THE CHEEKY CHEF

Sicily Lesson #6: Kiss the Cook

2012-01-06T15:25:00.000-05:00

ARASK il pranzo Italian Christmas lunch

2012-01-05T09:54:00.000-05:00

A Razor, A Shiny Knife's il pranzo Italian Christmas lunch:
a sous vide primerib replaced last year's deep-fried filets with truffle oil, vino and amaro took the place of aguardiente shots, a surprise Food Network cameo, & the New Jersey head-to-toe leopard look was obviously in this year. Great job A Razor, A Shiny Knife & our amazing volunteers.

2011 MENU:
Brussels sprout hash, Rosemary potatoes cooked in beef fat, crispy black kale, greens and beans, cannellini apple celery salad, charcuterie platter, panelle, braciole, salsiccia, chicken, meatballs, panzanella salad, cauliflower gratin, ricotta and mint ravioli, Parce's famous polenta, fennel and orange salad, zampone, and a big ass prime rib roast

(Brooklyn, NY - 11 December 2011)
A Razor, A Shiny Knife
www.arazorashinyknife.com

ARASK Feast of 7 Fishes Italian Christmas Eve recap

2012-01-04T09:43:00.001-05:00

The A Razor, A Shiny Knife Feast of 7 Fishes Italian Christmas Eve recap:

The stockings were hung by the fireside while Linda Lou slayed the Christmas eels, Andrew saved a dog's life, Mike Lee took a money shot of bottarga, and Michael tried his hardest to look Italian for the day.

2011 MENU:
Raw bar with Fanny Bay & Blue Point oysters, cocktail prawns, and half-shell clams w/ caviar, rosemary potatoes, crispy black kale, celery root citrus salad, fennel and orange salad, scungilli, salt cod brandade, sous vide octopus salad, tagliatelle with shaved botarga di tonno, apple celery white bean salad, fried zucchini, panzanella salad, Kentucky Fried eel with aioli, salt-crusted whole branzini stuffed with lemon and herbs

(Brooklyn, NY - 10 December 2011)
A Razor, A Shiny Knife
www.arazorashinyknife.com

Buonasera Signorina, kiss me goodnight

2011-11-21T12:47:00.006-05:00

Learn Italian!

2011-11-21T08:29:00.002-05:00

Learn a new language!
This foxy lady will show you how.

LIVING LANGUAGE
www.livinglanguage.com

RECIPE: Giovanna's Peperonata

2011-11-20T17:19:00.003-05:00

Since the peperoni (that's peppers, not salami) are the main ingredient, this dish was nicknamed Peperonata. The flavor profiles are very similar to caponata with the sweet/sour sauce and slow cooked vegetables. This recipe comes from Giovanna, the woman who allowed me to settle into Sicilian country life at the Case Vecchie estate in Regaleali. With no way of communicating for the first few days while I worked on my Italian, there were a lot of hand gestures and surprisingly enjoyable hour-long moments of silence.

My boss and Sicilian culinary expert, Fabrizia Lanza, is more traditional and tends to stay close to the authentic recipes, so there's no way she would refer to this dish as a version of "caponata". Her family actually calls it canazzo. There are a few ingredients in this dish that would go into a traditional Sicilian caponata but since it's not exact we just wouldn't feel right calling it that.

I ate this with some sliced semolina bread as part of a small dinner that Giovanna prepared during my first week in Sicily. They have THE BEST bread here! It's made from duram wheat and it kicks any bread's ass that I've had in the US. Do loaves of bread have asses?

When I first tasted the peperonata, it reminded me of something savory that I would want with breakfast, almost like homefries. Maybe I'll have to whip up something similar for a Cheeky Chef brunch idea. I've never been a fan of traditional breakfast anyway.

RECIPE: Giovanna's Peperonata
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:
1 eggplant, roughly 550 grams, cut into 2” chunks (with skin)
2 red bell peppers, about 475 grams, seeds removed and cut into 2” chunks
4 potatoes, roughly 850 grams, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 red onions, roughly 275 grams, peeled and cut into 1 inch strips
½ cup canned roma tomatoes
2 tbl salt
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
¼ cup oregano

Process:
In a large sauté pan, place all ingredients together and mix to coat evenly with oil. Over medium high-heat cook, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper then place a cover on the pan and cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature. Season with salt and pepper.

Chef Fabrizia Lanza
Anna Tasca Lanza Sicilian Cooking School
http://www.annatascalanza.com/

RECIPE: Involtini di Carne

2011-11-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

RECIPE: Involtini di Carne
Serves 10

Ingredients:
3 cups of sliced white bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 and 1/2 cup ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
½ red onion, diced
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 cup cheese, diced (use caciotta, caciocavallo, or fontina)
2 eggs
½ cup pistachios, chopped
1 kilo veal, very tender and sliced thinly (eye of the round cut)

Garnish:
1 red onion, cut into wedges
bay leaves
sliced bread cut into rectangles (3x8 cm)
breadcrumbs to coat involtini
olive oil
salt
pepper

Process:In a sauté pan, cook the diced onion in olive oil then add the small bread cubes and ham. Cook lightly and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the pistachios, two whole eggs, chopped parsley, and cheese.

Roll a small portion of the filling and place at the end of the sliced veal. Tuck in the sides and roll away from you into a little bundle. Set aside and repeat with the rest of the pieces. On a skewer, place the involtini, a bay leaf, a piece of red onion, and a slice of bread, then repeat. Dip skewers into olive oil then cover with breadcrumbs. Bake on a sheet tray at 425°F for 20-30 minutes.

RECIPE: Testa di Turco

2011-11-05T07:08:00.007-04:00

RECIPE: Testa di Turco
Serves 8

Ingredients for dough:
250 ml water
225 grams lard
250 grams all-purpose flour
6 eggs

Ingredients for ricotta cream:

1 kilo ricotta
250 grams sugar

To make the pate a choux dough, pour the water into a medium saucepan, add the lard and bring to boil. *Using lard instead of butter is important to give a crunchy taste to the cake. Add the flour all at once, stir constantly until the dough comes off the sides of the pan. Put the dough in a bowl to cool completely. When the dough has cooled, add the eggs, one by one, stirring to blend thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (425°F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon the dough into a pastry bag and, going around in a circle, pipe two 6-inch rounds, then return to the center to form a turban shape. Bake for approximately an hour until the choux is golden and dry to the touch. Check they are done by picking up the turban and checking if the bottom side is dry. Cut each turban in half horizontally and remove any portions inside that are moist. Make ricotta cream by mixing the ricotta with sugar with a fork. Press through a sieve to make the cream silky. Fill the bottom half of each turban with the ricotta cream. Replace the top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Sicily Lesson #5

2011-11-04T07:04:00.002-04:00

Sicily Lesson #5: Pick up the local tongue.

Sicily Lesson #4

2011-11-03T13:10:00.002-04:00

Sicily Lesson #4: Sardines scream when you gut them.

I finally learned how to clean sardines from the master, Giovanna. We clean them together and she is still twice as fast as me, literally cleaning two for every one of mine and hers are still better. We pinch off the head, scoop out the guts, rinse, butterfly, remove the spine, and small fins, then rinse again. I'm getting pretty quick but there's no catching Giova.

We cook with sarde (sardines) all the time here in Sicily. Sardines are probably the most common fish used here with anchovies and pesce spada (swordfish) trailing closely behind. Here are some of the sarde dishes we have been making.

Sarde Allinguate: vinegar marinated fried sardines
Sushi Sarde: cured sardines in lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano
Pasta con le Sarde: pasta with wild fennel, sardines, pine nuts, and currants
Sarde Beccafico: baked sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs and pine nuts

During my stage at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school in Sicily, I am so fortunate to have an amazing role between my boss and the staff that helps out in the kitchen and on the property. It's a very Upstairs, Downstairs sort of experience. I am lucky enough to learn the basic, homecook, rustic, peasant, true Siciliana cooking from Giovanna and the more refined, professional cooking from my boss Fabrizia. When I arrived at the school, I spent nearly two weeks with just the people who work here and don't speak a word of English. It was a very important time in my training being able to learn from them and get to know the two families who live here.

The Mediterranean is famous for their sardines in Sicilia and Sardegna. Traditionally a sardine symbolizes the feeling of being suffocated and trapped. Just like those ones you all know that are packed into cans. I had a point in the last few years when I felt like this little fish, trapped and trying to hold everything inside and now I'm the one breaking free. It's a very good feeling. Sicily is such a magical place and I feel like I'm learning a lot more than cooking while being here for a few months.

RECIPE: Biancomangiare: Almond Pudding

2011-11-03T11:33:00.002-04:00

RECIPE: Biancomangiare / Almond Pudding
Serves 6

Ingredients
500 ml fresh whole milk
65 g sugar
35 g cornstarch
2 ml (1/2 teaspoon) almond extract
Peel of 1 lemon
Garnish options: candied orange peel, cinnamon, pistachios, candied squash, vino cotto

Process
Whisk the cornstarch, milk, sugar, lemon peel, and almond extract together. Cook in a saucepan, whisking constantly to prevent sticking, until thickened but creamy. Remove the lemon peel. Divide custard among glasses. Garnish with a piece of candied orange peel, a dusting of cinnamon, and a sprinkling of pistachios. Let cool and eat chilled with a drizzle of vino cotto (if you are lucky enough to own a winery and make it yourself.)

RECIPE: Zucca in Agrodolce: Sweet & Sour Pumpkin

2011-11-02T10:00:00.002-04:00

Here's a yummy dish for the fall season. It's something different you can do with an edible pumpkin or some butternut squash. A perfect example of using local seasonal products in the US while focusing your cooking on travel-inspired cuisine. You can take a beautiful autumn vegetable and instead of making the same old dishes you eat every October, it's so easy to change it up and eat something delish.

RECIPE: Zucca in Agrodolce: Sweet & Sour Pumpkin
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 kilo pumpkin, cut into 1/2-inch slices

300g red onion (1 large onion)

½ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

¼ cup red wine vinegar

s+p

Process

In batches, place sliced zucca on a dry grillpan over medium heat. Flip the zucca as it starts to cook and leaves grill marks on one side. Season with salt. Remove from heat and place in a baking dish, covered with lid to keep warm. Continue to cook the rest of the zucca until grilled on both sides.

In a sauté pan, add red onion and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the vinegar and sugar to the sautéed onions. Continue to cook down to caramelize.

Place grilled zucca in a baking dish then top with the red onions and all of the liquid from the pan. Cover with lid while hot and allow aromatics to combine for about 10 minutes. Uncover and carefully stir to mix the onions with the zucca. Serve warm.

A Glass of Sicily

2011-10-25T18:39:00.000-04:00

How to Bust a Nut

2011-10-02T06:31:00.002-04:00

PISTACHIOS

When to Harvest: The first sign that pistachio kernels are mature and nearing harvest is when the hulls covering the nuts change from green to a reddish color. This color change occurs in late August or early September, depending on the growing area. You can remove the red hull from a nut easily by squeezing the hull between finger and thumb.

Harvest pistachios as early as possible in order to avoid navel orangeworm infestation and loss of kernel quality. You can begin harvest when you can easily pull the nuts from the branches. This is usually within 1-3 weeks of them turning red. It is best to wait until most of the crop is mature and then harvest the whole tree at once.

Harvesting: You can use a pole to knock the nuts from the branches onto a tarp spread underneath the tree but don't let them come in contact with the ground because of possible contamination.

"Shooting Blanks": Blank nuts are common wherever pistachios are grown. After removing the hulls, float the nuts in water. The blank nuts will float and the filled nuts will sink.

Hulling and Drying: Remove the hulls right after harvest. If you leave them on too long they might grow mold or stain the shells. You can dry pistachios in the sun on a plastic tarp or screen with good air circulation. Spread them out in a shallow layer. Sun-drying will take about 3-4 days. You can also dry them on a sheetpan in an oven from 140°F-160°F (60-71°C) for 10 to 14 hours stirring occasionally. Pistachios are propperly dried when the kernels are crisp but not brittle.

Storage: Store pistachios in their shells. In-shell pistachios can be stored in an airtight container for 1 year at 32-45°F. Shelled pistachios can be stored for 1 year at 32°F or up to 3 years at 0°F.

Sicily Lesson #3

2011-09-29T14:38:00.002-04:00

Sicily Lesson #3: There's pretty much nothing a bottle of wine can't fix.

Guy Arnone, butcher at Dickson's Farmstand Meats

2011-09-29T08:22:00.002-04:00

On Thursday August 4th, I went to a butchering demo at the International Culinary Center in NYC. Guy Arnone did an Italian-style pig butchery demo and served samples of traditional cured meat preparations. He passionately spoke about his mentor Dario Cecchini and work experiences at his family restaurant in California, working in Italy, and in NYC at Eataly and Dickson's Farmstand Meats. He demoed how to break down a side of pork and the various cooking techniques you can use on each part. Guy works with the attitude that nothing should be wasted and smoothly works through the process of butchering while "attacking the bone" without damaging any cuts of meat. He mentions that the pig had already given its life, let's try not to kill it again.

A little bit about Guy...

Gaetano Arnone found butchery at his family's restaurant in Orange, California as a way to save money when his father took ill and he found himself running a restaurant. After studying under the guidance of Master Butcher Dario Cecchini in Tuscany, Gaetano returned to the states and is now the butcher at Dickson Farmstand in New York City, where he continues his goal of communicating to butchers and carnivores the traditions and craft that he has come to respect and love.

Dickson's Farmstand Meats
Chelsea Market
75 Ninth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
212.242.2630
http://dicksonsfarmstand.com

Dickson's Farmstand is a purveyor of a unique selection of artisanal meat and meat products. Their beef, lamb, pork, goat and poultry are sourced from local farms , hand-picked because of their commitment to producing natural, humanely-raised, high-quality and distinctive meat products.

Guy Arnone
Tweet: @GuyArnone

Frittula Palermitana

2011-09-24T09:50:00.008-04:00

"There is some street food that you simply cannot avoid."
- Fabrizia Lanza

Frittula Palermitana, translated from an Italian website

It happens often, walking through the historic center of Palermo, especially in the heart of the ancient markets of the Cape, Vucciria and Ballarò to run into crowds of people clamoring around a basket covered with rags. Someone pulls out something with their bare hands resting on the wax paper and hands it to you. You begin chewing happily and you've come across a frittole seller.

Strictly taken by hand, that a minute ago, have received the money last customer, sold and consumed on the street, at affordable prices for everyone, frittole is derived from processing of the bones and scraps of butchers.

These, made for a long time to cook in large boilers, they detach the meat from the bones remaining the soften calluses. In fact, Frittoli consists mainly of small pieces of meat, cartilage, and parts which are then fried calloused with lard ("saime") and seasoned with fragrant spices: bay leaf, saffron, and pepper.

It is kept in a wicker basket, well covered because it keeps warm, and sold then consumed on the street with a lot of lemon to make it less fatty either in a sandwich or by itself eaten strictly with your fingers.

The Frittoli are one of the oldest and most characteristic dishes of Palermo, his birth dates back to around 500. It is a dish that you can easily prepare at home. For a non Palermitano, it may seem barbaric, but I assure you, not caring much about hygiene, you'll be fascinated by just tasting it.

RECIPE: Turkish Zucchini Fritters

2011-09-21T11:05:00.002-04:00

I made this recipe for a Turkish wedding celebration in August. Here is the recipe for a simple summer snack.

RECIPE: Kabak Mücveri - Turkish Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini
1 large onion, diced
1 or 2 eggs
1/4 cup AP flour
Additional Wondra flour, optional
Pinch of baking powder
fresh parsley, chopped
fresh mint, chopped
fresh dill, chopped
2 t. ground cumin
s+p
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
vegetable oil for frying

Process:
Wash the zucchini but don't peel them and shred on a cheese grater into a bowl. Add a bit of salt to the zucchinis, toss, and leave in a colander over the bowl. After 15 minutes, squeeze out the excess water from the zucchinis and transfer to a new bowl.

Add the diced raw onion, 1 egg to start, chopped parsley, mint, dill, cumin, a few grinds of black pepper, the red pepper flakes to the strained zucchini and mix well in the bowl.

Add the flour and baking powder to the zucchini mixture. You may need to adjust the amount of flour or egg you put in. The mixture shouldn’t be too runny or too pastey.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and bring to approximately 325-degrees F.

