ULTIMATE BURGER

Daniel Boulud, former executive chef of Le Cirque turned restuaranteur has created a monster. This is new to me though its been around for at least 5 years.

This burger is ground sirloin wrapped around short ribs braised in red wine with foie gras and truffles. This is pretty anti-thetical to everything I hold near and dear about a burger. However, there's something about the kitsch of putting foie gras and truffles on a burger that taunts me. I'll let you know how it is when I eat it!

You can get this badboy for $29 on 76th st and central park east. Now who wants ice cream?

Food Photography

For the most part I sustain myself, but every now and again I feel a great loss the further I move away from photography. It's interesting to think about these two interests of creating food - something whose beauty lies entirely in it's ephemeral qualities, often down to the minute - and a photograph which is static, 2 dimensional and created to last forever. It's almost contradictory; the whole idea of food photography. But when we take a picture we "appreciate" a certain frame/moment in time space forever the same as we'd enjoy a dish. In this sense a picture has it's own fleeting nature.

I just want a camera, but my azz is broke.

I'm sitting on a balcony in the amber afternoon. The sun barely setting. The servant brings up a bottle of cabernet. He pops the cork and hands it to me. The rich earthy aroma matches that of the vineyard below. A host of new smells flow by on the gentle current. Could life be any better than this?

El Beardo

Anniversary

The first post of The Sandwich Cult appeared 1 year ago today. Everybody please celebrate responsibly.

Borgen's Wednesday Night Special

It's 12:20, I'm drunk, next exit. This is all I have to say:

1 shot bacardi cocoa
2 shots cranberry juice
dash sour
dash bitters

MOVING

I'll insert an image here later. I'm moving and at this point I'd just like to be back in mn. I just had my last day of work at ldc. I miss my family. I'll be back in mn on friday night (hopefully).

I'd like to give a shot out to a few things: Luisas mexican grill; when you're too emotionally broke to eat at a real place. Mrs. Renfros Habenero Salsa, delicious and firey. and last but not least Stephanie, whom I wish more than anything I could spend valentines day with.

Lamb and Eggs Mornay

2 fried eggs
nacho cheese mornay
lamb and black bean chili
sambal oelek


to Build:

1. lay one fried egg on each plate

2. spoon about 1 tsp of sambal on top

3. place about 1 Tbs chili on top

4. Pour 2-3 Tbs of nacho cheese mornay

5. garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedge


Nacho Cheese Mornay

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs onion, minced
1 jalepeno, minced
1 serrano, minced
1 cup grated velveeta
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
1/2 cup grated pepper jack or monterray jack
2 Tbs pickled jalepeno, minced
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg


1.In a medium saucepan heat the butter over medium heat. Sweat the onions until translucent, should not brown at all.

2. Add the nutmeg, and minced chilis. Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

3. add the flour and stir until mixture becomes thick, but does not take on any color.

slowly whisk in the milk, so there are no lumps. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and add cheese slowly, in small batches, whisking to incorporate. If the sauce becomes too hot it will break. Hold sauce in a bain marie, chafing dish or crockpot until ready to serve.


Lamb and Black Bean Chili

3/4 lb lamb, ground
5 oz tomato paste
1/4 cup shallot, fine mince
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 jalepeno, minced
1 serrano chili, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground corriander
1 Tbs paprika
6 oz lager
salt and pepper
1/4 lime, juiced
1 can black beans
1 roma tomato, diced


1. In a large skillet, brown the lamb, remove and set aside, draining fat. Seperate fat and add water back in with the meat.

2. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbs of the rendered lamb fat. Sweat the shallots, garlic and chili until softened, should not brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add the spices and cook a 1-2 until fragrant.

3. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Just just until tomato paste acquires a light rusty color. Add half the beer and cook until thick again.

4. Add the meat and juices back in along with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Serve hot or refrigerate. This tastes better the next day.

