The Skinny Chef

Soup for the soul

2013-08-01T22:09:00.001-07:00

Jumping on the soup bandwagon here for stay at home lunches - it's been such a fuss free solution. I always have a stock of fresh veggies either from my delivery or the garden, and a side of cheese and rice crackers are part of my pantry staple these days.
I have been taking it a step further and making chicken stock on a regular basis so I have that stash of nutritional goodness in my fridge ready to go. That's another post on its own but I'll give you a hint - it involves the entire chicken. If in a pinch, trader joe's chicken stock concentrate sachets work pretty well too.
The summer harvest is just getting started with the ripest heirloom tomatoes; just the right blend of tartness and umami for this creamy tomato soup.
Takes just 5 mins prep time with 20 in the oven. That's something you can't really beat when you have a 8-6 back to back meeting day

Creamy tomato soup
Serves 2 appetizers or 1 lunch

4 ea large heirloom tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth, hot
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425F
Core the tomatoes and place whole side up on a lined baking tray
Drizzle tomatoes with 1 tsp olive oil
On a small piece of foil, place the garlic cloves and remaining 1 tsp olive oil
Fold the foil around the garlic to make a little closed sachet
Place garlic sachet in tomato tray
Roast tomatoes and garlic for 25 mins
Add to tomatoes, garlic and any pan juices to a blender
Combine all other ingredients and blend until smooth
Season to taste and serve immediately

- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

The Better Bolognase

2013-07-13T20:03:00.001-07:00

I've definitely published a few meat ragu recipes over my career as a chef, but this one so far takes the cake.
It's ingredients minimal (I always have almost everything in stock), ultra tasty, and freezes well in batches. The latter is top of my list these days with a kid in each arm and using a third limb for everything else.
Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting a bible study dinner, and received compliments aplenty both for the Better Bolognase and the desserts. But more people asked me for the bolognase recipe, so I'm actually having to think about writing it down!

Our household is also going through a minimal gluten shift, and this meat sauce I think is even better with the brown rice fusion from TJ's that we have in stock.
I think the real secret to this is using half sausage (fresh, not cured and no nitrites) for the meat but I have used plain ground pork or turkey in substitute. To flavor up your sauce in event you don't have sausage, use a dash of: fennel, thyme, paprika, and chili flakes if you want it a little spicy. If you don't have said spices above but do have plain ground meat, no need to run out and get these spices because it really still tastes pretty darn good.
The Better Bolognase
Serves 6 hungry
1 ea onion, diced
2 ea carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage (about 5 sausages), casings removed
1 large 32 oz can tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tbs olive oil
Salt, pepper and white sugar to taste
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet
Sear ground beef and sausages until brown crust forms on the outside
You may have to do this in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your pan
Transfer the meat to a large enough pot for all the ingredients
Reserve the rendered fat from the skillet, with just enough left to coat the pan
On medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent and lightly browned
This should also be enough to deglaze the pan and remove any brown bits
Transfer the mixture to the pot with the meat
Heat one tablespoon of reserved fat on the skillet on medium and add the tomato paste, lightly cook then add the carrots and celery
Sauté the vegetables until just lightly browned
You may have to do this in batches as well
Combine all the vegetables and meat in the pot and add the canned tomatoes
If there is not enough liquid to cover all the ingredients, add a little water
Bring the pot to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer leaving it uncovered for about 2 hours or until the sauce has a chunky consistency
Using a hand blender, blitz the sauce until all the ingredients are just combined. It should still be relatively chunky and have texture
Season with salt, pepper and a little white sugar to taste
Leave to cool and store for 24 hours before eating or freeze.
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

10 Minute Meals

2013-04-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm working from home, I'd love to experiment with actually eating lunch and eating it right - which in my book means DELICIOUS tasting (first), shortest prep time possible, virtually no clean up, and then finally, semi-good for me. Yes, I'd like to have my cake and eat it too please.

My latest white bean one pot soup is spot on and is now my go to when I'm hungry and need something hot.

This soup is a keyed down version of a cranberry bean soup that we used to make at Masa's. Of course, there, I shelled the beans by hand, and cooked them for 3 hours with a mirepoix. Then, we had to make a bacon foam with gelatin and heavy cream, so that whole soup literally took 5 hours to make.

It's bliss when you can transform something so complicated into something so easy. Of course, true connoisseurs would never call it the same thing, but hey - I don't think they studied the economics of opportunity cost. There's a scrooge in all of us.

The only thing I have to remember is to keep a can of cannellini beans ($0.89) from TJ's, and some heavy cream in my pantry. The whole soup takes 10 minutes to make and clean up is just one pot and a blender.

Whad'ya know. I might just start doing a 10 minute meal series. Maybe I'll get famous!

Here's the recipe:

1 can of cannellini beans

1 cup water or chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt & pepper to season

Rinse cannellini beans

Throw beans and water or stock in a sauce pan

Bring to a boil and add the cream

Return to a simmer

Whiz everything in a blender and season to taste

Serve yum.

And on his farm he had some pigs...

2013-03-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

The English have a bad rap for their cuisine. I don't blame the rest of the world - after all having spent some time in boarding school there more than ten years ago, I was convinced no other place in the world had worse food.

The 'classics' of English cuisine are usually Pub Food gone wrong. Soggy fries with over battered fish, bland mushy peas, overly salty steak and kidney pie with a starchy sauce, you get the drift.

For a long time, the only redeeming quality of the cuisine was their afternoon British cream teas, with lovely soft scone and rich clotted cream. And perhaps, English breakfast, which was a treat we'd have once a week for lunch, black pudding and all. I still 'oft long for clotted cream and scones here in the states. Fortunately or not, the closest they come is when I make them at home...

Anyway, in the more recent years, the cuisine has undergone a resurgence, with Fergus Henderson at the helm. The chef of St John's (re) paved the way into the classic British gastropub, with nose to tail eating at his London eatery.

Such has been the turnaround in the food, that I now find myself yearning for the streets of London, pub crawling the same way you'd go tapas hopping in Spain.

I was fortunate enough to be able to pay tribute to the Queen's land in September, and satiate some of my craving for this revamped fare, Six months pregnant and with a 18 month in tow.