Using a tablespoon, take one scoop of the mixture and form a small patty in your hand. Squeeze out excess liquid. Dust with Wondra flour on both sides then carefully place into the hot oil.

Fry both sides until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a spider then place on paper towels to soak up extra oil. They will be very hot so let them rest a minute or two but try to serve shortly after cooking to keep crispiness.

I served these zucchini fritters with a Greek yogurt dipping sauce called tzatziki.

Sherbeth Festival: Cefalù, Sicilia

2011-09-18T10:38:00.003-04:00

Sherbeth Festival: Cefalù, Sicilia

2011-09-18T10:36:00.002-04:00

Cefalù is a gorgeous seaside town on the north coast of Sicily located right on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It's filled with good looking tanned Italian men in Speedos and during this week, something a little bit special, the annual Sherbeth Festival. We drove about an hour from Regaleali, in central Sicily, to the town of Cefalù.

As we walked through the streets covered in hot pink festival banners, the old city was so charming. There is a huge old cathedral in the center of town that was built by the Normans. There was a wedding finishing up as we walked up the cathedral so we were able to see the stunning bride and gorgeous wedding party along with her. Yummy men all dressed up in very Italian looking suits, some threaded with sparkly material, slicked back hair and eyebrows that were more manicured than mine (and we all know I have the best in town).

The Sherbeth Festival was a celebration of gelato, ice cream, and sorbet from all over the world. We bought tickets for 5€ with coupons for 2 coppette and 4 miniconi. We tested a few samples of gelato and sat down for a demonstration from the Carpigiani Gelato University. They showed us how to make Gelato di Fragola (strawberry) and gave out samples for everyone to try. There were vendors from all over Italy and some international ones from South Africa, Spain, Germany, and Libya. We went off on our little sherbeth tasting adventure to watch people churning gelato the traditional way with old wooden barrels insolated with salted ice, and loved watching people walk down the street licking their little mini ice cream cones. Molto sensuale! These are the flavors that we tested out.

Sherbeth Festival samples:
Pistacchio
Corniolo
Ricotta e Pistacchio
Zibibbo e Gorgonzola all'azoto liquido
Fico d'India
Ricotta e Sherry con fichi e mandorle caramellate
Fragola

I was excited to see that a few stands were using a little bit of innovation to create flavors that contained savory ingredients or used techniques or flavors that were non-traditional. Some traditional flavors from Sicily were the Ricotta e Pistacchio, Fico d'India ("fig of india" or prickly pear), Cassata di Modica (ricotta cake with candied fruit) or Canolli. The one that surprised me most was the Zibibbo e Gorgonzola all'azoto liquido (a southern italian muscat grape with gorgonzola cheese) from Sanelli in Emilia Romagna. They made this sorbet using "azoto liquido" liquid nitrogen. It was great to see people thinking outside of the box a little bit since most of what I have seen in Sicily has been traditional traditional traditional. The corniolo is a berry that I hadn't heard of before. The taste was astringent, not very sweet, and similar to a cranberry.

The Sherbeth Festival was a nice little trip for the day. I'll have to come back to Cefalù to check out the beaches another day. As my boss Fabrizia suggested "Maybe you should get a little boyfriend to take you around, nothing serious, just for play."

Sherbeth Festival
Cefalù, Sicilia, Italia
http://www.sherbethfestival.it/

Signore Franco Pescatore

2011-09-15T03:48:00.004-04:00

I had one of the most exciting days since Ive been in Sicily. A man named Franco Pescatore, surprised us at the cooking school and arrived in the afternoon with a huge crate of fresh fish. Right in the middle of our afternoon cooking lesson and as the guests were preparing for lunch, he arrived with a huge smile on his face to surprise my boss, Fabrizia, the owner of the cooking school. It was fantastico!

I am so in love with seafood, fish, shellfish, fish butchering, and anything related to my near and dear "harbor life".Franco has a restaurant and is a famous fish butcher / fisherman / restaurateur in Sicily. When Franco arrived, with his assistant Giovanni, he quickly took center stage and began gutting, butchering, and cooking up three types of preparations for the fresh lampuga. In Italian, pesce lampuga is a type of small mahi-mahi from the Mediterranean Sea. I had done some research and it seems like the ones we had were very young and small compared to the mahi Ive seen in the Pacific Ocean of the US and Mexico. Franco made three dishes for us in a matter of minutes. He quickly gutted the fish and chopped them into 4 or 5 pieces, dipped in semolina flour then fried in a saute pan, sprinkled with salt and served to us right away. This was the lampuga fritto. The second dish he let me work on some fish, gutting, butchering and skinning the fillets. We made a lampuga crudo with sashimi style slices of raw fish, dressed with olive oil, pepperoncini, lemon juice, and salt. Franco beautifully garnished the plate with fresh flowers, lemon, and mint. The final dish was a filetto di lampuga al forno, cooked in the oven on a sheet pan with just a simple dressing of olive oil, sliced tomatoes, salt, pepper, capers, and oregano. We finished cooking the food we had planned for lunch, beautiful handmade ravioli with ricotta and mint and a sage and almond pesto sauce.

At the end of lunch Franco Pescatore pulled out a crazy instrument from his pocket that looked like some kind of pruning sheers for the garden, put it in his mouth and started playing it like some weird wire string instrument. While playing he managed to cut his lip and started bleeding a little bit at the table. Oh man it was crazy. He just wiped it off and continued playing. After Franco's little performance, the busdriver from the cooking class tour, a lovely Siciliano named Francesco, told us he would like to sing a song. He started singing "'O Sole Mio" at the table and it was wonderful! He explained that his father is a Maestro and he had drank enough wine that he was comfortable enough to sing for us. haha So Siciliano to have the bus driver drunk enough to sing at lunch then take the guests on a tour in the afternoon. It was such a beautiful day and something I won't ever forget from this trip to Sicily. There is a video of Francesco singing....watch here.

RECIPE: Almond Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze

2011-09-13T09:26:00.003-04:00

Ingredients for cake:
1 c. AP flour
1/2 c. almond flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. plus 1T. extra virgin olive oil, high quality like Tasca d'Almerita
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 lemon, zested
1/2 c. orange juice

Ingredients for lemon glaze:
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 c. powdered sugar

Process:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-in springform pan, set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a larger bowl, combine eggs and sugar then, whisk together and stream in the olive oil to incorporate. Whisk in the extracts, zest, and orange juice.

Combine dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approx 20-30 minutes, rotate pan halfway through cooking.

Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove and cool completely on a drying rack. Make the glaze while the cake cools. Combine powdered sugar with lemon juice to taste and mix until smooth and shiny. Pour glaze over the cooled cake. Garnish with chopped toasted almonds.

* recipe from Lauren Bennett, former stagista at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school in Sicily
http://www.annatascalanza/

RECIPE: Sarde Allinguate, fried vinegar sardines

2011-09-12T08:44:00.006-04:00

*Don't be afraid of sardines (or anchovies), buy them from a trusted purveyor and make sure they are fresh, smelling like seawater and not of grandma's panties. Use canned anchovies from a legit company, not something that's been sitting on the shelf in your corner bodega for the last 10 years.

Ingredients:
very fresh sardines, scaled, cleaned, deboned, head/tail off, butterflied
vinegar, red wine vinegar or balsamic
semolina flour
a neutral oil for frying
salt

Process:
Open the sardines like a book, lay in a shallow dish and soak in vinegar for at least 15 minutes. Drain the sardines off and coat with semolina flour. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown then, drain on paper towels to absorb extra oil. Dust with a small sprinkle of salt then serve immediately. They will be hot and crispy.

* recipe from the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school in Sicily
http://www.annatascalanza.com/

RECIPE: Aroma di Case Vecchie

2011-09-08T12:09:00.002-04:00

The herbs here at Case Vecchie are fab! You just walk outside of the kitchen into the beautiful stone courtyard and pick the ones you need. They are growing everything here. Not to mention the gorgeous "orta" vegetable garden.

We'll be cooking and realize we need some prezzemolo (parsley), just go pick some in the courtyard... how about some basil or timo di limone (lemon thyme), it's right there. Let's say it's 2AM and you decide we should have maybe just two or three more cocktails but need to pick a little bit of basilico and menta glaciale for your gin mixers...just sneak out to the courtyard and get it, but watch out for the growling dog.

We made a special blend of dried herbs called Aroma di Case Vecchie. We take all of the fresh herbs grown on the property and dry them in the sun until ready to be mixed. The whole kitchen smelled amazing when we were grinding up the herb mixture. These are some of the ingredients that went into it but in true Siciliano form, they never tell you exactly what's in there.

Aroma di Case Vecchie:
menta (mint)
foglia d'alloro (bay leaves)
salvia (sage)
timo di limone (lemon thyme)
geranio (geranium leaves)
origano (oregano)
sale (salt)

Stigiole, they're fucking with me right?

2011-09-07T11:03:00.002-04:00

At the festival in the village of Vallelunga Pratameno, I spotted some street food that was calling my name. It looked like a wrinkly old sausage. Later on in the evening when we craved some munchies at 3AM, we stopped by the vendor to buy some.

They were cooking "stigiole" the most fabulous food discovery in Sicily that I have found so far. It looked like a wrinkled sausage but we knew there was something special going on there. This wasnt grandpa's ol' brasiaola. Stigiole alla Brace was cooked over a hot charcoal grill. It was pecorino cheese, parsley, and onions, wrapped with a coil of lambs intestines then cooked over the bbq like a sausage. We ordered two of them and sliced them into bitesized pieces so we could all share. It was amazing!

At 3AM after a long day driving from Vallelunga to Palermo, walking around Palermo for hours, then driving back and going directly to the festa til the AM it was incredible. The next day we had a large lunch at the house and what did they serve? Grilled sausages and stigioli. We had leftovers for dinner which was stigioli again. Three meals in a row. We found that the ones from the butcher shop in town were much better than what was served for the street festival. Probably saving on costs, but they were still delish. The ones we bought from the butcher for our lunch were stuffed with some lamb meat as well, the ones at the fest didnt have meat inside, just the veg and cheese with the intestine wrapped outside. The food here is unbelievable. This is my best discovery yet but they're blowing my mind everyday with the basic things like gnocchi (which i refuse to eat in America), fresh veg, handmade cheese, and the jarred pantry items that they make right here at the house!

Did someone say Festa?

2011-09-06T11:23:00.005-04:00

I went to the town's summer festival in my little village in Sicily called Vallelunga Pratameno. The evening was called Festa di Notte Bianco. The white night party. I'm living on a farm in rural Sicily, when someone says "festa" Linda Lou will be there. We planned on arriving in town at 930 for a film they were showing in the piazza but rolled up and grabbed a few beers at a bar. The town was packed with people and in this tiny town, everyone knows everyone. I had only been here five days and I was already hugging and kissing (double-kissing) people as I walked through town. I went into town with Guy, the photographer at our cooking school currently working on the new cookbook, and his friends. Guy made plans to meet up with his friends in Vallelunga and we planned on dinner at a pizzeria at 1030. We were all walking around town and having a good time at the festa that we didnt get to the pizzeria until midnight (mezzonotte). I am loving this Italian schedule. Wake up early, do a little bit of work, make a fantastic lunch, drink a bottle of wine, take a nap, do some work, rest until 10 then go out for dinner and more drinks.

We ate pannele (chick pea fritters) on the street from a vendor and drank beer in the piazza. For dinner we ate at a place called Pizzeria Nazional and they had a great wood-fired oven for the individual thin crust pizzas. I had a pizza called Goloso, or something like that, with mozzarella, pomodoro, gorgonzola, and salame picante. We drank beers, drank Amara, and ate pizza until 2AM then walked through the festa some more. Mi che buona!!

SICILY: Lesson #2

2011-09-05T14:43:00.005-04:00

"When someone in Sicily offers you something....you accept."
- Salvatore Ricotta

Yes, his name is real...his occupation possibly a facade.

il pranzo: my afternoon delight

2011-09-05T10:22:00.003-04:00

Our lunches in Sicily have been fantastic! A big hearty two-course meal with wine and a sweet snack for dessert. The official word from a man I met here named Vences, pasta must always be the served for lunch. It is absorbed into your system much faster and gives you energy for the rest of the day. However, most Italians here have been resting for an hour after lunch so I guess you don't need much energy for that unless its an "afternoon delight" sort of situation. There's certainly nothing wrong with that kind of day.

The first course for lunch is always pasta then after you'll have a salad, some meat or fish, and always a basket of bread. We drink cafe which is more like an espresso...and we drink them often. Then for dessert, either some fresh fruit or a sweet snack. Il Pranzo is usually the most important and satisfying meal of the day. We have been cooking some fantastic meals so far during my stage at this cooking school and especially when people at the school prepare meals for me it has been unbelievable.

Il Pranzo:
primo piatto - spaghetti con peschi misto
secondo piatto - piccolo peschi fritto, pomodori insalata
dolce - melone e cafe

Il Pranzo:
primo piatto - pasta con pomodorini freschi
secondo piatto - pesce spara impanato, insalata di pomodoro rosso e giallo,

Il Pranzo:
primo piatto - penne pasta con salsa pronto
secondo piatto - stigiole alla brace, salsiccia, polli involtini, pane
dolce - melone, torta al limone

Il Pranzo:
primo piatto - riso e salsa pomodoro e parmiggiano
secondo piatto - polli di casa al forno con azafran, patate, origano e pomodori

2011-09-02T12:12:00.008-04:00

I assisted Michael J. Cirino, co-founder of A Razor, A Shiny Knife, with a quick video shoot for the Sundance Channel. It was cut into a short clip for Geico as “What can you do in 15 minutes?” I prepared the traditional Crème Anglaise vanilla ice cream base for the final dish as well as assisted through the cooking demonstration lifting the liquid nitrogen tank, whisking eggs off camera, and preparing all of the “kitchen magic” that happens behind the scenes during a food shoot. The final piece turned out great! Check out A Razor, A Shiny Knife online for more info about their culinary collective and general radicalness.

A Razor, A Shiny Knife

http://www.arazorashinyknife.com/

tweet that: @ashinyknife

facebook: A Razor, A Shiny Knife

Sexy Chef duJour: Chef Travis Lett

2011-08-29T10:25:00.002-04:00

I'll admit, I was flipping through the pages of the September 2011 issue of Food & Wine Magazine when I saw the most scrumptious thing! Not a dish, but this yummy Chef from Venice, California. Long hair, scruffy beard...the magazine was practically calling my name!

I read about his restaurant, Gjelina, in an earlier issue of Bon Appétite Magazine and hoped to check it out someday. They've just opened a new location right next door to the restaurant called Gjelina Take Away (GTA).

This is Chef Travis Lett, the Chef & Co-Owner of two eateries on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. I read up to get Chef Travis's vision for the food at GTA and here's what he says...

“The idea is to take some of the chefly-ness out of food, it’s really just everyday items, pizza’s, salads, sandwiches. We’re really focusing more on the building blocks, baking the bread, making our own pickles, making our own jams, making our own biscuits, but everyday things, very casual. More everyday stuff that your grandma might make, but sourced really well and conscientiously."

LA peeps, let me know if you've had a chance to check out this spot or any info on the relationship status of Chef Travis. How much us a flight from JFK to LAX these days?

Gjelina Take Away
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice,‎ CA‎ 90291
http://www.gjelina.com/

* quote from welovenice.com and photo from LA Times.

SICILY Lesson #1

2011-08-26T08:48:00.006-04:00

Sicily Lesson #1:
Never finish your plate of food or they will just keep giving you more. Even if you say "basta, grazie" they will continue to feed you. This sounds just like my family!

Lunch today...

Il Pranzo
Primo piatto: pasta e fava
Secondo piatto: vitello Milanese, pomodori freschi, Peroni birra
Dolce: melone

The Cheeky Chef Jam Sesh

2011-08-25T10:39:00.001-04:00

In November of 2010, I planned my first Cheeky Chef Cooking Class as an Apple preserves and pastry class. We made two types of apple-based preserves, desserts, and cocktails. This year, I wanted to teach a jam making class in the summertime to preserve the fresh fruit that was currently in season.

