Tampilkan postingan dengan label Tips and Techniques. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label Tips and Techniques. Tampilkan semua postingan
How Not to Make Roasted Pork Loin with Grapes and Rosemary Cream Sauce

How Not to Make Roasted Pork Loin with Grapes and Rosemary Cream Sauce

Well, you can’t win them all. This perfectly fine looking pork roast was the victim of a few easy-to-make mistakes, and hopefully by watching this you’ll avoid such mishaps in the future. In exchange, you’ll have to promise not to make fun of me.

The first, and most obvious error was way too much freshly minced rosemary. I always tell people to be super-careful about adding this resinous herb. I wasn’t paying attention, and just added what I had chopped without thinking, and it was pretty much all over at that point.

Adding cream helped nothing, and only made the herbaceous reduction more caloric and offensive. I probably could have added some lemon, mustard, horseradish, or other heavy-hitting condiment, but by that time nothing was going to unrosemary this train wreck.

On the bright side, the grapes were really good, and even after 30 minutes in the oven, had a juicy, still-firm texture. Their warm sweetness went very well with the meat. So, I hope you watch, critique, and maybe adapt this potentially amazing recipe into something worthwhile. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust – Don’t Let the Name Fool You

Cauliflower Pizza Crust – Don’t Let the Name Fool You

The major problem with this cauliflower pizza crust is that there’s already something called pizza. If you’d never heard about pizza before, and someone served this to you, I think you’d really enjoy it. 

Unfortunately, we’ve all had pizza before, and so this will invariably be compared to the awesomeness of the real thing. You know, sort of like what happens to deep-dish, Chicago-style pizza (said the New Yorker).

Regardless, this was very tasty, pleasantly textured, and contains almost no carbs – in case you’re into one of those alternative lifestyles. For the cheese, I decided on goat after seeing this recipe on Detoxinista. All kinds of cheeses are used for this technique, usually mozzarella and something else, but I figured the tart chèvre would best simulate the fermented dough of a classic pizza.

Another important tip is to make sure you use parchment paper. Because of the moisture and cheese, this stuff can stick to foil, but nothing sticks to parchment, which is obviously a key here. You can find it next to the foil and plastic wraps in any large grocery store. 

Texture aside, the flavor of this final product was very pizza-like, and I’ll be doing further experiments to be sure. By the way, if you have a version that’s clearly superior to this one, feel free to share. Otherwise, I hope you give this cauliflower crust pizza a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for one 10-inch pizza crust:
1 head cauliflower (about 3 packed cups ground)
1/2 cup water
- Cook cauliflower with water for 5-6 minutes, let cool, and squeeze out ALL water with a towel. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of dry cauliflower pulp left.
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about a 1-1/2 inch square grated)
2 ounces fresh goat cheese
cayenne to taste
1 large egg
Shrimp Etouffee – Desperate Times Call for Delicious Measures

Shrimp Etouffee – Desperate Times Call for Delicious Measures

I won’t go into the sordid details of how I came into possession of substandard shrimp, but it did afford me the opportunity to demo a few tips in this shrimp etouffee video, just in case you ever find yourself in the same boat. 

I have absolutely no problem with frozen shrimp, which is a good thing, since that’s the only kind you can buy; but when making recipes like this, I prefer a larger size, and definitely with shells on.

Making a rich shrimp stock from the sautéed shells is one of the secrets to a great etouffee, but besides loss of flavor, I find smaller, already-peeled shrimp retain much more water, which leaks out when cooked; thinning and weakening every sauce in their wake.

A little sear can release a lot of this excess liquid, which can then be reduced in the sauce. This also makes the final moments of the dish pretty easy, as these small shrimp only take a few minutes to cook through. 

Of course, if you do buy some nice 16-20’s (jumbo-sized), go ahead and make the stock (see technique here), and give the shrimp a nice pan-sear first before finishing the recipe as shown. With Mardi Gras coming up soon, you have the perfect excuse to give this delicious recipe a try soon. Enjoy!