We spent about 10 days in the new forest, which is the oldest nature conservancy in England, commissioned by King William I some 1000 years ago. There isn't a lot to do for a city girl like me, but we managed to score some really good eats. The local pubs had some of the best fish and chips, and the cream teas were fantastic wherever we went! I even managed to organize a family reunion at The Cider Pantry, which was fabulous even for a simple Sunday roast lunch.

All that for another day, but best was definitely a restaurant called 'The Pig', heavily influenced by nose to tail eating. Set on some lovely grounds, the restaurant is part of a high end B&B with an old world victorian feel to it.

We chanced upon it on recommendations and loved it so much we had to go back the next day for more.

Homage to the name, the menu has a series on small plates to start, all from various parts of the fine animal - Crunchy crackling, fried bits of lard, and pork liver pâté. Normally I am not a fan of pork liver, but this pâté was truly one of a kind. I'd have had another serving if I wasn't avoiding liver for the vitamin A toxicity, another pregnant woman gripe.

The restaurant also cures it's own charcuterie, which we tried, again fabulous, but my favorite appetizer of the day was the black pudding with soft egg. House made of course, and where would you get something like that in the states? It was delicious, tasty and soft, not crumbly and dry which a lot of poorly done puddings tend to be. If I lived in England, I wouldn't be anemic, for sure.

Their non-pork appetizers were also great, like their garlic escargots, and mussels and clams steamed with seaweed and vermouth, served up in a creamy broth with crunchy bread. I tried a little on our first visit and decided it was worth a whole order on the second. Both were inspirations for dishes in my menus here.

I had their award winning venison for my dinner, and it was very good, done to perfection (medium rare, again another pregnant lady faux pas), but their best dish was the pork bath, which is the jowl of the pig.

The cheek is first steamed until tender, then either roasted or deep fried so that the skin turns to crackling. It's a combination of crunchy with melt in your mouth fat and meat, served with house made apple sauce. The whole dish is probably worth a few days of calories, but it is so worth it.

Finally, to end, I tried a sampling of their mini dessert, which came with roasted marshmallow, lemon curd mini cones, and butterscotch toffee, the perfect little sweet bite to end the meal!

The Pig is one of the best nose to tail restaurants I've visited, and although I was really craving a meal at St John's, The Pig was more than able to let me go home happy!

Do visit if you get a chance to visit the New Forest.

- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

The Le Creuset Companion

2012-02-28T21:54:00.001-08:00

My first Le Creuset purchase involved a long period of deliberation in the bloomingdales home department, during one of their home sales. Never having been able to afford them before, the array of colorful, enameled, cast iron casseroles always seemed like a distant dream. For a kid in culinary school, going to bloomies closely resembled looking through the window of a candy store when you were 5 years old - an uncontrollable, mouthwatering desire, but so out of reach; no matter how much begging one went through.

Never knowing before that a sale at Bloomingdales could slash prices of designer goods to an affordable cost, I was faced with the possibility that owning my own Le Creuset oven could actually be reality. The pot in question was a small 2 qt, cherry red french oven at just under $100, about 40% off the original price. At the time, I was just starting to invest in small appliances, and had previously splurged on a red cuisineart blender/food processor combo to match my red kitchenaid mixer, and so, I thought to myself - this Le Creuset french oven in red would be the perfect addition to my new luxury collection of cooking tools.

I made the purchase on my American Express Clear card, declining an additional 15% discount to sign up for the Bloomingdale's card (this I eventually signed up during a large shopping expedition after I had exited the poor student arena).

I was so happy. My prized little red pot was used for everything from cooking ramen to making soups, sauces, small braises etc. I even kept the box that the pot came in, not being able to bear throwing it away. As my cooking became more sophisticated, my little pot also matured with me; handling expensive ingredients like foie gras, truffles, bone marrow, and the best wines. We had such a fine time together, experimenting with new ingredients, keeping familiar food warm, and it became a very special part of my culinary adventures (life in some translations).

As my culinary repertoire increased, so did the size of my parties, and eventually, I was no longer able to use my favorite red pot for most of my cooking. Having also grown into a larger income, I was able to supplement my cookware collection with larger Le Creuset pots; the next one being a 9 qt Cobalt French Oven, seconds, from TJ Maxx. There they were, side by side, quite a sight; a little red pot, and it's big blue brother.

(A note about this blue pot, I almost burned a house down with this one, while attempting to do a mass reduction of lobster stock, and conveniently leaving the house. The pot did actually burn to irreparable damage, however, a friend rescued it from the garbage and is still currently attempting to refurbish it. It's been about 3 years since that sad fate)

I eventually reached a stage in life where I had the luxury of being able to choose the Le Creuset colors that I wanted to expand my collection with, rather than be restricted to only those that had the largest discounts. When making the decision to pick a color, I had very much wanted to stick with the original red - how lovely it would be to have a collection of Le Creuset ovens in bright red!

However, in honor of my first red pot, I chose to single it out by keeping the rest of the pots cobalt blue. Never any seconds either; but always on sale in some way or another; mostly from the bloomingdales home sale section.

(If you were curious about the red appliances that I originally wanted my pot to match with; they failed miserably and I eventually splurged on commercial quality blenders and food processors in a stylish black. The red KitchenAid still works marvelously though)

My current collection (all cobalt) includes: two 2.75 Qt round french ovens, one 5 Qt oval french oven, one 7.25 Qt round french oven, one 9.5 Qt oval french oven, one 8 Qt stock pot, one 12 Qt stock pot, and of course, the original red 2 Qt round french oven. I also received a red whistling kettle as a gift, making it 9 pieces in total.

My pot and I have moved several times together - into small kitchens, even smaller ones, a huge one, and a medium kitchen. Through it all, it's always been able to find it's place in the forefront of all the other cookware, a little flash of red in the sea of blue.

These days, I use my little red pot for what has been the most glorious and honorable cuisine in my entire life - baby food; where it cooks up everything from petit peas, to brown rice and barley. While I relish being at the pinnacle of my culinary career, whenever my gaze falls upon the little red one, it reminds me of my humble beginnings, both as a chef, and as a person.

They say that sharing a meal is the best way to get to know another. Every once in a while, this is what my red pot and I do - over some korean ramen topped with an egg, indulging in those memories of the more unassuming times.

- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

Location:Middlefield Rd,Palo Alto,United States

Steak & Tomatoes

2011-10-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've sunk back into a lull of not blogging; but I did want to share a very easy pasta recipe that I made when the family was in town.