I hosted a Cheeky Chef Cooking Class in my apartment this summer. The 10 students arrived at noon, ready for a full day of jam making. We planned on three jam recipes and the class included lunch and cocktails. I went through a short lesson and gave them information packets including recipes, ingredient info, and canning instructions. We split into three groups to get started on the jam recipes then everyone was able to alternate jobs on each recipe to make sure they had a hands-on experience through every stage of the jam making process. The students cleaned and cut the fruit, prepared the acid and sugar ingredients for each batch, kept a close eye on the jam as it cooked, prepared the jars/lids/rings for canning, filled the jars with jam, and processed in a water bath to seal the lids. The students received the instructional lesson, additional information to take with them, hands-on jam making experience, and a few jars of their products to take home at the end of the day.

Stay tuned for more Cheeky Chef Cooking Classes in early 2012 when I return to New York. These are the jams that we created for the Cheeky Chef Cooking Class and some photos from the event.

BLUEBERRY JAM

STRAWBERRY-VANILLA JAM

PEACH & THYME

BROOKLYN to SICILY

2011-08-24T14:17:00.000-04:00

Quite the trip from Brooklyn to Sicily. My lovely parents and close friends spent my last day in NY with me. My parents drove me to JFK Airport in NYC for my Monday night flight to Italy. After packing for nearly 3 months and including several books that I haven't had the time to read in the last 10 years, I packed up one large suitcase for the trip along with a purse, backpack with electronics (laptop, hard drive, chargers, more books, cameras) and a camera bag with all of my goodies. Alitalia airlines gives you 23 kilos per bag and mine weighed 30 kg! I had no choice since I really narrowed down and thought I truly needed everything in that bag, OK maybe not that cute red dress but it didnt weigh much and you must always be prepared for a fancy night out....even though the high heeled black shoes to go with it just didn't make the cut. Well I can always buy new shoes in Italy if need be, that'd be quite nice actually.

With my monster suitcase checked-in I said arrivederci to my parents and took off for my big adventure. It had been a stressful and emotional day but tried to keep the crying to a minimum. When I finally got through security and waited to board my flight I was a bit emo trying to check last emails, voicemails, and texts from dear friends and family wishing me well on my trip. By the time I sat in my seat on my first flight Alitalia JFK - Rome/Fiumicino, I put on my headphones and soothed my way into a slumber to the sound of Italian opera music. Ahhh relief. It was so relaxing and when "La Donna E Mobile" started playing I smiled to myself and felt ready for the journey.

The flight from JFK to Roma was 8 hours, then I ran to my connecting flight from Rome/Fiumicino to Palermo/Sicily. Went thru customs in Rome (briefly) then caught my flight to Sicily. The flight was just over an hour but felt like just moments once we were up in the air. The views coming leaving the coast of Fiumicino and then landing in Sicily were gorgeous! I wish I was landing on a helipad on a yacht. The water is so bright and blue! Gorgeous mountains, and coastlines...it was like landing right on the beach.

At the airport, I panicked for a moment when my bag didn't come off of the belt a baggage claim but there was a separate section of bags that needed to go through customs. I found my bag and placed it on a second security check and hoped my pack of Chef knives would make it through. No problem, and I was on my way. Angelo the cab driver was there with a sign that read "LINDA LOU" and I cracked up a bit when I waved to meet him. This was really my first encounter with someone in Sicily. The flight attendants and people at the airport were easy to deal with. Angelo was hired by my boss at the cooking school to pick me up and drive me from the airport to the train station. He also helped me purchase my ticket and showed me where to go. I knew I was supposed to take a train to Roccapalumba then transfer to Vallelunga and someone from the house would pick me up at the train station. When Angelo bought my ticket it cost 7 euro when I thought it was supposed to be 34. He also told me to take the train towards Agrigento then take a bus to Vallelunga. There, I would not have to pay for the bus, it was included in my train ticket. How cheap! I hoped it was correct, since I thought I was supposed to take two trains. I checked in, stamped my ticket, then waited for the train.

On the train from Palermo Centrale stazione to Roccapalumba/Alia, I took photos of the beautiful scenery. It took just over 45 minutes then I was getting off at the stop as instructed. I followed everyone else towards the front of the stazione then boarded a small bus to take me to Vallelunga. I asked the driver "Autobus a Vallelunga?" he said "Si" and I gave him my bag. I took the bus from Roccapalumba stazione to Vallelunga. The bus went through the countryside, up and down large hills, sharp corners, and even a herd of cows in the road. It took about another 45 minutes to get to my stop. There is a stop called Valledolmo which is right before Vallelunga and the driver checked with me to make sure I got off at the right place. Giovanna from the cooking school was there in her car to greet me at the station. I'd made it! Such a long day of travel from 9PM the night before and arriving at 7PM the next day, nearly 17 hours of traveling!

SICILY: la mia casa dolce casa

2011-08-24T12:55:00.000-04:00

Home Sweet Home

I've made it to Sicily! To my new home at Case Vecchie (old houses) in Regaleali the family winery and beautiful property of the Anna Tasca Lanza family near Vallelunga in the rural countryside of Sicily. I'll be living here for three months while working with Fabrizia Lanza the head of the cooking school. We have some exciting visitors coming in the fall and I will be assisting the students when they are here for classes. Fabrizia is working on a cookbook and I'll be testing recipes with her and planning a world blogging conference for March 2012 along with her PR rep here in Sicily. It's so beautiful I cannot even describe it. I'm looking forward to exploring the city and beaches near Palermo and some small side trips to the small local islands. The property at Case Vecchie is stunning. Vineyards as far as you can see, rolling hills, lush gardens with vegetables, herbs, plants, fruit, and there are even chickens at the house. Uova Fresca!

For the first two weeks, I am living with two families at the house. Giovanna, her husband, and two boys and Salvatore, Paola, and baby Guiseppe. Guiseppe is only 15 months old and adorable. At least he doesn't mind that my Italian is terrible. Everyone here speaks zero words of English. When my boss Fabrizia returns from catering a Chez Pannisse dinner with Alice Waters in San Francisco, I'll have her to look after me while I improve my Italian. For now I'm spending my first few days taking photographs, studying Italian and falling in love with the food here. Until December, this will me my home, sweet, home.... La Mia Casa Dolce Casa.

xxx lou

RECIPE: Porchetta

2011-08-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

RECIPE: Porchetta
serves 6

Ingredients:
5-pound slab of pork belly, skin-on
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 T. fennel seeds, chopped
Handful of rosemary, chopped
Handful of thyme, chopped
Handful of parsley, chopped
olive oil
s+p
butcher’s twine

Process:

Lay out the pork belly, skin side up, and score across the width into even slices. This will help you cut through the crisp skin after it's finished cooking. Leaving the skin on is important to keep the meat juicy and protected while cooking, it's also delicious.

Lay out the pork belly, skin side down, trim off any extra fat and butterfly into one large piece. Season with salt, pepper and fennel. Add the chopped garlic and herbs.

Roll up the meat away from you and end up with the seam side down. Tie the roast up firmly with the butcher's twine. Wrap the rolled pork belly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

The following day, leave the roast out for two hours to bring to room temperature before cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 450˚F, with the rack in the center.

Place the porchetta into a large roasting pan (a lot of fat will render out). Lightly coat the roast with a few tablespoons of olive oil then season with s+p.

Cook at 450˚F for 20 minutes then lower the heat to 300˚F. Cook for 3 hours at 300˚F turning the roast over and rotating the pan every hour.

Remove from the oven, allow to rest 20 minutes covered in a foil tent, remove the butcher's twine, then slice and serve.

FACT: animals have nipples

2011-08-18T10:10:00.005-04:00

I ordered a full side of pork belly for a party I was catering. The butcher I used in eastern Pennsylvania doesn't carry pork belly but was happy to order it for me to pick up before my event. Since it was not available in the shop, he had to order it by side and told me it would be $3 per lb. I have taken butchering classes and have been to numerous demonstrations by butchers and chefs in New York, so I was anticipating a rather large piece of pork belly for my order. When I stopped by the butcher shop to pick up my flank steaks, short ribs, and pork belly I was excited to see how large it actually was. I received a 14 lb. side of pork belly for my event, a $40 piece of bacony goodness. I asked him to cut it into three pieces and wrap them separately for my trip up to Canada. I ended up using two pieces for my pork belly lettuce wraps and the other third for a beautiful porchetta that we ate the night before the party. The funniest thing was that when I started breaking down the belly for the two dishes, I realized that the pork belly had nipples. This was hilarious but also a bit of a reality check. I am a responsible omnivore and know that meat actually comes from animals but it was still good to have something like this catch me off guard while preparing the meals. I'm not squeamish at all and have seen my fair share of pigs heads, fish guts, all types of offal, whole rabbits with heads and teeth, but this was a first when I was breaking down the meat to see a few nips as well.

If you're willing to eat meat, you've got to be able to face the facts. FACT: animals have nipples.

Cheeky Chef without borders: Catering in the 1,000 Islands

2011-08-17T15:46:00.001-04:00

Linda Lou had the opportunity to cater a small wedding celebration on a private island in Ontario, Canada. Located in the 1,000 Islands region of Ontario; the St. Lawrence River views, gorgeous cottages, and especially the amazing boats, yachts, and sailboats in this area are exactly my version of the perfect “harbor life.” I jumped at the opportunity and packed up my gear from Brooklyn and headed up the 1,000 Islands for a long weekend. I placed all of my supplies, coolers, and tools on the dock at the marina and waited for my boat to pick me up for a weekend on a rustic private island.

I had a phone call with my client whom I’d worked with before and we planned the party together. I was responsible for all of the catering while working closely with the Bride and Groom for approval on the dishes I had collected and created for this special event. The menu was right up my alley. They were looking for a flight of finger foods and passed small plates to feed the small party of 25-30 guests. Elisabeth, the bride, grew up in upstate New York comes from a Korean background while the groom, Seymen, is a Turkish guy living in the States for many years now. They met while attending college and have been dating ever since. I was honored they asked me to cater their wedding celebration the weekend they were wed in a private ceremony in Kingston, Ontario. Cheeky Chef Catering put together a fantastic menu of small dishes that combined the Turkish and Korean cuisines for this special couple.

I packed up my supplies from New York and headed to Canada with all of my pots, pans, trays, appliances, and food goods for the weekend. I wasn’t sure what I would be able to find up there and didn’t want to chance it. I spoke with the event hostess and she confirmed what supplies were available at the house and I brought everything else. I called up the butcher in my hometown to place an order for the wedding. He is an Italian butcher who used to be based in New York City and now set up a small shop in Pennsylvania where they provide amazing products. I ordered all of the meat for the event from him including an entire 14 lb. side of pork belly for one of my dishes. The wedding celebration was a huge success and the progression of passed dishes was a big hit with the guests, as they anticipated what would be next every time we sent out a platter. A very warm Thank You to Scott, Georgia, Elisabeth, Seymen, and Çesme for hiring me for this special day. It was so much fun to create the menu and cook all of these dishes for your beautiful wedding party at the cottage.

MENU

DolmaS

Stuffed grape leaves, rice, toasted pine nuts, wine-poached raisins, herbs

Crostini

Ricotta, sweet peas, basil, olive oil

Bacon-wrapped scallions

Scallion matchsticks, sliced bacon, grey salt

Tea sandwiches

Sliced cucumber, cream cheese, white bread

stuffed Apricots

Turkish apricots, feta cheese, prosciutto

BÖrek

Phyllo, feta cheese, caramelized onions, parsley, mint, dill, sesame seeds

MÜcrevi Fritters

Zucchini, onion, herbs, red pepper, cumin, tzatziki yogurt dipping sauce

Orzo salad

Orzo pasta, olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, marjoram, fresh oregano

Pork belly lettuce wraps

Hoisin-glazed pork belly, green leaf lettuce, radish, Sriracha Kewpie mayo, cilantro

Mediterranean salad

Mixed greens, dried cranberries, red onion, za’taar spiced chickpeas

SHORT RIB sliders

Korean braised short ribs, kimchee, scallions

ROLLED bulgogi STEAK skewers

Bulgogi-marinated sliced flank steak, scallions, sesame seeds

WD~50 & the Danish Chef

2011-08-10T15:36:00.000-04:00

I’ve been putting off dining at WD~50 for years now. Not quite my style of cooking and always thought it was a bit expensive for only the enlightenment and experience of eating there. Well, I found my golden ticket and it brought me in for a mind-blowing and extremely tasty dining experience. That ticket was my “foreign exchange chef” from Copenhagen who had been living with me for a month while doing a stage in the pastry kitchen at WD. He was such a lovely person to live with for a month with our completely opposite work schedules and dinner dates on his night’s off from work. We decided to dine at WD~50 on his last night in New York City before returning back to Denmark to complete his four-year culinary program and get right back to work at a very highly praised fine-dining restie in KØP.

We planned on ordering the 12 course tasting menu and the Danish guy opted to try a tasting menu of only desserts. With special approval from the kitchen they decided to send out a few savory dishes then he switched to work his way through an additional 9 courses of pastry desserts. What a champ!

It was actually a lot of food. I know 12 courses sounds like a lot, but when you’re dealing with a tasting menu this big, the dishes usually end up being only a bite or two. After the full tasting menu, I was stuffed to the rafters. It really is quite the bang for your buck in terms of tasting menus. We had just dropped $300 pp at Gordon Ramsay’s and were served about half as much food as WD~50, although it was fantastic as well. The Danish guy had been working in the pastry prep kitchen for most of his stage and had been making every component of the dishes but wanted to finally see how they were meant to be tasted as a complete dish. I was impressed with his ability to take in all that sugar over the span of our nearly 14-course meal with extra dishes sent out from the kitchen. We shared a bottle of 1994 Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese from Mosel, Germany that the kitchen extremely generously comped for us. The dinner was a fantastic journey through modern cooking techniques that confused, surprised, and most importantly satisfied my taste buds. I knew I would be extremely impressed with the food they put out in terms of technique and modern cookery processes but I was very happy to find out that I was really pleased with about 90% of the food we were served that night. Here’s my tasting menu including savory and sweet items from the July 2011 menu.

Cuttlefish, coconut rice, ancho chile, pineapple

The amuse-bouche was thinly sliced strips of cuttlefish in a bowl coated with coconut rice puree and an ancho chile and pineapple compote on the bottom.

Everything Bagel, smoked salmon threads, crispy cream cheese

The bagel was made of ice cream, the salmon was powder, the cream cheese was made into a small tuille, and it was served with pickled red onion. This was the dish that blew my mind.

Foie-lafel

They made a foie gras torchon then coated it in a fava bean and chickpea crust before deep-frying. It was served in a small pita bread with romaine lettuce, tabouleh, and kimchee tahini.

Poached Egg in the Shell, pumpernickel, Caesar dressing, bean sprouts

This was one of the most beautiful dishes. The egg was perfectly poached sous vide, the edible egg shell was made of brown butter, the pumpernickel bread was shaved paper thin and toasted, and there were pickled bean sprouts and a bit of dressing on the bottom of the plate.

King Oyster ‘Udon’, sweetbreads, banana-molasses, pickled ginger

This was one of my favorite dishes. The king oyster mushrooms were shaved into long strips that looked like noodles, sweetbreads were breaded and deep fried and served with banana-molasses, banana chips, and pickled ginger.

Tai Snapper, onion tart, coffee, Asian pear

Tai is a type of tropical red snapper (NOT a sustainable seafood choice, which only adds to the fact that this was my least favorite dish). The onion tart was a compressed round disc and was served with a smoked tomato sauce, Asian pear matchsticks, diced cucumber, and coffee and cashew crumble. I disliked everything about this dish, including the poorly cooked fish with soggy skin and tough, chewy, hard to cut, possibly undercooked flesh. Disappointment.

Quail, nasturtium yogurt, sunchoke, nutmeg

Delish! The quail was made into a torchon using three different parts most likely meat glued together, possibly sous vide first, then breaded with panko and fried so the outside was crispy, the inside was perfectly cooked and it was sliced into a few bite-sided coins. It was served with a very tasty edible flower yogurt, sunchokes, a dusting of grated nutmeg, and mustard microgreens.

Lamb Loin, ‘red beans & rice’, chayote squash

The beans were actually pine nuts that were cooked in the same style as ‘red beans & rice’ with bacon, cayenne, and onions and a few thinly sliced pickled chayote squash.

Gjetost, watermelon, plum, olive oil

Gjetost is a Norwegian cheese made with goat’s milk, cow’s milk, and whey then carefully caramelized to give it a darker color and sweet taste. The watermelon was frozen and too cold for my teeth but the dish was beautiful and a delightful palate cleanser before moving into the desserts.