Spinach Goat Cheese Souffle

Spinach Goat Cheese Souffle with sauteed mushrooms, Mixed Greens and White Orange Vinaigrette

Serves 2-3
this is not a recipe you should attempt if you are unfamiliar with these techniques. A simpler souffle should be attempted first.
1 handful spinach
2 Tbs butter, plus some for greasing ramikans
2 Tbs flour
2/3 cup whole milk
7oz. goat cheese, crumbeled
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/8th tsp cream of tartar
red pepper, brunoise
sauteed mushrooms
mixed greens
1 head frisee
white orange champagne vinaigrette
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar together until soft peaks form.
Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook just until the first signs of color start to appear. Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, until thickened.
In a food processor, puree the spinach until smooth. Stir the spinach mixture in with the bechamel. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Reduce heat to a simmer. Remove from heat and add 5oz. of goat cheese, whisking until melted.
Slowly whisk the egg yolks into the bechamel sauce. Generously butter 6 (8oz.) ramekins. Place in a 9x13 baking dish.
Fold half of the egg whites into the souffle base. Then fold in the rest of the souffle base. Spoon mixture into the ramekins. Bake about 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown on the outside. serve immediately.
To Serve:
toss the mixed green and frisee with the vinaigrette.
Place 2-3 pieces of frisee on the center of the plate. Remove the souffle from the ramekin and place on top of the frisee. Place a small amount of tossed salad next to the souffle. Sprinkle with red pepper brunoise. Serve immediately.
For the Sauteed Mushrooms:
6 large shiitake mushrooms
1 medium bunch oyster mushrooms
2 Tbs clarified butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper
Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Cook mushrooms until a slight crust forms on each side of the slices.
Add heavy cream, cook just until slightly thickened. Pour over goat cheese souffle to finish.

For the White Orange Champagne Vinaigrette:
1 large white orange
1/2 cup dry champagne
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
3 Tbs grapeseed oil
1 Tbs shallot, finely chopped
salt and pepper
Using a peeler peel off 1/4 of the orange peel - just the peel, not the white part. Then, peel the orange so no white is showing.
With a sharp knife, cut 6 slices out of the peeled orange. Juice the rest into a small container.
combine the orange juice, orange peel and champagne in a small saucepan. Reduce to a thick consistency. Mixture should be very sweet and slightly bitter. Allow to cool.
Mix the orange-champagne syrup and vinegar. Taste, and add more vinegar if necessary.
In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine the champagne-orange vinegar, shallot, salt pepper and oil. Shake until thoroughly emulsified. Serve immediately over greens.

Gastronaut

French Breakfast

I had some leftover oyster mushrooms that I needed to get rid of. I'd been planning this for awhile, so I'm really excited that I finally got to try it. This is from the old school but it's simple and elegant and would make a great dinner paired with a simple green salad. It may be a little boring but it's still good. The item in question:

Omlette with Oyster Mushrooms and Beurre Blanc makes 2 omlettes

6 eggs

2 cups oyster mushrooms

4 Tbs butter

1/4 cup finely diced shallot

1/2 cup white wine

3/4 ounce white vinegar

Using fresh eggs is very important, if you don't they will fall apart and not flip properly. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan heat the butter, until melted. Cook the mushrooms until browned and soft. Remove and set aside, season with salt and pepper. Add the white wine and shallots. Reduce until consistency is syrupy. Whisk in the butter until sauce is smooth and velvety. Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and keep warm until ready to serve.

Make the omlette: Heat an 8" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a little oil or butter to the pan. Pour over half the beaten eggs. With a wood paddle or flat, heat-resistent spatula, stir vigorously for a few seconds, as if making scrambled eggs. Swirl the pan to even out the mixture. Continue to swirl the pan periodically, scraping down the sides. Using the spatula, loosen the omlette from the bottom of the pan, shaking it to make sure it's totally free. If you're feeling brave you can attempt to flip the entire omlette over to cook the top. If you do this, cook only a few seconds before plating. If you don't want to attempt the flip, lower the heat and wait until the top is fully cooked. This will take considerably longer.

To plate: Hold tilt the pan to slide out the omlette over the plate. When it's half out of the pan, use the spatula to fold the other half over, giving you the nice folded presentation. Do not attempt the tri-fold, it's too difficult.