Overwhelmed with the harvest of tomatoes, and also a request for pasta on a steak night, I threw together something entirely from the garden.

It's a light, tangy, tomato sauce, and perfect for a late summer evening. The best part of it? It only takes 5 ingredients & 15 minutes!

Summer Fresh Tomato Pasta

Serves 4

2 cups Tomatoes, diced/halved if cherry
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 ea lemon, zested & juiced
1/2 cup Basil, chiffonade
2 tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

4 servings noodle pasta, cooked according to directions

Heat olive oil in a heavy pan, add garlic, and cook till tender, but not browned
Add the tomatoes, lemon juice & lemon zest
Cook on high until tomatoes are soft, and liquid is mostly cooked down, depending on how thick you like the sauce
Season to taste
Stir in the basil chiffonade
Toss with pasta & serve

Happy Birthday Chef Laura!

2011-08-15T21:05:00.001-07:00

Oh yes, and Chef Laura had birthday over the weekend with Princess Cake (genoise, custard, jam, meringue and marzipan)!

- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

Frozen Fish and Flowers

2011-08-15T20:42:00.001-07:00

Been doing some interesting cooking lately, what with the tomatoes in our garden in full harvest -we're getting about a quart of tomatoes a day now, and full sized zucchini and squash every few days. I've also started ordering from Farm Fresh to You in hopes of becoming a healthier eater now that I'm actually obliged to cook for three.

I've been on a 3 week cooking rampage - Cook through the weekend that I get my delivery, then wait 3 weeks before cooking again. It's been working out with me freezing a stash of food, so that all we have to is heat it up for a quick and nutritious meal. Maybe I'll start a series called 'Eating well for the busy mom' or something; although I'm still not done with my 101 pasta series!
Jumping on the frozen food bandwagon, I decided J would benefit from eating organic, and unprocessed food. I just couldn't stand the thought of him chowing down that jarred stuff - I don't care if it costs $15 an oz. It can't be that good for you if it is stored in a jar on a shelf!
I wanted to see if he could be a raw vegan for the first year of his life, but as I conjured up recipes in my head, it just became so tiring. Besides, how would he ever get enough carbs that way?
So, I instead put out my IQF skills, and for his first home cooked meal, whipped up brown rice porridge and steamed green beans. Everything ended up being processed eventually but I can live with it if I'm doing it myself.
I also froze everything in cute little shaped ice trays - so now we have green bean fish and starfish and flower snapped brown rice porridge. I figure it might help him make eating veggies and rice fun, although he might be too young to tell the difference yet.

We'll see how he likes it, he gets to try some tomorrow!

- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

Location:Middlefield Rd,Palo Alto,United States

The Easy Date

2011-06-22T20:56:00.001-07:00

When it comes to pastries and desserts, I definitely hang up my apron strings. The long standing feud between dessert & savory chefs is most likely true - I have never met one who is an expert in both.

However, it's imperative that every savory chef have a couple of desserts on their repertoire, and vice versa. It makes no sense to say to your dinner guests, "sorry, I don't do dessert" after a nice meal. It's almost as sacrilegious as not serving wine with dinner.

I've worked to perfect a few desserts that I can call on for any occasion, and am striving to extend myself as a dessert chef (apprentice is a more appropriate word) as well.

One of my favorite dessert ingredients to work with is the ancient date. It's no wonder the date has been a staple and favorite in many cuisines of old, what with the sticky, chewy, and sugary flavor. Most of the dates that we get over here are dried, which concentrate the flavor even more; although I did have the opportunity of savoring a fresh date when I was in Israel, and it is quite delicious as well.

It's an extremely versatile fruit to work with, and not only that, but as there are so many different varieties, just using a different type of date can give dessert a new twist.

One of my stock date desserts is the sticky date pudding, first introduced to me in Australia, where the dessert is exceedingly popular, although I first attempted this only a few years back.

I do not make my pudding particularly sticky. I kind of relish the lighter, spongy texture; but this is because the butterscotch/rum/brandy/toffee sauce that it's served with is severely thick and rich that it works for a nice balance.

It's also such an easy dessert that you can make it just hours ahead to serve it warm or at room temperature. If you're in a pinch and want to do this ahead, it's not a big deal. Just make sure the sauce is thoroughly warmed before generously lathering it over a slice of pudding.

Here's the recipe:

Sticky Date Pudding
Serves 8

1 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup Dates, pitted & chopped
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 cup Boiling Water
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Brown sugar
2 ea Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
4 Tbs Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300F
Combine dates and baking soda
Pour water over baking soda and leave to soak for 15 minutes
Remove half of the dates and set aside
In a blender, combine the remaining dates and liquid, as well as all the other ingredients, except the flour
Blend until mixture is well combined
Pour liquid mixture into flour and stir until batter is uniform
Stir in the reserved dates
Pour batter into well buttered 8" cake tin, and place tin in a water bath
Cover water bath tightly with cling wrap (yes it can go in the oven)
Carefully place pudding in oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until pudding is puffed and springs back when lightly pressed
Serve with Toffee sauce (recipe below)

Toffee Sauce recipe
16 oz Butter, chopped
1 1/2 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Heavy cream

In a heavy saucepan melt the butter until it foams
Add the brown sugar and stir until sugar dissolves
Add the cream and cook until sauce thickens slightly or to desired consistency

This post is especially for Laura S my Bar Method instructor!
- It makes no sense because iPad spellcheck is dense

Location:Middlefield Rd,Palo Alto,United States

Baptisms and Breakfasts

2011-06-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

I've already learned that there are a multitude of proud moments even as a young parent, starting with, of course, the actual birth itself. However, some occasions rank higher than others, and Jadon's baptism definitely counts are being somewhere quite high up there.

We were anxiously awaiting this day (and a wardrobe) and wanted our closest family & friends to be there to witness this event as well. After a very touching service and outstanding behavior by this little man (who didn't cry at all, and looked in amazement at the congregation from the stage), everyone headed back to our home for a breakfast.

I knew we were going to be gone about 2 hours at church, and seeing as service was at 8am, realistically I knew that there was little chance of doing any prep work the morning of, what with feeding and dressings two people and all.

As with all my entertaining my famous motto prevails - make it easy on yourself. Everything that I served at breakfast was a make ahead, but the piece de resistance was the breakfast casserole.

