Archive for May, 2006
The North American Red Snapper is one of the few native fish we have capable of driving the Italians to near jealousy. When caught and cooked the same day it is truly a beautiful thing.
Here’s a quick recipe for preparing this wonderful bounty from the sea. I also use the same preparation for New Zealand Thai Snapper (a similar fish and also wonderful when flown in fresh).
Have your fishmonger scale and gut the fish. Fire up your oven to 425 degrees and place your fish in a roasting pan large enough to accomodate it comfortably. It’s okay if the tail protrudes a bit.
Salt and pepper your fish inside and out, and apply a liberal coating of really good extra virgen olive oil. Stuff the belly with a combination of ripped herbs (parsely, basil, mint, for example). Next slice up a couple of lemons and lay the pieces around and inside the fish.
Place the fish in the oven and roast on one side for approximately 10 minutes per pound. Check your fish every so often. If a sharp knife easily pierces the flesh it’s likely time to turn the fish over. Once turned over, pour a splash of dry white wine over the top which will help keep the fish moist and also add to the natural sauce.
When completely roasted, remove your fish from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife make an incision down the middle of the fish from the tail toward the head. Carefully peel the skin back on each side and–taking care to watch out for the bones–lift out pieces of fillet. I like to serve the fish with a slice of lemon, some simple braised greens and the sauce from the roasting pan.
Buon appetito!
May 28th, 2006
The other night I found myself with 4 wonderful and fresh ingredients:
-Wild California King Salmon (just off the boat)
-Asparagus
-Fresh peas in the shell
-Gorgeous morel mushrooms
So what to do with all of these, I asked myself?
Here’s how it came together…it was an experiment and it turned out really well. This dish has a permanent place on my menus.
I shelled the peas, trimmed and cut the asapargus and sliced the morels in half (cleaning out any bugs). Next I took a pan and sauteed the asapargus in a bit of butter over medium heat. I added a little sea salt along the way. Once the asparagus were close I added in the fresh peas and tossed for another 2 minutes. Then I took this pan off the heat.
Next I sauteed my morels in butter over medium heat, stirring often. Once complete I added a quarter cup of French calvados brandy and ignited the pan (this is not totally necessary but it did add flavor). Then I set this pan aside.
Meanwhile, in another sautee pan, I added a half cup of olive oil with freshly ground black pepper and turned on the heat to medium. Once hot, I added my salmon face-down (skin side up) and covered the pan with a lid. Then I waited six minutes and checked the salmon for doneness. The objective here is to create a nice crust on the top of the salmon and yet have the inside nice and pink. Once ready, I removed the salmon to a cutting board and let rest.
Now I took my mushroom sautee pan and turned up the heat to medium. Next I added my asparagus and peas to the pan with the mushrooms and tossed over medium heat. Then I added half a cup of heavy cream and let reduce for another 2 minutes. Voila, ready to plate.
I placed a spoonful of the aparagus/pea/morel mixture into the middle of each warmed serving plate. Then I placed the salmon directly on top. I finished off each dish by spooning the rest of the asparagus/morels/peas and sauce over and around the fish. Buon appetit.
May 28th, 2006
I’ve spent countless hours experimenting with different espresso beans with my home set up. Though I have all the right tools–an Isomac Milano commercial espresso machine and a Brasilia grinder with a slow motor so as not to burn the beans–preparing a thick, rich espresso (a la Napoletana) is not a trivial task. There is of course the quality and freshness of the beans, the machine, the water, the fineness of the grind, etc, etc…
I tried Graffeo for a while and liked it. However, it’s only good if you go to the headquarters in North Beach and buy it very fresh. Anywhere else and it may have been sitting for days or even weeks. In the end I decided on Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend. It’s locally brewed, very fresh and puts out a great espresso. My only caveat is that sometimes it’s too far on the bitter side.
A friend recently insisted I try Blue Bottle. I’d tried it before and was very disappointed. However, it turns out that this is because I sampled a Blue Bottle espresso at their farmer’s market station at the Ferry Building. Apparently the guy either did not prepare the espresso properly or the machine did not have enough power.
In any event, I went back and bought a half pound of their Roman Espresso. It made a heavenly coffee that was very nicely balanced with a pleasant after taste. And it stood up to my “sugar” test. After drawing the espresso I take a spoonful of white sugar and drop it over the top of the coffee. It should rest on the top for at least 2-3 second before penetrating the thick, creamy surface.
I’m going to try Blue Bottle over the next few weeks, and will report back on my findings…
May 27th, 2006
On Saturday I invited a group of friends over for one of my very frequent dinner parties/supper clubs. On the list was my friend from the agency, Glenn Chin, and several from the neighborhood, including Joseph, Steve and John. My lovely wife, Pia, and her friend Boriana were also in attendance.
As is always the case with these fesitivities, I like to create a menu that delights the senses by showcasing fresh, local ingredients. Of course I never know exactly what my menu consists of until I hit the Saturday morning farmer’s market.
Here’s what I came up with:
First Course - Roasted beets marinated in red wine vinegar, orange juice and olive oil, and served with a bit of sea salt and freshly chopped taragon. The goal here is to whet the appetite and open the palate.
Second Course - Hand-made potatoe gnocchi with fresh peas. I first learned how to make this delicacy at Quince. It’s a bit of work but well worth the effort. Once boiled, the gnocchi are added to a sautee pan with butter, peas, chopped thyme and salt/pepper. The dish is served with freshly grated parmiggiano reggiano.