For serving: You can do this one of two ways. 1) put the mushrooms in the middle of the omlette before folding, if you want them in the center and pour the sauce over the top. Or to showcase the nice shape of the mushroom 2) add the mushrooms back into the beurre blanc and toss to coat. Plate the omlette and pour the mushrooms and sauce over the top. Season with salt and pepper.

Steph found this a little bland and spiced it up with sambal oelek, which was very tasty and only mildly insulting to the chef.

If you wanna be really french you could serve this with wine. Breakfast is a little early for wine for me, but I couldn't resist.

TOO MANY SECRETS

Because I believe in progress, I want to share with you the recipe for - without hyperbole - the best bloody mary in the world. Any restaurant where I have any say in the menu will have this as a featured item. This recipe is not a science, I've never made it to specific measurements. If you try it, you might need to make a few test batches, adding a little of each ingredient at a time until you find something that works for you. It's based on me and steph's personal taste, so feel free to stray from these suggestions, just know you are tampering with perfection.

If you follow my sporadic postings you'll remember the pepper vodka post. This recipe rely's on a good homemade pepper vodka, which is great for martini's as well. I may have posted this recipe already but it's that good, you need to be reminded!

If you haven't made your own pepper vodka, don't even bother with this, it will just be another bloody mary. Don't be tempted by absolut's peppar vodka, it's spicy but has no pepper flavor which is truly what makes the drink.

Bloody Mary

1 1/2 ounces pepper vodka
8 ounces tomato juice
juice of half a lime
1/2 ounce white vinegar
worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp celery salt
pinch kosher salt
corsely ground black pepper
garnish, olives, pickled asparagus, celery stalk

Pour the chilled vodka into a highball (or similar) glass or a wide bodied wine glass (I prefer this one). Pour the tomato juice on top. Add the worcestershire sauce and stir. I always base the amount on the color. Since steph loves worcestershire sauce I add enough to make it a dark dark red. When I make it for myself, I add it to a deep maroon. Either way you should add a little more than you think you need since it gives the tomato juice a wonderful 'meaty' flavor. Add the remaining ingredients and stir again. Add ice if desired and garnish.

variations could include, olive juice, horseradish, grated onion, sherry vinegar instead of white, lemon juice instead of lime.

Pepper Vodka
allow 1 week for preparation, it's worth the wait

750ml GOOD vodka, I like absolut but steph prefers finlandia, stoli would be good too -no smirnoff, philips or burnetts!
1 jalepeno
1 red jalepeno or fresno chili
1 serrano chili
2 cloves garlic, whole, peeled

Don't be tempted to replace any of the chilis with a spicier one, this recipe is perfectly balanced. I once made this using a thai chili instead of a serrano and the bloody marys upset my stomach. Also, don't forget the garlic, it provides an earthy foundation for the chili flavor and spice.

Pour a few ounces of vodka out of the bottle. Wash the chili's thoroughly. Slice each in half lengthwise and push into the bottle along with the garlic. Allow to steep at room temperature at least three days, 7 is optimal.

I prefer to refrigerate the vodka after infusion is complete, since you don't need to remove the chilis and the flavor is the best. You could also remove the chilis and store the vodka in the freezer. I find this tedius and difficult at best, also, you almost always end up spilling some and wasting the precious spirit. If you remove the chilis, discard them, they do not taste good.

A pepper is not a subtle fruit, its flavor is aggressive even when used for it's sweetness. For this reason I like it paired - as it usually is - with subtly flavored meats, chicken, pork, seafood, veal. My friend Gabe suggested serving the pepper vodka martini with a fish dish, which is an excellent idea that I intend to try at some point, possibly with the trendy and expensive sea bass.

Dirty Pepper Martini

1 1/2 ounces homemade pepper vodka
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
splash of olive brine

Pour into a shaker over ice. Shake and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a jalepeno wheel

Xmas drink

On choice few occasions its ok to drink in the morning, I consider xmas to be one of these. This seemed like a good drink:

2 ounces egg nog
1 ounce brandy
1 ounce godiva liquer
1/2 ounce vanilla schnapps

stir ingredients together in a glass with ice.

or if your looking for caffeine:

2 ounces espresso
2 ounces egg nog
1/2 ounce brandy
1 shot godiva liquer
1/2 shot vanilla schnapps

mix ingredients together.