When I think of stratas, I'm overcome with thoughts of heavy cheese, and bread drenched in fat, so it wasn't the first thing to come to my mind when conjuring up a spring breakfast menu. However, I worked my way into making it more delicate, simply by using a rich recipe for the egg mixture, and using fresh & simple ingredients like ham & corn.

I also used a really low oven (280F) for the time that we were gone, and this slow cooking method really worked well for a soft pudding soaked in luxurious egg custard with the flavor seeping in from the tasty ham.

The best part of the dish was that it was make ahead of course, and so all I had to do the morning of was to stick it in the oven.

The rest of the menu was just as tasty, and easy. We had two large fruit plates, which I had sliced and plated the day before, and an arugula salad with marinated-ahead mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes as a dressing. For the entrees, there were meatballs, frozen ahead, recipe here, and the casserole which was also assembled the day before.

The perfect spring breakfast dessert was an olive oil cake (I think I taught this at one of my classes) served with sweet lemon ricotta.

Needless to say, it was a huge success, but of course Jadon was the star of the moment, so who really cares what the food was like? ;)

Here's the recipe for the casserole (which is really no more than a savory bread pudding)

Tip 1: If you're assembling the casserole ahead, you do need to croutonize the bread. If you're doing it day of, you can just use stale bread

Tip 2: If you're in a hurry, you can cook it at 350F in under an hour, but please use a water bath!

Ham & Corn Breakfast Casserole

serves 6-8

3 cups croutons (recipe below)
4 ea eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup ham, diced
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
1/2 ea onion, diced
1 tbs olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent and lightly browned
Scald the milk and cream, and whisk into the beaten eggs
Season the egg mixture to taste
Combine the croutons, onions, ham and corn into a well oiled 8x8 casserole dish
Pour the egg custard over the bread mixture, being careful to allow the liquid to soak the bread
Let stand for about an hour, or cover and refrigerate over night
Bake at 300F for about 1.5 hrs, or until casserole is lightly puffed, and slightly spongy when pressed
Broil for 1 minute to brown the top if necessary

Croutons
3 cups Bread, diced
1 tbs Olive oil

Toss bread in olive oil. Bake in a single layer at 350F for about 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Middlefield Rd,Palo Alto,United States

Chef Laura on Gigya's Demo Site

2011-05-23T20:48:00.001-07:00

Check it out here!

Hors D'oeurves in 15 Minutes

2011-05-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

I love Easter - traditionally I've always done a big lunch, or contributed with an entree, like last year, where, as a guest I signed up for the roasted lamb; marinated in fennel and green garlic (my favorite lamb recipe)and quinoa salad.

This year, with the little monkey to attend to, I was asked to make hors d'oeurves instead. Not having very much prep time, and also low on my tank of energy, it was imperative that anything I make would be simple, tasty, and of course live up to my reputation as Chef Laura.

It didn't take me too long to figure out that bacon wrapped dates and gougeres where the two best options.

Bacon wrapped dates have, for a long time been a perennial favorite. I love the sweet salty taste of it, and usually combine it with a blue cheese garlic sauce that adds some good kick to it. Also, the name of the dish really describes the recipe. That's all there is to it - except that, of course, you have to bake it until the bacon is cooked. (I like using the uncured bacon from Trader Joes)

Gougeres, or cheese puffs, on the other hand, do require a recipe. They are the epitome of an amuse bouche. Light, yet whetting your appetite, causing you to want more! The first time I made these were way back when I was in junior high. Not having very much experience, they were crunchy for all of two seconds, and then immediately sagged after coming out of the oven. Regardless, they were delicious. The nutty cheese and the light dough (chewy instead of crunchy) actually resulted in me making them the wrong way more than once!

Years later, (without engaging the recipe again) I finally learned the proper way to make them. The secret lies in two thing. One, cooling off the dough before adding the eggs, and two, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before the next one is added. Make sure that you no longer can see steam coming from the dough before the eggs are added. This excess moisture is what contributes to the "sagging". When adding the eggs, you want to quickly beat it into the dough, lest it cook from the heat before incorporating.

You'll get the most success using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, but it is sometimes too cumbersome to break out the mixer just for this. As an alternative, you will need some very good fore arm strength, either yours or someone else's. If you do it the manual way, use a wooden spoon to do the whole thing, beating very vigorously throughout the whole process.

As an added bonus, after the gougeres are cooked, turn the oven off, and leave the door cracked with the gougeres still in them to let them dry out a bit. This also helps them retain their crunchiness after coming out of the oven.

Here's the recipe:

Gougeres

Makes about 4 dozen hors d'oeurves

1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Milk
4 oz Unsalted butter
1 cup All Purpose flour
4 ea Eggs
4 oz Hard cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, semi soft blue will work too)

Large pinch of Salt, Pepper and ground Nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil.
3. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms
4. Stir over low heat until dough leaves a film on bottom of pan; about 2 minutes
5. Scrape the dough into a bowl; beat vigorously with wooden spoon or in a mixer with the paddle attachment until no longer steaming about 1-2 minutes.
6. Add one egg into the dough, quickly stirring or beating until egg is properly combined
7. Repeat with remaining eggs, making sure that each egg is fully incorporated before the next is added
8. Add the cheese and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg and combine
9. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe quarter sized mounds (or 1 teaspoon each) onto the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Press peaks down with a wet finger to prevent brown spots
10. Bake for 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
11. Serve immediately

After dough is portioned and piped (step 9), it can be frozen, then stored.

Place frozen dough on baking sheet when ready to cook, and bake for an extra 5-10 minutes, lowering heat to 375 after 25 minutes if tops get too brown

Gateau a la Royale

2011-05-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Jumping on the royal wedding bandwagon, I was tasked with making the royal wedding fridge cake for a tea party.

Having lived in England for a brief period of time, I am ashamed to say that I had no idea what the cake was supposed to be like; texture, taste etc. Online research also did not indicate whether it was supposed to be extra sweet, crunchy, etc.

So, I winged it, envisioning a chewy fudge with a slightly crunchy inside, the sweet more coming from raisins. Some of the recipes called for nuts, but I omitted it since I'm not particularly a fan.

