Monthly Archives: August 2010

Cookbook: The Book of Tapas

August 27, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Phaidon Press publishes some of the best cookbooks out there. Their books are filled with large pictures and the books are laid out beautifully. I have a few books from them and each one is a work of art to me not just a cookbook. The Book of Tapas from Simone and Ines Ortega authors of 1080 recipes is a great collection of traditional tapas. This is a great resource for a guy that is planning on spending some […]

Categories: Cookbooks • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Food, recipe, Simone and Ines Ortega, Spain, Tapas, The Book of Tapas

Cookbook: Pork & Sons

August 27, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Pork is the best thing I can’t wait to be eating The next pork dish, yum. If there is ever a haiku open mic night then I’m ready. Pork makes me do all sorts of crazy things that I never imagined I would do. You might go crazy when you see a picture of Justin Bieber (you’re weird). You might go crazy when you hear about a sale at Nordstrom (bleh). I go crazy about pork! “Eric, we know […]

Categories: Cookbooks • Tags: Blog, Cooking, Cooking Blog, Pig, Pork, Pork & Sons, Stephane Reynaud

Cookbook: The Modern Cafe

August 27, 2010 by ericriveracooks

I spend a lot of time going through cookbooks. Whether it’s at school, book stores, or just taking a chance on a book that I never looked at in person and buying it because it was a screaming deal on ebay I’m always on the lookout for a great cookbook that will help me on my journey. Found one! Francisco Migoya is a chef instructor at the Culinary Insititute of America and has written another book called Frozen Desserts. […]

Categories: Cookbooks • Tags: Blog, Cookbook, Cooking Blog, Food, Francisco Migoya, Modern Cafe

Rolling The Dice

August 27, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Crazy Dragonfruit. I know that I’ve been quiet for quite some time on here. My “writing” has been on more on the surface stuff and nothing too deep. Since that lovely accident with the food processor at my previous employer I have re-evaluated what I want and my priorities have changed. This blog started a lot of things for me and I will always use this as a source to try new things. The quality of food and posts aren’t […]

Categories: Random Rants

Things are getting all sciency and stuff…..

August 26, 2010 by ericriveracooks

See that? That’s an immersion circulator that Scott (click here) built for me. Don’t worry, I’ll explain what it does! The state of Washington enacted a tax on soda. I love soda but I don’t feel like I should be penalized for drinking it. My solution, I’ll make my own! I know, it’s a very small scale operation but we’ll see where this ends up. I know in my restaurant that I’ll have one day it will be a featured […]

Categories: Molecular Gastronomy • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Food, Immersion Circulator, recipe

Cedarbrook Lodge: Tomatofare 2010

August 26, 2010 by ericriveracooks

I was invited to attend a celebration of heirloom tomatoes at the Cedarbrook Lodge over the weekend. They said heirloom tomatoes and I was there but they added a lot more to the lineup to solidify yet another amazing experience at the Cedarbrook Lodge (click). A list of amazing restaurants: Chef William Belickis, Mistral Kitchen Chef Mark Bodinet, Cedarbrook Lodge Chef Christine Keff, Flying Fish Chef Bobby Moore, Barking Frog (Willows Lodge) Chef Jason Wilson, Crush Chef Michael A. Young, Olives Café Wine Bar Chef Paul […]

Categories: Events, Restaurants • Tags: Blog, Cedarbrook Lodge, Cooking Blog, Crush, Food, Fresh Bistro, Mistral Kitchen, Seattle

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Opal Basil/Kalamata Olive Puree, Beans!, and Salmon Chicharron

August 25, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Sockeye salmon skin is taken off the fish then deep fried and topped with salt and pepper when it comes out. Salmon is sauted skin side down (skin was removed at this point, just giving you detailes) then placed in the oven to finish. The opal basil and kalamata olive puree has a little bit of white wine vinegar, olive oil, and herbs. The beans are three different colors…..yellow, green, and purple (purple lost its color but I intend to […]

Categories: Beans, Sauce, Seafood • Tags: Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Green Beans, Kalamata, Oh my!, Opal Basil, Purple Beans, recipe, Sockeye Salmon, Yellow Beans

Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Macerated Peach Sauce

August 25, 2010 by ericriveracooks

The squash blossoms, goat cheese, and peaches are from the West Seattle Farmers market. Peaches are macerated in PX S’orange then blended, strained, and made a little tighter with agar. The squash blossoms are cleaned, blanched, shocked, drained, stuffed then warmed in the oven then topped with sel de mer. The goat cheese is herbed with herbs from MindyRiveraFarms. Eric Thanks for the plates Bonnie and Bruce!!!