In other news, I made chili last night. Its really easy because you only have to cut up and onion, chilis, and some garlic. Some recipes call for none of these which would make the preparation even easier. It turned out good. Here's what I did:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound ground pork
1 medium onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 jalepenos, cored, seeded and sliced
1 habenero, stem removed
1 Tbs salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup cumin
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can canellini beans
2 15oz cans tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste
2 cans diced tomatoes with liquid
1 bottle new zealand lager, 12oz

brown the meat and drain, reserving the liquid. Seperate the fat from the juices and discard.

Saute the onions in the oil until golden, add the garlic, chilis and spices and cook another few minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook another minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans and bring to a boil. Add the meat and juices and the beer. Simmer 30-45 minutes and serve!

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Hash and Yellow Pepper Compote

The inappropriateness of this image should illustrate my frustration at my inability to continue serious photography. I was sabotaged since I moved here. I no longer have access to lighting equipment, light metering equipment, cheap developing and film scanner. On top of which all my fujifilm somehow vanished in the move. I'm looking into a digital camera since its economically the best way to go.

In other news I made a nice pork dish the other night and added white wine to everything. In retrospect, it would have been better to periodically baste the roast with the wine instead of adding it to the jus reduction. This was a little to complicated in the combination of flavors. The sauce and the starch clash in differing sweetnesses and the It's incomplete as a full meal in that it lacks a vegetable, to which I have no suggestion. My reasoning was as follows:

1 the pork was cooked without any flavor as a blank canvas, leaving greater possibility for complexity of sauces.
2 lean white meat with subtle flavor is often paired with sweet items. I love the combination of sweet and spicy where peppers also excell - yellow as sweet and chipotle as spicy.
3 who doesn't like peppers and pork together?
4 I have no idea what vegetable would go well with this

It's extremely good. Could be served family style as well as plated for guests or an intimate dinner for two. Steph liked it a lot.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Hash and Yellow Pepper Compote

1 bone-in pork loin (about 5-6 pounds)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Rub the pork loin with oil and roast to 135 internal temp. While the pork is cooking, prep the ingredients for the sweet potato hash and the compote. Remove the pork from oven and cover with aluminum foil.

While the meat is resting, make the potato hash and yellow pepper compote simultaneously. When ready, slice 1 inch pork chops off the loin using the ribs to help guide your measurement.
Drain off the pan juices. Seperate out the fat and add to the same pan over the stovetop over medium heat. Reduce down to by 75% of original volume. You can add the sauvignon blanc during this as well.

For the Yellow Pepper Compote:
4 yellow peppers, small dice
1 large shallot, small dice
1 1/2 tsp thyme, chopped
4 Tbs butter
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup sauvignon blanc
salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan. Cook the shallots and peppers for 5 minutes over low heat. Season with salt and white pepper. Add the white wine and cook 3-5 minutes until the alcohol cooks off. Lower the heat to a simmer and reduce

For the Sweet Potato Hash:
1 large sweet potato medium dice
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. chipotle finely minced w/some adobo sauce
1 Tbs sauvignon blanc
3 Tbs pure maple syrup
salt and pepper

Make this last because it cooks very fast and must be served hot. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the chipotle and cook 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes and stir through. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes and add the white wine. Cook just until the wine is cooked out and potatoes are cooked through. Add the maple syrup and stir until potatoes are evenly glazed. Serve immediately.

For Plating:
spoon a small amount of potatoes on the plate into a mound. Rest pork chops on the potatoes with the bone up. Spoon a small portion of pan jus over the top. Top with a little compote and serve.

I pity the foo...

Who doesn't like butternut squash soup!

Regretably I didn't take this picture because I'm too busy eating this soup. Sure, you can make it with cumin, lime, ginger, curry and god knows what, but I prefer NOTHING.

I got one of these delicious squashes before thanksgiving and just haven't decided what to do with it. It would never have been as good as this if I tried to cram as much mise en place as I could in.

