A quick cooking video

For those of you who wonder what's actually taking place in the kitchen when I'm cooking, here's a little window into the "experience" (if we can call it that). :)

And for the record: (1) it's running at 4x speed, (2) this doesn't show the process in its entirety and there is prep for several dishes taking place, and (3) the finished product looked better than the final picture -- that was the chef's portion (read: ugliest piece)

Oh, also, the Japanese-style knives shown in the video are hand forged by me.

Tea-Leaf-Smoked Stuffed Duck Breast with Brown Tarragon Sauce

Finished duck with a foie gras risotto

 

I'll preface this narrative by saying that this is definitely NOT a cheap or easy dinner solution. It requires some specialized equipment, a lot of time, top quality products, plenty of patience, and some luck. If you're lacking any of those things, I don't suggest you try to replicate this dish. That having been said, if you do have the time, patience, and wallet for it, this dish is a terrifically yummy dinner with some wonderfully complex flavors working.

So, without further ado...

 

Ingredients	Equipment Needed
2-4 Boneless Duck Breasts	12 inch Cast Iron Grill pan
1 Handful of Pistachios, shells removed	10 inch Non-Stick Fry pan
½ Lb Andoule Sausage, casing removed, chopped	Stovetop Smoker unit
8 Black Tea Leaves, whole	Fillet knife, razor sharp
1 tsp Applewood shavings	8-10 inch Chef’s knife, razor sharp
½ C Dry White Vermouth	Oven with broiler setting
4 sprigs Tarragon, 1 whole, 3 finely chopped	2 ½ quart saucepan with lid
5 Tbs Unsalted Butter, room temperature	Food processor
Salt and Pepper, to taste	Strainer

 

Method:

 

1. Rinse and pat dry the duck breasts
2. Lay the duck skin-side down, then butterfly to create a pocket for the stuffing
3. Salt and pepper the inside of the butterflied cavity
4. In a non-stick fry pan, add  the sausage. Cook on medium-high heat until browned on all sides. Remove sausage, reserving the fat and oils for later. Allow the sausage to cool to room temperature (to ensure that the heat from it does not begin to cook the duck when you stuff it)
5. Add the pistachios into your food processor, then pulse until very finely ground. Remove and sprinkle inside the duck pocket. 
6. Add the sausage on top of the layer of pistachios. Close the pocket, then tie the duck closed (in the same way you would tie a roast, more or less)
7. Score the fat cap/skin of the duck, to prevent the skin from curling during the cooking process.
8. Inside your Stovetop smoker unit, add the tea leaves, wood chips, and about 1/4C of water. Then place the duck breasts on the smoking rack. Heat the unit on medium until smoke/vapor begins to appear. Close the top securely and smoke on medium-low for 30-40 minutes. DO NOT OPEN to inspect or you will increase cooking time and let your smoke escape!
9. Once the smoking process is done, scrap what remains on the drip pan into the pan with the sausage drippings. Add one large sprig of tarragon and allow it to infuse (no heat).
10. Pre-heat your Cast Iron grill pan for about 5 minutes on the highest heat setting you have. Do not add oil or butter. The duck fat will do most of the work for you, as duck is a very fatty/oily meat.
11. Sear the duck for about 3-4 minutes per side, basting with the accumulated juices. Meanwhile, preheat your broiler to "high" and place the cooking rack in the middle position.
12. When done searing, drain the juices from the pan and transfer it to the broiler. Keeping a watchful eye, place the pan and its contents in the oven for about 10 minutes, being careful not to let the skin burn. Ideally, you want it to crisp and become brown, but not be charred. 
13. ***Be sure that the internal temperature of the duck reaches at least 150 degrees before you serve it. Food safety is key here! (Typically poultry is served at no less than 165 degrees, but duck can be served slightly more rare than chicken, for example.)
14. Meantime, combine all the drained fats, juices, minced tarragon, and white wine in your saucepan. Bring it to a boil, while covered, then remove the cover and reduce to a proper sauce consistency. Place the result in the food processor and pulse until it is very smooth. 
15. Strain the sauce, removing any lumps or pieces. Then, off the heat, add 2-3 Tbs of butter. Whisk in the butter to thicken the sauce. Set aside to thicken. 
16. When done, remove the duck from the broiler and cut off the string. Let the meat rest 10 minutes
17. Ladle a small amount of the sauce over the duck. Garnish with fresh tarragon leaves. Serve and savor your victory!

