Everybody eats...

The Season

2010-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

The season we are currently in, brings many culinary delights that are limited to this time of the year. I really appreciate this time for one reason: Gingerbread. This is the only time to find gingerbread, gingerbread lattes and gingerbread creamer. Do stores and markets not know that people enjoy this most delightful food and/or drink all year long? If not, they should.

Are there any favorites you have that are only available during this time of the year? Feel free to comment below

P.S. Though I am not able to publish as regularly as I used to (dare I use the word regularly?) I still have this Blog in the back of my mind and will post on occasion.

Signature Dish

2010-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Pretty much every Chef and every restaurant has a signature dish; a dish that demonstrates their skills and expertise. For me, even though I have been experimenting more and more, it is still my Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It just tastes really good. I find that the dish continues to improve, with the more techniques I learn.

What is your Signature Dish; a dish that showcases your expertise? Feel free to comment below.

Apple Pie

2010-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in the mail, I received a gift from a reader of this Blog: an apple pie. (Thanks Mom!!) Not just an apple pie, but a Dutch apple pie. My favorite. The crumb top was so delicious. Unfortunately, I was so enamored by the aroma and caramelized apples, that I didn't take a picture. So, this stock photo from their website will have to do. It tastes just as good as it looks.

The other day we had finished dinner and we didn't have any dessert. I volunteered to "whip" something up. I sliced two apples (Gala and Fuji) very thin. Placed some butter, Cinnamon and sugar into a saucepan until well melted. Then I placed the apples in a large pan and heated them up. After a little while we put the sauce on and basted them in the sauce. I then took two slices of bread, cut each into 4 pieces, and placed it in the pan basting it with the sauce. The end result was a very nice and original Apple Bread Pudding. It was super simple and tasted DELICIOUS!

As I mentioned, Dutch Apple Pie has to be my favorite dessert. Its also my favorite breakfast. I love having a piece of apple pie in the morning with my coffee. I am salivating as I write this knowing that I will have a yummy breakfast tomorrow.

What is your favorite dessert? Ice Cream? Pie? Cake? Etc... Feel free to post below what your favorite dessert is.

Quick Thought: Fowl

2010-10-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

There are so many birds in the world, many of which are commonly used in food. My non-scientific guess is that Chicken followed by Turkey are the most common birds that we eat. Interesting that everyone typically has a favorite part of the bird they enjoy eating. For me it's the leg. In thinking about different birds, I don't believe I have tried goose or pheasant.

What is your favorite fowl? What is your favorite part to eat? Feel free to comment below.

Homeschooled Chef: Braised

2010-10-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Through my dining experiences, I had noticed that most restaurants have a dish where something is braised. In reading some of the books I have received and/or borrowed from the library, I finally understood what braising food means: slow cooking. I took a shot at braising last week, with fairly good results.

Braising is typically done with an inexpensive cut of meat that needs to be "softened" or made tender during the cooking process. Short-ribs are a part of the cow that require this treatment. So I picked up some short ribs, watched a quick YouTube video, and went to work. First, I put some oil in a pan and got it nice and hot. Next, I placed the ribs in the pan to sear for about 2 minutes on each side then they came out to rest. I diced up half of an onion, chopped some garlic and a shallot and put that in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. Next I placed some Red Wine into the pan and brought to a boil, next doing the same with adding some tomato paste. Once it came to a boil, I put the short ribs in, and reduced to the lowest burner setting and covered. This was left for about 3 hours though halfway through I flipped the ribs. Once the 3 hours had past, the ribs were now very tender, with the meat easily coming apart.

The one mistake I made, was that when I flipped the ribs at the halfway point, it appeared that the ribs were getting dry, and so I added more wine. Though the end result was very delicious, this extra wine was unnecessary and in my opinion added to much wine flavor.

My next attempt at braising will involve using a different recipe, one that includes chicken stock and sherry vinegar. Mmmmmm, I can't wait.

Is braising in your cooking arsenal? If so, what successes and failures have you had with it? Feel free to comment below.