I decided I wanted to make a soup on my way home from work and I didn't want to spend all night doing it. I'm impressed with myself that I was able to bang it out in about half an hour with half of that simmering time. Everything is about this recipe is designed to make it quick cooking.

I originally roasted the squash to develop some of those declicious dry heat sugars, but it ended up saving me time since it was already cooked when I added it to the soup. The smoky bacon gives it great body and goes so well with the roasted squash making it hearty and earthy. It has an amazing velvety consistency and is perfect in the cold november rain. I highly encourage anyone to make this, but it's a very small recipe so double it if it's for more than one person. Since there's no cream in it it will keep for a long time in the fridge and reheat well.


Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
serves 2

1 1/2 tsp bacon fat (I had some in the freezer but if you cook bacon for it, crumble it over the top for garnish)
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 medium onion, small dice
1/2 medium-small carrot, brunoise (1/8" dice)
1/4 celery stalk, brunoise
1 1/2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler to it's highest heat, broil. Rub the squash slices with olive oil. Place on the highest rack, closest to the heat source. Flip the squash when it starts to brown lightly, careful not to burn it.

I used the time the squash was cooking to cut up the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the fats in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, carrot, celery, rosemary and thyme and season liberally with salt and pepper. Sweat the ingredients five minutes or so until softened and aromatic, stirring frequently. If you wanted to add a splash of white wine at this point you could and let it cook off for a minute.

While the mirepoix is sweating, cut the roasted squash into a small dice, trimming off any burnt edges.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the squash and bring down to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes. Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs and blender with a stick blender until smooth. Check for seasoning adding more salt and pepper as necessary. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a week. Also very good cold. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Culinary School

these guys are confused and concerned.

Not much to comment on. I'm finally going back to work after my nearly week long hiatus. I can finally stop pretending to be a cook. I'm trying to write my application essay for culinary school. This paragraph didn't make the cut:

Rafael, the chef de partie, my first real culinary mentor and source of all my stress and anxiety at the kitchen where I work, said it more poetically through his thick south-mexican accent than Brillat-Savarin ever could have, "If I could not work with food, I would die of sadness." It was causally spoken without great thought or intention and might have been heard by no one other than myself, but this was the first time I ever felt connected to my coworkers. How could I? I had yet to prepare a dish without almost constant supervision, my knives were often dull and improperly honed, my battonet's too small, my julienne too big and all of them inconsistent and these were seasoned pros. I was, and still am, green as any blanched vegetable and clumsy and awkward at best in the kitchen. But Rafael might as well have been speaking for the entire culinary team with his accuracy and conciseness that somehow explained our devotion to a job that paid poorly, consisted of long and odd hours and lead others to search for a history of mental illness in the family. I knew I was at home.

Steph thought, and I agree, it's good but not something that admissions boards would take particular delight in and I need to realize I'm not Bourdain. :-P I still like it but need to tone it down. In other news, I'm about half way through Kitchen Confidential and it's really good. I highly recommend. Someone buy me a copy the The Silver Spoon for the holidays!

THANKSGIVING

I love thanksgiving so much I manage to have it twice each year. Usually a traditional one and the other less formal. This year my parents came out for a few days with my sister. I brined a turkey with turkey stock I made weeks earlier. Unfortunately the turkey got overcooked and any benefits were lost. :-( The usual suspects were found hanging around the turkey: mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and bacon, stuffing with sage, and turkey stock, gravy and cranberry compote. I wanted to do something different with the sweet potatoes so I made biscuits with them using a recipe I found on food network. They had a great orange color and were delicious, but didn't quite rise, a never ending problem with my biscuits. I found a recipe for that looked amazing so I made that as well; it was all we hoped for. Desert was a pumpkin creme brulee also from the food network website. I was made very similar to a pumpkin pie but then strained for a smooth custard. The whole thing was quite satisfactory.

Tonight we decided to give the old bird a rest and roast a leg of lamb. Using the same recipe from the post "leg of lame? NO!" but tweaked a little. It's an amazing roast rubbed with a garlic-rosemary-anchovy paste and roasted to a nice rare and served with a parsley mint pesto.

