place scallops around this, and in the cracks I fill it in with twirled chayote squash (raw) garnish this with a bit of frisee hearts that are tossed with some pepper and olive oil. Serve.

Where I have been

2008-06-14T21:14:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say its been hard to keep up the posting just because work has been tough the past few months. I have been part of the opening of Gordon Ramsay West Hollywood. There is my bald head on the left.

Springtime Trout with lemongrass cream

2008-06-07T15:03:00.001-07:00

Bacon and cabbage provide a bed for this pan seared trout with a peppery green onion and celery salad on top. Lemongrass cream provides a luxurious connection between the three.

Mise en place
Chopped cabbage
Small julienned bacon cooked
Sliced green onion
Sliced celery
Heavy Cream
Lemongrass
Fresh trout, portioned and scored

First get some cream in a pot and throw in the lemongrass and bring to a boil and then lower the heat to infuse. Next get your raw chopped cabbage and add a few tablespoons of water and butter to a pot. Heat this up on low and add cooked bacon and season to taste. Next toss the onions with celery, pepper, olive oil and salt and set aside. Lastly sear your fish (depending on the sizes) for about 1 minute on the skin side in a very hot pan, then flip only for 20-30 seconds as trout does not have a lot of meat on it, it should not take that long to cook. (We are looking for juicyness) To plate up, spoon some cabbage onto a plate, place the trout on top, and the salad on top of the trout. Finish with some lemongrass cream. Easy restaurant quality food at home =)

Chocolat Coulant (flowing chocolate)

2008-05-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

"Flowing chocolate"
A great little desert that lives up to its name. Not that difficult to pull off as well. It has a great visual appeal once you cut into it it just shoots out at you.

Mise en place

For the filling:
Whipping cream
Espresso
Coffee beans
chocolate
butter

For the base:
3 or 4 egg yolks
sugar
chocolate
butter
AP flour

Tools needed:
parchment paper
whisk
ring molds

Start by simmering the cream with the espresso and coffee beans
Pour that mixture over some chocolate and butter and stir slowly melting the chocolate
Once it reachs a nice consistency place it into a container and put it in to the freezer for at least a hour and half.
Take a break for a bout 45 minutes and proceed with the base, seperate eggs
Whip the egg yolks with some sugar until they reach soft peaks
Melt some butter and chocolate in a microwave and then fold this into the mixture, follow up by folding in a bit of flour (3 tablespoons )Begin by buttering the parchment paper and wrapping it into a ring mold. And preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Spoon some base into the mold (filling about 1/3 of the mold) Cut out a chunk of the filling and place this into the middle of the base and then cover the rest with more base.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, check by putting a toothpick into the coulant and if it comes out warm it is done.
Enjoy "flowing chocolate"

Bruschetta Al Pomodoro

2008-05-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I have been doing so many Italian posts as of lately. Here we have some toasted bread with tomato, onion, basil, balsamic, lemon zest, and olive oil. Very yummy, these made me feel alive when eating them. Fun to play around with the balsamic by reducing it and "dressing up" the Bruschetta.

Mise en place
Tomatoes
Onion
Olive oil
Basil
Lemon zest
Your favorite bread sliced up
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic to rub on the bread

First I dress up the bread with olive oil and rub it up with garlicI proceed to seed the tomatoes and dice them up. Then ribbon the basil and take half of the onion and dicer that up as well. Add all your ingredients into a bowl and mix with a tablespoon or so of balsamic vinegar and a good quality olive oil. Finish with lemon zest.

Pull the bread off the grill or out of the oven and spoon on the mixture. I reduced a bit of balsamic just for show and added sweetness to the plate.
Enjoy

Golden Trout with beets

2008-04-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

So here we have a spring recipe featuring this lovely fish I picked up because it made me think of springtime. Amazing color on the skin and flesh. I served it with beets that were finished in brown butter and made a quick beet butter sauce. Quick easy and springy.

Mise en place
Golden trout (fresh)
Beets
Butter
Lime or lemon

(Stunning fish)Start by either roasting the beets or cooking them in boiling salted water. This usually takes 25-30 minutes, but easiest way is just to keep checking them by stabbing them with a knife and if it pierces, they are done.
Once the beets are about ready start working on your fish, scale, filet, debone and portion.
I proceed to quickly sear the fish skin side first and then flip and turn off the heat. I remove the fish once it is done and brown some butter and throw sliced beets in it.