Here's my recipe:

1 package Mcvities Digestive Biscuits
12 oz Bittersweet chocolate chips
1 can Condensed milk
3/4 cup Heavy cream
1/4 cup Light corn syrup
4 oz Butter, unsalted
1 cup raisins

Makes 1 cake

Method
1. Line an 8" square pan with cling wrap
2. Soak the raisins in hot water for about 20 minutes, then drain the liquid off
3. Place the biscuits in a large gallon zip lock bag, seal it, and bash it with a rolling pin, leaving some quarter sized pieces (do this step manually, and don't use a food processor)
4. Combine the condensed milk, cream and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil
5. Chop the butter up into smaller pieces and place it in a bowl with the chocolate chips
6. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate, and stir until well combined
7. Leave the chocolate mixture to cool until room temperature
8. Combine the crushed biscuits, raisins and chocolate mixture until everything is well coated with chocolate
9. Pour in the pan, level the top and freeze for about 2-3 hours, or until firm
10. Slice with a sharp knife to serve

*Photos by Mikee (Thanks!)

Consistency, consistency, consistency

2010-12-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

I took a friend to John Bentley's over the weekend for dinner. It's been a restaurant that I've frequented over the past few years, starting from my 24th birthday celebration.

The first JB's was right next to The Village Pub, up in woodside, but the newer one has a more central location in Redwood city. I've kept coming back, but this time that I visited, I was so much more convinced that consistency is the recipe to a restaurant's success.

It was unfortunate that during this visit, a couple of things were just not quite what I was expecting (crab salad was a little too tart, hot foie plate was ice cold, foie and lamb was overdone, etc.), and it made me think about whether I would want to go back next time.

I might be overly critical sometimes, but to give me some credit, I do set reasonable expectations; especially, when I feel like it's something I've experienced and can count on.

For a new restaurant, you should always go in with no expectations - after all, there really isn't anything you can base your standards on, just quite yet. However, the second, or third time you visit, generally, it is very acceptable to think that you can hope to experience the same kind of standard that you did the previous times; which is why you continue going back. You re-visit simply because you know what to expect.

When a restaurant has an exceptionally great night (the cooks are all on target, the produce is extra fresh), it sometimes can have the reverse effect on the consumer. A visitor that evening will probably expect the same kind of standard the next they dine, and if the average standard was, well, average, then chances are, the returning visitor would be disappointed, often anticipating the same kind of experience the had the previous time. Disappointment is often much harder to overcome - you'd be pressed to find a customer that would give an establishment recurring business, versus one that that may have thought the food was always just acceptable.

I like to say that it doesn't matter if a restaurant is good or bad - it just always has to be good, or, always has to be bad; that way, customers will always know what they are getting.

Take McDonald's for example - there's just no arguing that the food is just plain bad. However, every time I visit, I am never disappointed. I know that I am paying $5 to get greasy, tasteless, nutrition-lacking, everything bad, food. I go anyway, and go back repeatedly.

Why? Because the food is ALWAYS bad - there's never been a time when I said to myself "Wow, this is the best McDonald's I've ever had, I have got to go back." There's no such thing - the next time I go, I've probably got the munchies and want something awful. (Ok, trivia here, MD's in Asia is definitely better than in other parts of the world, but it's still bad)

There are many factors that are involved in a restaurant's success, many have argued over this - location, food, chef, service, etc; but for me, it's definitely consistency. If a restaurant can achieve absolute consistency, it will most definitely do well in the long run.

Is this reasonable though? After all, there is so much humanity and feeling involved in food; it happens to me as well. If I'm in a good mood, or love who I'm cooking for, the food probably tends to come out better, and vice versa of course. Of course, since consistency is my philosophy is well, I've learned some ways around making sure that my emotions don't affect my food too much. One of them is just practice - the more your practice, the more skilled you will get, and the less room for error. There's no two ways about this - the better chef is almost always the one with more experience, simply because they've done it more times (all other things being equal).

Second, discipline - never serve up anything that is sub-par. I've canceled courses out from menus the day of just because I felt the dish wasn't up to the right standard. It's tempting, especially since each dish cost money; but in the long run, it's worth it.

Third - set the right expectations. I can't dwell on this enough. It's the same in every client facing business. If your consumers have the right expectations, they should never be disappointed. Train the staff well; just because there was a lot of yesterday's beef, doesn't mean that you should upsell it today. Make sure your servers have tried everything on the menu and know exactly how to recommend. As a diner, I always ask my server what they think is best - I always appreciate an honest answer like "well, the lamb is alright, but the chicken is absolutely fantastic." That kind of advice has definitely saved my perception of a restaurant on more than one occasion.

So, possible, but difficult; - I guess that's why there's only one French Laundry, but a McDonald's around every corner.

NB: To give JB's some credit, after expressing my disappointment, their server apologized that the dish didn't meet my expectations and they did something about it. (That's your responsibility as a consumer as well, to give objective feedback).

At the end of writing this, I almost forgot which expert I was writing as - was it the Client Service one, or the Chef one? I now realize that they compliment each other so well, after all, you can't be a chef without servicing your clients.

The long awaited update (Pictures coming soon)

2010-12-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged anything, but I did have a highlight for July, (yes, I'm several months behind), where I gave another cooking class for a blushing bride to be!

It probably was a really good gift, come to think of it - Young brides these days seldom spend too much time in the kitchen, but will probably be expected to host a dinner party or two, now that they're married. The bride loves to cook as well, so it was also a really fun time for her. Her maids all put on their aprons and whipped out their spoons to produce a spectacular meal that was easy, fresh, and absolutely delicious. It was definitely a meal that she could prepre in the future!

As we cooked, I gave demonstrations on proper sautee methods, some basic knife skills, like the chiffonade and mincing, and some other cooking techniques that were learned were the art of slow roasting salmon, dessert making, and plating 101.

Here's the menu:

Spring Pea Soup
Garnished with truffle scented scream

Wild Mushrooms on Polenta Cakes

Slow Roasted Salmon
Served with Gremolata

Panzanella , Italian Bread Salad

Olive Oil Cake
Served with Roasted Peaches and sweet crème fraiche

We lunched over the feast, and discussed flavors, favorite dishes, and also cooking and eating best practices at home.

It'll always work out with spinach

2010-07-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

After a long pasta hiatus, I decided to go easy, and doth exercise of making dinner with whatever I had in my kitchen.