Restaurant Review: 333 Pacific

2010-10-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have had the privilege to enjoy dinner at a restaurant in San Diego named Blue Point Coastal Cuisine. Thus far, we have never been disappointed. The restaurant is part of a group known as the Cohn group. About 1 1/2-2 years ago they opened a new restaurant in Oceanside, 333 Pacific. We had wanted to dine here for a while, but just never did.

Put those thoughts on hold for a moment. Every year, San Diego County has a "Restaurant Week." During this week (which turns into two weeks every time) restaurants throughout the county have a Prix Fixe menu. Prices are $20, $30 or $40 depending on the restaurant.

Back to 333 Pacific... My in-laws came to visit for the day. They wanted to enjoy a nice meal in the evening. We made a reservation and were off to 333. (Coincidentally, my mother-in-law always says she sees three 3's everywhere. What a perfect name for her.)

The Prix Fixe menu was really nice.

For an appetizer, I had the Sweet Chili Calamari tossed in spicy-sweet chili sauce. It was really good and had a nice kick to it.

My wife shared with her mom. For a starter they had the House Salad. Though that may sound boring, it was anything but. It had baby roma tomatoes, hearts of palm, sweet pecans, roasted peppers, parmesan and pomegranate vinaigrette.

My father-in law had the Clam Chowder which he enjoyed. (No picture.)

My entree selection was a 16oz Bone In Ribeye with a peppercorn demi glace and mashed potatoes. I had it cooked Medium rare and it turned out great. Father-in-law got the same thing, but ordered it Medium well. He enjoyed it also.

My wife and her mom split the Alaskan Crab Encrusted Salmon with
grilled artichokes, potato & fennel confit and a béarnaise sauce. They also added a side of King Crab leg. The crab was their favorite piece of the meal. It was cooked to perfection. It didn't need any butter, lemon etc.

For our third and final course, I ordered the Strawberry & Blueberry Sour Cream Pie. My mom-in-law and I really loved it. It was our favorite.

My wife and her mom ordered the Cinnamon Raisin Pecan Bread Pudding. My wife really liked this one. It was very tasty too, in my opinion.

Father-in-law ordered the Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake. It was definitely enjoyable. If you didn't realize it by now, everything that we had was really enjoyable. Sure I had a favorite dessert, but it was a favorite among favorites.

For the beverage portion of the meal, I decided to go with the wine pairing. All I remember is that the wine was very tasty and appropriate for each course (White for the starter, Red for the entree.) But, I was introduced to a new favorite. For the dessert pairing, I chose the Orange Muscat. WOW! It was so smooth. Not too sweet. Just perfect. It almost tasted like sweet water.

Out of 5 stars, I definitely rate this a 5. Service was great. Water glass was never less than half full. Food was delicious and cooked perfectly. We definitely enjoyed our time at 333.

Truffle

2010-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

In so many cooking shows (primarily competitions) the chefs use truffles. What are they? They are a type of fungus with a pungent taste. They grow in primarily France, Italy and Spain. Dogs and pigs are trained to search them out. As they are very rare, they have a high price tag. One white truffle weighing in at 3.3lbs sold for $330,000. Thus, this isn't an ingredient that is widely used. I do not believe I have had any dishes made with truffle before.

An interesting side note, is that Truffle Oil, is simply Olive Oil and synthetic flavors creating the "taste" of truffle, but rarely have any truffle in it.

Have you tried a dish with truffles before? Feel free to comment below.

Quick Thought: Pizza

2010-10-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

It appears that everyone has there favorite type of pizza. Some like the super paper thin crust, others like Deep-Dish. Some like chain pizza joints, while others like the independent companies. And then you have kids, who don't care where its from, as long as its pizza.

Favorite Delivery Chain: Pizza Hut
Favorite Dine-In Chain: BJ's (Their fresh tomatoes and soft cheesy crust are super yummy.)

As far as toppings go, here is my standard: Pepperoni, Mushrooms & Black Olives. I also enjoy hawaiian style on occasion.

What are your favorites when it comes to pizza? Feel free to comment below.