Third Course - Braised Duck Legs, served on a bed of farro and chard, with fresh peas. This dish turned out really well and had a lot of flavor. I started by buying a bunch of duck legs from Hoffman Farms. Unfortunately she only had 6 total and so I went to Golden Gate Market in the Ferry building and bought a whole duck. The reason I bought the whole duck was because I was after the female legs (from the hen). Typically in the market the only legs sold separately are the male drake legs which are much larger. Hoffman is one of the few places that sells the smaller, hen legs.
Since I had the whole duck, I decided to use all of it. After removing the legs and breasts, I de-boned it for the sauce. First, I roasted the bones in a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile I sauteed a mixture of celery, carrots and onion (all coarsely chopped) in olive oil. Then I added a tablespoon of tomatoe paste to help develop a depth of flavor. Once slightly browned, I added the roasted duck bones and two bottles of medium-bodied red wine. Then I reduced for 4 hours before straining.
As for the legs themselves, I browned them and braised them with white wine in a dutch oven for 4 hours. For the last hour I removed the lid so that the tops would brown nicely.
In the end, I served each plate with the farro (with wilted chard) in the middle with one braised duck leg on top with the bonus duck breast around. Next I added in handful of fresh peas and then spooned my luxuriant sauce all around. See the photos!
May 27th, 2006
Yesterday was our 4 year anniversary. It turns out that we both basically forgot until just a few days ago (clear signs we’re working too hard) and so I decided to do something low key. Since Pia teaches until 8:30 I thought I could stay downtown working and then after we could go somewhere near my office.
Since we had both just recently gone to Quince and several other nice places I decided to avoid being overly extravagant. The first place that came to mind was Piperade, the Basque restaurant on Battery and Green. I’ve been there multiple times for lunch and have always enjoyed the simplicity and freshness of their dishes. I thought that at night surely it would be romantic and intimate.
Unfortunately I was mistaken. We arrived at 9:30 and the place was nearly empty (this is on a Thursday) and the hostess was preparing to leave. After they seated us we ordered two glasses of Cava and perused the menu. Maybe it was just an off night but it felt like the entire staff was exhausted and just wanted to go home. It did not exactly put us in a celebratory mood.
Pia ordered the puree of fennel soup and I had the warm goat cheese and ham terrine. I’ve had the latter before and it was very good as usual. Our entrees, however, were disappointing. Pia’s halibut was lackluster and my veal cheeks–though tender–just felt like the person making them wasn’t interested. The sauce was uninspiring…or it could be that by this point we just felt disenchanted.
I still like Piperade for lunch and I think the Chef is very talented. I suspect it was just our luck that it was an off night and perhaps the usual chef was not working. I also feel like that neighborhood is very dead at night. We like to eat late (not that 9:30 is that late for a Thursday) but we will likely avoid Piperade in the evenings…at least for the time being.
It just goes to show how important the environment and mood of the staff are. It also helps to have a lively crowd. All of these elements come together and create an experience. It’s also brutally tough to be consistently great every single day.
May 27th, 2006
The other night I decided to do something fairly simple but very tasty. I had one Prather Ranch filet mignon that I picked up at the Saturday Farmer’s market. I generously salted and peppered the meat and left it sit and come to room temperature.
Meanwhile I quickly diced a spring onion and began to sautee it in a pot with olive oil. Once translucent I added a cup if Italian farro and mixed everything together. After a minute or two I added a quarter cup of dry white wine and let reduce. Then I added a cup or so of home-made chicken stock and reduced the flame to a simmer. Over the next hour I stirred the sauce, added salt, paprika and–for the last 20 minutes–fresh kale. In the end I had the consistency of a beautiful rice or risotto.
At the same time the farro cooked, I sliced some red potatoes and began to sautee them in a combination of butter and olive oil. Next I added sea salt and a few different fresh herbs.
As for the filet, I sauteed it over high heat using olive oil. After seared on both sides, I inserted it into a 450 degree oven and cooked it until medium rare (internal temperature of 120 degrees). After resting for 10 minutes, I sliced it against the grain and arranged the slices on two warm plates. I placed the potatoes and farro around the meat.
Meanwhile I prepared a very quick sauce. I placed the same sautee pan over medium high heat and scraped the juices and browned bits together using a wooden spoon. Then I added a quarter cup of medium body red wine. After reducing for one minute, I added a tablespoon of veal demiglace and stirred into the sauce. Finally I turned off the heat and added two tablespoons of unsalted butter.
I spooned the sauce over each plate and served.
May 27th, 2006
Well, I finally got my act together and built this web site. I am truly very excited to showcase my dinner parties, food thoughts and experiences here. I cook because I love it and because it’s one of the few ways I am truly able to relax. It is primarily a creative outlet. Tonight for Pia I cooked very spontaneously. Went to Yum Yum Fish Market and bought 8 oysters and 2 fillets of New Zealand Thai Snapper. Went home and decided first to use last week’s Spring Green Garlic. Sauteed the garlic in olive oil and butter, and then made a soup by pureeing the garlic in a bit of olive oil and then adding back to a pan with a some water. Once reduced, I added a touch of cream and voila.
As for the snapper, I pan-fried it in a bit of olive oil and butter. At the same time I sauteed my beet greens in the wok and my baby Sicilian artichokes in another sautee pan. At the last minute I felt inspired to do something with the tomatoes I had purchased at the Farmer’s market. I knew it was a bit too early for really good tomatoes but I bought a few regardless. And so I sliced one into segments and placed them into my chestnut roasting pan. I placed this over the coals in my wood-burning fireplace and within minutes I had nice, wood-smoked tomatoes to add to the fish.
To plate, I placed a bit of beet greens in the center of each plate. I laid the fish fillet on top and placed the sliced, baby artichokes all around with the natural artichoke jus. Finally I added a few tomatoe segments on top and around the fish.
May 24th, 2006
