Guy's Gourmet

Grandma Lou's Christmas Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:44:00 +0000

A family tradition for over 50 years... every Christmas I wonder why we don't make it throughout the year.

Ingredients:

20 slices of bread - crust removed (a buttermilk or hawaiian bread work best)
10 slices of ham (think slices)
10 slices of medium or sharp cheddar cheese

Milk & Egg Mixture:
8 eggs
1 pint milk
1 pink half & half
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp worchester sauce

Directions:
Place 10 slices of bread in greased 9x13 casserole pan. Top each with one slice ham and one slice cheese. Cover again with bread. Pour milk & egg mixture over bread. Refrigerate overnight then back 50 minutes at 375. Serves 8.

Cardiff Crack - YUM!

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Just had a BBQ at the house and cooking up some amazingly delicious Cardiff Crack from Seaside Market (www.seasidemarket.com).

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

1 full tri-tip from your local butcher or supermarket
2 cups red wine (I like to use zinfindel - can be open for a couple of days)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBSP honey
3 cloves garlic - Minced
1 TBSP of ground black pepper (yes that is 1 TBSP not 1 tsp)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a gallon zip-lock bag and marinate overnight (a couple hours will also do if needed).

Grill over medium to low heat on the grill, slice and enjoy!

Baby Rees - Mac & Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sun, 02 May 2010 15:16:00 +0000

This is a ridiculously good Mac & Cheese Recipe from our friend Molly.

Creamy White Bean & Chorizo Soup

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:35:00 +0000

In anticipation of the rain a Sunday soup is definitely in order... Here's my adjustment on my previous and more traditional white bean soup recipe.

Ingredients:

3 cans white beans
2 TBSP Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves - Chopped
1 Spring fresh rosemary
1 Bay leaf
1 Large Onion - Chopped
1 Large Carrot - Chopped
2 Celery Stalks - Chopped
3 tsp fresh Thyme - Chopped
4 cups Chicken Stock
1 lb fresh chorizo sausage (casing removed)
1/4 cup whipping cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop all veggies - put 2 TBSP of the Olive oil in a large pot and add carrots, celery, onions and garlic - cook until softens (about 8-10 min) - add spices (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf) saute another 3 minutes. Add rest of ingredients, except the chorizo and cream, bring to a boil - reduce to medium and let simmer for 25 minutes to let the flavors blend. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to cool.

While soup is cooling, remove casing from chorizo and cook in a heavy skillet until browned. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. (you'll need 5-6 paper towels).

Using a slotted spoon remove 1-1/2 cups of the bean mixture from the soup. Working in batches, puree the remaining soup in a blender or food processor (this is why you let it cool for 1o min or more).

Return the puree to the pot. Stir in remaining bean mixture you removed, chorizo and cream. Season with salt and pepper simmer over low heat (5 minutes) - serve with Croutons or a light garnish of flat leaf parsely.

Enjoy!

Guy's Gourmet Meet Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Seeing if my new twitterfeed works...

you can now follow Guysgourmet on Twitter.

www.twitter.com/guysgourmet

Cheers,

Joe Curtis

BBQ Beans

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I just had these over at a friends house and they were a perfect compliment to the BBQ Chicken and Ribs we had. They are a family recipe so here are Grandma Gage's BBQ Beans:

Ingredients:

2- 15 oz Cans Ranch Style Bakes Beans
1- 15 oz can of Pinto Beans
2 lbs ground turkey
1 medium onion diced
1 bottle of BBQ sauce (for some reason I'm partial to Bullseye)
2 tsp liquid smoke (this is a key ingredient - don't leave it out - click here for an explanation of what it is)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you're daring)

Directions:
Saute onion and brown turkey in the pot that you'll cook the beans in. Drain excess fat then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or as long as 2-1/2 hours.

Enjoy!

Thanks Kari

Chairman's Circle Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Here is the recipe for the Noodle Appetizer dish made for the Chairman's Circle Dinner at Nicki's house. I divided the noodles into small Chinese take-out containers to serve.

Serves 8 as a side:

Ingredients:

3 packets of Ramen Noodles (throw away the flavor packet)
1/2 cup chopped or slivered - toasted almonds
1/2 cup scallions chopped
3/4 cup shredded carrots
2 cups Napa Cabbage chopped
2 TBSP Sesame Seeds (I prefer the black ones)
1/4 cup Rice wine vinegar
3 TBSP Olive Oil - good stuff
1 TBSP soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook the Ramen noodles in a pot of unsalted boiling water for 3 minutes (this goes fast) then empty into a strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the noodles from continuing to cook (too much cooking makes the noodles mushy). In a large bowl mix the rest of the dry ingredients (Almonds, Carrots, Cabbage, Sesame Seeds) with the noodles. In a separate bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce then pour over the noodles and toss together until evenly coated. Salt and Pepper to taste and Enjoy!!!