And the final steps...(searing and then, the oven with a little butter)

 

 

 

Carrot-Cake French Toast with Maple Pecan Syrup and Fresh Fruit

I know, this one probably sounds a little odd. Okay, completely random. But trust me, it's amazing.  I would love to take full credit for its creation, but I can't. I got the idea of using cake from an article I read online, but they specified a different variety and a different method of cooking it. I happen to adore carrot cake; I asked my mom to make it every year for my birthday when I was little. Naturally, this seemed like the next logical progression.

So, here's how you make one of the more awesome breakfast/bruch dishes I've eaten...

Ingredients:

(For the cake)

Just a few basics...

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 handful raisins, simmered off in dark rum and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 cups carrots, peeled and grated



All mixed up

• 1 cup chopped pecans

(For the French Toast batter)

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Place raisins in a fry pan. Add dark rum and turn on heat to its lowest setting, being careful not to ignite the liquid. Reduce, then strain out the raisins. Set aside.
3. Mix wet and dry cake ingredients, adding raisins, in an electric mixer. Mix until well combined. Do not over mix. 
4. Grease a bread pan and pour in cake batter.
5. Bake for approximately 45-60 mins until done. If anything, err toward overcooking the cake. The French Toast batter and cooking process will rehydrate it to some degree. 
6. Remove and allow to set for 10-15 minutes before removing from the bread pan to cool. Allow to reach room temperature before slicing. 
7. Slice into 1" thick slices, similar to Texas Toast. 

8. 

   Baked and resting

   Combine French Toast batter ingredients, beat together well until combined. 
9. Preheat your pan to medium-high heat. Pan should be a non-stick variety and sprayed with Pam or other manner of non-stick spray.
10. Lightly soak each slice of cake in the French toast batter, then place gently into the pan. Cooking shouldn't take longer than 3 minutes per side, if heat is properly adjusted
11. Remove. Top with confectioners sugar, sliced strawberries, maple syrup, and crushed pecans. As much or little of each as desired. 
12. Serve

Finished baking, time to slice and cook... again...

Beef Wellington

Finished Beef Wellington

I've watched more cooking shows that star Gordon Ramsay than I care to count. Despite his profanity-laced tirades, you have to admit that he's one hell of a chef. The man holds more Michelin stars than any other chef. To that end, I've decided to do my own interpretation on one of his classic dishes -- the Beef Wellington.

No one knows why it's called "Wellington" or where the dish came from. It didn't appear in cookbooks until the 1960s, so I seriously doubt it is named after the Duke of Wellington. But I digress.

On Ramsay's show, "Hell's Kitchen," the Wellington seems to be the most regularly botched dish by his teams of chefs. Naturally, I took that as a challenge and went for it! Here's how I went about it, and what you need...

Wellington, just before slicing

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 lb of mushrooms
• Pistachios, shelled
• 1 package prosciutto
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1  package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 egg yolk, beaten
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 2 tablespoons red wine

Most recipes I've run across call for a liver pate, which is difficult to find. So, I decided to make something of a pate consistency, but with much greater depth of flavor -- not to mention it sounds more appealing than liver to most people. It wound up being a combination of pistachios and mushrooms, pulsed to the proper consistency in a food processor, then sauteed dry to remove excess moisture.

Method

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place beef in a small baking dish, and spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from pan, and allow to cool completely. Reserve pan juices.
• Saute pistachio/mushroom pate in a non-stick pan for 5 minutes. Do not add butter or oil. Remove from heat, and let cool. The idea is to help remove the moisture from the mixture while intensifying the flavors. 
• Mix together pate and 2 tablespoons softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pate over beef. Then wrap with proscuitto. 
• Roll out the puff pastry dough, and place beef in the center. Egg wash all areas which will be seams to help bond the dough together. Fold up, and seal all the edges, making sure the seams are not too thick. 
• Place beef in a 9x13 inch baking dish, score the top of the dough without cutting all the way through (using sm. paring knife), and brush with egg yolk. Sprinkle the top with a bit of rock salt, if desired.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 degrees  for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until pastry is a rich, golden brown. Set aside, and keep warm.
• Place all reserved juices in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in beef stock and red wine; boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until reduced. Strain, and serve with beef.

Curried Thai Stir Fry

I keep hearing about curry. Curry this, curry that, curry everything. Apparently Indian-style curries are becoming increasingly popular. Same goes for Thai food -- another of the "new" in things. Those of you who know me know that I'm not what you would call "trendy", but I couldn't resist... I combined Thai and Curry together as best I could and this dish was the result.

Now, when I cooked this, I used about 8 times the amount of pepper flakes listed in the recipe below. I figure that Thai food is supposed to be hot, so I took it up a notch. If you're sensitive to spices, just use the amount specified in the recipe and you'll be just fine.