Quick Thought: Grilled Cheese

2010-09-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

First off, my apologies for lack of articles recently. My non-food part of my life has been very, no no, extremely busy. I will have a review of a restaurant up sometime this week.

Aren't Grilled Cheese Sandwiches the best? I like to think so. Recently I was watching a TV show that showed a really good Grilled Cheese. I've made it now several times, and will not go back to the previous way. Here is what you do:

Brush some extra virgin olive oil on one side of each bread. Next generously sprinkle on some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and place on a medium heat griddle. While this is warming, place a slice of cheese on one of the breads, and your choice of deli meat on the other (ham, turkey, chicken, etc) also place any seasonings you like (oregano, rosemary, etc.) Combine both pieces together, and take off of griddle once inner cheese is melted. Place hot sauce on it for a really delectable sandwich.

Do you have any changes to the Classic Grilled Cheese?

Quick Thought: Herbs

2010-09-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

A lot of people forget about herbs and how much they can really flavor up and beautify a dish. There are so many to choose from: Cilantro, dill, tarragon, parsley, basil, etc. After a dish is complete, you can pretty much use any herb to make it that much more enjoyable. It also helps to make a good presentation. Its a fast, easy way to flavor your food even more. Add Sweet basil to some spaghetti, or add cilantro to your homemade mexican dish. You can even make really good pesto with the herb, garlic, olive oil, s&p in the food processor.

It's so interesting too that drying an herb really changes the power of the herb. If possible, I always try to use fresh herbs, as you can use a lot without overwhelming the dish. With dried herbs, you definitely have to be careful.

What type of herbs do you usually reach for? Feel free to comment below

Pommes de terre

2010-09-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Pommes de terre, better known in English as potatoes, are used in so many dishes and in so many ways. There are so many varieties as well. One National Geographic article said that in the Andes there are over 4,000 varieties of potatoes. However, in our local grocery store, there are only a few different types. Most people use the regular 'ole Idaho potato. The problem with this potato is the amount of starch it contains that the body doesn't need (though french fries taste so good!) However, red potatoes with the skin on are very healthy for you and full of vitamins as well as the yukon gold potatoes. Both the red and the yukon you do not have to peel. Just slice or dice them, fry or bake and you have a very delicious side dish.

To make the perfect baked potato:
Just take the potato lengthwise and cut slits in it all the way across, but not down to the very bottom. It cooks evenly and cooks faster. Put some olive oil and kosher salt on it and now you can get all your seasonings throughout the whole potato instead of just on top. I like my potato with butter, bacon bits (the fairy dust of the food world), chives and pepper. I find that putting salt before baking it means that no salt is required after. Your mileage may vary.

What type of potato(es) do you use in cooking? Feel free to comment below.

Quick Thought: What Would You...

2010-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

I got to thinking this morning, what foods have I not tried that I would like to? While there are many, and I mean many foods I have not tried two came to the top of my mind: Venison and Snake. After watching Master Chef this week, I know that Venison would make a very tasty dish. As for snake, well, I would just like to say that I tried it... cooked that is; not raw.

What foods have you not tried that you would like to? Feel free to comment below.

TV Shows

2010-09-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Before starting this Blog, I was interested in cooking from watching food/cooking shows. Below are a few of them that I enjoy:

Top Chef: I started Season 2 after one of my students (when I was working at a school) recommended it to me. Though it is a reality show, its really all about the cooking. Anthony Bourdain, a frequent guest on the show, mentioned in a Q&A session that they really care about the food and the dishes. They don't keep the prettiest or nicest; they keep the person that has the best dish, many times arguing over the simplest details for hours.

MasterChef: This show just started in the US, and so far, it's not too bad. The editors definitely need to take a break on making it so dramatic. Also, when they come back from commercial, they play the last like 20 seconds of what you saw before the commercial. This is really annoying when you have a DVR. Back to the food, since it takes amateur chefs who just enjoy cooking, its really cool to see them progress. Its also neat to see what they've learned on their own, something I am trying to do.