Thanks to Marc A. for help with the prep!

Bon Appetit!

Stock - Vegetable Stock or Veggie Broth

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:05:00 +0000

I have no idea why I haven't been doing this for years but just recently my cousin Eli turned me on to making veggie stock. Historically I've taken making chicken stock very seriously and for some reason never took veggie stock that seriously. My mistake. It's flavorful and amazing and ridiculously easy to make with clippings and trimmings from most things that you throw away.

OK here's the really complex recipe: Vegetable Remnants + Water = Delicious Stock

Here are the core components of my stock:
Celery, Carrots, Onions (I always keep these three in my kitchen so I can supplement whatever else I've gathered for my stock - the French call this trio a Mirepoix)

Trimmings from vegetables (potato peels, carrot peels, celery ends, onion ends, eggplant skin, the stems of parsley, basil, any other herb I'm cooking with, rutabaga skins, asparagus ends, the list can go on and on and on....)

I try to stay away from tomatoes and peppers - anything with acid or spice since we're making a stock and not a soup.

Directions:
Fill a large pot with water - add vegetable trimmings and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer an hour or more. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl or pitcher so it can cool.

It will last about a week in your fridge or a couple of months if you freeze it. Small Freezer ziplocks are good for this. Most stocks you buy at the store have a lot of salt added to them, I don't salt my stocks so take that into consideration when using it in some of the following ways...

Soups - duh
Use for making rice instead of water - adds amazing flavor
On the go stove top sauces
Add to potatoes instead of cream for a lighter mashed potatoes
Use for making a vegetarian risotto

Enjoy!

Potato Salad

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:21:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite things to make for a summer BBQ. And I love potatoes. This post is especially for John P.

Joe's Potato Salad:

3 pounds Yukon gold or yellow potatoes - cut into 1/2" cubes (You can leave skins on or off)
1 medium red onion diced
3 stalks celery chopped
6 boiled eggs chopped
2 TBSP stone ground mustard (or Dijon if you prefer)
1/2 cup light mayo
1 TBSP white wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional ingredients I sometimes add (not all of them at once):

Celery Salt
Chopped Parsley
Herbs de Provence
Chopped Bacon (my favorite addition)

Directions:
Boil both Eggs and Potatoes (can be done well in advance or the day before so they have time to cool - I sometimes do them in the same pot to save dishes).

In a large bowl place the potatoes and add stir in the rest of the ingredients. Place in the fridge to cool.

Enjoy.

Grandma Min’s Two-Tone Cheese Cake

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:25:00 +0000

I can't believe it's actually taken me this long to post my Grandma's famous cheese cake. This cheese cake define dessert growing up. Make it and enjoy...Grandma Min’s Two-Tone Cheese

Cake Crust:
1 1/2 c graham crackers (l cello package)
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons butter melted

Crush the graham crackers in a zip lock bag with a rolling pin. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and blend well using your fingers. Butter a 9 or 10 inch loose bottom pan (spring load type) on the bottom and sides up to l inch of the top. Cover the sides of the pan and the bottom with the mixture. Press down with your fingers until the crust is smooth and compact. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.

First part filling: Preheat oven to 375º
2- 8 oz. Packages Philadelphia cream cheese at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
3 med. or 2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar and cream cheese until smooth, and then add eggs. Beat until smooth about 2-3 minutes. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 minutes. Raise oven temp. to 475º. Prepare second part of filling.

Second part of filling:
1 pint sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

With a spoon, mix ingredients only until blended. Pour over cooled lst part of cake. Spread slowly and as gently as possible one tablespoon at a time. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes. Let stand at room temp. about 4 hrs. Then refrigerate over night or about 12 hrs. Cover with wax paper before you put it in the refrigerator.

Special remarks: Remove all ingredients from refrigerator an hour before preparation. The cream cheese blends more easily this way. If you forgot to do this, you can nuke the cream cheese for about 10 –12 seconds to warm it up. DO NOT OVER DO THIS.

Epic in every sense of the word...

Herb Crusted Pork Roast with Fig Compote

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Here is a recipe my mom put together that turned out quite nicely... Fresh figs are amazing!