The prep time is really where most of your time will be spent if you make this; a lot of chopping, dicing, etc. The actual cooking time is very short. Taste-wise, I was very happy with the outcome. I have yet to find a good presentation for stir-fry -- it's bright and colorful with a beautiful texture, but you really can't serve it in an elegant fashion.

Ingredients

Stir Fry Sauce:

Chicken simmering in my curry sauce (step 5)

• 1/2C Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 tsp Corn Starch
• 1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1/8 tsp Red Pepper flakes
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 Tbs Fresh Grated Ginger
• 1 Tbs Hoisin
• 2 Tbs Sesame Oil

Veggies, etc:

• 3 Green Onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2C Broccoli florets
• 1 Green bell pepper, diced
• 1 Red bell pepper, diced
• handful of Sweet peas (in pod)
• 2/3C carrots, halved and shaved thinly
• 1 1/2 tsp Olive Oil
• 6 oz Boneless, skinless chicken breast, roughly cubed
• 1 bunch of Watercress leaves

Method

1. Stir together the sauce ingredients; set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick wok over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then remove and set aside.
3. Add other veggies to the wok (except the watercress). Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until heated through. Then remove and set aside. 
4. Add olive oil to the wok and increase heat to high. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. 
5. Stir in the sauce. Allow it to reduce for about a minute. Then, after tossing, add veggies, onion, and garlic back into the wok. 
6. Stir fry another 2 minutes on high, tossing regularly. 
7. Turn off heat, then top with watercress and lime juice. (remove from the pan to avoid wilting the watercress, like I did)
8. Serve (on Herbed Jasmine Rice, optionally)

Served with the Herbed Jasmine Rice

Sensational Shrimp Scampi



Finished shrimp scampi

Easiest seafood dish. Ever. Seriously. And yet, this is fun to make and looks impressive if you throw in a few little tricks for pizazz...

I had been craving seafood for a couple of weeks and finally got around to deciding what to make. Prior to making this, I had never deveined or shelled a shrimp. Once I figured out how to do that, the rest was a piece of cake. I looked around for different recipes and combined some of the things I liked from each; then I did what I usually do -- wing it. The result was pretty kick-ass!  Here's how I did it:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4C dry white vermouth
• 1/4C dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp Oregano, crushed
• 1 shallot, brunoised
• 3 Tbs Brandy
• 1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon zest

Method

Step 5 - Flambe! Do ya feel lucky?!

1. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once the foaming has abated, increase heat to high and add shrimp all at once, making sure each one is in full contact with the base of the pan. Season with salt and pepper (more than you would normally use)
2. Sear for about a minute, then add the garlic, beginning to stir everything together with tongs. Cook about another minute, then start flipping the shrimp.
3. Add the vermouth and white wine, slowly. Keep the heat high and allow it to reduce for around a minute. 
4. Squeeze in lemon juice, oregano, and fine diced shallot,  then add the zest. Stir, then flip the shrimp, making sure the liquid has a chance to coat all surfaces of the shrimp. Allow to cook another minute or so.
5. (Now here's the tricky/ flashy part)   Add the brandy. As you begin to smell it boiling up and see thin, gray vapors rising from the pan, light a match and wave it quickly through the vapors, thus igniting it (flambe!!) 
6. Lightly shake the pan contents about without spilling. Continue to do this until the flames die down. 
7. Add the flat leaf parsley, then take your pan and put it under a hot broiler for 1.5-2 minutes to finish. 
8. Season again (lightly) with salt and pepper
9. Serve.

Trust me, the flambe part of this dish is pretty awesome! I don't know why, but it's just impressive looking and people tend to really like it. The brandy is a subtle flavor, if done properly, but it helps to scale back the sharpness of the lemon and vermouth into a much deeper, richer sauce. Just don't burn yourself or reduce your house to ashes trying to flambe if you're not confident you can pull it off -- just let the alcohol cook off the traditional way, if you'd rather; it only takes an extra minute or two.

I promise, making this recipe at home tastes better than the mass-produced, butter-laden dish of greasy decapod crustaceans served as "shrimp scampi" at most chain restaurants. Not to pat myself on the back or anything... 

Anti-Valentine's-Day Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

White chocolate and "dirty tuxedo" peanut butter cups

This year, I'm boycotting Valentine's Day. I'm not in the spirit. The only thing I will miss is all the chocolate, even though I'm not generally the one receiving it. So, not being one to deprive myself, I decided to make some chocolate. And not just any chocolate, but chocolate peanut butter cups. 

Beginning the tempering process

Last time I tried to make chocolate peanut butter cups, they came out like a chocolate cow turd. I didn't temper the chocolate properly and used a mold that was way too big. So, as always, I started researching the chocolate making process, endeavoring to find what I had done (or not done) wrong. As it turned out, my mistakes were pretty small, but made a huge impact on the final product.

