LOUD NOISES!!!! 
Eric
FIRE VIP DUCK PROSCIUTTO!!!!
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Category Archives: Appetizer
2011 Bellevue Home & Lifestyles Show + Cooking Demonstration by Me!(Jan. 23)
I’m doing a cooking demonstration at this year’s Bellevue Home & Lifestyles Show at the Meydenbauer Center. This is a pretty big deal and I’ll be cooking on Sunday the 23rd at 3PM (I’m closing out the show!!). I’m going to be doing Tapas on the main stage and I intend on putting on a pretty good show. A little seafood here, a little saffron there, a little more olive oil over there…. It’s going to be awesome!
Oh, and as you can see I have about 40 or so tickets. Email me (ericriveracooks@gmail.com) and let me know you want to come to the show and I’ll send them to you for free (maximum 2 tickets per person and address that emails me…don’t try anything funny….I have really sharp knives). Tickets are usually $5-$8 but since you know me and you’re my VIP then you get in FREE.
Check out their site for more information (click)
E-mail me for tickets: ericriveracooks@gmail.com
Eric
Brainstorming Food……
Quick-pickled ocotopus with ikura, mung bean, satsuma zest, and green onion on tarro root crisp with japones chili oil on the outside…..re-plated this later when Mindy got home and it looked much better…still tasted pretty awesome.
Scott, Jethro and I are working on a dinner for a few of our culinary heroes in February so we are brainstorming a whole bunch of ideas. I had them come over to my place so we could brainstorm and decided to cook them dinner. Unfortunately, Jethro was caught up at work and couldn’t make it so Scott and I went through some logistics for the dinner so we could make it flow.
The dinner we’re planning is pretty ambitious and it has an Asian flair to the cuisine so I’m working on sauces and flavor combinations that can add to the dishes or just be another option if we’re running into time constraints for the dinner…..something blows up….can’t re-fire…..option b!
Hedgehog mushrrom and squash soy broth with soba
I have two dishes that will be my main focus and they’re pretty much mapped out I just have to practice them by mastering work with those crazy ingredients and powders. I would love to tell you what they are but I don’t want to ruin the surprise…you’ll be seeing some components of them but the dinner will have the final reveal.
I’m working on a few other projects as well. You’ll be hearing more about them soon.
Made some dumplings that were filled with oxtail that was marinated in shiso and lemongrass. I would have braised it in the oven but it’s broken so I had to go all sous vide on it which I don’t like to do for braising but plan b was in full effect. As you can see my dumpling skills needs to improve so I’ll be working on that too (the wrappers I was using were too thick…that’s my excuse!).
Anyway, stay tuned for more events and things I’m working on.
Eric
Tapas Time!
Tapas at school…..huh, I think I know the right person to direct these small plates in the right direction (click)
Tomato Toast and Garum Toast
Idiazabal Cheese Sauce with Rendered Serrano Ham
Squid with Caramelized Onion on Toast
Potato Omelet with Annatto Oil
Bacalao Hash with Annatto Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Marinated Olives
Marinated Cheese with Herbs
Sizzling Garlic Shrimp
Serrano Ham Fritters
Need some tapas….let me know.
Eric
Black Pepper Cherry Sauce over Fromage Blanc
I was at the Queen Anne Farmers Market yesterday scoping out the demo. tent for my August5th extravaganza and I stumbled upon these cherries. With one more stop at the Mt. Townsend stand to pick up their Fromage Blanc I quickly went home to make the sauce. It’s simple. Pit the cherries, heat them up on low heat until they break down a little bit then add some sugar (optional, black pepper, and just a touch of salt then cool it down and serve over the cheese.
Eric
Tons O’ Tapas Pictures
Big thanks to Ken for taking these for me!
That’s a gazpacho with mangalitsa jowl bacon bites and avocado.
Garlic stuffed olive wrapped with anchovy and topped with roasted red jalapeno. Reduce balsamic ring.
Slow roasted tomatoes with sel de mer
Shrimp Ceviche
Meat, Cheese, and Olives
Chorizo Meatballs with a veal-demi sofrito sauce
Plantain cup with chorizo and avocado puree
Chorizo wrapped in mangalitsa jowl bacon served with smoked paprika/saffron vinaigrette.