No Reservations: Though I pick and choose the locations I watch, I do enjoy Anthony Bourdain's diction. He just knows how to phrase things. It's a gift. He tends to like most of the food he eats, which doesn't seem realistic, but sometimes he will tell the viewers later that he wont eat that again.

Man Vs. Food: Here is another show where the host, Adam, pretty much loves everything he eats. The challenges, albeit glutenous, are interesting to see. Though I wouldn't do them, I would love to be able to try some of the food from some of these places (i.e. sandwich place at Rutgers in NJ.) It gives me ideas if and when I ever visit some of these cities.

What food shows do you watch? Feel free to comment below.

Quick Thought: Oil

2010-09-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

At least a little bit of oil is needed for almost every dish. From most of the recipes that I have followed, I use canola oil when on the stovetop, or extra virgin olive oil for the BBQ. After doing some research, there are a lot of different types of oils that can be used for cooking and frying, each with their pros and cons.

What type of oil(s) do you use for cooking? Feel free to comment below

B. Long

2010-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Click Picture for Larger Image

"B. Long" was open for business last night. That's the name of our home restaurant. It's a play on words as my first initial and my last name spell Belong. As guests, we want you to feel that you belong and have a great time. Well, as I mentioned, the restaurant was open last night. My in-laws were spending the night, and so we wanted to give them a great meal. (See menu to the right.)

Click Picture for Larger Image

We served a Chilled Gazpacho, which was made the day before and then blended the day of, in a martini glass with a Parmesan Crisp. The soup, in my humble opinion, was phenomenal. It had a really good flavor and kick to it. We have now perfected the Parmesan Crisp. We had undercooked them in previous attempts. While still tasting good, they were a little soft and chewy. This time we left the Parmesan in the oven for 11 minutes and, voila, perfection.

Served alongside the soup was the Eggplant Parmesan that I mentioned on Monday. Yup, still best tasting sandwich. (FYI: They don't make for good leftovers though; must be eaten fresh.) We also tried our hand at Baking Herb Fries. They were very tasty!!! For dessert we made a Berry Parfait consisting of yogurt, banana, raspberries, strawberries and a cinnamon apple granola. So delectable.

And that is the opening night experience of B.Long. If you had a restaurant, what would you name it and why? Feel free to comment below.

Recipes

2010-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Lately, I had just been kind of doing my own thing, with no direction in the kitchen. This has led to some good things, and some failed experiments. After trying the posted recipe yesterday though, my gears have switched towards picking some recipes to follow and of course adjust to my tastes.

One of America's best chef's, Thomas Keller, has 3 different books with recipes from his restaurant. I currently have two checked out from the library. Now while a lot of them are intensely complicated, the basics are there. I can get a feel for the ingredients and techniques used. Contrast that with Sam the Cooking Guy who uses some very basic ingredients and techniques and provides you with a very tasty dish. Both Chefs have their place in the kitchen. While I would love to cook like Keller, I gotta start the basics with Sam. Those are two places I'm currently going for recipes.

How about you? Do you use recipes or do you make it up as you go? If you do use recipes, what are your sources? Feel free to comment below.

Best Sandwich Ever!

2010-08-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Click picture for Larger View

Well, at least the Best Sandwich that I've ever made. Last week I was watching Sam the Cooking Guy (love that show.) He had a show about using the BBQ to cook up some healthy dishes. I wrote down the ingredients for this particular dish and the results were amazing. The dish was Eggplant Parmesan. Now most restaurants will simply put bread the eggplant, fry and put some tomato sauce on top. This method used no frying technique at all and resulted in, like I said, the best sandwich I've ever made. To put it in perspective, my wife puts hot sauce on everything.. Got the idea? She said, "This is SOOOO good, I don't even need to put hot sauce on it." We also made Parmesan Crisps which were also very tasty.

