Monthly Archives: December 2009

Cucina Fresca Gluten Free Penne + Smoked Tomato Sauce + adding a few more things = Awesome

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Chef Glaberson sent me a package on Christmas Eve that had some sauces and his new gluten free penne.  On Christmas I cooked his Puttanesca sauce with the pasta and it was a hit.   Today, I’m at home so I decided to step out of the box a little… The thing with Cucina Fresca’s products is that you don’t have to add anything additional for them to taste great. I’m an a mad man so I add things, it’s what I do.

Thanks again Chef Glaberson for the pasta and for being a kick ass Chef.

Ingredients:

  • Cucina Fresca Gluten Free Penne Pasta
  • Cucina Fresca Smoked Tomato Sauce
  • 1/4 pound clam meat
  • 1 tbsp. anchovy paste
  • 2 tbsp. lobster base
  • 1/2 lb. shrimp, deveined and cleaned
  • Basil, chiffonade
  • Lime zest
  • Butter….always butter
  • Alderwood smoked salt

Procedure:

  1. Heat up sauce then toss in the anchovy paste and lobster base and lightly stir
  2. Add the clam meat and shrimp…….lightly stir
  3. Toss in the tomatoes
  4. Cook the pasta al dente in salty boiling water…..it only takes a couple minutes
  5. Strain pasta then pour pasta into sauce and add butter…….the butter will pull the sauce tight once you plate it up.
  6. Add a little alderwood smoked salt, tt
  7. Mix basil and lime zest together then pour pasta on plate, do that crazy circle thing around the plate, place basil/lime zest on top as garnish.
  8. Enjoy

Eric

Flaming Balsamic Fruit “Cobbler”

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Here was the challenge…

No dairy, soy, peanuts, gluten, corn, eggs, coconut, sucrose, bananas or pineapple.  It’s a friend of mine and her kid has these allergies so it was my job to create something exciting……  The flaming part is completely optional but it gives the dessert an extra layer of awesomeness……If I was allergic to all those things I would definitely want awesome.

Ingredients:

  • Balsamic vinegar……….1 cup reduced by 75%……..1/4 cup total…..Oh crap, I was told there would be no math!
  • Apples
  • Strawberry or two
  • Blueberries
  • Oranges
  • Agave Nectar about 1 tbsp. ….natural sweetener
  • Brandy….optional

Procedure

  1. After you have reduced the balsamic then mix it with the fruit
  2. Place contents into a ramekin and bake in oven at 250F for about 35-45 minutes
  3. You can cool it down and serve it cold or you can serve it warm…it’s up to you
  4. Here is the optional part….on top of the cobbler pour about 1-2 tbsp. brandy then lit it on fire!!!!!!!!

VIDEO!!!!!!

Cookbook- Rover’s: Recipes from Seattle’s Chef in the Hat

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Chef Rautureau is probably the nicest guy in the world. My wife met him at a food event that I couldn’t attend and that’s what she told me…..”he’s so nice!”.  Chef Rautureau’s restaurant, Rover’s, is a Seattle staple.  I intend to make my way over there with the book and have him autograph it for me…..he offered (told you he was nice)!

(Diver Sea Scallop with Foie Gras on top!!)

If you live in Seattle or come visit then you can also hear Chef Rautureau with Tom Douglas on their weekly radio show.  It’s cool to hear two Chefs at the top of their game talking about food, events, and just laugh at random things that pop up.  The other day they were talking about rap music and neither of them had any idea what they were talking about….it was hilarious.  If you haven’t seen Chef Rautureau then you will soon……the rumor around town is that he is going to be on the next season of Top Chef Masters. I’m so excited to see it and I can’t wait for him to kick some butt and show everyone that Seattle has the best restaurants out there.

The reason I like this book is because there are tons of local ingredients that Chef Rautureau uses and his listing of purveyors on the back has lots of places that I shop at, which is awesome (WORLD SPICE!!!).  The recipes in the book….amazing!

Eric

Cookbook- Eric Ripert: On The Line

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This by far has been my favorite book that I have purchased. It completely breaks down Le Bernardin and shows everything from the start of the day to the end of the night.  The fish delivery, the creative process behind creating a new dish, the sauce making, the costs, the staff, responsibilities of each person, and of course the recipes from Le Bernardin.

I’m a huge fan of Eric Ripert. He takes extremely high quality ingredients then just lets them do the talking.  It’s a very cool thing to see……great food doesn’t need much.   My favorite part of the book is when Maguy Le Coze (the saucier) takes about his sauces. He makes over 20 of them from scratch everyday before noon……amazing!  He also goes into the breakdown of how many ingredients he uses in a day.