Grilled tomatillo salsa stuffed calimari
Clam ceviche with black tobeko
Grilled shrimp and vegetables. 
Huge shrimp
More huge shrimp
Steamed clams and shrimp with salbitxada sauce
Paella
Well, that’s it. There were a few more things that didn’t get covered but that just means I’ll have to do them again! Thanks again everyone for coming over.
Eric
Leek Wrapped Seared Scallop Pincho, Garlic Stuffed Olive, and Alfredo with Basil Flower Garnish
My leeky scallop idea worked out better than I had originally thought.
I originally wanted to do a leek three ways with the scallop but the main thing I wanted to see was how the scallop would react with the leek being wrapped around it while it was being seared….it worked! I took the three ways idea in a different path because I have changed my mind about it….when I do it I’m going to do it with a raw scallop and wrap it with something different…haven’t decided yet.
Anyway, the scallop is wrapped with the leek then seared in bacon fat. Removed then sel de mer on top then the olive is place on, sauce, basil flower, and eaten. Basil flower is a pretty nice touch (pat self on back).
Eric
The Bites: Smoked Oysters
Small bites…..this time featuring smoked oysters. I’ll be doing a lot of stuff like this over the next quarter so I needed to get a jump on it at home. Next step, invite sister and her husband over and find out what they think….
The small bite above is a water cracker with gournay cheese, diced cerignola, smoked oyster, sherry pickled shallot, and mini-sprout. Good….next!
Same cracker, different story. Pesto, oyster, caramelized onion, shredded Beecher’s smoked then torched…… This one wins!
Eric
Bacon, Togarashi Gravlax, Beecher’s Smoked Flagship, Roasted Tomato/Sichuan/Pistachio Powder
Serious.
Cold Hors d’œuvres
Class time!
Made these Soba/Crab Spring Rolls.. Rice paper then nori. The crab is brined in a salt water solution I made up. The noodles were cooked then cooled and soaked in soy sauce and green onion whites. There are shiitake mushrooms that I quick pickled then some julienned carrots, red bell pepper, and finally it’s rolled together. The sauce is a cilantro/garlic/roasted red pepper sauce made with yogurt base and sri racha. Best damn spring roll I’ve ever had/made.
Grilled Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto and basil
Pepperjack oregano crackers with gravlax and red pepper mousse
Profiteroles with Chicken Curry Spread
Shrimp/Mango Crumple with Spanakopitta
Salmon Mousse with Won Ton Crisps
Beef Tartare with Parsley/Chive oil and Truffle oil
Next week is curring week!
Eric
Fried Pork Chop, Yellow Rice, Avocado Puree, Pepper Medley, a night in Puerto Rico….
Had a couple friends stop by the house on Saturday. It was supposed to be mojito/game night but we never got around to the whole game thing. It’s a guarantee now that if you come over I will cook, I can’t help it. I need to terrorize my kitchen and work it to its limits and make sure that everyone who comes into my house is left satisfied.
The people who came over have seen my cooking over the last year and one person in particular has seen some crazy stuff I have done. The 24 tapas in one evening, the pumpkin event, and now this. He visits restaurants everywhere and is originally from the east coast so he knows his stuff. He told me, “I would pay $40 for this dish and be totally happy”. It’s not just lip service either. There are two people that have always given me their real opinion on my food, this guy and my next door neighbor Bob so when I was told that I could start charging money for things I got excited.
Don’t worry though, I’m still free
The pork chop is brined in a sugar and salt mixture. Seasoned with my perfected mix then fried and finished in the oven. The pepper medley consists of a roasted red bell pepper, white pepper, and tomato it is sauteed in salt, pepper, and clarified butter. The avocado puree is an emulsified sauce that looks a thousand times better than anything I’ve done before with avocado…..pretty damn amazing (Oh Eric, you’re so full of yourself…..if I’m not going to be then who is?) The yellow rice is my typical mix…there are 3-4 different versions I do to highlight the featured protein……finish with a little garlic infused extra virgin olive oil
Good night, good friends, good food
Eric
Bonus time bonus time bonus time:
Citrus vinaigrette salad. Pretty good. Citrus, shallots, minced lardons, champagne vinaigrette
Double bonus time!!!!