Here are the recipes:

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 large globe eggplant - or 2 smaller ones
2 large tomatoes
2 slices mozzerella cheese
1 loaf of fresh Focaccia Bread
Fresh Parmesan cheese (that's an oxymoron, since Parmesan is aged for 2 years)
1 bunch fresh basil
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions:

Cut eggplant & tomatoes to get eight 1/4 inch slices of each
Brush eggplant with olive oil and season with salt & pepper on both sides
Grill eggplant on both sides until soft and marked with grill lines
Brush tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Grill tomatoes, but for about half the eggplant time (if the tomatoes were not peeled, the skin of the tomatoes will come off due to the heat. Definitely take it off.)
Put bread (tops and bottoms) on grill to lightly toast
Place the following on top of the bottom piece of bread: 1 slice of eggplant, 2 slices of tomato, mozzarella cheese and shave some Parmesan on top.
Place sandwich back on grill to melt the cheese.
Place about 4 basil leaves on top.
Place tops on and enjoy

Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients:

Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325
Grate about 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese.
Place about a level teaspoon on baking sheet and form into a circle.
Place in oven for 8-10 minutes

After having such a successful dish, it really inspires you to make something else that is just as good if not better.

Are you willing to try this recipe and post your comments? I would love to hear how it turns out for you.

Homeschooled Chef: Kosher Salt

2010-08-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Not until a while ago did I learn of Kosher Salt. I would always here on different shows to add Kosher Salt. I knew that something must be different, but didn't know what. Well, recently I bought a box of Kosher Salt (which will last forever!!) and began using it. Immediately you can tell the difference; it is a larger salt and because of this will not dissolve as easily but will bring out the fluids of the meat. Kosher salt also does not contain any additives like iodine, which typical table salt contains. I'm pretty sure that I'm able to tell the difference, and definitely enjoy Kosher Salt better.

When it comes to seasoning with salt, always drop it from a higher distance than just right above it. The higher distance will allow it to spread easier on the product. A small note of warning: you can easily over-salt a dish. Salt should be used to bring out the flavors, but should not be the star.

Are you an avid user of Kosher Salt? Feel free to comment below.

Homeschooled Chef: Blanching

2010-08-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

Blanching is a technique that will help give vegetables color. For example: cook your vegetables in hot water. After you get the doneness you are looking for, transfer to an ice bath. The ice will stop the cooking process, thus not allowing the vegetables to change to a funky or dark color. They will remain crisp and vibrant.

Having said that, I have not tried this technique yet. Have you had any success with it?

Homeschooled Chef: Dicing

2010-08-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

When it comes to veggies being used in a dish, most of the time they will be diced. Here are a videos that have been particularly helpful to me for dicing:

How to Dice a Potato
How to Dice a Tomato (I haven't tried this technique with the skin off. I'll be trying that in the next day or two.)
How to Dice an Avocado (Kind of a no-brainer, but I always took it out of the skin and then diced which was harder)
How to Buy, Store and Chop Shallots (I just used my first shallot the other day. Not knowing what it tasted like raw, I tried it... WOW!!! Very strong. You need to cook it to tone it down.)

Homeschooled Chef: Beginning Techniques

2010-08-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Many people go to school to learn a trade or to perfect their craft. Others simply learn on their own. They may read books, watch videos, view demonstrations and place all of that knowledge in their own repository to apply.

This is what I am going to slowly embark on. Youtube, as mentioned before, is great! There are videos on how to do just about everything. I have a Culinary Textbook that I am consulting to improve my technique. I've checked out different books by Thomas Keller. After diving headfirst into these sources, I realized that I needed to structure my "home studies." Thus, comes this new series on this BLOG. As I begin my own "home schooling" I will share the materials that I read, the tips I learn and the techniques that work for me. Would you like to join me on my culinary education journey?

Image from Youtube

To begin: The most basic skill a person needs to learn is how to use a knife. There are proper and improper techniques. Who better to learn from, than Owner/Chef/TV Host Gordon Ramsay. In Video #1 he explains how to sharpen a knife. A dull, blunt knife can cause injury. In Video #2 he demonstrates how to cut an onion. Video #3 is all about how to chop/cut herbs. And our last video for today is how to cut a bell pepper.