10 pounds  shallots
5 pounds garlic
10 pounds ginger
30 pounds butter
240 sauces made per week!!!

This book is great. I’ve read it over and over since I purchased it.  It’s getting me ready for the day that I get to work on the line.

Eric

Planning…………

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(Bob is learning how to use my camera……..not too shabby…..Bob liked the coquito…he washed the container, gave it back to me and said, “make more”…….he’ll have to wait until next Christmas……Bonnie and Bob both liked the 5’10″ eggs with pickled cucumber and saffron buerre blanc …notice the clean plate…..my neighbors/guinea pigs!  I was drawing up my version of a Baked Alaska…it’s going to be great!)

Don’t do it Eric….don’t rant!

Sweet, just deleted about 3 paragraphs.

Anyway, 2010 is going to be awesome.  I’m planning on it!

Eric

5’10″ Eggs with Saffron Buerre Blanc and Pickled Cucumber

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This looks very sloppy but the flavor is all there. I intend to tighten the sauce up and serve it with some sort of toasted bread. Also, I’m going to pickle the egg as well.  The whole thing is brought together by the buerre blanc which gives it a luxurious buttery goodness with a small hint of saffron…..nice!

David Chang is a f’ing genius…..

Ingredients:

  • Two eggs cooked for 5 minutes and ten seconds
  • Cucumbers, quick pickled…………..buy the MOMOFUKU cookbook……….now!
  • Saffron Buerre Blanc (click here for ingredients)

Procedure:

  1. Put them all together on a plate……….take a picture…….look at picture….realize how crappy it looks…..try it again some other time!

Eric

Cookbook- Au Pied De Cochon

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I’ve heard Anthony Bourdain talk about Martin Picard like some sort of God of pork. I’ve read about other Chefs like David Chang say great things as well. I thought to myself, “self, you need to track down some more information about Martin Picard and start figuring out how to make some awesome pork”.

I bought this book with a gift card from Mindy’s parents (the other was the Fat Duck Cookbook…awesome) to keep the string of awesome things I have received this year for birthday/Christmas time (food processor, cookbooks, sausage making kit, spices…..etc).  A.D.D. just stepped in…..sorry, I’ll get back on track.

I read through the book and the first picture is of Chef Picard inside of a walk in refrigerator with boxing gloves on punching a pig with his friends sitting down and watching in amusement.   That’s a pretty epic picture and I would love to go back in time and make that my Christmas card for every year….ever….always.  The book gets even cooler from there.

His kitchen at Au Pied De Cochon has a very rustic style to it and from the second I looked at it I immediately thought, “damn, that’s what I want my kitchen to look like one day”.  It’s out in the open for all the customers to see and they can even pull up a chair and watch you do your thing.  There is even access to the beer tap which I think is of great importance!

If you ever wanted to learn how to prep foie gras then you’re in luck. There is a step by step break down how to prepare foie gras before making it even more awesome…..recipes include, foie gras pizza, foie gras hamburger, foie gras poutine, and more….I can’t wait to save up money to buy enough foie gras to make those things.

(Venison Spare Ribs………any hunters out there want to hook me up with some????  PLEASE!!!)

Anthony Bourdain nailed it when he said that Martin Picard makes food that he eats instead of food that most Chefs make…..the fancy/pretty food.  I still haven’t found my own footing yet or really realized what type of food I want to cook in my own restaurant one day but I know there will be a blend between the simple and extravagant.

Chef Martin Picard…..fantastic food……I can’t wait to cook some of it up!

Cookbook- The Fat Duck Cookbook

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I am really excited about this book.  I found out about Heston Blumenthal around February and I have been trying to find every bit of information about him since then.  I’ve watched every episode of his shows, “In Search of Perfection”, and “Kitchen Chemistry”.  I’ve talked about him a few times on here and I’ve even attempted some of his techniques….with some success.  But, I haven’t had the chance to actually take the time to attempt some of the recipes from his restaurant, The Fat Duck.

I think Chef Blumenthal is a f’ing genius…..Everytime I hear him talk or read about some of his kitchen experiments I’m always left in awe.  I received an Amazon giftcard for Christmas from Mindy’s parents so my first thought was to purchase this book (I bought another one too….more on that later).   This book is broken up into three sections (History, Recipes, Science) and should hardly be called a cookbook…  I wish this was one of the textbooks at our school but things don’t happen that way…..I buy this book and it does what 5 school books can’t do……funny how that works.

Anyway, I’ve skimmed through it and read a bit here and there in between receiving it and I’m blown away.  This cooking is something completely different than what I even thought was possible. Most people might call it molecular gastronomy but I call it f’ing genius and this is the way everyone should be taught. The reason is I get to understand why something happens instead of being told, “well, that’s the way it’s been done forever”.   There are techniques used in the book that shy away from using flour in every damn sauce imaginable in order to thicken…..thank you for that (OMFG YOU USED AGAR AGAR…YOU’RE RUINING IT)!