Apricot, buckwheat, rhubarb, green tea

This was an apricot pudding with buckwheat sable/sand, pickled rhubarb, sweet pea puree, and green matcha powdered tea.

Soft Chocolate, beet, long pepper, ricotta ice cream

The soft chocolate ganache ribbon was served with a chocolate long pepper crumble, a quenelle of ricotta ice cream, and the plate was “artfully splattered” as the waiter said with beet puree. I’m not sure I agree completely and thought the plating was a little extreme.

Rice Krispy Treats & Fried Rice Pudding

The last bites of my tasting menu included two different bite-sized petit fours. The rice krispy treats were marshmallow flavored ice cream covered in rice krispy cereal and the fried rice pudding was so liquidy that when I bit it (without warning from the server), it dribbled down my pretty dress. Very tasty but failed on my part for not putting the whole bite into my mouth at once.

One of my favorite desserts that I shared from the sweet tasting menu was a black bean and puffed chocolate malt dish. It was beautiful with the small puffed chocolate discs and the painted black bean puree on the plate (photo at top of post). Apparently they don’t plate it this way anymore because it takes too long, but we received it like this as some kind of inside joke between the pastry chef and my friend. I was able to go into the kitchen and have a quick tour around the stations. I was introduced to the Owner and Chef Wylie Dufresne and the Pastry Chef Malcolm Livingston II. It was a truly extraordinary meal that I know took months of creating every dish to come out as perfectly as they each were.

WD~50

50 Clinton Street

New York, NY 10002

www.wd-50.com

Brooklyn Kitchen's Cooking with Cold class

2011-08-10T15:03:00.003-04:00

I attended the Molecular Gastronomy class on Cooking with Cold taught by Michael J. Cirino at The Brooklyn Kitchen on August 1st, 2011. Michael is the co-founder of A Razor, A Shiny Knife, a culinary educational collective that I've worked with on events over the last year. The Cooking with Cold class discussed a variety of ways you can use cold cooking techniques to transform your culinary projects in terms of textures, tastes, and physical forms.

I prepared a chocolate ice cream base using a traditional Creme Anglaise recipe with a little bit of cocoa powder. We were able to transform the ice cream base into "Dippin' Dots" by slowly dripping the chocolate into a container of liquid nitrogen LN₂. Liquid Nitrogen is one of the many ways you can use extremely cold temperatures (-321 F) to almost instantly freeze something. We also used the liquid nitrogen to freeze peanuts that were then chopped in a blender to create a peanut powder (as opposed to the peanut butter that you would get from processing regular peanuts). Michael froze whole raspberries then smashed them into raspberry segmented sprinkles for the ice cream. The best part about this was putting the frozen raspberry pieces into the freezer "to warm them up". Since the liquid nitrogen is much colder than a standard freezer's temperature. Farm-fresh egg yolks were placed in ramekins and hardened in the freezer before being tempura-battered and deep-fried. Nothing like a deep fried custardy egg yolk to stop your heart for a moment. The last demonstration was freeze-shucking oysters by shocking them in the liquid nitrogen to allow them to open much easier and prepared a mignonette sauce (shallots, red wine or sherry vinegar, and crushed black peppercorns) for the student's slurping pleasure.

Michael's obsession with science and using physical, chemistry, and general tomfoolery in his cooking techniques is what makes some of the theatrical projects that A Razor, A Shiny Knife pulls off so unbelievable. Not to mention their ability to go where no supperclub has gone before. For more info on ARASK or the Brooklyn Kitchen, check out their websites.

A Razor, A Shiny Knife

www.arazorashinyknife.com

tweet that: @ashinyknife

Brooklyn Kitchen

100 Frost Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

thebrooklynkitchen.com

the-meathook.com

The John Dory Oyster Bar, sloppy seconds

2011-08-09T16:32:00.001-04:00

I just can’t get enough! I’ve written about The John Dory Oyster Bar once before and even convinced my fellow blogger friend Joe Sevier of Zesting the Pith, to check it out and he loved it too. Chef April Bloomfield is a genius! The dishes at the JDOB are incredibly simple and elegant but done in such a masterful way. The menu is very concise with just a few hints to what you’ll be eating and then she surprised you with flavors that knock your knickers off. I brought a friend here for lunch and picked out a few dishes to share. They have oyster happy hours from 5-7PM and again from midnight-2AM where you can get a half-dozen oysters and a glass of cava for $15. Definitely worth checking that one out if you’re able to grab a seat.

Oyster Pan Roast with Uni Crostino*

Parker House Rolls

This oyster pan roast is practically famous, probably the best-selling dish on the menu and praised by moi to more people than I can remember. For a first-timer dining at The John Dory Oyster Bar, it’s simply a must-have. Once you pop your Oyster Pan Roast cherry, there’s no going back. You’ll be dreaming of this one. The extremely full-flavored broth (can you even call it that?) is practically the most unbelievable cup of chowder on crack. You might as well order the Parker House Rolls because you’ll want to sop up the rich, creamy, oyster sauce with every bite of that delicious bread. The cup comes with about three whole poached oysters, a garnish of fresh herbs, dash of paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil. It’s perfect.

Market Salad with Parmesan and Marcona Almonds

For lunch, I thought we should freshen up the meal with a small salad. The market salad, most likely changing with the seasons, was a beautiful mixture of microgreens, baby carrots, radish, and summer squash.

Finally the Whole Rhode Island Squid stuffed with Chorizo and Saffron Paella Rice was served with smoked tomatoes and white beans that were cooked in crème fraîche. The tomatoes are smoked and marinated with sherry vinegar, a little bit of palm sugar, olive oil and salt.

I am becoming quite the oyster connoisseur so I’d recommend the JDOB to anyone who wants to get their slurp on. The raw bar alone is worth stopping in for but don’t forget the savory dishes are rockstars too.

* I’ve corrected the menu from crostini (which would be more than one) to crostino (singular). Chef Anne Burrell drilled that into my head at an event when she shared her pet peeve of people referring to crostino, panino, or cannolo in the plural forms. My Italian tutor, Valentina, would be so proud. Italian lesson for the day, check.

John Dory Oyster Bar

1196 Broadway, at 29th street

New York, New York

http://thejohndory.com

Kin Shop

2011-08-09T15:53:00.002-04:00

I finally made my way to Kin Shop for dinner. I am a huge, huge, huge Perilla fan so I am surprised it has taken me this long to eat at Chef Harold Dieterle’s new Thai restaurant, Kin Shop. Their food is served family-style and you get a chance to try a little variety when ordering with a few people. I went with my friend Joyce from culinary school and we snacked on some really tasty food while dishing about what cooking adventures we’ve been up to since our last visit. Here’s our menu for the night:

Fried Pork & Crispy Oyster Salad with celery, mint, pickled onion, chili-lime vinaigrette, and peanuts

Grilled Porgy with snow peas, tofu, enoki mushrooms, and white asparagus in a five spice broth

Stir Fried Rice Flakes with rock shrimp, cauliflower, broccoli, sawtooth herb, fried garlic

The entrees were enjoyable but the pork and oyster salad was the huge standout of the night. It was juicy, fatty, crisp, and savory, with a little kick from the chili-lime vinaigrette. I ordered the Stir Fried Rice Flakes, which was actually sort of a curled noodle dish with delicious vegetables, herbs, and rock shrimp. I didn’t realize when I ordered it that this dish used sawtooth instead of traditional cilantro but when I bit into a piece, I was amazingly happy to see that it was the most jacked-up version of cilantro I’d ever had. Sawtooth Herb is also known as culantro and it has an earthier, stronger flavor. I expected the Porgy to be grilled whole since that’s the only way I’d ever seen it but came out in a bowl with two fillets over a bed of veg and broth. Dining at Kin Shop was a success. I’ll always be a Perilla girl at heart, but I’ll drop my pants for that Pork and Oyster Salad any day.

Side note: both the porgy and rock shrimp are listed as Good Alternatives on the Seafood Watch sustainable seafood list, so they were good to go from my point of view.

Kin Shop

469 6th Avenue

New York, NY 10011

www.kinshopnyc.com

"Make cous cous not war"

2011-07-13T08:37:00.003-04:00

*Hoping I'll get to go to the Cous Cous Festival in San Vito Lo Capo beach in Sicily this September! Just a 3-hour train ride from where I'll be living in Sicilia!

In San Vito Lo Capo, couscous speaks the language of peace, of exchange, of open-mindedness at the table. And of celebration. A celebration which runs from 21st to 26th September, on the occasion of the Cous Cous Fest – the international festival of cultural integration which brings together populations, traditions and cultures under the slogan "Make cous cous not war".

For the 13th year, the town will be hosting a festival unique in its atmosphere, emotions, people, colours and multitude of cultures and tastes. From near to far, a journey from East to West through the cultures of the participating countries – a "colourful world" where each colour tells a story, reveals a secret and expounds a tradition.

Tasting sessions, meetings and discussions, cultural events and talk shows against the backdrop of the beautiful San Vito Lo Capo beach. Breathe the scent of Africa on the shores of its crystal clear waters. And in the evening the festival explodes, with free concerts under the magical night sky.

* Two panels of judges, nine chefs and a multitude of couscous dishes from Algeria, the Ivory Coast, France, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal and Tunisia contending in the traditional international competition. There is the panel of expert judges, chaired by Edoardo Raspelli, food and wine journalist and host of the TV programme Melaverde, and the People’s Panel – a hundred visitors to the festival who will vote for their favourite dish.

Cous Cous Fest
www.couscousfest.it
September 20-25, 2011
San Vito Lo Capo beach, Sicily, Italy

The Cheeky Chef on CNN Eatocracy

2011-07-12T13:39:00.003-04:00

insert "that's what she said" joke here...

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

2011-07-07T09:18:00.002-04:00

I had dinner at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at The London hotel in NYC this week. We arrived for an early dinner after work and were greeted by the Sommelier welcoming us with a variety of Champagnes and sparkling wines. It was an elegant restaurant with a friendly and knowledgeable Front of House staff. The head waiter presented us with the menu and explained the Chef's 6-course tasting menu or a choice from 3-courses. I had already looked at a sample menu on the website but perused the menu for quite a while before deciding to choose the three-course menu. We actually liked the choices much better than what was currently on the Menu Prestige tasting menu from Executive Chef Markus Glocker.

The three-course meal was actually about six or seven elements with an amuse-bouche, canapé, freshly baked bread, a palate cleanser, and the bon bon trolley. Each dish was beautifully plated and served; some could have been styled for a magazine.

My date for the night was a Chef, visiting from Copenhagen, who is staying with me for the month of July while working at a restaurant in Manhattan. We were talking about his restaurant as the Sommelier overheard and questioned if we were "in the industry?" before arranging for a tour of the kitchen to meet the Chef after our meal. How lovely! The whole experience at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was very memorable. The gorgeous plates that came out of the kitchen and the proper French front of house service were exactly as I'd expect them to be in a fine-dining restaurant. The dishes were perfectly warmed, each element plated with exact precision, and every single bite was better than the last with unparalleled textures, flavors, and seasoning.

The restaurant was silent, with the carpeted flooring and no music, I was careful to place down my silverware without making a sound. We enjoyed the night laughing and tasting eachother's food while sharing a delicious bottle of French Riesling, a 2007 Zind-Humbrecht "Heimbourg" from Alsace, instead of opting for the wine pairing that was nearly the same price as the tasting menu. Dining at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was classy without being too stuffy and the portions of food weren't too small but left us happily wined, dined, and excited.

This was my menu for the night, along with a few tasty bites of my guest's meal.

Amuse-bouche:
chilled cucumber soup with almonds and sweetened pommes gaufrettes

Canapé:
melon and cucumber, tomato gelée, basil, tomato sorbet

Starter:
caramelized veal sweetbreads, roasted sunchokes, confit baby beets, haricots verts, lemon curd

Main Course:
slow cooked cod, oysters and pig’s tail crust, grilled zucchini, celery, shaved summer truffle, and smoked bacon jus poured tableside

Palate Cleanser:
white peach, thyme crumble, peach purée, lemon verbena sorbet

Dessert:
Meyer lemon pudding cake, compressed rhubarb, strawberry meringue, rhubarb jam, Champagne sorbet

Bon Bon Trolley:
mango and balsamic chocolate bon bon, pistachio nougat, cotton candy, honeycomb, financier

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
The London Hotel
151 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
www.gordonramsay.com/gratthelondon

* photo of a sample dish from starchefs.com

RECIPE: Eggplant Caponata

2011-06-29T08:37:00.001-04:00

RECIPE: Eggplant Caponata
serves 6-8

I canned my finished caponata recipe in Ball Jars for easy storage and they looked pretty when served on the table in the jars with a side of crusty bread.

Ingredients:
3 cups olive oil
2 lbs. eggplant, cut into 1″ cubes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. tomato paste, thinned with 1/4 cup water
1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
6 oz. green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. finely grated unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup finely shredded basil
2 tbsp. pine nuts

Process:
Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add eggplant and fry, tossing occasionally, until browned, 3–4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant to a large bowl; set aside. Pour off all but 1/4 cup oil, and reserve for another use. Return skillet to heat, add onions and celery, and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until caramelized and almost evaporated, 1–2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Stir in olives, vinegar, raisins, capers, sugar, and chocolate, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl with eggplant, along with basil and pine nuts, and mix together. Season with salt and pepper, and let cool to room temperature before serving.

* Recipe from the Sicilian issue of SAVEUR Magazine, March 2011 "Soul of Sicily"

A Sicilian Sunday Supper Tasting Menu

2011-06-27T18:12:00.001-04:00

The Cheeky Chef presents:

A Sicilian Sunday Supper Tasting Menu

June 2011

Onion foccacia bread, Olave organic Chilean olive oil

Caponata Crostini

eggplant, pine nuts, raisins, capers, green olives, bittersweet chocolate, tomato

Bacon-wrapped Scallions with Bay of Bengal grey salt

Pizza Quattro Stagione "Four Seasons"

artichoke hearts, tomato, coppa, cured olives & caciocavallo cheese

Ruchetta Insalata

arugula, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, ricotta salata, edible flowers

Ricotta e Menthe Ravioli

handmade pasta with ricotta, mint, sugar snap peas, black pepper, butter & caciocavallo

Pasta con le Sarde

bucatini pasta, tomato sauce, sardines, white anchovies, capers, dried currants, pine nuts

Ramp Pesto Lasagne

foraged New Jersey Ramps, ricotta, tomato sauce, caciocavallo

Cannoli & frutta di martorama from Fortunato Brothers

Brooklyn, NY

Limoncello over mint lemonade ice cubes

A Sunday Supper Tasting Menu

2011-06-27T16:17:00.002-04:00

The Cheeky Chef presents:

The International Women's Day Charity Dinner

A Sunday Supper Tasting Menu

March 2011

Chicken liver pâté, homemade apple- cranberry jam, toast points

Sullivan Street Bakery's Green olive & artichoke stecca

Satur Farms arugula, shaved fennel, dried apricots, bacon lardons, orange zest, citronette

Seared scallop, jalapeño, red onion, asian radish microgreens, blood orange & cara cara orange supremes, finishing salt

Handmade roasted cauliflower ravioli, sea urchin sauce, lemon zest, pomegranate arils, pomegranate molasses

Sumac-crusted pork loin, pickled beech mushrooms, fines herbes salad, shallot and honey compote

Chocolate & cardamom coconut creams

A 30th Birthday Celebration Menu

2011-06-26T08:14:00.005-04:00

A Razor, A Shiny Knife presents:

A 30th Birthday Celebration Menu

Hoboken, New Jersey

June 2011

Bone marrow, toast points, parsley salad

Broiled Vancouver Island Kusshi oysters, shallot butter, grated bone marrow, panko

Fluke sashimi, Kewpie mayonnaise, trout roe, hearts on fire, Maldon sea salt

Garlic scape purée, candied bacon, crème fraîche, coddled egg yolk

Parmesan polenta, morel mushrooms, veal demiglace

Sous-vide filet mignon, duck fat potatoes

Chocolate pannacotta, raspberry foam, cookie crumble, lavender smoke

They don't call ya Eddie Oysters for nothin'

2011-06-22T14:20:00.008-04:00

Watch Eddie Oysters shuck 2 dozen oysters in under 2 minutes...1:40 actually. I paired Eddie Oysters up against our team shucker, Pepe, from Brooklyn restaurant Maison Premiere, during the Naked Cowboy Oyster event in Bay Shore, Long Island. Pepecito gave him a run for his money but E.O. came out on top.