Video #1
Video #2
Video #3
Video #4

Again, these are simple basic techniques. The onion technique is used by all of the chefs. I didn't know this, but when I learned... WOW! It helped out tremendously! Enjoy and most of all... have fun with it.

Foodie

2010-08-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

This seemed to me to be a somewhat new term that has been applied to those that like food. In doing some research, the term was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook. I was wrong. It's been around longer than I have.

A foodie is not a person that always has to have the best French Cuisine or the most excellent Italian Fare. No. They just enjoy food, especially learning about different types of food, technique... basically anything to do with food. I consider myself to be a foodie. I watch various TV shows to learn about cooking. I read various magazines about food (typically only reading the articles I like.) I skim through books of well known chefs to get ideas. I try different dishes when going to restaurants. Why? Well, since eating food is something we do about 3 times a day, why not take it from monotonous to enjoyable. Again, for me this is a hobby. But what a fun one.

Are you a foodie?

Quick Thought: Favorite Cuisine

2010-08-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

With just about all of the cultures of the world being found here in the United States, most of us have had the opportunity to try different cuisines throughout our life without much travel. Without thinking too hard, I've tried Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Peruvian, Armenian and Irish foods. While having favorite dishes in pretty much every cuisine, I really am leaning towards Japanese as my favorite. It could be the use of sushi, it could be the healthy dishes offered, or the flavors and spices... But I would probably have to say that Japanese is my favorite.

What is your favorite cuisine? Feel free to comment below.

Tasty, Healthy or Both?

2010-08-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Image from cpk.com

Whenever you go to a restaurant, their main concern is (or at least should be) providing you with a tasty dish. Tasty doesn't always translate into healthy. Butters, salts and oils are many times used to infuse that beautiful flavor, at the cost of calories. Even when you think you're eating a healthy dish, you may not be. For example, at California Pizza Kitchen, they have a Waldorf Chicken Salad. Here is the description: "Field greens, chilled-grilled chicken breast, seedless grapes, Granny Smith apples, candied walnuts, celery and Gorgonzola cheese. Tossed with your choice of Dijon balsamic vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing." Sounds healthy right? Wrong. This salad packs in between 1485-1570 calories depending on which dressing you get. Just because it says salad, doesn't make it healthy.

When we cook at home, many times its automatically healthier because we are not drenching everything in oil or butter. But, this shouldn't mean that we neglect taste. The combination of the two, healthy food with taste, should be the goal of a chef.

What are your thoughts when it comes to eating healthy? Do you prefer tasty, healthy or both? Feel free to comment below.

Tipping

2010-08-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Image - Wikipedia

The other day I had a complete and totally random thought... where/when did tipping get started? When did it become a standard? After doing a little digging, it appears that the origin has been lost over time. It is just a social custom: when someone in a particular service job does something well, you provide them a tip. It's typically based on service, though sometimes it is added automatically on larger groups. But who was it that decided to pay something and then give extra? Who then took that to the next level by telling his future customers what the first guy did? I would like to know who he is. This is not a dig into those in the service industry that receive a living, mainly based on tips. After all, at some of the high end restaurants with a $300 price tag per person, a waiter may come out pretty well on just a 10% tip. My question is, where did this process start and why don't all countries follow this. Before we departed on our tour of Japan last year, we found out that they do not tip; restaurants, hotels, etc. What is on the bill is what you pay. Then our friend from Japan visits us and her trying to figure out how much to tip was frustrating for her. It's not the norm, but it is expected here in the US.

Again, I'm not against tipping. I don't mind going with the custom, especially when I've been shown extraordinary service. It's just an odd custom. Sometimes, we just go along with everything and don't stop to examine why we do the things we do... Oh well, maybe I can get one of my clients to "tip" me for showing great customer service, and then I can share that with future customers and have that become the norm.

Here's a tip (no pun intended, but it was bound to happen.) As the standard tip is 15-20%, in certain spots of the US, you just double the tax and round up. (Unless your in a state that has no Sales Tax, i.e. Oregon)

What are your thoughts/feelings and/or stories on tipping? Feel free to comment below.