Anyway, you’ll know when I have read the entire book when you start to see a few things change around this blog o’ blog blog.  I’ve been waiting a long time for this book but I’m also saving for Chef Blumenthal’s other book…..it’s the bigger version of this one and it retails for $150….well worth it. I paid $75 for a Nutrition Science book for school that was opened twice by my instructor in class…..nice.

Anywho, if you want to understand the science behind cooking, cook amazing food, and sound cool then pick up this book.  It’s awesome!

Puttanesca Pasta

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(Serving things family style doesn’t really make for great pictures………….oh well)

The sauce made for whores……not kidding.  Anyway, here is my take on puttanesca pasta.  The original idea behind this pasta was that you use what you had available around the house and then made it for whores. I don’t know any whores but I do have a few things lying around the house.  The times I have had this there were three flavors that stood out to me…..kalamata olives, anchovy, and capers.  The rest, in my opinion, is up in the air.  I’m Puerto Rican, not Italian, so don’t bother sending me your recipe or idea or how this or that is made with a “real” puttanesca pasta.  When I charge you for it then let me know……until then, enjoy the show!

Ingredients:

  • Anchovy Paste…..about 2 tbsp.
  • Capers………..about 3 tbsp.
  • Kalamata Olives, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, mashed
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Yellow onion, 1/2 inch dice
  • 2 red bell peppers, 1/2 inch dice
  • Celery, 1/8 inch slices
  • Red Wine
  • Dry spice mix (my own) consisting of:   smoked paprika, tarragon, oregano, basil, onion powder, granulated onion
  • Mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch
  • Capellini tomatoes, quartered
  • Brussel sprouts….blanched then shocked….if you don’t blanch and shock then don’t bother…not kidding
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic salt (click)
  • Fresh basil, chiffonade cut
  • Pine nuts, toasted
  • Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Some pasta…..al dente……sounds fancy!

Procedure:

  1. In a rather large pot heat up the olive oil then toss in the garlic and crushed red peppers.
  2. Toss in the celery, onions, and red bell peppers and dry herb mix and a little garlic salt….sweat the vegetables….
  3. Deglaze with red wine
  4. Simmer then add kalamata olives, anchovy paste, and capers
  5. In a separate pan saute the brussel sprouts in olive oil with salt and pepper on extremely high heat for about 1 minute or so.
  6. Add the mushrooms into the larger pot…..simmer for 10 minutes
  7. Add tomatoes to the larger pot then add the brussel sprouts
  8. Place pasta in serving bowl then add the entire mix from the larger bowl…..carefully stir together
  9. Place cheese, then basil, pine nuts, then a little garlic salt on top
  10. Enjoy the sauce, you whore! Just kidding :)

Eric

IxaRiveraCooks: Glazed Ham

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My mom cooks! Take it away mom!

“This is what I cooked on Christmas day for friends.  We had good friends and good food.  I fixed a smoked ham and it turned out delicious.  The glaze included the following:  brown sugar, pineapple juice, fresh orange juice, little bit of lemon juice, mustard, maraschino cherries, peaches, mandarins, mixed nuts, oranges, dry mustard, cinnamon, cloves and wine.  Everyone liked it and of course the next day left overs were awesome.  Dinner also included, yellow rice with green pigeon peas, turkey, pasteles, morcillas and lots of other appetizers, arroz con dulce, cookies, chocolates, wine, beer, Don Q and my sangria NMJ.  I haven’t fixed any coquito yet, so I think I will fix some for the Three Kings Day (Epiphany).  We had lots of fun with our friends, but you, Mindy, Angelie and David were missing.

Love you always,

Mom
Ixa

Bakery Nouveau (West Seattle, WA)

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My next quarter starts in a couple weeks and I will be taking introduction to baking and pastry.  What better way to see what this world of bakery/pastry has to offer than checking out Bakery Nouveau?  Chef William Neeman is the 2005 World Cup of Baking Gold Medal Winner and it doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to the world of baking.

This isn’t my first experience with Bakery Nouvea. My sister lives in West Seattle and has purchased a few items from them and she gave me the chance to indulge in the awesomeness. I have been waiting for the right time so I called her up and said let’s go to Bakery Nouveau (I rhyme!).  We went there just as the lunch crowd was getting there so there was a line out the door. My sister was telling me that the day before Christmas the line was out the door and a bit down the street…..I’m not surprised.