RECIPE: Fresh Italian Summer Salad

2011-06-21T08:03:00.003-04:00

RECIPE: Fresh Italian Summer Salad

Ingredients:
1 container of arugula
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained & sliced
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
ricotta salata cheese, cubed/crumbled
extra virgin olive oil
sherry vinegar
s+p
edible flowers, for garnish

Process:
Combine the arugula, artichokes, and tomatoes. Toss in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, then splash of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on the plate with edible flowers and cheese sprinkled on top.

Serve at your next dinner party and feel fancy.

RECIPE: Bacon-wrapped Scallions

2011-06-21T08:01:00.005-04:00

Ingredients:
1 lb. bacon, sliced
3 bunches of scallions (about 30)
Salt

Process:
Wash the scallions and chop each into three segments, about 3-4 inches long. A 1/2 slice of bacon will be enough to wrap around 3 scallion cigars. Secure with a toothpick. You can do this ahead of time and store in a plastic container.

Sear in a sauté pan on both sides or cook in 400 degree F oven for 5 minutes on each side. Season with a little bit of finishing salt and serve hot right out of the oven. I used Grey Sea Salt from the Bay of Bengal.

A perfect cocktail party recipe. Bite-sized, crispy, & savory.

Go Naked: shuck & suck

2011-06-20T18:38:00.002-04:00

I worked as an Oyster Shucker at the New Amsterdam Market's South Street Oyster Saloon this spring and met a guy named "Eddie Oysters". Obviously right off the bat, he realized how fantastic I was, and told me he wanted to bring me along to some of his future oyster events. It's always sexy to have a female shucker on your team. Damn right.

We packed up for Bay Shore, Long Island and spent the day representing the Blue Island Shellfish company by shucking over 2,000 of their Naked Cowboy Oysters. Named for the naked man who plays guitar in Times Square in only a cowboy hat and his tighty-whitey nuthuggers. Long Island Naked Cowboy Oysters are wild just like their namesake and are harvested from the Connecticut-side of the Long Island Sound. These fresh, briny, little jewels of the sea are the most delicious oysters and one of my top picks for local East Coasters. We took the train to Bay Shore for an outdoor festival on Main Street. The day was filled with an endless supply of local craft beer, beautiful freshly-shucked oysters that were harvested just that morning, and a great motley crew of bad ass motha' shuckers. I left Long Island with a little bit of a buzz, a belly full of quality oysters, a few new friends, and a bruised shucking hand that closely resembled a crippled claw.

RECIPE: Grilled Flatbread Pizza

2011-06-20T16:54:00.002-04:00

RECIPE: Grilled Flatbread Pizza
5 individual flatbread pizzas

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
1 cup warm water
3 cups AP flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Add your choice of pizza toppings

Process:
Dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water. With a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil and the dissolved yeast, then add the 3/4 cup remaining water.

Mix on low speed for 5 mins, until the dough detaches from the bowl. You might need to add a little bit more water to bring it together. Take the dough out and work for 2 to 3 extra minutes. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Divide the dough in 5 portions and work them again for a few minutes. Shape your portions into small discs and place them covered again, rising for 20 minutes.
*Recipe adapted from Wolfgang Puck.

Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat (NO OIL!). Roll out your dough and place directly onto the pan. Adding any oil will make the dough smokey & look dirty. Using tongs, flip the dough and grill the other side. It should only take about 1 minute on each side. Add your toppings to the flatbread then finish in the oven for about 10 minutes to make it crispy, melt the cheese, and heat toppings.

Enjoy your pizza and remember this important quote...
“Sex is like pizza. Even if its bad it’s still good.”

Only in New York

2011-06-14T18:05:00.001-04:00

I went to the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic on Governor's Island. Only in New York City will you find a $250 picnic basket filled with American wild sturgeon caviar, liverwurst pâté with pickled button mushrooms, Scottish salmon rillette, chilled spring pea and mint soup, and quail terrine with shaved fennel from The Modern restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art.

Here's a photo of me with the lifesize cardboard cut-out of Argentine polo player and drop dead gorgeous Ralph Lauren model, Nacho Figueras.

Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
June 5, 2011
Governor's Island, NYC

Drunk Baking: not recommended, yet sometimes successful

2011-06-08T13:37:00.003-04:00

I made these beautiful Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts last night after drinking two bottles of sparkling rose wine on my back porch. The weather has been so beautiful and I had a friend over after work for drinks. Can you blame me? I am a professional after all.

Some drunk girls might choose to make a microwaved Hot Pocket or nosh on a bag of Cheetos, but The Cheeky Chef is no ordinary girl. I decided to bake a dozen mini tartlets and one gorgeous 8-incher (that's what she said).

I don't recommend drunk baking and hope that you will proceed with caution and not burn the house down on your next tipsy cooking adventure. There is no recipe for this tart but this is the basic breakdown.

1 batch of pâte brisée pastry dough
2 pints of sliced strawberries
1/2 pint of braised rhubarb
vanilla and cinnamon simple syrup
graham cracker crumble

Make the tart dough in the food processor, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Braise the rhubarb in simple syrup, slice strawberries, combine and set aside. Place tart molds in freezer to stay cold. Spray tart molds with PAM spray or rub with butter so they don't stick. Roll out the dough and place into tart molds. Bake in a 400 degree oven without any filling to par-cook the pastry dough. Fill with the strawberry and rhubarb mixture, then top with a spoonful of the simple syrup. Bake until tart shell turns golden brown and filling starts to bubble. Top with crumble and serve to your fellow drinking buddy. Turn off the oven.

* Caution: perfectly executed drunk food may seem more impressive than it actually is.

Warmed the Cockles of My Heart

2011-06-07T08:49:00.000-04:00

I had the most wonderful food at The John Dory Oyster Bar at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan. My Dad was in the city for business so we decided to meet up after work for dinner. I had worked with Chef April Bloomfield at The De Gustibus Cooking School a few months ago and had her food at the New Amsterdam Market's South Street Oyster Saloon but hadn't had the chance to dine at the restie until now. We sat at the bar and ordered a few dishes to share. Everything was unbelievable and I couldn't stop oohing and aahing about every new plate that appeared. Chef April Bloomfield clearly knows what's up. Here's our menu.

We ordered a dozen raw oysters that came with vinegar-steeped freshly grated horseradish and a mignonette with finely diced celery, onions, and red peppers. The Naked Cowboy Oysters from Blue Island Shellfish Farms in Long Island, New York were by far superior to the others with their yummy briny flavor and perfect bite size. The other half were large Pemaquid Oysters from Damariscotto River, Bremen, Maine. Still good oysters, but nowhere near where the Naked Cowboys ranked. The Pemaquids were almost-extinct in the 1800's but just started being reintroduced to the Damariscotto River in the 1980's. Happy to have you back little guys. I like to keep track of my oyster adventures using the Oysterpedia app that the Mermaid Inn created so I made sure to add these two to the list. The Oyster Pan Roast with Uni butter toast was unadulterated food porn. The ultra-rich broth with the buttery taste of the sea urchin spread was mouthwatering. The Morels & Periwinkles on Garlic Bread was just as juicy and delicious. For those newbies, periwinkles are small gastropods (snails) from the rocky shores of the North Atlantic. It was hard to tell which were mushrooms and which seafood when they were on the toast but every bite was better than the next as the bread soaked up the buttery sauce. The bartender recommended an order of Parker House Rolls to sop up the pan roast sauce which was genius! Finally, came the Black Pepper Soft Shelled Crabs with a vinegar fish sauce for dipping. It's prime soft-shell crab season from April to September when the crabs that recently molted their old exoskeleton are available. You can fry them up to eat the whole thing. I washed it all down with a pint of the John Dory Oyster Stout from Sixpoint Brewery in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The creative seafood dishes at John Dory Oyster Bar were pure heaven.

John Dory Oyster Bar

1196 Broadway, at 29th street

New York, New York

http://thejohndory.com

*Oyster Pan Roast photo from Lauren Shockey via The Village Voice.

Grubbin' in NOLA

2011-06-06T08:25:00.005-04:00

I have a group of girlfriends in New York that gets together every month or so for a blowout girls night. Usually involves dinner, cocktails, barhopping, and dancing with the occasional gay stripclub or blackout cab ride home. We decided that we should take a trip to New Orleans for Jazzfest. One of the girls, Robin, is a native Louisiana girl and mapped out this killer girls weekend for us.

I'd been to NOLA once before for my friend's wedding and really got hooked on the food. My parents love Cajun and Creole food, so it wasn't too strange for me to have crawfish étouffée or gumbo for dinner when I was growing up.

Three girls from New York City arrived at the airport and were greeted with open arms filled with frozen daiquiri to-go cups. They have drive-thru places down there that sell frozen cocktails & "road sodas" as I like to say. With a hotel in the French Quarter, we were able to hit up a few classic spots on Bourbon Street like Pat O'Briens for hurricanes and Brennan's Restaurant for a three hour brunch filled with Bloody Mary's with pickled green beans, and their famous dishes Eggs Sardou and Bananas Foster.

The food at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was even better yet. They had food stands with the most classic dishes sold from local restaurants and no two stands sold the same item to avoid competition. Everything was really cheap too! We set up our blanket at a stage for the day and took turns making beer runs, taking bathroom breaks, picking up daiquiri refills, and buying the food for the day. The girls would return with the day's feast, a huge box filled with dishes from at least 6-10 food stands. We had a chance to try a lot and share along the way. The food in New Orleans was amazing and everything I remembered. This is one of the best U.S. foodie meccas for people who like big flavors and homestyle cooking with loads of love in it. Here's a list of all the goodness that we had down in NOLA.

Crawfish Boil
Cafe Du Monde's French Market Coffee & Beignets
Sweet Potato Chips
Crawfish Monica (mac & cheese with crawfish tails)
Shrimp & Grits
Muffaletta (sandwich with olive spread and Italian deli meats)
Andouille Gumbo
Jambalaya
Catfish Po' Boy
Red Beans and Rice
Roast Beef Po' Boy
Charbroiled Oysters
Bananas Foster
Eggs Sardou (similar to Eggs Benny with artichokes and spinach)
Cracklins (pork rinds, chicharones)

Freelancing at De Gustibus

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Maybe you’ve been wondering where I’ve been the last few months. Cooking with a new Chef every week, bringing in gourmet leftovers for lunch at the office, or adjusting my daytime hours so I can break loose from the office and fulfill my need to work with food at night. Well wonder no more...

There’s a lovely cooking school tucked away on the 8^th floor of MACY’s on 34^th Street in Manhattan. The De Gustibus Cooking School was founded by Arlene Feltman Sailhac in 1980. Sailhac, that name rings a bell. Her husband is the world famous French Chef, Alain Sailhac. He’s also one of the Deans at my alma mater, The French Culinary Institute. Arlene founded the school and has been responsible for bringing some of the country’s best Chefs, Restaurateurs, Winemakers, Sommeliers, and Food Pioneers into the classroom to allow guests to get some one-on-one time with them while sampling some of their gourmet cuisine. Famed foodies like Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten have cooked on this stage. The best thing about the classes is the Guest Chefs are brought in for just one night to give you a cooking demonstration, fantastic tasting, and usually wine pairings with each course, in addition to being approachable to answer your questions, take photographs, and sign cookbooks. This is an experience that you simply cannot get by just visiting their restaurants alone. Salvatore Rizzo bought the De Gustibus Cooking School from Arlene in 2007. He was the former Director of House Operations and Events at the James Beard Foundation and joined De Gustibus with a tremendous network of culinary connections. Sal has led the school through an impressive number of seasons including some of America’s most admired Chefs and culinary icons.

I joined the De Gustibus team in the fall of 2010 as the schools food blogger. Sal invited me to attend the events and interview the Chefs for the De Gustibus website. The perks to this job were unreal. I’d attend the events, get wined and dined with some of the most amazing food, have the opportunity to meet some of my culinary idols, then get to write about it on my blog and the De Gustibus site. I was able to eat food from Chefs whose restaurant’s I could never afford to dine at, speak to Chefs, Restaurant Owners, and Sommeliers that I might not ever have the chance of meeting, and work at a job where I was eating top-notch food and drinking unbelievable wines! In the spring season of 2011, I was moved to the kitchen as an Assistant Chef, under the true shining star of De Gustibus, the General Manager Amaral Ozeias. He’s been working there longer than anyone and knows this kitchen like the back of his hand. The Chefs that come back for classes each season are thrilled to see Amaral and greet him with a huge hug and kiss. For the last four months, I have had the opportunity to cook with Chefs like April Bloomfield from the John Dory Oyster Bar, Marc Forgione and Anne Burrell from the Food Network, Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune, India's most famous cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey, Sara Jenkins from Porchetta, and so many more. It’s a great experience for a young cook to be able to work side-by-side with some of these huge Chefs. It gives me the opportunity to network for possible jobs in the future and also see who I would love to work for and who to steer clear of. Depending on the crew the Chefs bring with them, my role as an Assistant Chef ranges from simply waitressing, to plating dishes, prepping for the demonstrations, or cooking all of the food that the guest eat with the rest of our team “backstage”. It’s been rewarding to be able to work with such an array of food professionals like Max McCalman from Artisanal Cheese, Jody Adams from Top Chef Masters and Rialto Restaurant in Boston, and the entire Forgione family including Larry, Marc, Bryan and Sean. Working at De Gustibus is always exciting since no two nights are the same.

So, if you see eating veal meatballs, ramp risotto, or panna cotta in my lunch bag, you can probably bet that I was at De Gustibus the night before.

On the cusp of adventure

2011-05-29T13:46:00.003-04:00

I started this blog in 2007 as a little side project to have a space to write about the food I was eating, where I was traveling, and what I was creating. Even before that, I spent half of 2006, traveling around the world on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship. Probably the most wonderful work experience I've ever had. I was able to travel from country to country and learn about all the wonderful food and traditions that these new places had to offer. This is where I truly fell in love with food.

When I moved to New York City after graduating from college in upstate New York, I pumped up my blog to full force. Initially the party girl was released into the big bad world. I was blogging about all of the exciting restaurants, bars, clubs, events, and parties that I encountered every night on the town. With a full time job in book publishing, I was always looking forward to my next foodie adventure, whether it was my yearly pilgrimage to Brasil to pay homage to the Caipirinha Gods, my jaunts to Las Vegas, London, New Orleans, or St. Martin, and even my weekends spent scouring the greenmarkets and artisanal stores of NYC to come up with my own concoctions in The Cheeky Chef Test Kitchen, as I liked to call my little apartment.

My decision to enroll in culinary school was a huge turning point during my quarter life crisis. I always wanted to be cooking and had finally made the decision to do it. With my Pop's practical voice
in the back of my head, and my project manager mentality, I wasn't ready to exactly just go for it. I decided to push myself to work full time during the day and take culinary courses at night. Little steps at a time. I enrolled at The French Culinary Institute and for the next ten months, I powered through this intense work schedule of Random House publishing from 8AM to 5PM, usually writing out recipes on my note cards during my lunch hour, then running out of the office to catch the subway down to Chinatown at exactly 5:00 on the dot, run to the FCI, changing into my Chef whites, getting to class and prepping my work station to be ready for attendance at exactly 5:45, responding with a "Yes, Chef" when my name was called. Classes went until 11PM and I usually didn't get home until 12 then up early the next day to do it all again. My blogging for The Cheeky Chef usually took place around 2AM after I got in from school or from drinking with my classmates. I didn't really know how I did it either.

For the last two years, I've been freelancing in the food world on nights and weekends. I would take vacation days off from my office job to pick up cooking shifts. I'd adjust my hours, with the patience of my amazing co-workers, in order to intern with a restaurant at night or get to my cooking classes on time. Now, I'm finally getting to the end of my career transitional stage and finally taking the plunge into a full-time career in food. Not to say that I'll be diving right into a restaurant or trying to take up food writing on a more professional level, it's just time to go for it. I was awarded a scholarship through the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization to work at a cooking school in Sicily for three months. I will be working with a small group of adorable Italian ladies at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School near Palermo in the Sicilian countryside of Italy. When I found out that I was chosen for this scholarship, that was it! I was ready to quit my job, move off to Italy for three months, then figure it all out when I return. So that's where I'm at right now, planning my next adventure. Trying to learn Italian, moving to a country that I don't know, honing my cooking skills in a whole new way, then coming right back to Brooklyn to figure out my next step. Whatever, I end up doing, I think The Cheeky Chef blog will continue to focusing on "travel-inspired seasonal food, with a side of sass." while I track my moves along the way to my next adventure.