Makes 4 large portions:

Spice Blend (everything is “to taste”):
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp paprika

Then:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 pounds peeled and deveined raw shrimp, seasoned with 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp of the spice blend
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup diced onions
1/3 cup celery, sliced thin
1/3 cup diced green pepper, sweet or hot
remaining spice blend
2 generous tbsp flour
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock (including shrimp juices added in)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 portions cooked white rice
Crab-Stuffed Deviled Eggs – I Love to Say I Told You So

Crab-Stuffed Deviled Eggs – I Love to Say I Told You So

I love deviled eggs, and have probably had fifty different versions over the years, but these crab-stuffed beauties may be my favorite. The sweet crab is a perfect compliment to the spicy eggs, but above and beyond the delicious flavors, these just look extra special. Okay, that’s enough about the recipe…now, on to more important matters.

Considering the fact that we’ve done almost 1,000 uploads, we’ve had very few controversial recipes. And by “controversial, I mean videos that caused vigorous debate about whether the recipe actually works as shown. One such video was our “How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs.”

While most had no issues, a small but vocal group claimed the recipe didn’t work at all. Some went so far as to say the video was a hoax, as if the egg industry had gotten to me, and convinced me to trick my viewers into wasting eggs to increase sales. I’ll admit, it is a brilliant plan, but it’s not true.

To prove my innocence, I’ve used the exact same method here, and once again, perfection. As long as you’re using a decent pot (as in not paper-thin), enough water, and can manage to successfully set a timer, I’m not sure what can go wrong. By the way, I used cold eggs, so that’s not an issue, as some surmised after the first tutorial. To summarize: I told you this works.

Regardless of how you cook your hard-boiled eggs, this would make a stellar hors d'oeuvre for any special occasion meal. You can be as frugal or extravagant as you want, and the garnishing options are pretty much limitless. Speaking of garnishes, that is a lemon, and not an orange! It's actually a Meyer lemon which have a much warmer color than standard lemons. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

For the bottoms:
*6 large hard-boiled eggs (makes 12 pieces)
2 oz fresh crab meat, chopped
3 or 4 tbsp mayonnaise, or enough to achieve desired consistency
few drops of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped tarragon
1/2 tsp hot sauce or to taste
pinch of old bay
salt and pepper to taste (don't be shy with the salt)

For the crab topping:
2 oz fresh crab meat, shredded slightly
1 or 2 tsp crème fraiche or sour cream
lemon zest of one lemon
Aleppo pepper to taste
salt if needed
Fresh chives
Cayenne

* I only made 12 portions, but this method will work with more. Just be sure your eggs are cover by at least an inch or two of cold water, and proceed as show.
How to Peel Garlic Like a Boss…Like an Actual Boss

How to Peel Garlic Like a Boss…Like an Actual Boss

People throw the term “like a boss” around very casually these days, but when I say this technique shows how to peel garlic like a boss, it’s meant literally. I was channel surfing a while back, and saw Martha Stewart demo this very cool trick, and she is, in every sense of the word, a boss.

Many people have inspired me along this entrepreneurial journey online, and Martha is definitely one of them. By the way, I hope she doesn’t take exception to my prison shank joke; but since we are friends (and by friends I mean we’ve never spoken, but do follow each other on Twitter), I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. All kidding aside, this trick is no joke.

The great thing about this method, besides the speed and ease, is that you are truly peeling the garlic, and not crushing it. A crushed garlic clove produces a stronger flavor than a peeled one, especially when used raw, and so this is perfect when you need to mince or slice whole, undamaged cloves. I hope you give this easy trick a try soon. Enjoy!

Do Your Recipes Measure Up?

Do Your Recipes Measure Up?

When a very positively reviewed cookie, cake, or other pastry recipe and gets an atypically bad appraisal, it can often be traced back to flour measuring technique, or lack there of. I did this video a few years ago to illustrate the point, and since we’re heading into holiday baking season, I thought it’d be a great time to review.

This isn’t to say that people don’t occasionally post recipes with ingredient errors [clears throat nervously], but if a cookie gets mostly rave reviews, and yet you thought it was a little dense, there’s a chance it could be this common culprit. Anyway, this clip shows you why weight is better, and also how to properly measure by volume. Enjoy!

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce – Now with Cream!

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce – Now with Cream!

Since we’re heading into rich and creamy sauce season, I thought I’d use a nice hunk of Gorgonzola as an excuse to post a tutorial for a classic “cream sauce.” 

Unlike what’s passed off as the real stuff at casual dining chains, a true cream sauce contains nothing but heavy cream, and is on another level when it comes to taste and texture. A regular diet of cream sauce isn’t recommended, but once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from the old 2%, and the technique is dead simple. Simmer cream in a saucepan until it reduces and thickens slightly, flavor it however, and toss in some hot (hopefully stuffed) pasta. Done and done.