I went to a local restaurant/bakers' supply and picked up a candy thermometer, along with a smaller mold. You see, the trick to making chocolate "snap" when broken and hold its shape is called "tempering."

Beautifully tempered chocolate

For an in-depth breakdown on what tempering is or how it's done, click here. Long story short, you slowly heat the chocolate in a double-boiler until it reaches about 110-115 degrees. You then cool it to around 95-100 degrees. Never EVER should your chocolate be heated above 130 degrees, which causes scorching and disgusting tasting mucky chocolate. Trust me, I know first hand. You'll note the thermometer in the photo above-- very necessary item.

I also picked up a piping bag, commonly used to apply frosting to cakes and such. I set one bag up with my tempered chocolate and the other with some peanut butter. Simple enough, right?

So here's how it went down:

Peanut butter added to mold

1. Temper chocolate
2. Pipe small amount of chocolate into the base of each mold
3. Allow it to set in the freezer for about 5-10 mins
4. Pipe in peanut butter, making sure it stayed relatively flat and in the center of the mold
5. Pipe chocolate on top
6. Allow it to set in the freezer for 10 minutes

The first batch came out terrific and I was feeling motivated, so I decided to make a couple of other kinds: white chocolate with semi-sweet drizzle and "dirty tuxedo." The dirty tuxedo consisted of a dark chocolate base, white chocolate top, and a butterscotch drizzle. 

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty accomplished! I mean really, how many guys do you know who actually make (not "buy" but "make") chocolate for you on Valentine's Day?! 

Answer:  None. They're not for Valentine's Day and they're not for you! They're Anti-Valentine's chocolates!  ;)

Chicken Breast with White Wine Cream Sauce and Capers

Man, I am getting really bad about updating this blog - partially due to pure, unadulterated laziness and partially because I was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading this thing. But, nonetheless, I'm back. I've been cooking up a ton of new dishes and I felt the need to share this one with you. Usually, I hate cooking chicken. Something about it just screams "bland" to me as I'm passing it by in the supermarket. Today something compelled me to overcome my prejudice and come up with something yummy.

Every so often when I'm watching Food Network or Cooking Channel, I see a recipe which includes capers. I had a vague idea of what capers were, but I had never used them. Apparently, they're used regularly in Southern Italian and Greek cuisine. Capers, as we know them, are actually the buds of the "Capparis spinosa" plant (or "caper bush"). They're often pickled and tend to taste rather salty and tangy. I figured I'd head on down to Trader Joe's and pick some up to see for myself.

After systematically scouring the entire store, isle by isle, I finally found my capers. Next to nuts and legumes. What kind of sense does that make?! But I digress...

Next, I had to think of a good way to incorporate these lovely little buds into a dish. As I was pondering, I thought of a dish I'd enjoyed a while back in a French Continental restaurant near Old Fair Oaks -- a marinated chicken breast with a gorgeous white wine sauce. Having never made a white wine sauce, I decided to give that a shot as well and throw some capers into it for good measure. I've seen a lot of watery-looking white wine sauces/reductions, so I decided to toss in some heavy cream toward the end to thicken it up and lighten the color. Here's that I came up with...

Floured up and ready to go!

Ingredients

• Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used free-range organic)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, enough to cover the base of your saute pan 1/4" thick
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 tablespoons capers, drained
• Several large sprigs of rosemary

Method

• Combine flour, salt and pepper on a medium sized plate. Coat all sides of each chicken breast, then shake off excess.

Sizzling away...

** Optional:  You could, if so inclined, marinate the chicken overnight in something which would compliment the sauce's flavor profile. I'd recommend making it this way to start off, then branch out once you've tasted it. 

• Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken and brown 4-5 minutes per side. Then remove, place on sheet tray, and add to 300 degree oven. Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. (Food safety first here, people!)    Meanwhile...
• Add white wine (slowly!) into the hot saute pan to deglaze (pulls up those little, brown flavorful bits). Add lemon juice and one whole sprig of rosemary into the liquid. Increase to high heat, then allow to reduce by about half. 

Reducing...

• Add the butter, stirring until fully incorporated (to avoid it separating). 
• Reduce heat to medium, then add capers, continuing to stir quite regularly. After about 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low/simmer and add cream. Remove the rosemary sprig and discard. 
• Stir often, allowing mixture to reduce until desired consistency is reached. Allow sauce to cool for about 3-5 minutes. 
• Plate the chicken, then spoon sauce over the breast. Garnish with small rosemary sprig and lemon zest.
• Serve and devour.

Hope you enjoy! It's actually a lot simpler to make than it sounds. Trust me on this one, it's worth it.