However, I was totally surprised that they served lunch and even more excited that they served pizza.  When it comes to pizza, crust is the most important part to me.  Anyone can throw together a bunch of ingredients but if you mess up the crust then who cares.  I’ve been to a few (a lot) of pizza places in Seattle and I’ve found a few that do crust right but nothing like Bakery Nouveau’s.  Of course they would do crust right….duh! I ordered a spicy pork and a beef meatball pizza……….the crust………..perfect!

My sister ordered a baguette sandwich with turkey and swiss.   Again, perfect.

Oh yes, I ordered some desserts to go………..you must!  Here is a picture of them once I got home.

I always complained to people about how I could never find a great bakery here in Washington.  Spending tons of time in Puerto Rico as a little kid and other places we lived in/travelled to it seemed like other cities had a few great bakeries.   I’m happy to say that I can stop complaining……..Bakery Nouveau is a great bakery.  I haven’t had anything that has come out of there that has been subpar. Excellent, brilliant, mesmerizing, and perfect.

Bakery Nouveau (click)

4737 California Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116

Mofongo with Dungeness Crab, Saffron Buerre Blanc, Shallot Jam, and Cilantro Oil

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Definitely going on the menu one day…….

Ingredients

  • Dungeness Crab….two of them……fresh from a seafood market in Longbeach, WA

Mofongo

  • Plantains….yellowish brown….there is a reason for this
  • Garlic, minced
  • Olive oil
  • Adobo (my mix)

Saffron Buerre Blanc

  • Butter
  • White Rum
  • Saffron
  • Cilantro, minced
  • White Wine Vinegar
  • Salt, tt

Shallot Jam

  • Shallots, minced
  • Balsamic Vinegar…reduced
  • Black Pepper
  • Pectin

Cilantro Oil

  • I’ll link this up shortly

Procedure

Mofongo

  1. Peel and bake the plantains in an oven at 350F until soft
  2. Remove from oven then mash together with garlic, olive oil, and adobo
  3. Mold then saute with olive oil until outside is crispy

Saffron Buerre Blanc

  1. Heat up a little clarified butter then add rum and reduce by 75%
  2. Add the white wine vinegar, saffron and salt
  3. Remove from heat then slowly fold in cubes of whole butter to thicken sauce
  4. Season with the saffron and cilantro at the end to adjust the taste

Cilantro Oil

  1. Mix cilantro with olive oil in a blender then strain

Shallot jam

  1. Slowly cook shallots in a saute pan then add balsamic vinegar and pepper
  2. Reduce mixture by half until balsamic vinegar is thick
  3. Add pectin to mixture, can it, and save until you are ready to use

This is pretty hard to pull off. I’ve been making mofongo for a long time so it takes practice.

Caramelized Pork Tenderloin with Cilantro Oil

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Definitely going to be a menu item one day.

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin

  • Cut into 1 inch medallions then quick brined for 20 minutes in salt and sugar then rubbed with adobo (my own blend), ghost chili, and sugar

Cilantro Oil

  • Cilantro
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic salt!

Procedure

Pork Tenderloin

  1. Take a pan, place it on the oven and turn burner to high
  2. Sear each side of the pork tenderloin then place entire pan with meat inside oven at 325F and cook until you have reached your point of being done.  I like my pork pink…..

Cilantro Oil

  1. Place cilantro, garlic salt, and pepper in food processor
  2. PUSH GO and slowly add the extra virgin olive oil
  3. Remove from food processor and strain.  I chose not to use a fine sieve….I wanted to have a few chunks of cilantro in the mix…..call me a traditionalist
  4. Serve over and around pork tenderloin
  5. Enjoy

Quick-Pickle your vegetables, save money, sound cool

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I am obsessed with David Chang’s Momofuku book.  I am learning so much great stuff and it’s written in a language that I can understand easily…….lots of cusswords!  I was reading the section about how if you want to take your self seriously as a cook/chef then you need to start doing this technique.  I read it and said, “MUST TRY NOW!”.

I think the best part about this is that when you have a bunch of vegetables or fruits you have lying around the house you can pickle them to extend their life.  It doesn’t have to be the formal canning process either.  The book says the food can keep up to a month so that’s great with me.  I intend to try a few recipes of his so I can see the light for myself.  I used his quick pickle recipe for the base liquid but I intend to use a bunch of different vinegars to see how that will change things.  I think this will turn out to be one of the best things I have done…… Thanks Momofuku cookbook!

Red onions…..they will look awesome in a few days

Pickled mirepoix…..I don’t know….we’ll see what happens!

You’re probably expecting a recipe now.   I say to you…..go buy the damn book like I did!

Bonus item!!!

The 5 10 egg from Momofuku!

Things that resemble Pacman………

Eric