Herb Crusted Pork Roast with Fig Compote

Combine the ingredients below and marinate the pork for at least 6 hours or over night. Bring to room temperature before roasting:

6 large garlic cloves mashed
1 TBSP chopped rosemary
1 TBSP chopped thyme
1 TBSP Whole grain mustard
1/3 Cup olive oil
1-1/2 lb pork loin roast (I used boneless country style spare ribs which are more moist which my dad really prefers) I cooked them until the thickest part was 170º

In a small pan combine:

1/4 cup honey
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 in. piece of ginger cut into very thin slices
pinch of allspice
2 tsp black peppercorns cracked
8 dried figs left whole

Simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let absorb the flavors for 10 min.

Preheat oven to 400º

Scrape off the marinade from the roast and set aside. Season pork with salt and pepper. In a skillet brown the pork over moderately high heat until brown all over. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for about 20 min. Until meat therm. Registers 145º. Add the reserved herbs and garlic cook until garlic is golden brown

Add

1/4 cup crasins
1/2 cup red wine (I love Zinfandel's for reductions like this)
3/4 cup chicken broth.

Boil until reduced by 1/2. Add the fig mixture reduce again until it is about 1/2 c. Season with salt and pepper serve pork with fig compote.

This goes well with a nice zinfandel like the 2005 Lytton Springs Zin from Ridge.

Zichichi Winery

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:25:00 +0000

I just got back from Sonoma and a little wine tasting trip with a friend (thanks Caroline). We hit several wineries:

Harvest Moon
Lynmar - makes one of my favorite Pinot's
Hook & Ladder
Lambert Bridge
Papapietro Perry - another amazing Pinot
Zichichi Family Winery
Twomey - in the old Roe Sham Bo - space on West Side Road - go there and say hi to Nick Miller (great and knowledgable behind the bar)

From a wine perspective the standouts were definitely Lynmar and Papapietro Perry along with great hospitality given by Nick Miller at Twomey, but there was a very cool vibe at Zichichi and a neat business model that not many other small wineries offer. They make only a few wines - a Zin and a Napa Valley Cab were poured in the tasting room, but part of the tasting included sample of their 2008 (still in the barrel) Cab, Zin and Petit Sirah. I really enjoyed all three in the barrel (if you like it in the barrel you'll love it in the bottle). They offered there wine in futures and I'll be taking delivery of their 2008 Napa Cab which was already showing nicely in the barrel. The cool part was it was a standard part of the wine tasting experience. Great job Zichichi - a nice showing of decent wines combined with a fun tasting experience.

Cheers

Spring on the Grill - Marinated Carne Asada with Spring Slaw

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:41:00 +0000

Here's a quick on the grill afternoon BBQ idea with a quick salad

2 lbs Carne Asada - or Strips of Flank Steak

Marinade with:

2 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 cloves of diced Garlic
Juice of 1 lime

Marinade for 3-4 hours (overnight is always better but sometimes I don't plan that far in advance). Grill on BBQ - Carne Asada cooks quickly so don't leave it unattended too long. I Start the salad below (chop almost everything) then put the meat on, then finish mixing the salad... by the time I'm done mixing the salad the meat is about ready... quick and easy.

Jeri's Salad:

1 Napa Cabbage chopped
2 Carrots shredded
1 bulb Fennel chopped
1/2 bunch Scallions Chopped (white and green parts)
Lime Juice (of one lime)
2 TBSP Olive oil (use your nice stuff)
3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar1 diced tomato - you can use a can but fresh is so nice

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl toss and serve as a side with the Carne Asada. This is a spin on slaw - no mayonnaise and the fennel adds a very cool crisp addition to the salad.

This is a very quick and fun meal to make for friends.

Enjoy!

Spice Check

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:28:00 +0000

I thought I'd rifle through my kitchen to see what spices I'll be buying more of and which are the perennial sitters that never get used. Here's a basic list of what every guy needs in their kitchen (obviously not meant to be an exhaustive list) - would love here what you think is missing:

Chili Powder - every guy needs to make chili - click here for my recipe
Cumin (ground) - awesome on potatoes, in chili, etc...
Dried Thyme, Parsley, Basil, Oregano - classic for tomato sauces and soups (I omitted dried rosemary because I can't stand it - Rosemary is such a hearty plant, it's almost impossible to kill, will grow practically anywhere and there is no replacement for fresh rosemary - buy a plant stick it in your backyard on your window sill or in your light-well)
Dill Weed - amazing in Tuna and on light fish dishes
Ground Cinnamon - baking in chili or sprinkle some over your coffee grounds before you brew a pot
Ground Mustard - great in some marinades and salad dressings
Nutmeg - I like the little nutmeg you and grind yourself and comes in a spice sized container - perfect in any casserole dish, egg dishes and of course on egg-nog
Crushed Red Pepper and Cayenne Pepper - you have to spice somethings up!
Paprika - for rice and stews
Bay Leaves - for seasoning sauces and soups
Curry Powder - you can make yourself or buy - this needs no explanation!