Baguette (that I made) turned into crostini then topped with Iberico ham, muscat grape, goat cheese, and cilantro then torched!
Seared Scallop, Iberico Ham, Sauteed Golden Beet, with Yellow Bell Pepper Coulis
Course 3 of 4. The coulis was inspired by a recipe from the Rover’s cookbook. I seared the scallop in Iberico ham fat……because I’m awesome. The ladies from Savour in Ballard hooked me up with the fat pieces because they’re the best ever. Here is a picture of it as I was rendering it down in the flat cast iron pan I have (purchased it at a senior center for $8!!)
Took the fat, seared the scallops. Blanched the golden beets, shocked them, then sauteed them. I’ll sliced them a little thinner next time. The Iberico topper is torched right before eating.
Eric
Braised Shallot, Ivernia Cheese, Focaccia, and Cab. Sauv. Demi
This was part of a four course meal I cooked up for Mindy the other night. She was stressed out so I decided to put on a show…..it’s what I do.
I took a large shallot and sauteed all sides then took some wine and braised it in the oven with a little pepper, salt, and minced parsley. Once the shallot was soft I removed it from the pan then reduced the leftover wine mixture in the pan and worked in a demi-glace. I sliced the shallot, placed it on Ivernia cheese then placed that on focaccia and toasted it. Removed it from the oven took some parsley broken up by my hands and placed it on the shallots then poured the sauce on the plate.
Eric
Cookbook and Private Party: Andrea Nguyen- Asian Dumplings
I received an e-mail from an online friend of mine, Traca Savadogo a.k.a. Seattle Tall Poppy. She asked me if I was free to attend a private party featuring Andrea Nguyen, writer of Asian Dumplings (above) and multiple award winning cookbook “Into the Vietnamese Kitchen”.
I didn’t hesitate, I said yes and made a mad scramble to Square One Books in West Seattle to see if they could order the Asian Dumplings book (I wanted a clean signed copy!). Square one hooked it up without any problems and later that day I was ready to meet the master!
Hold on….not so fast…..there was a little pre-funk action before Andrea showed up. Quynh from nha22.com made some food from Andrea’s “Into the Vietnamese Kitchen” book and it was flawless.
Take some of these little seafood cups (they pop and crackle when they are moist…coolest thing ever)
Add some amazing seafood action or have a short rib or twelve
Put it all together and now you start to see why I raced over as fast as I could to meet Andrea.
Quynh also did all of the food shopping for the night and she gave us all great information on where to buy ingredients to pull off Andrea’s food (more on that later).
Eating a bunch of great food and then Traca arrives with these little amazing appetizer/drinks/pieces of perfection. Sake Jello Shots over Cucumber with Candied Ginger
Traca asked me to put the ginger on top and I employed my mom’s theory on food, “uno para ti, uno para mi (one for you and one for me)”. They were great but I knew they were pretty strong and I didn’t want to drool on Andrea so I ate a couple then moved on.
Andrea is amazing and super nice. I introduced myself while keeping calm….actually I was n 300MPH mode and was incredibly excited to meet her….hopefully I didn’t scare her (big fan over here!).
She got down to business and started showing us how to make dumplings. I have never made dumplings because I always found them to be intimidating. After reading Andrea’s new book and getting a personal demonstration I know I’ll be making these in my sleep! She gave us a few tips which I will include towards the end of the post for you. I think the one thing that I took away from the evening is that it’s all about repetition. Hmmmm, I’ve heard that a thousand times since entering the culinary world. Andrea talked about making hundreds of dumplings all over the world and she was still excited to make them; it was great to see that.
Here is a quick video and some tips on making her favorite shape………in HD!!
Here are a few pictures of the finished products.
It’s pretty amazing to see what can be done when someone has truly mastered their craft. Andrea is amazing. I would like to thank her as well as Traca and Kathy for hosting this event. I would also like to thank all the other people there that I had the pleasure of meeting.
Tips from Andrea:
“When making a filling you want it to stick together so when it cooks it doesn’t break the wrapping”. She suggests adding a touch of cornstarch in order to help bind the ingredients.
She recommends Hong Kong style wraps and thin wonton wraps. In her book she offers recipes to make your own, that is always the best route.
Use a chopstick to fill the wontons, this will make it easier when you are doing larger volumes.