Wish me luck.
xx Lou

Ramptastical Adventures

2011-05-28T08:50:00.001-04:00

I joined my friend Andrew Gottlieb on a ramptastical adventure. We drove out to New Jersey to forage for ramps last month. Ramps are the most wonderful spring vegetable. It's actually a wild leek that grows all along the East Coast for just about 4-6 weeks in April and May. I had started to see them popping up on restaurant menus early in April and every dish was more exciting than the last. Ramp and Ricotta pizza at Roberta's pizzeria in Brooklyn, Ramp Risotto at the De Gustibus Cooking School, Ramps everywhere! They're a bit of a mix between spring garlic and a scallion with long broad leaves and white or pink stems/bulbs. Andrew invited me to forage for ramps and it was one of my favorite food experiences this year. We drove into New Jersey and headed toward the secret ramp patch. I was jumping out of my skin when there were ramps as far as the eye could see. I kept calling it "ramp forest".

We dug out ramps with a shovel then brushed off the dirt and came home with two huge wine crates filled with these spring beauties. Cleaning the ramps is sort of a pain in the ass. They're very dirty from sprouting up through the soil with such force, sometimes piercing right through a leaf on the way up. I trimmed up my large batch of ramps and whipped up a few dishes with the fresh ones. I pickled the ramp bulbs in jars, pureed the ramp leaves into a "pesto" that I froze in ice cube trays for quick use through the summer, donated a large bunch of ramps to my friends at A Razor, A Shiny Knife that we used in our delicious cream of ramp soup during the infamous L Train Lunch, and I sauteed some ramp leaves for a delicious topping for my skirt steak and ramp tacos.

Here are some photos from our Ramptastical Adventure!

L Train Lunch hits Japanese TV

2011-05-27T08:46:00.002-04:00

The L Train Lunch that we hosted on May 1st has picked up an incredible amount of press! We were featured on the front page of the New York Times Dining Section on May 4th, we received loads of press on Twitter via the tag #ltrainlunch, we were interviewed by CNN for Eatocracy (coming soon), and even filmed by Lika Komoi from Fujisankei Communications International, a Japanese television network. The lovely people at Fujisankei have posted our video to the website, so if there are any Japanese speakers out there, please give us your feedback and translation.

Thanks! Linda Lou

View the video online:
http://www.fujisankei.com/video_library/local-news/nycdiningcar.html

International Women's Day

2011-05-13T08:47:00.008-04:00

This year marked the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8th, 2011. It is an annual day that honors the celebration of respect, appreciation, love and support for women's economic, political, and social achievements. I was able to make my contribution in honor of International Women’s Day by raising over $550 through my blog’s campaign and through The Cheeky Chef’s International Women’s Day Charity Dinner. The funds that were raised were donated to The World Food Programme in support of their commitment to using policies, programs and actions to promote women’s empowerment as a key to improving food security for all. This idea all started with an inspiring conversation with Shelley Lindgren, the Wine Director and Co-Owner of SPQR and A16 restaurants in San Francisco. She hosts an annual International Women's Day dinner at her restaurants to benefit a kitchen incubator called La Cocina. I would like to thank Shelley for her inspiration to create my own fundraiser event to honor this special day.

For more information on The World Food Programme, visit their website.

http://www.wfp.org

"Because women are our hope; the secret weapon in fighting hunger."

I would like to thank the following people for their support and generous donations.

Liz & Bill Sarris

Bonnie & Scott Lieberman

Terry Solomos

Bonnie McMahon

Debbie Ovitz

Stephanie & Brian Sarris

Josephine Son

Alexis Ames

Irene & Dennis Domkowski

Stephanie Norris

Jamie Christie

Jenny Park

Carmen Cossio

Allison Guilbault

Love,

Linda Lou

The Cheeky Chef

this looks like a nice place to live for a little while

2011-05-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

NYC Dining Car

2011-05-11T08:34:00.012-04:00

Here is the video of the A Razor, A Shiny Knife L Train Lunch that I collaborated on. I was responsible for the Ramp Soup course, look for Linda Lou & her team in the video right after the 2:30 mark. A special thanks to RONEN V. for creating this radical video.

Linda Lou's dish:
Ramp Purée, Cipollini Onion, Confit Morel Mushroom, a Dehydrated Ramp Leaf, and a Tuile of American La Quercia Ham
* All ramps used were foraged by Miss Lou herself.

More info available at WWW.NYCDININGCAR.COM.

Lunch with a Capital L

2011-05-04T08:24:00.001-04:00

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I felt like a Newsie running to the bodega this morning to pick up a print copy of The New York Times. Last night, Melena Ryzik from The Times, posted her article to the online site complete with a slideshow of images from the event. Someone threw a dinnerparty on the subway this weekend, and now everyone will know the masterminds behind this huge success!

On Sunday, May 1st, I participated in a fine dining luncheon onboard the L train, the subway running from 8th Avenue in Manhattan all the way out to Canarsie, Brooklyn. A place most L-riders have never gone before. The collaborators of this heist were Daniel Castaño and Michael J. Cirino from the world-renowned culinary club, A Razor, A Shiny Knife. What a group of amazing people! Culinary geniuses, Chefs, science-based molecular modernist cooks and a backlist of friends willing to help without any knowledge of what was ahead.

About two months ago, I was sitting with Michael J. Cirino in a deli on the corner of 8th Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan on a early Sunday morning when he said to me "We're going to throw a dinner party on the subway." Having worked with Michael before, my first response was, "TODAY?!" We planned out the route with Mike Lee (StudioFeast) and Demian Repucci (demianrepucci.com) to plot out the trip and carefully time the stops. Little did I know, we were in for an event that took nearly 50 volunteers to pull off a perfectly executed meal for just 12 guests. As planning continued, A Razor, A Shiny Knife asked me to Captain one of the teams for the event. What an honor! I was able to recruit Andrew Warman, Drew Altdoerffer, Katie Hawthorne, and Chad Griffith as photographers for the event and started planning my team of Alex Schulten, Dan Vallejo, Lex Ames and Joe Levine.

When the event finally came to be, the nine lunch guests arrived at 8th Avenue with no idea of what they were signed up for. The hostess randomly picked up three guests from the train to complete the fully packed 12-seat dining car. As guests sat down, the tables were rigged up and decor was set in front of them. The hosts of the event, Michael J. Cirino, CK Swett, and the lovely Mr. Jonny Cigar were dressed to the nines in three-piece suits. (No comment on their brown dress shoes.) As the train ran from Manhattan to Brooklyn, new courses of food were brought on at various stations along the way. Daniel Castaño entered the train at 6th avenue with a silver platter filled with the first course. They started with a Fluke Crudo, Bone Marrow Mayonnaise, Trout Roe cured in Laproaig, and Sweet Lime. Andrew Rosenberg, a Professor from Queens College, and hands-down fantastic cook, prepared a Foie en Brioche with small jars of Port Wine and Raisin Jam. As the train approached the Lorimer stop in Brooklyn, my team was ready with the Ramp Soup with Black Garlic Puree, Confited Cippolini and Morel, Dehydrated Ramp Leaves and a La Quercia Prosciutto Crisp. Our beautiful bowls were plated with all garnishes then when we boarded the train and passed out the dishes, I walked around (the moving train) carefully pouring the beautiful bright green soup over the garnish to complete the dish. A success for team Cheeky Burn, a collaboration of The Cheeky Chef and fellow competitive cooks, The Righteous Burn.

Team Studiofeast brought on the main course three pieces of Petit Filet Mignon, Pomme Puree, and Pickled Asparagus Tips, just the tips. Captain, Mike Lee, had a camera strapped to his head by way of sweatband for the entire event so we're looking forward to getting a hand on that footage. Danny Zlobinsky brought on the next course, a Hot Pepper Jam, with Freeze-dried snow made from St. Andre Cheese, topped with Corn Flakes. The dessert was carefully plated on the train (with gloves of course) by Daniel Castano and they served the last course as the train arrived far into Brooklyn. The Chocolate Panna Cotta with Gold Leaf was a beautiful creation. It was topped with a Raspberry Foam as Michael J. Cirino walked down the train car dispensing it from an isi whip canister onto the guests plates. This event is the proof that these guys are the real deal. Who else could pull something off like this? Thank you very much to the hardworking volunteers who put in their time, energy, and selfless dedication that made this event such a success. I am completely grateful to have been a part of it, and I'm biting my nails to hear what will be next for these A Razor, A Shiny Knife fellows.

More info from the event: Stay tuned for the release of more media content.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
A RAZOR, A SHINY KNIFE
STUDIOFEAST

* Photo from Yana Paskova for The New York Times
I know what that guy's face is saying. Oh damn, look at that beautiful ramp soup! You are right sir.

Cheers,
Linda Lou

Righteous Burn & Andrew Foods

2011-05-03T17:36:00.002-04:00

This weekend was full of collaborations from unlikely sources. As a NYC-based food blogger and competitive cook, I've had the pleasure of meeting a lot of up and coming cooks in the city. I've participated in The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment (from the guys behind The Food Experiments) and The Brooklyn Grits Takedown (by Matt Timms from the Chili Takedown).

This weekend I had the honor of working side-by-side with a few of my fellow cook-off competitors. On Sunday, I was assisted by the boys from a group called Righteous Burn, of The Food Experiment fame. Then, on Monday night, I was assisting Andrew Foods / Vino Grande with a catering event of his own. Andrew Gottlieb is an amazing cook from New York who competes in The Food Experiments as well as Jimmy Carbone's Jimmy’s No. 43 cook-offs. If you've been to any of these events, I'm sure you already know him. It was a great weekend filled with friendly collaboration with foodie crews that are normally cut-throat oppositions.

Sorry guys, but please don't think this means I won't destroy you in the next cook-off. Watch your back for Miss Cheeky Chef. What was that saying about keeping your enemies close?

Here's a quick look at some of the delicious small plates that Andrew Foods created for a client cocktail party and wine tasting. I was the Chef for the night, living the high life in a fantastic apartment in NoHo (North of Houston Street / downtown NYC). I'll admit I was very excited about the Viking cooking range and Miele dishwasher. I prepared nine small courses to be paired with the wines from Andrew's personal collection. Here's the menu.

MENU:
Shrimp with Spicy Remoulade Sauce
White Gazpacho with Grapes & Toasted Almonds
Crostini with Di Palo Ricotta, Trumpet Mushrooms, Apple & Melted Fontina
Tiny Croque-Madame: Gruyere, Prosciutto Cotto, Fried Quail Egg & Mornay Sauce
Flatbreads with Sweet Potato Sauce, Guanciale & Smoked Mozzarella
Chicken Meatballs with Cherry Gastrique & Pickled Ramps
Lamb Stew over Creamy Polenta with Celery Leaves
Mini Steak Experience: Dry-Aged NY Strip, Creamed Spinach, Mac & Cheese
Strawberry and Rhubarb Shortcake

WINES: A selection of US wines with an emphasis on small, artisanal producers.
Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc
Diatom Stainless Steel Chardonnay
Cristom Pinot Noir
Pax Syrah
Antihill Farms Cabernet Sauvignon
Lewelling Cabernet Sauvignon

Chocolat

2011-04-19T08:14:00.001-04:00

Oliver Kita Fine Confections is a line of artisan fine chocolates created using French methods and sourced organic and fair trade chocolate from France and Switzerland. I tasted the 16-piece bon bon box called the studio collection. There were so many specialty flavor combinations that included various textures, chocolate types, and fillings.

There were basic bon bons that really just let the chocolate shine for itself like the PALET d’ ARGENT "Silver Palet" that used pure Venezuelan chocolate and the PALET d’ OR "Gold Palet" a perfect blend of milk and dark chocolate. A few of my favorites were the more traditional flavors featured in a delicate new way. I loved the TROIS PRÉTRES "Three Priests" with whole caramelized almonds and a white chocolate disk dipped in dark chocolate as well as the CARAMEL du SEL with pink Hawaiian sea salt and full cream caramel. There were more exotic combinations of Peaches & Cream, Lavender with Lime, Strawberry & Caramel, and the Blood Orange with Lapsang tea and spices. The Studio Collection was a perfect sample of the unique flavor profiles developed by Chef Kita as he describes as a tour of his most popular jewel-like creations.

Oliver Kita Fine Confections
www.oliverkita.com

CONTEST: Win a 3-Martini Dinner for 2

2011-04-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

Thrillist Presents Martini Week 2011:
Win a 3-Martini Dinner for 2

Thrillist's Martini Week returns April 4th-17th and they're giving you a shot to win a 3-martini dinner for 2 at Public in New York City.

To enter sign up for Thrillist, the free daily email that delivers the best new restaurants, bars, events and more in your city. If we're they're not in your hood yet, check out Thrillist Nation -- sweet info for people everywhere. Plus you'll get the official guide to Martini Week 2011 when you enter.

Don't miss out on Martini Week 2011, featuring 16 bars and restaurants across town who'll each be offering their own inventive takes for no-brainer prices.

Enter to win and get the official guide for Martini Week 2011 by signing up for Thrillist. http://www.thrillist.com/martiniweek2011

Question: Peeling Farm Fresh Eggs

2011-04-04T17:29:00.000-04:00

I was pickling some eggs for Easter and came across a serious problem! We had VERY fresh eggs straight from the farm; probably straight from that little hen's bum. We hard-boiled the eggs then had the toughest time trying to peel off the shells. It was even followed by a brief temper tantrum from the Chef I was working with. Quite funny actually. We tried soaking in warm water, soaking in cold water, peeling under water, peeling out of water. Nothing was working.

Does anyone know the best way to peel farm fresh eggs?
Why is it more difficult to peel fresh eggs than store-bought?

I found an article on eHow.com that explained it a little bit.

"Hard boiled farm fresh eggs are much harder to peel than the typical store bought egg. Reason being, store bought eggs are in storage long enough for some evaporation of the whites to take place and this allows the shell to come off clean. With a fresh egg, the whites & membrane are pressed hard against the shell, thus making it harder to peel when hard boiled. The eggs from your local grocery store can be several days or weeks old. Farm eggs can be purchased the same day the egg was laid. Now that is fresh."

Help the Cheeky Chef out and send along your suggestions.

Thanks!

Lou

Today's Sexy Chef: Marco Pierre White (circa 1985)

2011-04-01T17:14:00.002-04:00

Chef Marco Pierre White is known at least as much for his aggressive chain smoking, his three tumultuous marriages, and his extraordinarily abusive personality as he is for his cooking. Now nearly 50 years old, Chef Marco Pierre White (circa 1985 to be clear) will be considered my Sexy Chef of the Day...the chef most likely to try to slit your throat or bend you over in the back of a walk-in refrigerator.

I'm currently reading his book, "The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef" and thought it only be fair that I spread the word about this all too rough-around-the-edges British Chef that for too many years has flown under the radar of US foodie news. Known as the "brooding Byron" of the kitchen, Marco Pierre White brought a punk-rock sensibility to his craft, shattering centuries-old rules of fine-dining tradition (and bruising many egos in the process) in his pursuit for perfection. A little info on the Chef...

After leaving Allerton High School in Leeds without any qualifications, White decided to train as a chef. He began his training in the kitchen at the Hotel St George in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and later at the Box Tree in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. Arriving in London as a 16-year-old with "£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes" he began his classical training as a commis under Albert Roux and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche, a period that would lead Albert to describe him as "my little bunny". At 24, Marco became Head Chef and joint owner of Harveys with a kitchen staff that included the young Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. He was awarded his third Michelin star at the age of 33 - the first British and youngest chef ever to achieve this.

He's mentored (or at least employed) Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsay, and Heston Blumenthal, all of whom seem to have looked past White's tendencies to violently eject unpleasant patrons, or take a knife to a mouthy line cook's whites, in order to inherit White's unswerving dedication to food above all else. That is, most of them have.