My perennial sitters are: Probably because I'm just not that creative - but will look to ways to use these in future posts.

Tarragon
Turmeric
All Spice
Cloves
Ground Coriander Seeds (used this recently in a Squash Gratin that was epic)
Dried Rosemary - as stated above

Braised Short Ribs - 5 ingredients

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Here is an amazingly delicious yet simple recipe for short ribs... I'd serve this over Polenta, Celery Root Puree (located on this post) or Mashed Potatoes. This will serve 4-5, double recipe to serve 8-10.

Braised Short Ribs
1 bottle red wine (I recommend Zinfandel)
4 lbs beef short ribs
8-10 Shallots - trimmed and quartered

5 Tomatoes (heirloom if in season, otherwise beefsteak or plum work well) - quartered

4 TSBP Stone Ground Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a pot, reduce wine down to about 1 cup. While wine is reducing trim the ribs of their fat and season with salt and pepper, they should all be in 1 rib pieces.

In a large pot (4-6 qt) brown the short ribs in batches on high heat until well browned on all side (approx 8 minutes a batch) - use a little canola oil if needed but often times due to the fat in the ribs you won't need the extra oil. Transfer all ribs into a bowl or cookie sheet - you'll be adding these back into the pot in a bit.

Reduce heat to Medium and brown the shallots in the pot with oil/fat that remains, remove and set aside.

Put ribs back in the pot and stir in wine, mustard and simmer covered for an hour and a half. Once simmered for an hour and a half, add the shallots and tomatoes and continue to simmer covered until the meat is VERY tender and falling off the bone (another 45 minute to an hour).

Transfer the ribs, shallots and tomatoes to a serving platter and skim fat of the sauce in the pot.

Salt an pepper the remaining sauce and pour over ribs once platted.

Bon Appetit!

Shepherds Pie - GREAT for Leftover Mashed Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:25:00 +0000

I guess you'd technically calls this cottage pie since it's not made with ground lamb but with ground beef. None the less, it's a great use for left over mashed potatoes from your thanksgiving feast. Double if necessary, depending on how much left over mashed potatoes you have

Joe's Shepherds Pie:

1 lbs ground beef (lean)
2 celery stalks - diced
2 carrots - cut in half and sliced
1-1/2 TBSP flour
3/4 cup stock (beef, chicken, or turkey that you made on thanksgiving)
Green beans (either a 1/2 can, 4 oz fresh chopped, or some leftover green bean cassarole from thanksgiving)
1 onion diced (I used yellow)
1 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp Thyme (or fresh if you have it)
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste:
2 - 3 cups Left over Mashed Potatoes (if you don't have them, check out the 2nd date post and copy the Celery Root Puree Recipe, just using potatoes) - OR you can watch Snoop make them with Martha on this video

Directions:

brown both ground beef (drain of fat) and saute onions (you can feasibly do this in the same pan, however I do them in different pans. When done sprinkle flour over the onion beef mixture in the pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add stock. This should thinken and essentially make a gravy - you can add either more stock or more flour if needed. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the potatoes) and let simmer in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Once everything is cooked (veggies fairly soft) then pour into a baking dish (I used a 9x11 dish - approx 2qt). Cover with the mashed potatoes then cover the whole dish in foil. You can refridgerate and rehead later or pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. A little longer if you just pulled it out of the fridge.

Enjoy... I love the Irish!

If you're really a food historian here's a link to the history from Food Timeline.com

Potato Leek Soup with Chives and Truffle Oil

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Just made this delicious potato leek soup and served it side by side with a traditional mushroom risotto. The truffle oil in the soup tied this dish together with the mushroom risotto.