The goods:

Garlic, Frozen Spinach, Anchovies, Parmesan

The Dish:
Oglio Olio with Spinach and Anchovies

It qualifies as a 10-minute meal, and now I have a new recipe!

Serves 2
12 oz Frozen Spinach
4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
4 ea Anchovy Fillets, chopped
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 servings of noodle pasta, cooked

1. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a saute pan
2. Add garlic and cook till fragant and translucent, and browned on the edges
3. Add spinach and cover, steam till tender and hot throughout
4. Toss pasta, anchovies, cheese, and garlic
5. Season with salt & serve with fresh black pepper

Keep Calm & Carry On

2010-06-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

I can never turn away a hungry person.

Largely, the joy in cooking comes from seeing others enjoy my food, and while it's a rare gift to always be able to satisfy an appetite, I've learned to use it well.

I've also made it a habit to always have something available in my fridge, so that I can put together a meal quickly and easily, because often, there isn't time to go to the store when I have surprise guests.

By far, my most outstanding meal, was a dinner that I prepared for 6 people (myself included), with about 5 minute notice. I had some friends stop by, and invited them to dinner - so it was originally just 3 people at the last minute. Then, friends of friends showed up, and within minutes, the dinner table had expanded 100% to 6 people.

The initial dinner plan for 3 people was a light & casual gnocchi dish with bacon and peas, tossed in that awesome Pesto a le Monde. However, with this extended guest list, I had to think of something more appropriate (That would severely undermine my talent as a chef). The bacon and peas were already in the pan cooking, and so I decided to extend this and make a creamy pesto sauce, and toss it with spaghetti instead.

Pancetta and Peas is always super successful, so I brought the technique of mixing in egg yolk and cream into the sauce to stretch out that last bit of pesto that I had left.

In line with my philosophy to always store something in the fridge, I quick braised some frozen OMG meatballs in a half bottle of red wine that I also had left from spaghetti & meatballs a week ago.

Now that I had the entree and side protein sorted out - the only thing that was missing was a salad. My cheese drawer had some fresh bocconcini, so I tossed that with some fresh avocado, good olive oil (a must have in anyone's pantry), and ripe apricots, which are of course in season right now.

To much surprise, it really wasn't that difficult to pull off, and really, I could never turn strangers away, for without knowing, some have entertained angels in disguise.

Pesto, Peas, and Pasta

Serves 6

8 oz Bacon Rashers, diced
12 oz Frozen Peas
1 cup Pesto

1 cup Half & half
4 ea Egg Yolks

1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

6 portions Noodle Pasta, like linguine, fettucine, or spaghetti

1. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil, and add the noodles
2. In a smaller pot, add scald the half and half, and reduce by about half
3. Heat a heavy sautepan, and add the bacon rashers, until browned
4. Remove most of the bacon drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons
5. Add the frozen peas, and cover, cooking till peas are thawed out and hot
6. Quickly whisk the egg yolks and slowly temper in the hot half and half
7. Strain pasta, and then toss egg mixture, peas, bacon, and parmesan together
8. Season with freshly cracked pepper and serve immediately

Pesto a le Monde

2010-06-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

Pesto is one of things things that you always want to have in your fridge. It keeps and freezes well, and you can use it on almost anything - from pasta sauce to chicken marinade, and then a sauce for meats.

Most international cuisines have some sort of pesto - a mixture of herb, garlic, and oil. There's gremolata, chimichurri, and of course, by far the most famous, the pesto classico - a gorgeous combination of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and then some good olive oil. Yum. Now that summer is here, my basil plant is a lot like my life right now - overflowing with abundance :)

Don't get me wrong - while the original is still the best, mixing it up here allows me to get creative, and also shows what a simple ingredient switch can make a dish completely different, but still delicious; somewhat of a deja vu.

Pine nuts tend to be ridiculously expensive, so this time, I chose to go with roasted almonds instead. You can actually use almost any kind of nut, but roasted nuts bring out a smokier flavor than the blah uncooked ones.

I made about 2 cups with this, and then had a bit leftover, which saved my life the next day, when I had to make dinner for 6 on 5 minutes notice.

That's another pasta recipe, but here's the pesto - there's only one secret to good pesto. Never ever use pre-grated Parmesan.

Almond Pesto

1 cup loosely packed Basil leaves
4 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup Roasted Almonds
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 ea Lemon, juiced
2/3 cup Good Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Makes about 2 cups

Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor
Process until roughly chopped
Gradually add olive oil in a stream until pesto is finely minced
Season with salt & pepper

Toss with pasta for a quick meal, serve hot or cold

Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?

2010-06-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

I first dined at Vue de Monde in 2008, and remember the cozy bistro for their coddled eggs, topped with a truffle foam. Mmmm.. I love eggs, and a pairing with truffles is my favorite combination. It did strike a chord with me, so on this Melbourne trip, I made a special request to go back there.

The food on this occasion wasn't as memorable, but we did have a salad that Mom liked very much, and wanted to make for a dinner party. She asked me for the recipe, so I'm hacking it out here. The key to the salad is the fresh ingredients, so don't be tempted to use sub-par produce, although it might be more cost effective. Also, the presentation was perfect - a very organized mess, looking like not a lot of care was put into plating it, but really, requiring a lot of work for each individual component.

Here's the gist of it - it's not for the fainthearted, and is one of those "looks easier that it actually is" dishes.

Salade C'est Complique

Serves 4

1 ea Zucchini, Shaved into long thin slices with a peeler
1 ea Zucchini, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 ea Yellow Pepper
1 ea Red Pepper
8 ea Cherry Tomatoes, halved
4 ea Anchovies

1 portion Batter
1/4 cup Dressing

1 portion Eggplant Caviar for base
1 cup Croutons for garnish

For the Salad:
Preheat an oven to 450F. Roast Peppers in oven until tender, but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel, halve lengthwise, remove seeds, and slice each piece crosswise into four (16 pieces total)
Before serving, dip the zucchini rounds in the batter, and fry in 350F oil until browned and just tender, remove from oil, and blot with paper towels
In the remaining batter, coat the anchovies, and fry in 350F oil, until batter is crisp and brown. Remove from oil, and blot with paper towel
Combine all the vegetables together, and toss with dressing, making sure to taste, reserving 2 tbs of dressing

To serve, spread a layer of eggplant caviar on 4 plate, top with tossed salad, making sure that each has equal portions of each ingredient
Top with fried anchovy, and garnish with croutons
Drizzle each plate with remaining 1/2 tbs of dressing