I went with a fairly mild, crumbly Gorgonzola this time, but no matter which you choose, be careful not to “cook” the cheese. You just want to stir it in on low, until it’s almost gone, and then turn off the heat. Otherwise the cheese will “break,” and you’ll have a greasy mess.

Since my mini-ravioli delivery system featured a squash filling, I decided to finish with diced apples and toasted walnuts. It was perfect with the rich sauce, and I recommend it if you’re using a similar pasta. Since the sauce itself is so easy, as in one ingredient easy, you can spend all that extra brainpower thinking of things you can add to it. I hope you give this great sauce technique a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:
1 cup heavy whipping cream (36% fat)
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional
6 ounces dry mini-ravioli (double to 12-oz if using fresh ravioli or tortellini)
1/2 apple, diced
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Enjoying Pomegranates with Less Mess

Enjoying Pomegranates with Less Mess

This time of year pomegranates make their annual appearance in produce aisles, and despite being beautiful, delicious, and nutritious, many shoppers avoid them because they simply don’t know how to work with the colorful, but mysterious fruit. This video shows a great method for harvesting all those juicy seeds without any mess. By the way, the individual kernels are water-proof, so don't worry about them losing any flavor in the bowl. Enjoy!

“Local” Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Walnuts – Kill Once, Cook Twice

“Local” Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese and Walnuts – Kill Once, Cook Twice

They say if you video blog long enough, you’ll eventually post a snuff film. Okay, so no one says that, but that’s what this roasted beets with goat cheese and walnuts kind of felt like, as I harvested my homegrown, and completely defenseless beet.

I was obviously kidding about vegetables being able to sense pain, but the more I think about it, who knows? Anyway, until I find out otherwise, I’ll assume the bloody root didn’t suffer for my pleasure, and just enjoy its incredible goodness. It’s the same assumption I use when eating chicken wings.

There are very few things that pair as perfectly as roasted beets and goat cheese. Simply a match made in occasional-vegetarian heaven. When you toss in some crunchy walnuts, foraged greens, and a simple walnut oil/vinegar dressing, you have something that’s way beyond the sum of the parts. 

I really can’t think of a more perfect fall lunch. By the way, in addition to making a great mid-day meal, this would also work nicely as a fancy side dish come holiday time, and you have plenty of time to practice. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 portions:
1 or 2 tbsp walnut oil
1 roasted beet (*about 8 oz)
2 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup roasted chopped walnuts
2 tbsp champagne or sherry vinegar
thinly sliced beet greens and fresh chives to top
toasted walnut bread to serve with

*Note: Since beets come in all sorts of sizes, you’ll just have to go by feel. Roast a beet or two, slice it up, see how much you have, pick a baking dish that large enough for one layer, cover the bottom with walnut oil, toss in the beets, fill in between with goat cheese, season, bake and dress as you see fit.
Homemade Cream Cheese – The Labneh Way

Homemade Cream Cheese – The Labneh Way

This recipe video is inspired by a Lebanese yogurt cheese spread called Labneh, but I decided to call it homemade cream cheese because my sources deep inside Google tell me that “cream cheese” is searched for more often than “labneh.” In fairness, and with apologies to my Lebanese fans, it really is almost identical in texture and mouthfeel.

Like I say in the video, the taste is a bit bolder and tangier than that stuff from Philly, but when is that ever a bad thing? Michele found some amazing sheep’s milk yogurt at a local farmer’s market, and it was incredible in this, but I've used regular yogurt and it works wonderfully as well.

You can use it as you would any commercial cream cheese, but the honey and pistachio variation I tacked on to the end would make for a memorable holiday brunch addition. On the savory side, you can’t beat simply drizzling over some olive oil and eating as a spread with crispy bread or pita chips.

Most recipes for this say you can eat it after one day, but I really think the two-day “aging” and pressing process does great things. The taste mellows out a bit, and the texture gets even denser and richer feeling. Besides, if you don’t press it, you won’t get those signature, and ultra sexy cheesecloth fabric marks! I hope you give this homemade cream cheese a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for about two heaping cups of cream cheese:
1 quart yogurt, try to get something really nice from a dairy, or use Greek-style
1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
cheesecloth
*If needed, use a paper towel to blot off any additional moisture that come to the top during the 2-day pressing in the fridge.
Note: I’ve only made this one way, so I’m not sure what happens if you deviate from the recipe and use low-fat yogurt, etc. Let me know if you try something different!
A Tomato and “Dirt” Salad You’ll Really Dig

A Tomato and “Dirt” Salad You’ll Really Dig

It’s not unusual for me to steal a recipe idea from a local restaurant, but it’s not everyday that I’m inspired by something I eat at a bowling alley. This happened recently at the Mission Bowling Club, a fun and funky, six-lane bowling alley located just a few blocks from our home, which despite the cacophony, features some of the City’s best bites.