Potato Leek Soup (or Vichyssoise) - serves 6

2 lbs potatoes (yukon gold or russett)
4 leeks chopped, white part only
2 TBSP butter
5 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup cream
Fresh Chives for garnish (snipped)
Truffle oil for garnish (1 TBSP or so divided)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and boil until tender (fork easily slides in and out). Saute the leeks in butter for 5-7 minutes but do not let carmelize, then add stock and potatoes. Bring to boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes. At this point the cooking of your soup is done and you can do this before hand if you're adding lots of other dishes. To finish the soup - puree in a blender, food processor or with a hand mixer. You can add stock to bring it to the consistency you like. Put all back in the pot and had cream and salt and pepper to get the flavor you want. Put in serving bowls and finish each with snipped chives and a drizzle of truffle oil. Serve with sliced sourdough toasted.

Enjoy!

Medlock Ames

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:42:00 +0000

After just attending the Slow Food Taste event in Fort Mason in San Francisco a couple weeks ago. I stumbled across an old favorite wine; Medlock Ames and had the fortunate opportunity to saddle up to the tasting bar and have 5 tastes poured by none other than Ames Morrison, the winemaker for Medlock Ames. Great guy and former Peace Corps Volunteer that takes both his farming and winemaking seriously. After the Slow Food Event (if you don't know about slow food you should seriously check it out, I'm a big supporter www.slowfood.com and the event http://slowfoodnation.org/ - both are great sources of information about how to support local growers and build community around food)

Back to the wine; Medlock Ames is a sustainably farmed and orgainic winery (however not biodynamic which is a little on the weird side if you ask me). I'm a huge fan of his Bell Mountain Red which is typically about half and half merlot and cabernet sauvignon. I've been drinking it for the past 4 years or so and have loved every vintage.

Best place to find it is at www.medlockames.com

Enjoy!

Press Club Finally OPEN!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:34:00 +0000

The Press Club is finally open!!! I've very excited and Andy and Jan have put together a knock out space and line up of wineries to get a real wine country tasting experience in San Francisco.

Click HERE to see the opening announcement.

Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:14:00 +0000

An easy and delicious side for Chicken, BBQ, Roasts etc...

Kelly this is for you.

Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes:

2 lbs of yukon gold potatoes cubed into 1/2" cubes
2 springs of rosemary chopped
1 Red Onion coarsely chopped
4 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss all the ingredients in a bowl so that the potatoes are well coated with oil - add more if needed. Place potatoes on a rimmed cookie sheet or baking dish and place in oven for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to turn potatoes after 10 minutes. After 20 minutes check potatoes if almost done then switch oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes to get the potatoes golden brown.

Enjoy!

Croutons - that's right CROUTONS!

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:49:00 +0000

I've found a few things recently to be true about croutons.

I detest the croutons bought at the store that come in a box
Homemade croutons are delicious
For some reason people are incredibly impressed when you make your own

I'm not exactly sure why it's so impressive but the last 3 or 4 times I've had company over they've specifically remarked about the croutons. Since making croutons is little more than toasting cubed bread (normally from a loaf of sourdough you wouldn't finish anyway), I find it an oddity.

However there is no denying that I love them (when I don't burn them).

Here are my favorite croutons and a salad to go with them.

Ingredients

Cubed sourdough - 1/2 inch cubes (enough to toss with your salad, I typically make 2 cups for 4 people)
1 TBSP fresh chopped rosemary
2-4 TBSP olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a mixing bowl toss all of the ingredients together to make sure the oil is evenly distributed. Pour onto a rimmed cookie sheet and stick in the oven on broil for 2-3 minutes then turn them and broil another 2-3 minutes. NOTE: I have a horrible time forgetting about them in the oven and then I burn them, so I now take 5-6 minutes and just stare at them until they're done.

Toss this with:

Arugula lettuce or a spring mix
Chopped Kalamata olives
crumble goat cheese or feta
thinly sliced red onion
Champagne vinaigrette

BBQ Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:13:00 +0000

This is a great way to make pizza this summer using your BBQ! It goes quickly and is a blast to make these thin crust pizzas

Ingredients:

Crust - this will make 4- 10" pizza crusts

3-1/4 cups flour
1 TBSP Sugar
1 TBSP kosher salt
2 Cups water water1 package dry yeast
2 TBSP Olive Oil

**Or you can buy dough at Trader Joe's or from your local Pizza Joint

Directions:
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. In a separate prep bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast and let stand until bubble (yeast is activated - 3-4 minutes) then add the olive oil to the mixture. Add the yeast mixture to the flour in the large bowl and stir in until it forms a ball, then knead on a floured board until springy and all the flour is absorbed. Put in a oiled bowl and cover to let rise for 2 hours (until approximately doubled).