Batter for Zucchini Rounds & Anchovies
1/2 cup Cake Flour
2/3 cup Ice Water
1 ea Egg Yolk
1 tsp Baking Soda

Combine ice water with egg yolk. Sift baking soda into cake flour, and quickly whisk liquid into dry ingredients. Do not overwhisk, mixture should be a little lumpy. Make this only just before using

Dressing:
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs Minced Italian Parsley
1 Tbs Mint Chiffonade

Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together, season to taste

Eggplant Caviar
1 ea Large Eggplant
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, finely mashed

1 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat an oven to 450F. Prick the eggplant all over and rub with olive oil. Roast in oven for about 45 minutes, or until eggplant is tender when pierced. Remove from oven and let cool.
Strip the skin from the meat, and wrap eggplant meat in cheesecloth. Hang over a drip pan in the fridge overnight to drain excess liquid.
Spin eggplant and garlic in a food processor, and gradually add the 1/4 cup olive oil to combine. Season with salt & pepper

Re-Purpose this!

2010-05-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

I secretly hid some of the leftover frozen meatballs from the Mother's Day tea that I did earlier in the month, and was craving some good old fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. I update the recipe a little so the sauce has a more contemporary character, but still very easy.

Following the "use what's leftover" philosophy that I (and my purse) are so fond of, I dug out from my fridge, sweet pepper, basil, and from the pantry, canned tomatoes, of course!

I pureed the sauce to give it a nice thick consistency, so you could keep it in the fridge and use it as a dip, or even thin it out and use it as a soup. I love recipes that can multi-task like that!

Red Spaghetti Sauce

Makes 1 quart
1/2 ea Yellow Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 ea Red Pepper, but yellow or orange works too
1 can Fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup Basil, chiffonade
2 tbs Olive Oil

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan and saute the onions until lightly browned
2. Add the Garlic, and cook till lightly browned
3. Add the Red pepper and saute for another 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and basil
4. Cook for another 10 minutes, then puree mixture in blender
5. Bring red sauce back to a boil, and lower to a simmer until desired consistency is reached
6. Season with salt and pepper

Leave to cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge

If serving with meatballs, add the frozen meatballs, cover pan, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through
Toss with spaghetti, and top with parmesan cheese

To serve as a soup, thin out sauce with an equal portion of chicken stock

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2010-05-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Did a Mother's Day lunch for a special family over the weekend, and as usual, everything was fabulous, but I got the most props on my famous meatballs, so I'm posting it here!

The secret to making great tasting meatballs? Just use ingredients that you're familiar with, and always, always, do a taste test before you roll them out! If you can let the flavors marinate overnight before rolling them out, even better.

The other great thing about this is that it freezes really well, and you can always have a stash for a quick appetizer, or something to throw into a red pasta sauce for spaghetti & meatballs; but that's only if it lasts that long!

Enjoy ~

Chef Laura's OMG Meatballs
Makes 36, 1 oz meatballs

1/2 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 each Onion, sliced into half moons
1/4 cup Sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Feta, Crumbled
2 Tbs Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbs Breadcrumbs
1 tsp Paprika

2 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan
2. Add the onion slices, and caramelize on medium until golden brown, about 20 minutes (keep stirring or this burns)
3. Remove from heat, and let cool; chop into a rough paste
4. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a bowl
5. Use your hands to mix well, season with salt & pepper
6. Do a taste test by frying up a small portion of the mixture
7. Divide mixture into 1 oz portions, and roll into balls
8. Arrange meatballs on metal tray and freeze
9. Once frozen, store in airtight container or zip lock bags for up to 3 months
10. When ready to use, arrange meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet at bake at 400F for 10 minutes

Spinach Yogurt Sauce

2 cups Spinach leaves
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup Greek Yogurt
2 cloves Garlic, sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan, and cook the spinach until wilted
2. Using a food processor, combine all ingredients, and pulse till spinach is finely chopped
3. Store in an airtight container overnight before using, this allows the flavor to develop

Seasons of Spring

2010-04-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

Been missing the blog recently since things have been hectic in the other (under?) world, but so far April has seen come pretty culinary colors, with my favorite season for produce!

First, there was a tea party with the girls up in San Francisco, and I'm not sure how other people do tea, but we do it with lamb riblets, a cheese selection, and Chef Laura's all-time famous scones. I'm not sure where the tea was at tea, but there was some pretty good wine!

Not to mention Easter, where I contributed with an unforgettable marinade of green onion and fennel for the roasted lamb, and my signature Mediterranean quinoa salad with sundried tomatoes, green onion, squash, feta and a host of other delicious stuff.

Where would we be without contributions to the pasta book? New pasta creations include an Applewood smoked bacon and peas cappellini with poached eggs, a creamy Vegetarian peas and spinach risotto (c'mon, risotto falls under the the pasta category too), Gnocchi with bacon and spinach carbonara style (recipe below), and a special treat of red Italian sausage penne, where I didn't have to cook at all (Yes, I am still adding it to the book and claiming credit)!

A special friend came in from Portland, and I tried my best to align the menu with their health conscious goals. You can't have a special dinner without an appetizer or dessert, so a tomato and roasted garlic soup served up with some crunchy bread and creme brulee were a prelude and postlude to the entree of delicious slow roasted salmon, spicy corn salad, and a chile verde sauce.

Speaking of chile verde, Gigya had a chile competition to celebrate our Q1 close, and instead of Texas chile, I spiced it up with my contribution of oxtail chile verde, served up with some queso fresco, sour cream and corn bread, and I won!

More to come I'm sure - the rest of Spring awaits!

Carbonara Gnocchi

Serves 2

4 oz Bacon, diced
3 cups Spinach (anything except baby)
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup White Wine or vermouth
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 ea Egg Yolks

Salt and pepper to taste

Gnocchi for 2

Heat a heavy saute pan and add the bacon
Cook till browned and cripsy
Add the minced garlic and spinach, and saute till spinach wilts
Add the White wine and reduce by half
Add the heavy cream, and cook on high until sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes
Season to taste
Temper the egg yolks with the hot sauce, and then gradually combine the yolk mixture and bacon spinach cream sauce
Toss with freshly cooked gnocchi

Gigya's Winning Chile Verde Recipe

2010-04-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the close of an extremely successful Q1, Gigya held a Chili Cookoff in conjunction with poker night. I might have lost all my money at poker, but I did win a $100 with my award winning Chile Verde. I promised to post the recipe if I won, so here it is!