* info from eatmedaily & marcopierrewhite.org

RECIPE: Farofa, Brazilian breadcrumbs

2011-04-01T08:43:00.002-04:00

In Brazil, farofa is the perfect accompaniment to many of their most famous dishes including feijoada and churrasco. I've written about this topic before when I began traveling to Brazil and first got a taste of this secret ingredient. It's made from toasted yucca flour and sometimes includes extra bits of bacon, onion, garlic, olives, hard boiled eggs, or other veg and spices. It's similar to a breadcrumb with the consistency of sand which is sometimes what deters people from it. At most meals, you'll find a bowl of farofa as a condiment for your beans or barbecued meats. I like to dip the steak into the farofa to add a little extra crunch or sprinkle it over a plate of feijão (beans) at lunchtime.

I always hit up the grocery store before heading home to the US and stock up on bags of "farofa pronta" among other favorite Brazilian specialties. Farofa Pronta just means that it's ready to eat. I usually buy the brand Yoki but I'm sure there are many others out there. I am still on a mission to find the correct type of yucca flour in the US. I buy the polvilho azedo (sour yucca flour) for my pão de queijo recipes at Kalustyan's in Manhattan. This is a much finer flour and not what you want for farofa. The type of flour we bought in Brasil was called farinha de mandioca grossa. It translates into large yucca flour and has a much larger crumb that's similar to panko.

While visiting my dear friend, Natalia, in São Paulo, she taught me how to make homemade farofa. We decided to use bacon, onions, and hard boiled eggs in our farofa. Here's the recipe and some step-by-step photos.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup bacon, cubed
500 g farinha de mandioca grossa
1 egg, hard boiled and chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 T. butter

Process:
In a saute pan, render the fat from the bacon and cook until crisped on all sides. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the bag of farinha de mandioca grossa and keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Cook until the flour is toasted and the color starts to turn brown. Keep stirring the ingredients so the fat from the bacon will soak into the flour and allow it to toast evenly. Stir in the hard boiled egg and cool in a bowl at room temperature until it's ready to eat.

You Motha' Shucka'

2011-03-31T17:07:00.002-04:00

FIND ME HERE: I'll be shucking oysters at this upcoming event to raise money for The New Amsterdam Market. I've already shucked and pickled 200 oysters with Chef Scott Bridi from Brooklyn Cured. Come check out the other amazing food and support the market!

OYSTER SALOON

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

5:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Join fellow New Amsterdam Market supporters as the covered outdoor forecourt of the historic Fulton Fish Market is transformed into a bustling night market and a revival of the Oyster Saloons once found in all of New York’s public markets.

Enjoy fresh-shucked regional oysters and oyster-centric menu items from special guest vendors including April Bloomfield of The John Dory Oyster Bar, Alejandro Alcocer of green brown orange, Patrick Connolly of bobo Res- taurant, King Phojanakong of Kuma Inn, and the creative teams from Great Performances, Luke’s Lobster, and Neuman’s Caterers; plus grilled cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers and the Cellars at Jasper Hill, special pickles from rick’s picks, and Brooklyn Cured, brown bread from Sullivan Street Bakery, cask beers sourced by Beer Table, coffee & cake from Blue Bottle Coffee, music from the Silvester Manor Trio, and more!

Tickets are $50 in advance, $65 at the gate.

OYSTER SALOON FUNDRAISER

The Old Fulton Fish Market on South Street (near Beekman Street)

New York, New York

Check out the Bill of Fare:

Caipirinha withdrawal cured at BECO

2011-03-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

After returning from another life-changing trip to Brazil, I was suffering through a serious case of caipirinha withdrawal and needed to get myself to a boteco as quickly as possible. I'd been trying to test out the Brazilian spots in New York and this one was always on my to-do list. I went into Beco for dinner on a Tuesday night and we were the first table there. The servers were friendly and the restie had a good vibe, very relaxed and welcoming.

I ordered a caipirinha right away. Just pinga, sugar, lime, ice... and nothing else (see my previous post/rant for more info). Delicious! I was home. I was excited to see they had moqueca on the menu. Moqueca is a fish stew made in either Espírito Santo or Bahia states in Brasil. Since I've never visited these areas, I hadn't seen many moquecas on menus. It's a traditional fish stew made with fish, shrimp, or crab and onions, peppers, coconut milk, lime juice, HOT malagueta pepper, tomatoes, dendê oil and herbs. The moqueca at BECO was a shrimp stew with coconut milk, yellow peppers, cilantro, ginger, and dendê oil served with rice, couve and farofa for $16. The food was fantastic and almost reminded me of a cajun étouffée...outstanding!

I'll be back to test out the pão de queijo (cheese bread) and feijoada (pork and black bean stew) that's for sure!

BECO
45 Richardson Street (between Union Ave & Lorimer St)
Brooklyn, New York 11211
www.becobar.com

Mon-Fri 7AM-2AM
Sat 10AM-2AM
Sun 10AM-11PM

I'll name my daughter Caipirinha

2011-03-25T18:11:00.003-04:00

Let me just tell you a little bit about my favorite cocktail, the caipirinha. I've traveled to Brasil four times now and the drinks just don't get much better than this. It's just pinga, sugar, lime, ice... and nothing else. This is the way to do it. No muddled fruit, vodka (are you serious...VODKA!!!), mint (don't even get me started, it's not a friggin' mojito) or any other bullshit that ends up taking away the three main ingredients that make a caipirinha so special.

Caipirinhas are the national cocktail of Brasil. First and foremost, it's pronounced caipirinha, that's kai-pee-ree-nya. Most importantly, they're made with cachaça. Say it with me gringos "ka-sha-suh" it's not difficult. It's also known as pinga to the locals. Portuguese-speakers only please, pinga in Spanish is a whole nother story guys. It's a distilled liquor made from sugarcane and it's pretty lethal if you drink it straight up. Trust me, when visiting a very good looking (muito lindo) home-distiller in São Luis do Paraitinga, I was officially convinced that this strong stuff is best consumed in a cocktail.

Ingredient number two: Lime wedges. Limes must be muddled or squeezed into the cocktail so the acid balances out the sweetness of the sugar. In Brasil they don't really have lemons so substituting this one just wouldn't be right. To prove this point my friends have often referred to lemons as "those yellow ones" since they never see them in Brasil.

Lastly a nice spoonful of sugar. The sweetness of the sugar and the acid in the limes cut through the strong alcohol taste of the cachaça. I like to go with brown cane sugar because I like the crunch of the crystals but really it doesn't matter at all. The combo of this trifecta is magic. Note: there's no club soda in this drink - it's pure booze, sugar and limes baby.

I'm becoming a somewhat connoisseur of caipirinhas. I love to try them at each Brasilian bar and restaurant that I go to and pick and choose the bars where I decide to order them, carefully looking at the description and if I see any nonsense about vodka, rum, or fruit I tend to steer clear. My cachaça of choice is almost always a classic and traditional (and cheap) brand like Pitú or 51 (cinquenta e um), avoiding the chemical aftertaste of Leblon at all costs, and dabbling in artisanal cachaças whenever the opportunity arises. My houseguests will vouch that there's never a shortage of caipirinhas flowing through my kitchen. If you find yourself in Brasil, at a Brasilian bar, or with people who are in the know... test out a caipirinha for yourself. I hope you'll love it as much as I do. You might even find me throwing back a pitcher of these at Miss Favelas in Brooklyn on any given Saturday afternoon. After reading this post, all I can hope for is that you can consider yourself informed and never use the words "kuh-prina" or "ca-shock-a" ever again.

De Gustibus: Chef Jody Adams

2011-02-21T18:34:00.001-05:00

The De Gustibus Cooking School wrapped up the fall season with the James Beard award-winning Chef Jody Adams, the Chef/owner of Rialto Restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She brought along her Sous Chef Megan Ward and two young cooks from New York City helped with the preparation of the event’s dishes. Chef Jody Adams is a fantastic woman who is a Chef, restaurant owner, wife, mother, author, and dedicated philanthropist.

She is known as an inspirational Chef focusing on Italian cuisine who is actively involved in organizations such as The Greater Boston Food Bank, Share Our Strength, and Partners in Health. She competed on Bravo's Top Chef Masters in season two and raised $17,500 for Partners in Health.

Chef Jody Adams grew up in an Italian neighborhood and even though she doesn’t have an ounce of Italian in her, she certainly has “an Italian soul.” The food at Rialto reflects her approach of taking the best ingredients that you can and only doing as little as possible to bring out the best flavors. The menu that she chose for the De Gustibus event was one that incorporated seasonal ingredients in dishes that would be possible to recreate at home.

The meal began with Stuffed Fried Olives and Breadsticks from Rialto. The stuffing for the fried olives is similar to what you would find in stuffed pasta. These olives were filled with salami, Parmesan cheese, mortadella, ground pork, fennel and garlic. The first course was a fresh Winter Salad with roasted chestnuts, glazed cipollini, seared mushrooms and pomegranate seeds. The cipollini were pickled in an agrodolce made with sugar, red wine vinegar, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and bay leaf. The pasta course was Beet Ravioli with charred tomato sauce and tangerine-poached lobster. For the next course, she demonstrated the Seared Scallops with sunchoke puree, herbs and truffles. The scallop was garnished with a thin fried Jerusalem artichoke chip, shaved truffles and a fines herbes salad with Meyer lemon supremes. The last savory course was a Braised Short Rib of Beef with red wine, apricots, black olives and creamy Parmesan Anson Mills polenta. She prepared a Fig and Burnt-Sugar Tart with hazelnuts and candied-kumquats for the dessert. Chef Jody explained that she makes two types of dessert: tarts and tarts. This was similar to the one that she made on Top Chef Masters. The Kobrand Corporation provided the wines paired with the meal.

Chef Jody Adams has provided an additional recipe for a Tangerine Glazed Lobster. This is a recipe that she used for an Italian Christmas feast of the seven fishes event in December. Here is my interview with Chef Jody.

How big is your staff in the kitchen at Rialto?
25

What do you have planned for 2011?
A surprise!

Are there plans for another book?
My husband, Ken Rivard, and I are starting to work on one on Italian vegetables from a New England kitchen.

Describe your experience of competing on Top Chef Masters?
I loved the experience of cooking on TCM. With each new challenge, I felt like I was going over the top of a roller coaster with that funny feeling in my stomach. I never knew what crazy wildcard would be thrown at me. Weird ingredients, odd cooking venues, unexpected extra guests, shopping constraints, time limitations, we saw it all. But that was what made it so much fun. I was cooking against some of the most accomplished chefs in the country and we were working without those lovely “behind-the-scenes” people we depend on in our own kitchens. It was hard. I felt the rust in my joints. And then there were the ever-present cameras to catch the mascara pooling under my eyes. Every time I slipped, dumped a pot on the floor or burnt my garlic, the camera was there to ensure the world would see it. The one thing that kept me focused was the thought that Partners In Health was depending on me. If they could provide medical care for the poorest people in the world, I could suck it up and not worry about whether my mascara was running.

When did you first get involved with Partners in Health?
I got to know the founders and principals of PIH, Ophelia Dahl, Paul Farmer and Jim Kim, many years ago in Rialto. As I got to know them, heard their stories and read Tracy Kidder’s book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, I became convinced that the work they were doing could truly change the world.

What makes you so passionate about this organization?
At Rialto, we’ve supported PIH for many years and I know the money we help raise will be used compassionately and wisely. I’ve been to their clinic, PACT in Dorchester and seen the work they do there. I have been to Rwanda and seen the work they do there as well. PIH’s mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care using a community based system. At Rialto right now, in response to the needs in Haiti, proceeds from sale of sides on the dinner menu are donated (100%) to the PIH Stand With Haiti Campaign. We’ve raised over $35,000 since January 12, 2010 when the devastating earthquake struck Haiti. Given the nature of Rialto, we wanted to find a subtle way for guests and purveyors to contribute to PIH’s Stand With Haiti. Sides were something that made sense.

One of the deciding factors for me about Top Chef Masters was that had the potential to raise dollars and awareness for PIH. With my win’s I raised $17,500 and on the days I was on the show, contributions made directly to PIH spiked.

What advise do you have for young cooks going into the culinary industry?Generally speaking, read as much as you can, travel, taste everything and cook. After that, my advice would be pegged to your age. If you're young, say still in high school and thinking about cooking as a career, do anything to get into a good kitchen for a year or two. Resist the temptation to sign up for cooking school. Give yourself a chance to get up close and personal with the life and see if this is what you really want, if you've got the drive and stamina for it. If you're older, thinking about changing from your present field into cooking, consider a short, intensive program to get some skills to help you get in the door. I've got a pair of cooks right now who switched out of completely different occupations--and short (one year) cooking programs made it possible for them to make the jump. That said, I dislike all the hype that surrounds some programs, the unrealistic expectations they raise in kids. Cooking is always hard, mostly underpaid, and not at all glamorous, at least in the beginning. If it’s for you, dive in hands first, but never forget it’s a business and at the end of the day, be sure you're making money.

What specifically would you want to pass on to females going into this field?
Becoming a chef is not for the faint of heart or those afraid of competition, male or female. To stand out, it's key to push yourself out of your comfort zone into new and unfamiliar territory, sometimes aggressively. That new situation can be uncomfortable and unfriendly. Moving from line cook to chef, from chef to chef/owner, competing on TCM--none of it has been easy, but I've found that at each stage I seem to grow new muscles and I end up feeling stronger for the experience. So my advice to the next generation of female chefs is to work for chefs that you and admire and will force you to grow, whether male or female. Look at their food, their style of mentoring and their place in the world. Always strive for excellence in your own work and never settle for a job that is too comfortable. Be your own best advocate, go after what you want, and remember, you don’t get what you don’t ask for.

RECIPE: Tangerine glazed lobster
Chef Jody Adams

Ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
¼ cup fennel, diced ¼ inch
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon finely grated tangerine zest
1/2 cup tangerine juice
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon saffron
2 1-pound lobsters
1 bunch cleaned watercress, trimmed of tough stems

Process:Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel and cook 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tangerine zest and juice, bay leaf and saffron and cook to reduce the juice by half.

Preheat the broiler.

To kill the lobster you will need a large sharp chefs’ knife and the power of your convictions. Set the first lobster, shell side up, horizontal to you on a cutting board. Using a gentle hand, flatten the tail and hold it down. At the point between the eyes, plunge the tip of the knife, with the blade facing the head, straight down into the cutting board. Draw the knife down to the board, splitting the head in half. Remove the knife and insert it in the opposite direction so you can split the tail in half. Separate the halves, remove the digestive track and clean the head. Separate the body and the claws. Crack the claws with the back of the knife.

Brush the meat of the lobster halves with the tangerine glaze and turn them shell side up in a shallow roasting pan. Add the claws. Broil 3 minutes or until the shell turns red. Flip the bodies and the claws, brush generously with tangerine glaze and broil 5 minutes or until done. Remove the bodies, brush with more glaze and transfer to a platter. Return the claws to the broiler and broil 3 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature garnished with watercress.

A Razor, A Shiny Knife: Il Pranzo

2011-02-21T16:28:00.001-05:00

I worked the Il Pranzo Italian Christmas event with A Razor, A Shiny Knife in December. This was the day after we prepared the traditional Italian Feast of Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner. The Christmas Day feast was a massive party with tons of meaty foods, happy diners, and all the limoncello, wine, sabred Champagne bottles, traditional Dominican holiday Coquito cocktails, and shots of Colombian aguardiente that we could ever need. This end of the year event for ARASK was a chance to celebrate the important social interaction of gathering around to eat and drink together. The amazing collaboration of Chefs, foodies, and all people who love food was what made the event so successful. The event gave diners the opportunity to get involved in the preparation of the evening’s meal while learning and socializing in a very casual educational environment.