This meal was mostly planned by Steph while I was stressing the details of my parents visit. It included a classic oyster-cornbread stuffing, recipe courtesy of food and wine. It was a little wet from too much stock, but still very tasty. We planned on doing a deep fried okra, but decided it was better for tomorrow. The best part I owe entirely to Steph because I would not have made it without her insistence. It's her favorite so it wouldn't have been thanksgiving without: Green bean casserole. It was actually incredibly simple with a disproportionately delicious yield. I took the ramekins leftover from the creme brulee and filled them with a mixture of raw green beans cut into 1" pieces and grated fontina cheese, poured over some leftover cream of mushroom, topped with a little more fontina and baked until the cheese got some nice color on top. The individual casserole idea originally started out as a cute way of serving a revamped classic but evolved into necessity with all of our oven dishes in use at the same time. I would definitely make these again. My advice is make the mushroom soup, you won't be dissapointed. Then if you like, make the little casseroles if you're in a pinch, it'll turn out, trust me.

For desert we had another unforgetable classic: pumpkin pie. I wanted to make the crust but steph insisted on buying some. Another excellent thanksgiving for the books. Thanks everyone!

Chinese Steamed Dumpling

The nice thing about these is how incredibly easy they are to make. You can make the filling up to a day ahead. It's a little time consuming and unless you have a multi-tiered steamer, you'll end up doing at least 5 batches, but they're well worth it and it's almost impossible to screw up. I like serving these dim sum style with a little bit of soy sauce and sambal for dipping. You could also make a big batch and then freeze them to eat at your convienence.

I was walking through the local town and country the other day looking for inspiration. I was truly at a loss for what I felt like eating. I spied a package of ground pork and knew immediately, that this was perfect.

That night I actually ended up making a muffaletta because steph had mentioned wanting one and it had been a little while. So I made these the next day on my friday with stir-fried broccoli and carrots.

Chinese Steamed Dumpling

1 lb ground pork
3/4 pound ground shrimp, or chopped with a sharp knife or food processor
1 Tbs garlic, finely chopped
1/2 Tbs ginger, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded napa cabbage or green onions or both
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 egg white
1 package square wonton wrappers
napa cabbage leaves for steaming

Combine all ingredients except the wonton wrappers in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate up to overnight.

fill a small bowl with water and place within reach. Spoon 1-2 tsp of filling in the middle of each wonton wrapper. keep the amount of filling consistent so cooking times will be the same.

Dip you index finger in the water and lightly wet two corners of the wonton. Fold all of the corners together at the top of the wonton making the dumpling. Place on a sheet pan and repeat.

Cover the wontons with a damp paper towel to prevent to tops from drying out.
Line the steamer with bamboo leaves and steam for 5-8 minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately.

Cutlery metallurgy is a big interest of mine, though I still know very little about it. I have however, learned some important things to look for when considering a kitchen knife.
All knives are different and have different metallurgies. A sword for example, requires a softer steel so it won't shatter on impact. Since this is not an issue with a kitchen knife, hardness is the bottom line. If you happened to catch my earlier post regarding the henckels ceramax line, you'll know that steel hardness is measured using the rockwell scale. The unit is a degree.
Unfortunately, steel is a relatively soft metal. To harden it, knife makers add carbon to make 'carbon-steel.' However carbon-steel knives require more maintainence and are highly susceptible to tarnish and rust. For these reasons carbon-steel knives have lost popularity in the kitchen and have become difficult to find, even though they are sharper than any other knife. The most popular knives today are high-carbon steel knives or HCS. These knives are made by adding elements like, chromium, vanadium, nickel, cobalt and others to decrease the corrosive properties. This negatively effects the sharpness of the knife so manufacturers are constantly trying to find new ways around this tradeoff with different metallurgies and processes.