To make the beet sauce just get some of the water you boiled the beets with (about 4 tablespoons) and reduce a few slices of beets in it and throw in some butter and it should start to get nice and thick.

To plate up, place beets that have been quickly flavored in butter on the plate, top with the seared fish and drizzle some of the beet sauce, garnish with lime or lemon to get some acidity into the party.

Simply springtime recipe

Crispy Ravioli filled with bacon and eggs

2008-04-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do something with eggs for the cookthink contest. This recipe is a little bit difficult but has a huge pay off, biting into this crispy ravioli and having a runny egg run out with taste of bacon and spinach is just a great thing. Very luxurious way to eat a egg.

Mise en place
egg
semolina flour or all purpose if you can't get semolina or are too lazy
pasta machine
mozzarella and basil for garnish
butter
bacon
spinach

Here I created my well, chopped my bacon into bits, arranged my garnishs and let my eggs get to room temperature
While the eggs are getting room temp I make my bacon bits and set these in a bowl.
Eggs are ready so I put 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk into the well of flour
I work the dough into a nice ball and then cover it with a wet paper towel and let it rest for 15 min
While dough is resting I saute the spinach and set in a bowl
Once the dough is rested I roll out to a number 6 setting on my pasta machineThen the hard part comes and I place a bed of spinach on a cut out section of pasta and sprinkle with bacon bits.Once you assemble the ravioli wipe the edges with egg wash and top them off and then throw them into salted hot water and finish off in a pan with brown butter and a bit of good quality olive oil

Stracciatella

2008-04-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here we have sexy Stracciatella in Italian means "little threads" It is essentially a egg drop soup "a la romana" It took me 10 minutes to prepare and it is such comfort food it is not even funny. So pleasing to my belly and palate. It is very beautiful as well, easy way to impress people. Bon appetito

Mise en place
3 eggs
chives
Parmesean Cheese (fresh) (I choose provolone instead for the stringy characteristic)
garlic
chicken stock
herbs to flavor the stock (I used dried bay leaves)
nutmeg
semolina flour or all purpose flour (1 tablespoon is enough)

Give the bay leave and garlic a quick browning in a little oil
Deglaze pan with chicken stock and let it come to a boil
While the stock is heating up make egg mixture by beating 3 eggs with cheese, flour and nutmeg
To create the soup whirl around your stock to create a whirlpool and slowly drizzle in the egg mixture and you will have something like this.
Season with Salt and pepper and taste and then serve up

Here is a picture showing why I choose provolone to create the stringyness between the mouth and the soup.

Classic Chicken Piccata

2008-03-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

I was sitting here listening to some classical music and thought to myself "lets make something classical" So I did a chicken picatta. I also see a lot of people trying to interpret the classics but they are classics for a reason and should not be messed with too much. I just added shallots and garlic to put a spin on it. Anyway enjoy.

Mise en place
Chopped parsley
a few cubes of butter
shaved garlic
washed capers
sliced shallots
lemon juice
flour
white wine
chicken breasts
olive oil salt pepper

Chop ingredients up and put them in place, also juice the lemons into a cup
Get your chicken and remove the skin and get some of the breast meat out and save the rest of the chicken for later (fried chicken wings baby)
Get your breading bowl ready, it is very important to season the chicken before breading with salt and pepper
Heat up your saute pan and add the chicken breasts once they are nicely coated in flour
Cook chicken through on both sides, I like to baste the chicken while it is searing by getting a spoon and spooning the hot oil/butter over it
Start the sauce by deglazing with white wine and adding the shaved garlic and shallotsOnce the alcohol has cooked off add your lemon juice and let reduce for about 40 seconds then add the capers and butter cubes and finish the sauce with the parsleyTo plate I cut the chicken up so you can eat this with a spoon, and then pour the sauce over the cut chicken and there you have it, Chicken picatta

Eggs a la florentine

2008-03-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Here is a brunch meal that is great in between breakfast and lunch. Spinach with bacon, onion and leeks topped with fried eggs. Yum.