Here are a few places in the Seattle area where you can buy supplies to make your own Asian Dumplings:
Square One Books
Viet Wah
Rose Brand
99 Ranch
Eric
2010 Alouette Cheese Bowl
The people from Alouette cheese sent me another box o’ cheese so I had to get to work. Unfortunately, I have my entire kitchen packed up so I had to ask a friend to donate her kitchen for the evening while I tried to prepare a few things with one hand tied behind my back (not really, just massive cuts and band-aids still). I had two other things planned but I packed up the essential items so I will be revisiting those next week. Anyway, thanks Jayne for letting me borrow your kitchen and thanks Alouette Cheese for sending me another box o’ cheese!
Here it is, my 2010 Alouette Cheese Bowl
Fondue Try This At Home
I don’t like fondue, there I said it. I hate how every 3-5 years it becomes fashionable and people go out and buy those little fondue sets then they use them once or twice and wait another 3-5 years to be told it’s fashionable again. Why do all that when all you want it melted cheese with something to dip it in?
If you’re having a party and there is a table in front of the t.v. then you might take a chance of getting your precious burning bowl of fail in the way. Here’s what you do. Get a large rectangular plate and place it in the oven at 250-300F. Melt 2 wedges of Alouette Hickory Smoked Baby Brie Wedges with 1/2 cup of heavy cream in a small sauce pan on low to medium heat (don’t let the cheese get above 165-170F or the cheese will separate).
While that’s going on you can cook some steak (Angus aged 20 days, New York Cut cooked medium rare), skewer some celery, carrots, tomatoes, hearts of palm, roasted red bell pepper, and then the steak.
You will want to season the cheese once it’s melted with crushed black pepper and himalayan pink salt.
Take the plate out of the oven and pour the cheese in the middle then place your skewered items on top with a little bit of fresh dill as a garnish. Nobody has to touch the hot plate and everyone can enjoy melted cheese and dipping items without all the trendy crap that fondue brings.
Grilled Sweet Pepper Medley Sandwiches with Bacon and Meyer Lemon Oil
I love grilled cheese sandwiches….I love bacon……I love meyer lemons so I put them all together with Alouette’s pepper medley spreadable cheese.
I used an oatnut bread for this to give the sandwich another level of texture; it compliments the chunks of bacon inside. I zested a meyer lemon and took half the zest and placed it inside the sandwich then I took the juice of the lemon and remaining zest and mixed it with extra virgin olive oil.
1 container of Alouettte sweet pepper medley will be enough to make three sandwiches. You will also need 3 strips of bacon that will be chopped up to place inside the sandwiches (it’s a good idea to chop them so you won’t have problems cutting the sandwich later).
Cook the sandwiches off on a hibachi grill with a bit of clarified butter on it and wait until the sandwiches turn golden brown…..you’ve done this before! When you’re all done quarter the sandwiches and pour a bit of meyer lemon oil on top.
Steak and Cheese Please!!!
But, I don’t see any cheese! Good things come to those who wait.
Take some of that fine Angus steak and cook it up with a little salt and pepper on each side. Sautee some baby portabello mushrooms in clarified butter, salt, and pepper then place them on the rolls. Oh yes, there will be cheese!
Melt two containers of Alouette’s Regular Garlic and Herb Spreadable cheese with 1/2 cup heavy cream on low to medium heat (remember the warning I gave you earlier). When the cheese is melted pour it over the top of the steak and mushrooms, like so.
Cheese Dip? Yes, Cheese Dip
Indulgent, that’s all it is. This is my version of a fancy cheese dip. I take two Alouette Baby Brie wedges then melt them with 1/2 cup of heavy cream and finish it with Murray River Pink Salt and a very small amount of crushed white pepper.
The egg yolk is poached in water that is at 120F for about 4 minutes. I was going to poach it in butter but the whole being at someone else’s house didn’t allow me for clarifying the amount of butter I would need.
Place the yolk in the bowl then pour the cheese on top and place bacon and diced roasted red pepper on top with a little thyme. Ta-da, cheese dip!
Thanks again to Jayne for letting me terrorize her kitchen for an evening and a huge thanks to Alouette Cheese for letting me mess with their awesome cheese
Eric