Working with the amazing crew of A Razor, A Shiny Knife, we prepared handmade fagottini di manzo in broth, deep fried meatballs, sausage, chicken, homemade marinara sauce, coffee and salt-crusted roasted beets, cauliflower gratin, spiral-cut ham with roasted kale and apricot mostarda, roasted Brussels sprouts, sous vide filet mignon with truffle oil, Parmesan polenta, roasted fingerling potatoes, celeriac salad with grapefruit and lime supremes, assorted Italian pastries, and a limoncello granita made with liquid nitrogen. A special heartfelt thanks to Michael J. Cirino, Daniel Castaño, and Andrew Rosenberg for the experience of this wonderful Italian Christmas event. I loved working with you all.

a razor, a shiny knife
Il Pranzo: Italian Christmas Day event
www.arazorashinyknife.com

Birthday Celebrations: Beauty & Essex

2011-02-14T18:06:00.001-05:00

It was my birthday celebration and I wanted a very small party, just a few girlfriends for dinner and drinks. Not the unbelievable mess that I was last year, giving an "Irish Goodbye" by leaving the bar in the dead of winter with no coat and not telling anyone I was leaving. This year was great. Good food, cocktails, and my closest girlfriends in the city. I picked Beauty & Essex a new small plates spot in the Lower East Side that just opened a week earlier by Chef Chris Santos. The front of the restie was an old pawn shop so that's all you see when you arrive. You walk through the pawn shop front, through a door, and then there's this beautiful three story restaurant behind it. Let's be honest here.. it's completely "sceney" so put on your fedora, skinny jeans, and high heels and get ready to throw down some yummy cocktails and pretty good food while being surrounded by a lot of damn good looking people.

We shared a bunch of small plates and sipped on several cocktails since it was my birthday and all. We started out with whiskeys then switched to cocktails during dinner and the occasional trip to the bathroom where they served Champagne. Yes, they serve Champagne in the bathroom. Could I have possibly picked a better place to celebrate my birthday then somewhere with free champers while you're touching up your lipstick? My very dear friend Allison has a rule "no Champagne and no gin" when she's out with Lou. Actually it's more of her fiance's rule for her because he knows we like to party and usually end up causing a ruckus. So what does she order? The Sapphire Seventy-Five with blueberry-brown sugar, bombay sapphire, bison prosecco, and thomaso's sour mix. I had a little of everything including the Golden Peacock with cucumber hangar one & junmai sake, granny smith apple, pineapple & mint. Jamie, my old roommate and partner in crime for the last few years, had the The Masterly Touch with grey goose, lemon-thyme nectar, and campari pearls then continued to call it the "Motherly Touch" even when the waiter corrected her every time. Our food ranged from a variety of small bites and shareable plates like the Classic Pan Con Tomate, Kobe Beef Carpaccio with wasabi, egg yolk, crunchy wontons, and sesame nori, the Crispy Spring Rolls banh-mi style with char-sui roasted pork, cilantro, and sriracha aioli for dipping and finally the Lobster Bisque Dumplings with lemongrass, coconut milk, and thai aromatics. My only complaint was that when we ordered the Charred Shishito Peppers, which have ALWAYS been my favorite since my travels in Spain, the waiter prefaced the order with the cheesiest comment of all. He was trying to sell us on the shishito peppers (while I needed no selling whatsoever), he explained that a few years ago edamame was the trendy food to eat. Now that we're in the newest trendy restaurant we might as well get the hottest new food, the Charred Shishito Peppers. I almost puked in my mouth after hearing his corny Sex and the City feeling pitch on the peps but I admit we ordered them anyway.

The restie was lots of fun, very crowded and a little trendier than my regular spot but if you're willing to throw down a little cash you'll be happy to get the experience of sharing with your friends and getting buzzed off of the free Champers in the loo. Don't forget to tip your bathroom bartender.

Beauty & Essex
146 Essex Street
New York, NY 10002-2301
(212) 614-0146
www.beautyandessex.com

Hometown Hero: Valenca in Easton, Pennsylvania

2011-02-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

On a weekend trip back to my hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania, I went to eat at this amazing Portuguese restaurant with my Dad. My parents had been there before and they are almost as obsessed with Spanish and Portuguese food as I am. I was so impressed that there was such a great restie right there in my little hometown! The circle in downtown Easton has gone through a few transformations from a very sketchy drug-dealing locale, into a place for sloppy high school and college kids to stumble through when leaving the bar "Drinky Drinkersons", and now it's starting to get a little sassed up with a few nice restaurants and bars. I was happy to find this top-notch food when making the decision to pass up the usual hometown favorites: Jimmy's Hotdogs, pizza from Morichi's, or a black and white milkshake from Richard's Drive-In (a.k.a. greasy dick's). Here's what went down at Valenca...

We ordered the Chourico Assado which was a Portuguese sausage flambeed tableside with grappa in a little crockpot shaped like a pig. I had the Gambas Grelhadas, enormous head-on prawns sauteed with garlic, olive oil and African spices. It was served with saffron rice and Spanish potatoes. The food was pretty good compared to the food I've had in Portugal or even highly saturated Portuguese neighborhoods throughout New Jersey. The food at Valenca was really authentic, minus the fact that there wasn't one Portuguese person working there at the time, but this place certainly got The Cheeky Chef stamp of approval. Look out Easton, PA.

Valenca
66 South Center Street
Easton, PA 18042

610.923.5142
http://www.valencaonthesquare.com

RECIPE: Broccoli & Fennel Soup

2011-02-14T08:38:00.001-05:00

Soup Diet / Week 3

For this recipe, I used a combination of fresh and frozen vegetables. The frozen vegetables were used in the soup puree and the fresh veg for finishing so there is some texture to the soup. You can always opt to use all fresh to get the best quality ingredients or use all frozen if that's all you have.

RECIPE: Broccoli & Fennel Soup

10 servings

Ingredients:

2 T. vegetable oil

1 white onion, sliced

2 fennel bulbs, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

5 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked and stems discarded
2 (10 oz.) bags of frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets

64 oz. chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh broccoli, reserved for garnish

1/2 cup fennel fronds, reserved for garnish

1 pint heavy cream

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

s+p

Process:

In a large stockpot, heat 2T vegetable oil and sauté the onion, fennel, and garlic until tender. In a separate pot, boil water to defrost the frozen veggies. When boiling, add the frozen veg to defrost. Drain through a sieve and press out any additional water. Add two cartons of chicken stock and the broccoli/cauliflower mixture to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and cook until the vegetables are heated throughout, about 15 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with s+p and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Add the heavy cream and puree again. Add the picked thyme and finely chopped fresh broccoli florets back into the soup and garnish with the fennel fronds.

* sub vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian soup

* use any mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, fennel or substitute anything you do not like

RECIPE: Vietnamese Bánh-Méatballs

2011-02-09T08:27:00.007-05:00

Here is a recipe that I created to take the traditional Vietnamese Bánh Mì Sandwich and transform it into a little bite-sized morsel of flavor. I pickled cubes of daikon and slices of baby carrots to garnish the meatballs. The recipe for the pickling liquid is listed below. This recipe makes a large batch of 1-inch meatballs. I mixed up the pork sausage for the meatballs and cooked about half for a Super Bowl party and froze the rest (raw) in a ziplock bag for future use.

RECIPE: Vietnamese Bánh-Méatballs

100 bites

Ingredients:

1 lb. hot Italian sausage, removed from casings

1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings

3 slices of bacon, sliced lengthwise and finely chopped

3 T. sesame oil

1 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 c. breadcrumbs

2 eggs

s+p

3/4 c. pickled carrots 3/4 c. pickled daikon radish
1 bunch of cilantro, washed and picked
1/2 c. mayonnaise
Sriracha Thai hot sauce, to taste

Process:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl remove the sausages from their casings and combine ground pork, chopped bacon, sesame oil, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs and s+p. Mix with hands until everything is incorporated. Make sure the breadcrumbs and eggs are evenly distributed so there aren't any dry crusty spots. Heat a small saute pan with a little drizzle of vegetable oil. Cook a small patty of the meatball mixture to taste for seasoning. Eat it and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Mix through again.

While meatballs are cooking in the oven, work on the pickled vegetables and garnish. Roll the meat into small 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet. They will not grow as much as cookies do so try to line as many on the tray without touching. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown on the outside and cooked throughout. Cut into a meatball to test for doneness. Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the vegetables, peel and chop the daikon into small cubes (macédoines, about 1 cm). Slice baby carrots into round discs or peel and chop carrots into cubes similar to the daikon. Heat the pickling liquid and pour over veg to pickle. * Follow instructions on pickling below.

Wash and dry the cilantro leaves. Pick the leaves and set aside for garnish. If you're from the cilantro-hating school of thought and you think it tastes like your mama just washed your mouth out with soap, then feel free to skip this part or substitute another herb. I, however, love it!

Mix the mayonnaise with a small bit of Sriracha Thai hot sauce, then test it. Add as much hot sauce as you would like until it becomes a beautiful spicy orange dipping sauce for the meatballs.

To serve, put the Sriracha mayo in a dipping bowl or spread it evenly on the bottom of a plate. Using a toothpick, spear the pickled carrot first so the bright orange is on top, then the pickled daikon, cilantro leaf, and meatball. Plate the Vietnamese Bánh-Méatball hors d'œuvres on top of the sauce and serve. This recipe is the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, acidic, crunchy, fresh, and meaty pork goodness. Enjoy!

* Pickling Liquid:
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. sugar
sprinkle of crushed red pepper
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T. black peppercorns

Heat pickling liquid in a small saucepan until it comes to a boil. Chop vegetables to preferred shape and size. Strain the pickling liquid through a sieve or chinoise and pour over the vegetables to cover completely. Allow the veg to sit at room temperature until the pickling liquid cools down to room temp. Strain the vegetables out of the pickling liquid and reserve the liquid for future pickling. Keep in the refrigerator.

RECIPE: Tomato Soup with Chipotles & Greek Yogurt

2011-02-07T17:36:00.003-05:00

I found myself buying soup at my office cafeteria (a very nice, Restaurant Associates cafeteria) or the local soup shops and paying up to $6, $7, $8 for a cup of friggin' tomato soup. I've decided to stop being ridiculous and make a batch myself. I tweaked a recipe that I found online and added my own twist with spicy chipotle peppers. Now I have three quarts frozen and a whole fridge of tupperware for my lunches this week. Soup Diet...take two.

Take that Hale & Hearty.

RECIPE: Tomato Soup with Chipotles & Greek Yogurt

12 servings

Ingredients:

2 T. vegetable oil

1 white onion, sliced

2 carrots, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 (32 oz.) cans of whole, peeled tomatoes plus sauce

1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste

3 or 4 chipotles plus sauce (about ½ of a small 7 oz. can)

64 oz. chicken stock

12 oz. plain 0% Greek yogurt

s+p

Process:

In a large stockpot, heat 2T vegetable oil and sauté onions, red pepper and carrots until tender. Add tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables evenly. Add three large cans of whole peeled tomatoes, two cartons of chicken stock, and four chipotle peppers with their sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until the tomatoes are heated throughout, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with s+p then add the Greek yogurt and puree again. This will make the soup creamy without adding the fat from heavy cream. Serve with a quenelle of yogurt on top and a piece of crispy bread or a warm grilled cheese sammie.

* sub vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian soup

* chipotles are optional, you can leave them out if spice is not desired

Le Bernardin, I've been dreaming of you

2011-02-07T13:30:00.001-05:00

If I could eat at any restaurant in New York City, it would be Le Bernardin. I've been reading about Chef Eric Ripert and watching him on television for the last few years. To be honest, I've been dreaming about eating at this restaurant for as long as I've been focusing my main interest on food. I had a chance to eat lunch at Le Bernardin last week and it was just as wonderful as I imagined. The captain, waitstaff, sommelier, and maître d' all provide perfect service from the moment you walk in. They have a three-course prix fixe menu for lunch and we started out with freshly baked bread and a smoked salmon spread with chives, black sesame seeds, and mayonnaise.

For my starter, I ordered the Progressive Tasting of Kumamoto Oysters en gelée. The gelée toppings began with light and refreshing flavors like apple and dashi then ranged to complex and spicy like yuzu and kimchee. Kumamoto oysters are harvested from the Ariake Bay in Kumamoto off of the island of Kyushu in Japan. These delicate oysters take almost three years to reach market size. The oysters were so fresh, salty, and a little bit fruity. They have a round shape with a deep cup scalloped shell that was perfect for holding the gelée cubes. For my lunch, I ordered the Pan Roasted Monkfish with Hon Shimeji Mushrooms, Turnip-Ginger Emulsion and Sake Broth. While monkfish are listed as a fish that should be avoided on seafood sustainability reports, the fish itself is sustainable, but the bycatch from bottom trawls and gillnets, are why it is not recommended as the best choice. Since Le Bernardin is known for their fish dishes, I wasn't surprised to be overwhelmed with how perfectly cooked the fish was.For dessert, I had the Dark Chocolate Cremeux with Cocoa Pain de Genes, Burnt Orange Meringue, and Chicory Ice Cream. I would absolutely recommend Le Bernardin for a great dinner or date spot. It is the perfect place for a special dinner at one of the Michelin Guide's 3-star rated restaurants.

Le Bernardin

155 West 51st Street
New York, NY 10020
(212) 554-1515
www.le-bernardin.com

Executive Chef and Co-Owner/Partner: Chef Eric Ripert
Executive Pastry Chef: Chef Michael Laiskonis

*photo creds: http://www.flickr.com/photos/egle_k
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicknamemiket

THE CHEEKY CHEF

Sicily Lesson #6: Kiss the Cook

ARASK il pranzo Italian Christmas lunch

ARASK Feast of 7 Fishes Italian Christmas Eve recap

Buonasera Signorina, kiss me goodnight

Learn Italian!

RECIPE: Giovanna's Peperonata

RECIPE: Involtini di Carne

RECIPE: Testa di Turco

Sicily Lesson #5

Sicily Lesson #4

RECIPE: Biancomangiare: Almond Pudding

RECIPE: Zucca in Agrodolce: Sweet & Sour Pumpkin

A Glass of Sicily

How to Bust a Nut

Sicily Lesson #3

Guy Arnone, butcher at Dickson's Farmstand Meats

Frittula Palermitana

RECIPE: Turkish Zucchini Fritters

Sherbeth Festival: Cefalù, Sicilia

Sherbeth Festival: Cefalù, Sicilia

Signore Franco Pescatore

RECIPE: Almond Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Glaze

RECIPE: Sarde Allinguate, fried vinegar sardines

RECIPE: Aroma di Case Vecchie

Stigiole, they're fucking with me right?

Did someone say Festa?

SICILY: Lesson #2

il pranzo: my afternoon delight

Sexy Chef duJour: Chef Travis Lett

SICILY Lesson #1

The Cheeky Chef Jam Sesh

BROOKLYN to SICILY

SICILY: la mia casa dolce casa

RECIPE: Porchetta

FACT: animals have nipples

Cheeky Chef without borders: Catering in the 1,000 Islands

WD~50 & the Danish Chef

Brooklyn Kitchen's Cooking with Cold class

The John Dory Oyster Bar, sloppy seconds

Kin Shop

"Make cous cous not war"

The Cheeky Chef on CNN Eatocracy

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

RECIPE: Eggplant Caponata

A Sicilian Sunday Supper Tasting Menu

A Sunday Supper Tasting Menu

A 30th Birthday Celebration Menu

They don't call ya Eddie Oysters for nothin'

RECIPE: Fresh Italian Summer Salad

RECIPE: Bacon-wrapped Scallions

Go Naked: shuck & suck

RECIPE: Grilled Flatbread Pizza

Only in New York

Drunk Baking: not recommended, yet sometimes successful

Warmed the Cockles of My Heart

Grubbin' in NOLA

Freelancing at De Gustibus

On the cusp of adventure

Ramptastical Adventures

L Train Lunch hits Japanese TV

International Women's Day

this looks like a nice place to live for a little while

NYC Dining Car

Lunch with a Capital L

Righteous Burn & Andrew Foods

Chocolat

CONTEST: Win a 3-Martini Dinner for 2

Thrillist Presents Martini Week 2011:Win a 3-Martini Dinner for 2

Question: Peeling Farm Fresh Eggs

Today's Sexy Chef: Marco Pierre White (circa 1985)

RECIPE: Farofa, Brazilian breadcrumbs

You Motha' Shucka'

Caipirinha withdrawal cured at BECO

I'll name my daughter Caipirinha

De Gustibus: Chef Jody Adams

A Razor, A Shiny Knife: Il Pranzo

Birthday Celebrations: Beauty & Essex

Hometown Hero: Valenca in Easton, Pennsylvania

RECIPE: Broccoli & Fennel Soup

Thrillist Presents Martini Week 2011:
Win a 3-Martini Dinner for 2