Any serious knife maker will drop forge their knives. Forging changes the atomic structures and creates a harder, longer lasting knife. Chef's knives, vegetable knives, bread knives and paring knives should always be forged. Boning knives, some slicers and other thin bladed knives benefit from being stamped, because they are always thinner than their forged counterparts.
Ceramic blades are very sharp but often cannot be resharpened and break and chip very easily.
Blade hardness usually means a sharper edge and longer edge retention. However, it's not the only thing that matters. Because most popular knife makers use very high quality steel (which you definitely pay for) as well as state of the art processes, most knives are 56-58 degrees rockwell. What I mean is most blades are comparable as far as strength and hardness and personal taste comes into play. Professional chef's don't all use the same brand of knives. The best knife is one you'll use often for many different tasks that fits comfortably in your hand. The new Henckels line boasts the highest rockwell of any other kitchen knife, however the handle is shaped and weighted in a way I find uncomfortable, making is useless to me.
Blade length is also important, chef knives, slicers and bread knives are completely useless when too short, the way a paring knife is when too long. A chef's knife is also useless when too long. I find using myself poking into other things and running off the board when using my 10" chef knife at home.

Don't get seduced by fancily shapen blades. There are four basic knives essential in every kitchen. They are:

a good Chef/Cook's Knife - 8-10 inches. This is your all purpose knife used for for anything from boning chicken to cutting vegetables. This is the most valuable knife in your collection and should be the nicest. A well made knife will easily last a lifetime properly taken care of. 8" is usually ideal for the home cook. Any shorter is worthless). Most professionals find anything longer than 10" to be cumbersome for home use. My problem with the chef's knife is the 10 ones are too heavy for lighter work like mincing herbs, cutting fruit etc. But the 8 inch is too short. One of the guys I work with has gotten around this problem with the global 8 1/4" carving knife. Because it's made for slicing, the blade is thinner and light. Global has a habit of making their blades wider than other brands, so it makes sense that the carving knife be just right for light chef knife work. One drawback is that it's not forged, and will probably not keep and edge as long.
Straight Paring Knife - 3-4 inches. There are many different styles, but this is the most useful.
Serrated Bread Knife - 8-10 inches. I personally prefer the round as opposed to pointed tip because it cuts through though crust better.

Secondary knives include:

Slicer - 8-12 inches. Length is important because many items being sliced greatly benefit from a single motion and can be damaged by sawing.
Boning Knife - should have a thin blade, preferably stamped
Chinese Cleaver - chinese chefs use these as you would a western style chef's knife. Heavy blade works great for cutting through bone and smashing garlic and ginger.

Meat Slicer with a granton edge. Thin blade and "scallops" cut down surface friction.

Bird's Beak Peeler/Paring Knife - extremely useful for peeling and small or decorative cuts.

Many different asian styles have become popular in recent years. They take the place of western style blade and can easily be swapped out for their western counterparts. These knives are very beautiful and include:

Chinese Vegetable Cleaver - Usually single beveled, which means the edge is ground on only one side producing a very sharp edge. Often used in place of a chef's knife, though bad for cutting through bone.
Santoku Knife - 6-7 inches. Thin bladed Japanese vegetable knife. Often used in western cooking as a chef's knife, though not designed for cutting meat or bone.
Deba knife - a heavy duty, all purpose knife. Single beveled. Japanese chef knife great for cutting off fish heads. Properly used in place of a western style chef's knife. similar to a santoku
Sashimi Slicer - 10-12 inches. Takes the place of a regular slicer. Designed for more delicate items: fish, sushi, etc.

Since I'm a big geek and japanese knives are extremely beautiful, I plan to put together a set of professional set of them. this would include:

Yanagiba or Takohiki 300mm
Nakkiri 180mm
Kurouchi Mioroshi Deba or Usuba 180mm
Kurouchi Santoku 180mm
Mukimono 105mm
Makiri 75mm

Shun knives are really good, but they're almost more a work of art than a tool. Also, the ebony handles fade when washed with regular dish soaps.

Stay away from specialty knives like, tomato knives and salmon slicers, they take up space and are mostly useless. Any good serrated knife will cut a tomato as well as a tomato knife.

Brands I've found to be popular among professionals include but are certainly not limited to knives from either Solingen, Germany or Seki City, Japan (the knife capitols of the world.) Among these, Wusthof, Global and Messermeister are extremely popular and all rate 56-58 HRC.