Once risen, cut into four balls and let rise again (optional), then roll out the dough as thin as you can. Once the dough is rolled out, brush one side with oil and put the oiled side down on your BBQ cover and let cook until browned (5-7 minutes, bubbles will form on the top). Flip the dough over and you will add any topping you desire (suggestions below) onto the pizza. Cover again and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Remove slice it up and serve.

Toppings

Idea 1 - Ragin' Rooster

BBQ Sauce (I like bullseye for this one)
Sauteed mushrooms
Grilled chopped Chicken
Sauteed Onions
Scallions

Idea 2 - Classic Italiano

Tomato Sauce
Sliced or Shredded Mozzarella
Fresh Basil
Olive Oil

Idea 3 - Summery slice

Ricotta cheese with lemon zest
Scallions
Prosciutto

Ode to Onions

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:31:00 +0000

I thought I'd pay tribute to one of my favorite ingredients by starting with the first two verses of a poem by Willam Matthews...

Onions
by William Matthews

How easily happiness begins by
dicing onions. A lump of sweet butter
slithers and swirls across the floor
of the sauté pan, especially if its
errant path crosses a tiny slick
of olive oil. Then a tumble of onions.

This could mean soup or risotto
or chutney (from the Sanskrit
chatni, to lick). Slowly the onions
go limp and then nacreous
and
then what cookbooks call clear,
though if they were eyes you could see
clearly…

William Matthews, “Onions” from Selected Poems and
Translations, 1969-1991.

There are thousands of types of those little bulbous roots called onions that find their way in to a multitude of gustatory vehicles pearl onions, gracing martini glasses in Gimlets to the France’s national soup (soupe à l'ognion gratinée) to the ubiquitous shallot. Onions are a staple to stocks, soups, and are found in dishes in almost every place I’ve ever been. They can be sweet and delicious when caramelized or pungent strong when eaten raw. They are what help make a In-N-Out burger “animal style”, and the best breakfast potatoes always have onions sauté in them.

Onions have to be one of my favorite veggies and certainly a staple of any Guy’s Gourmet kitchen basics.

Here’s a history of onions from the National Onion Association (yes one actually exists)

The four major types of onions you’ll find at the grocery store (although onion lovers will obviously send me hate mail due to being general and limiting it to four):

Red Onions: The onion of choice for slicing, putting on hamburger at a picnic. Great color, strong flavor, makes you cry like a baby when cutting them. Also great for caramelizing

Yellow Onions: A bastion in soups and stocks – great for caramelizing as well. I buy these by the bag at the store (since at the farmers market there are other fun onions you can find to play with).

White Onions: I’ve used these the least since these little albinos don’t do much for presentation and I’ve never noticed any huge difference between them and yellow onions

Green Onions: (or also know as Scallions): I slices these white and green parts and throw them into salads or on a BBQ pizza.

Tips for shopping for Onions: They should be firm, if soft that means that
Shelf live is really maximum 2 weeks (that may be stretching it. If you do by a bag of onions, make sure you’re using them in a timely fashion (nothing worse than a nasty rancid onion)

Here's a cool video to show you HOW to chop an onion

Butternut Squash Soup - Vegetarian

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Butternut Squash Soup - Made day of 30 minutes - very similar to the preparation for my mushroom soup.

Makes 6 servings:

1 butternut squash peeled cubed
1 yellow onion chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
2 TBSP unsalted butter
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
6 oz Crème fraiche

Directions:
In a pot that will hold the soup, melt the butter and sauté the onion and squash over medium high heat until the onion is translucent (3-4 minutes). Add stock and squash and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until squash is cooked (about 20 minutes). Transfer squash to blender and puree adding liquid from the pot as needed. Return to pot and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Cover and keep on low heat until ready to serve. Serve in bowls with a dollop of crème fraiche garnished with chopped chives if available (optional)

Press Club SF

noreply@blogger.com (The Guy's Gourmet) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:30:00 +0000

Here's is a little local spot that I'm extremely excited to see open. The Press Club SF (http://www.pressclubsf.com/) is an urban wine tasting experience located on Yerba Buena Lane in SF started by a couple friends of mine.

They've partnered with several wineries, one of note is Hanna Winery which I recently visited in the Alexander Valley. Hanna also has a tasting room in the Russian River appellation and they have very tasty Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

I'm excited about this new venture and encourage you urban sophisticates and hicks to give this place a try...

They'll be officially opening their doors at the end of April.