Although chile verde is usually made with pork, (and you can definitely use that meat if you prefer), I used oxtail for this one because it's a slightly richer meat that's not often found in restaurants.

The chile verde sauce also works really well as a side sauce for meats and fish, if you're using it that way, omit the onion, and add 1/2 cup of olive oil.

Good luck!

Gigya's Oxtail Chile Verde

Serves 8

5 lbs Oxtail
4 cups Chile Verde
2 Tbs Oil

Chicken broth
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, and sear the oxtail on all sides, until nicely browned
To this in batches as necessary
Add the chile verde sauce, and enough chicken broth to cover the oxtail
Cover pot and braise in a 320F oven for about 2.5 hrs or until meat falls off the bone
Pick the meat off the bone and serve hot
Season to taste

Optional Garnish: Sour cream, queso fresca, cilantro

Chile Verde Sauce

Makes about 4 cups

4 ea Poblano Chilies
3 ea Jalapeno Chilies
8 ea Anaheim Chilies
6 ea Tomatillos
4 ea Green Onions
1 ea Green Pepper

3 ea Limes, juiced
1 ea Yellow onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 bu Cilantro

Salt to taste

Roast the peppers and tomatillos until skin is charred
Leave to cool, then peel peppers
Combine all ingredients in a blender
Season to taste

To serve as a sauce, omit the yellow onion, and add 1/2 cup olive oil when processing

Going for the Green Goodness

2010-03-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

After an intense heart-stopping weekend of eating fried stuff and meat, I decided that enough was enough, and that I would go on a strict veggie/grain diet for a week after. I felt so much better with my home cooked meals, and gave myself cheese and egg allowances to feed that Umami cravings.

One of the best meals that I whipped up for the week was a quinoa over broccoli pesto, topped with coddled eggs (my favorite way to eat eggs!). The broccoli pesto was a breeze to make, and I used the leftovers to stir into my pasta, spread on bread to toast, or just put spoonfuls of it into my mouth for a quick tasting high protein snack!

Here's the recipe. I used frozen broccoli because it was cheaper and easier, but you could definitely substitute for fresh. The trick to cooking the broccoli is to steam it quick and dirty, or until the broccoli is just tender. Let the veggie cool to room temperature before buzzing in the processor.

Here's the recipe.

Broccoli Pesto
makes 1 pint

12 oz Frozen Broccoli
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan/Pecorino
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup Basil Leaves, Packed
2/3 cup Roasted Slivered Almonds
1/2 cup Olive Oil

Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & black pepper to taste

1. Bring 2 tbs of water to a boil in a saucepan
2. Add the broccoli and cover the pan
3. Cook till broccoli is just tender, about 5 minutes, strain any remaining liquid out
4. Reserve 2/3 cups broccoli for Quinoa
5. When the remaining broccoli has cooled, add to food processor
6. Add all the other ingredients, and process till fine
7. Add additional olive oil if necessary to maintain desired consistency (I like mine more pasty, instead of liquid)

Quinoa on Broccoli Pesto with Egg
serves 2

1/2 cup Broccoli Pesto
1 cup Cooked Quinoa (1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa with 1 cup liquid)
2/3 cup Cooked Broccoli (reserved from recipe above)
2 ea Eggs
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Bring eggs to room temperature in warm water
2. Boil water in a sauce pot and remove from heat. Add the eggs, and let stand for 2 mins
3. Toss the quinoa, cooked broccoli, and olive oil together
4. Season the quinoa salad with salt & Pepper
5. Spread the broccoli pesto on the bottom of the plate
6. Top with the quinoa salad
7. Crack the soft cooked eggs on top of the quinoa & serve immediately

Light Bites at Night

2010-02-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

I first came across Panzanella when I was at Masa's. We up-scaled it by using tomato water gelee and micro basil, then served it as an amuse bouche. Although yummy, I don't think it carried off the "Rustic Bread Salad" feel quite as well. My kitchen has recently been stocked full with piles of bread - it seems that I've kind of developed a liking to it, especially when drenched in fat and oven baked till crunchy (OMG, am I eating crunchy food now too?). I hadn't thought about Panzanella in a long while, but with this surplus of bread, I thought it best to make the most of out it.

Traditionally, Panzanella was made with bread, tomatoes, olive oil, and flavored with basil and salt & pepper. Leftover ingredients were commonly thrown into the salad, making it somewhat of a peasant dish when there was not a lot of surplus. Same idea here, I thought I would stick to the bread, tomatoes & basil, but instead of using only bread as a base, I sliced some thick chiffonade (ribbons) of Basil to bulk the salad up, and it made for a really interesting lettuce stand in.

I also remember that when I staged at Jardinaire, we served a similar (more rustic) bread salad, with a farmer's cheese that was soft & chewy, marinated in olive oil and balsamic - integrating some great texture into the salad. I wanted to replicate that as well, and chose to use Burrata, a fresh Italian cheese similar to buffalo mozzarella, but with cream on the inside. You could also use Buffalo Mozzerella, but I liked the creamy insides that soaked into the crunchy bread, preventing it from becoming too dry.

Another twist on the salad included it being served warm, instead of cold (reserved for summer nights), and I did this my roasting the tomatoes in a pan, which also gave me the opportunity to infuse flavor into the salad by warming garlic slices. It's an absolute winner for lite bites at night!

Here's the recipe!

Panzanella

Serves 2

5 slices Good thick Bread, cut into 1/4" cubes
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F. Season bread well with salt & pepper and toss with olive oil. Bake in a single layer in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown

1 cup Cherry or Grape tomatoes, halved
5 ea Garlic Cloves, sliced thin
2 Tbs Olive Oil

While the bread is baking, heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic cloves and gently cook until slices start to soften, but not brown. Increase heat to high and add tomato halves. Roaste tomatoes until skin starts to brown. Remove from heat

2 cup Loosely packed Basil Leaves from thick stalks, chopped into 1/8" ribbons
2 balls Burrata or Buffalo Mozzerella balls, halved, then sliced into rings

Toss the bread, warm tomatoes & garlic mixture, basil and cheese together. Serve immediately and with a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.