One final note. No knife blade is as hard as glass or ceramic, which is why cutting on these surfaces destroys the edge. You should never under any circumstance cut on these surfaces, especially when using a high quality knife. A tight grained wood cutting board is the best surface. Properly maintained wood is more hygegnic than poly or plastic boards because knives cut grooves in plastic that cannot be cleaned. Knives need to be honed often to re-align the edge. Use a fine-ceramic or diamond embedded steel to hone your knife. Regular steels can actually strip metal from the blade and wear down the edge. They are also not hard enough to properly hone a knife. And if you use these knives in the dishwasher, take one out and KILL YOURSELF with it.

My New Favorite Chili

This is my first time trying the korean red chili, but it's definitely love at first bite. It has that great flavor imbued in so much korean food that I love and it's not too hot. I probably would've tried these sooner but I haven't seen them. I had to go to Uwajimaya which is the only place around here that doesn't mark up there produce to no end. It's also, aside from the local Town and Country Market, the only non-kroger food source which I'm always happy about.

FUCK KROGER.

they're all bitches. Anyway, these badboys still ran about $10/lb so I only got a few cause I didn't know what to expect. I initially got them cause they're so scary and evil looking but they're really quite nice.

Chris' RED SAUCE

This is not an actual picture of the sauce but the similarities are remarkable. If you're like me and searched far and wide for a solid recipe for red sauce, you need look no further!

I'd been wanting to make a slow simmered red sauce for quite a while now, so I jumped at the first opportunity. I basically threw everything but the kitchen sink in it, but it payed off big time - A rich full bodied red sauce that won't cop out with the heat all around. I also have today off so I'm gonna make shrimp stock with the thousands of shrimp shells we've acquired after I get some dim sum with steph.

Sherry vinegar and sugar are two absolutely essential ingredients to this sauce. There's something amazing about sherry vinegar and tomatoes, it almost makes them taste more tomatoey, like worcestershire and beef. I froze a bunch of this stuff but left some in the fridge for zucchini lasagna and maybe some calamari, who knows.

You could add an celery in the same amount as the carrots for a less fruity, more rounded and earthy bodied sauce, but I like it a little tangy and sweet.

Also yesterday I made a red pepper aioli which is THE SHIT. I was planning of using it as a dipping sauce for homemade steak fries, but that never ended up happening. We have two pounds of whole squid in the freezer so I think I'll make a salad and mix it with some balsamico for a dressing. mmmmm. recipe follows.

Red Pepper Aioli

1 red pepper
1-2 Tbs lemon juice
vegetable or other flavorless oil (about a cup)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
pinch of salt
½ tsp red wine
1 tsp honey
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
pinch white pepper

This sauce is surprisingly mild and gentle. It would be excellent eaten with any food of similar characteristics. Add chopped and seeded plum tomato to make sauce andalouse.

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the pepper in half and remove the stem and seeds. With a paring knife, cut out any of the white membrane. Rub with olive oil and roast in the oven until the flesh is tender, about 30-45 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a plastic bag or covered dish. Let the skins steam off for 10 minutes. Remove the skin and set aside.


In a blender, combine the egg, egg yolk and lemon juice. While it’s still running, drizzle in the oil until it reaches a desired thickness. It should be slightly liquid with a defined lemon flavor. Pour out half the mayonnaise and reserve for another use. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.


Red Sauce

3 (28oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, seeded with liquid
1 medium red onion, diced
½ cup carrot, peeled and small diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp anchovy paste
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
1 ½ Tbs sherry vinegar
2 Tbs white wine
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs chopped parsley (optional)
salt and pepper


Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper and cook for a minute or two. Add the onions and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Sweat over low heat for 5 minutes. The onions should not take on any color. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the anchovy and tomato paste, basil, oregano and thyme and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and red wine and cook 1-2 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes with liquid, sugar and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. This would be the time to add any accent ingredients, roasted pepper, roasted garlic, fresh basil, oregano or thyme etc.. For a mushroom sauce, fold in ½ pound of sliced cremini mushrooms in the last 45 minutes.

Simmer covered over low heat 4-6 hours. You need to stir this often, especially toward the end. In the last few hours the sauce may need to be stirred constantly. It will reduce enough from the evaporation during stirring. If it becomes too thick, water will need to be added. If you want a really thick sauce, let it reduce.