Mise en place
Eggs
Bacon
Spinach
Onion
Leek
Chive
Garlic
Bell pepper (I use mini ones)

Gather
Chop up the onion, chive, leek, pepper, garlic and bacon and wash and trim the spinach
Start rendering the bacon to a crispy yummy slice.
Drain off some of the fat and use the rest to saute the onions leeks and garlic
Remove onion mixture when nice and tender, throw in the spinach and wilt then throw back the onion mixture into the pan.

Add the eggs to the pan and a little bacon fat for the needed lube for the pan.
Spoon the spinach onion mixture on a plate and top it with two eggs
And enjoy as you rip into this the egg runs down into the spinach to make a sauce, its great.

Salmon mascarpone dill cucumber stuffed zucchini

2008-03-24T22:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do something light with clean flavors that still has a burst in your mouth. I wanted to do a "Amuse bouche" Diced cucumber with mascarpone, dill, lemon zest and juice, and a beautiful salmon all wrapped up in a zucchini marinated in cayenne and olive oil.

Mise en place
A very fresh salmon or tuna filet
mascarpone cheese
dill
cucumber
zucchini
lemon zest and lemon juice
cayenne
olive oil
Peel the zucchini with a peeler like so
Soak them in a little olive oil and cayenne for kick
chop up cucumber like so
I mix the mascarpone with the cucumber, add some salt lemon juice and lemon zest and then slice the salmon very thin.
To plate up simply lay a slice of zucchini out and spoon some of the cheese mixture with a slice of the salmon and roll up like a burrito

Easy simple clean fresh and very flavorful

Chorizo con queso, handmade tortilla

2008-03-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

I was craving some handmade tortillas and some fresh chorizo. So I decided to make some chorizo con queso fresco wrapped in a hand made tortilla.

Mise en Place

for the tortilla

masa flour
water
salt

for the chorizo

chorizo
bellpepper
yellow peppers
anaheim chilies
onion
garlic
cilantro
radish for garnish
queso fresco cheese
tomatoes

Gather ingredients
I start by putting the flour in a bowl and pouring some water into the flour. Then mixing throughly until well incorporated and a dough is formed like so.
I then let the dough rest for 20 minutes while I chop up some peppers, garlic, onion and tomatoes
I then throw the chorizo into a sauce pan with some hot oil in it and render off the fat, and then slowly add in the chopped garlic and onions then comes the peppers and lastly the tomatoes. Keep this on low heat while forming the tortillas.
I roll out the dough and use a bowl to cut out nice tortilla circles, you could use a tortilla press but I don't have one. In the back are some round ghetto looking ones.
Heat up a dry saute pan and cook the tortillas till they have a nice colour on both sides.
Spoon some chorizo into the tortilla and some cheese on top and fold, the heat of the chorizo will melt the cheese easily
Enjoy

Pierogi filled with mushroom, potato, onions and sage

2008-03-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

Here we have a contest entry for Taste and Create I am cooking pierogi's from For body and soul. I put my spin on it using what I had in the pantry. The sage and brown butter sauce at the end are really what make this dish stellar.

Mise en place
Flour
Boiling water
Salt
Filling
mushrooms, chopped fine
onions, chopped fine
sage, chopped fine
potatoes, cubed
garlic, shaved

Start by making a well with your flour, add water and whisk with a fork
You then need to start using your hands and start incorporating the flour into the dough until you get a nice dough like this.
Chop up the mushrooms, onions, garlic, and sage
Start by throwing the garlic and sage in a pan with some oil
Once the garlic is a slightly brown throw in the onions and saute
Add the mushrooms
Once the mushrooms are cooked turn off heat
Cook the potato cubes in some boiling water just till fork tender
Add the potatoes to the filling and mash with a fork/spoon
I roll out my dough and then cut circles out with a glass and place small dabs of the filling on the dough.
I then fold over and crimp the edges with a forkNow throw these in the freezer or some boiling water and crisp them up in a saute pan with some brown butter/sage and there you have Pierogis

Simple Kalamata Olive Tapenade

2008-03-10T18:23:00.001-07:00

Here we have a easy recipe that I think a 9 year old could cook and make tasty. Very easy, with Kalamata olives they have such a unique flavor of their own that I wanted to accentuate it and enhance it just slightly with a little sweetness from balsamic and sourness from a lemon. Great recipe for pure Kalamata flavor and easy as cooking mac and cheese from a box. I am tossing this recipe over to Cookthink's Kalamata olive Challenge.