Categories: Sauce, Vegetable • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Food, Goat Cheese, Sauce, Sel de mer, Squash Blossom

MindyRiveraFarms: Tomato!

August 24, 2010 by ericriveracooks

How cool is that??!?!?!?!!?? More of these tomatoes coming soon, this the first one! Eric

Categories: MindyRiveraFarms • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Food, recipe, tomato

New Blog: JetCityGastrophysics.com

August 23, 2010 by ericriveracooks

(Dragonfruit after seeing some nitrogen cavitation) I’m doing a little posting on a new blog that brings three food nerds together. Jeth, Scott, and myself. Check it out. (click) Eric

Categories: Random Rants • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Jet City Gastrophysics, Molecular Gastronomy, recipe

Sockeye with Cherry Prep. and Menesha/Puttanesca Pasta…..a.k.a. practice practice practice

August 22, 2010 by ericriveracooks

When I’m not at work I usually come home and practice what I made at work so I can get up to speed with everyone else on the line. I’m the least experienced person there so I’m doing my best to make sure every dish I put out is worth the money someone is paying for it as well as puts Blueacre in a positive light (brown noser, yup!). I love where I work and I want to keep doing […]

Categories: Fish, Pasta, Seafood, Uncategorized • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Dinner, Food, Menesha, Puttanesca, recipe, Sockeye

MindyRiveraFarms: Tomatoes, Peppers, Leeks, and Green Onions

August 20, 2010 by ericriveracooks

Hello heirloom tomatoes! Hello grape tomatoes!!! Hello Banana Pepper! Hello Green Bell Pepper!! Hello Anaheim Chili! Hello Leeks! Hello Green Onions!! Lots of great stuff to work with very soon. I’m really impressed with what Mindy has done. This is her first time growing most of this stuff and she made it look easy. Need more space! Eric

Categories: MindyRiveraFarms • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Food, Gardening, Leek, Pepper, recipe, tomato

Jet City Gastrophysicists: Nitrogen Cavitation and more!

August 19, 2010 by ericriveracooks

SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was another meeting for the food nerds a.k.a. Jet City Gastrophysicists. We were short one gastrophysicist (Scott!) but that didn’t stop us from dividing by zero and reciting all the numbers of pi and eating some pizza pie (see what I did there…yeah….) Nitrogen Cavitation? Sounds complicated but it’s easy! I’ve seen a lot of people infuse things like vodka with berries and fruits. The normal process is to just leave the fruits in the bottle of vodka […]

Categories: Molecular Gastronomy • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Food, Jet City Gastrophysicists, Molecular Gastronomy, Nitrogen Cavitation

Donutpalooza

August 19, 2010 by ericriveracooks

I am not a baker but I like donuts and I had a few ideas for glazes and sauces to put on them so I called in my future pastry chef to help me out with this whole donut problem I was having (long sentence!). Ellen Benezra is pretty damn good at what she does. She’s crazy like me when it comes to cooking stuff so it was only natural that we worked together on this donutpalooza thing. She is […]

Categories: Baking & Pastry, Sauce • Tags: Blog, Cooking Blog, Donut, Donutpalooza, Food, Glaze, recipe

El Gaucho Bellevue’s Pour on the Plaza

August 16, 2010 by ericriveracooks

(Tuna tartare on a taro root crisp) Received an invitation to visit El Gaucho’s Pour on The Plaza event but I had a little issue arise…..the party was from 2-5PM and I had to work at 4PM and it was at the El Gaucho in Bellevue. “Eric, that sounds like a nice issue/problem to have”. I know!!!! Mindy and I made our way to Bellevue and discovered this little piece of green in between all the towers of […]

Categories: Restaurants • Tags: Bellevue, Blog, Cooking Blog, Dinner, El Gaucho, Food, Pour on the Plaza, recipe, wine

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Eric Rivera's Cooking Blog

Food, because I just want an excuse to cook.

Monthly Archives: August 2010

Cookbook: The Book of Tapas

Cookbook: Pork & Sons

Cookbook: The Modern Cafe

Rolling The Dice

Things are getting all sciency and stuff…..

Cedarbrook Lodge: Tomatofare 2010

Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon with Opal Basil/Kalamata Olive Puree, Beans!, and Salmon Chicharron

Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Macerated Peach Sauce

MindyRiveraFarms: Tomato!

New Blog: JetCityGastrophysics.com

Sockeye with Cherry Prep. and Menesha/Puttanesca Pasta…..a.k.a. practice practice practice

MindyRiveraFarms: Tomatoes, Peppers, Leeks, and Green Onions

Jet City Gastrophysicists: Nitrogen Cavitation and more!

Donutpalooza

El Gaucho Bellevue’s Pour on the Plaza

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