In addition to an otherworldly fried chicken appetizer, and a “granulated,” aged beef burger some (including my wife Michele) consider the best in the City, the MBC also features daily specials, and one such offering was described as an “heirloom tomato salad topped with a crispy rye crumble.”

That sounded great to us, and our server vouched for its excellence, so we happily included it among our starters. What we didn’t know at the time, was that our server had defied the kitchen and refused to use the dish’s official name, “tomatoes and dirt.”

She made this stunning admission as we raved about its deliciousness, and admitted to going rogue and changing the name because she just didn’t think that “dirt” sounded appetizing. What?! I thought this plate of tomatoes and “dirt” was just about the most creative thing I’d heard/seen/tasted in a while.

I was this close to going into that kitchen, ratting her out, and maybe getting a free dessert for my trouble, but thought better of it, and decided to quietly finish the salad, knowing that I would share it here, dirty name and all.  Anyway, this is my version, and I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 Small Portions:
8 oz burrata cheese, or fresh ricotta
Enough freshly sliced tomatoes for 4 portions
Wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Fresh sliced basil leaves
For the crumbs:
2 tbsp olive oil, more if needed
3 large brown mushrooms, minced fine
big pinch of salt
3 slices of dark rye, made into crumbs
1 rounded tablespoon ground almonds (aka almond meal, almond flour, or just crush your own)
Grilled Kiwi & Chili-Rubbed Beef Short Ribs – Labor Day Cooking Shouldn’t Be a Lot of Work

Grilled Kiwi & Chili-Rubbed Beef Short Ribs – Labor Day Cooking Shouldn’t Be a Lot of Work

Labor Day weekend is always a bittersweet holiday. It’s supposed to honor America’s organized labor movement, but really what it mostly celebrates is the end of summer. 

Pretty soon our grills will be covered by huge snow drifts, and the season’s warm breezes will be a distant memory. Well, not for me, as I live in California, but you get the point.

This grilled kiwi and chili-rubbed beef short ribs recipe is specifically designed with that melancholy in mind. The prep is minimal, and the ultra short cooking time means that instead of being stuck in front of a grill, you can actually enjoy more of these last precious summer days.

We tied the world record here for fewest ingredients in a marinade, with one, but thanks to the kiwi’s enzymatic magic, that’s all we need. Unlike some tropical fruit marinades, kiwi doesn’t turn the meat into mush, and provides a nice, slightly sweet and acidic base for our Ancho chili rub. I loved how this came out, and while highly-seasoned, the beefy goodness of the short ribs really came through.

I want to wish all of you a happy and healthy Labor Day weekend. What better way to celebrate organized labor, than by doing the minimum amount of it at your cookout? I hope you give these super simple, but very delicious kiwi and chili-rubbed short ribs a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4 portions:
2 pounds Korean-style (aka flanken style) beef short ribs
1 kiwi
For the chili rub:
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
The Old Empty Mayo Jar Dressing Trick – Scrap the Scrape!

The Old Empty Mayo Jar Dressing Trick – Scrap the Scrape!

They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade; but what about when life gives you empty mayonnaise jars? Mayonade? No, of course not. We’re going to make salad dressing instead, and “scrape the scrape.”

I’ll often add a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise when I make a vinaigrette, to help emulsify things, as well as provide a little extra creaminess to the dressing. With that in mind, when I get down to the end of a jar, I don’t scrape, I shake.

I’m posting the ingredients I used below just in case you’re curious, but this post isn’t really about a recipe, but simply a tip for using up the last of that mayo without all that annoying butterknifing. Now, I just need to work on a recipe for using up the last of the dressing clinging to the inside of the jar. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 1 1/2 cups of dressing:
1 empty mayo jar, with at least 1 tbsp of mayo inside
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used parsley, thyme, and chives)
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
pinch of Herbes de Provence

View the complete recipe