Mise en place
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Garlic
Kalamata Olives
Thyme
Bread for crustini
Lemon

Cut up the bread into slices and preheat oven to *350 or so
Put bread into a baking pan and sprinkle thyme and olive oil over them, then throw in oven for 7-10 minutes depending how you like them.
Now we move on to the tapenade, mince some garlic
mince some olives
Throw garlic and remaining thyme into saucepan with around 1/2 cup of olive oil and cook on low heat until it just starts to brown.
When it is brown throw in the olives, little lemon juice, splash of balsamic and put in a dish or jar. You can save it or eat it immediately once you take out the crustinis from the oven.

Told you it was easy....

Messy Man's Lamb Chops

2008-03-09T20:43:00.001-07:00

with carmelized parsnips, wilted mustard green, creamed shrooms, pearl onion

I am not going to lie, I ate this meat with my hands. It is just that type of meat because I serve it with the bone and it can be tough with a fork and knife. So this really is a fingerlicking recipe because you have to eat the meat with your hands (well not really but I chose to) Anyway, what was great was all this cost me $10.00 and 20 minutes of my time and now my stomach is full and palate very very grateful.
Mise en place
Shaved garlic and
Sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 lamb shoulder blade chops (bone in)
Mustard greens (key ingredient)
quatered parsnips
sweet creamy butter
pearl onions
thyme and (time)
1/4 cup milk

Sear the lamb chops in some oil that is flavored with tyme and the other halves of garlic that wasn't shaved
Turn and cook to desired temperature this way
Remove chops and keep warm, now for a first that I have seen=
Deglaze the pan with mustard greens and throw in some pearl onions whole to start cooking
Looks how clean the pan is after the greens were put in there, keep the pearl onions in there to slowly cook em
add some olive oil and start to carmelize the parsnips, once they are nicely coloured add sliced garlic
set aside carmelized parsnips and start the mushroom sauce by sweating some of the mushrooms in some butter or olive oil then I add about 1/4 cup milk and reduce
Plate up

A tasting of yellow

2008-03-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here we have a tremendous amount of work that is all for just 3 little scallop "homes". I am entering this in a contest for "yellow" food. I have 3 different compositions with yellow items each using the scallop as a canvas. I have entered this into 2 different contests that are all about cooking with yellow. One is for winos and foodies yellow contest other is for International Women's Day.

Yellow flavors list

*meyer lemon supreme and zest with heirloom yellow tomato wedge

*bearnaise sauce

*fried polenta and creamy polenta

Mise en place
Meyer lemons
Heirloom yellow tomato
Polenta
Egg yolk
Tarragon
Shallot
White wine vinegar
Scallops
Nob of butter

Gather ingredients together and put 3 cups of water in a pan to start to boil
Once water is boiling add 1 cup polenta
Stir for about 10 minutes constantly add salt pepper and finish with a nob of butter
I put the polenta in a cup cake pan that is buttered down and the chill these and reserve for frying later on
Chop up the tomato into wedges, cut the meyer lemon into a nice garnish how you like but make sure you save a slice to squeeze over 1 of the scallops, chop tarragon, zest some of the lemon , and supreme of the lemon ALSO chop into chunks shallots
Throw shallots and the rest of the tarragon in a sauce pan with white wine vineger and let reduce till it doesn't have too strong of a vinegary taste also here I heat up the butter and take out as much of the milky foam as possible.Now start whisking the egg yolks in a bowl over a simmering pot of water, I start by adding the reduced vinegarAdd the semi-clarified butter to the eggFinished with the chopped tarragon
I then use the pan that I melted the butter in to fry the polenta rounds for 2-3 minutes
I then sear the scallops on both sides

Now you are ready to plate

Thanks to Peter for taking most of pics, and Gerard for letting me use his whisk+stainless steel bowl