Lily and I are visiting her grandparents in Monterey, California. Lily's grandma didn't want to cook a holiday dinner for the family but did want to have one, so I volunteered my services. I put together a meal I am very proud of, and would like to brag about it. I had been missing La Morra recently, and decided to do a meal with a few things I had learned there. I normally don't thoroughly enjoy big meals that I cook like this because I am my harshest critic, but this time it was different. Maybe it was because everything was served at once, family style, with no appetizers, so once I was done cooking, I could sit back and enjoy it without having to get up again and again. Lily and I agree that everything came out very good, and for a couple dishes, we were hard pressed to think of anything that could be improved. I hate using the P-word (p*rfect) to describe my own cooking, so I won't.
Here's what was on the menu:
Brussel sprouts with breadcrumbs
I cut brussel sprouts in half and carmelized them all cut-side down only in a salted pan in olive oil. Towards the end I added finely chopped garlic and then tossed them with some aged balsamic vin. They were served room temperature, topped with breadcrumbs cooked in olive oil and garlic. This was inspired by a very similar dish we had at Pizzeria Mozza in LA, but mine was better.
Wilted bitter greens with blood orange, almonds, and goat cheese
I wilted mustard and dandelion greens in olive oil, and added some very finely crushed toasted almonds. When cool, I added blood orange segments, and tossed the mixture with salt, pepper, and the leftover blood orange juice. I topped it with some very good goat cheese, and also served it room temperature. This dish came to me on a whim, and it turned out to be really delicious.
Carmelized parsnips with savory
Pretty simple - I carmelized thinly sliced parsnips in butter and salt, then at the end I added finely chopped savory. I should have cut them a bit thicker, which would have allowed me to carmelize them more before getting mushy, but they still came out great.
Butternut squash risotto with sage
I made this exactly how I used to make it at La Morra. I sauteed large diced squash in butter and sage until just tender. Then, after sweating the onions, toasting the arborio, and adding/reducing the white wine, I added the cooked squash and more sage. As you stir and add more and more chicken stock until it's done, the large diced orange chunks loose some of their squash to the rice, which makes the risotto orange and even more creamy. I love risotto in general but this one in particular, because the behavior of the squash peices mimicks what happens to the arborio - as you stir the rice, a little bit of starch rubs off of the outside of each kernel, which aid in making the risotto nice and creamy.
Duck two ways with persimmon mostarda
I cured the duck legs in salt, thyme, orange peel, and garlic, and then confit-ed them the next day in duck fat. The meat was then pulled off the bone in chunks. The duck breasts were scored and marinated overnight covered in thyme and orange peels, and the next day the fat was slowly rendered off the skin and cooked in a pan. Both preparations were served with persimmon mostarda, a northern Italian condiment of diced fruit (in this case persimmon) that is blanched and then preserved in a sweet glaze with ground mustard seed, ginger, citrus, and chili flake. The duck leg meat came out a bit too salty, but the combination of the fatty duck and sweet sauce was excellent, and all of the duck's parts were cooked perfectly.
Roasted leg of lamb with reduced rosemary aged balsamic vin
I marinated a peice of boneless leg of lamb in chopped rosemary, garlic, and slices of lemon. The next day, I roasted the lamb in a very hot oven to a perfect rare in the very center (for a good variation of doneness between med-well on the very outside and rare on the very inside, most of it medium rare). I rested the roast, sliced it thin, and served it with a drizzle of aged balsamic that I reduced by half with a couple sprigs of rosemary. The lamb came out a bit chewy (leg is in general, but I probably should have cooked it at a lower temp for longer), but it came out delicious with a very nice crust.
Dessert (by Lily)
Lime squares
These are sort of like a cross between lemon squares and key lime pie. Lily made them a month ago, and they came out nice and gooey, and they were really good frozen. These ones weren't quite as good as they game out a bit more dense, but they were still tasty.
Apple pie with vanilla ice cream
Lily made the best apple pie I've ever had. She used really good, sweet pink lady apples, and just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon. The crust she made was otherwordly - it came out flaky, crunchy, buttery, and slightly sweet. This is one of my favorite desserts, and I had a second slice that I probably shouldn've had but couldn't resist. The only thing I regret is that she didn't make TWO pies.
That's it. Man, it's weird critisizing my own cooking. But hey, it was fun, and I thought it would be nice to share.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
A couple days at Campanile in LA
After trying unsuccessfully to land any paying gigs in LA, I went to a few restaurants in the city to offer my services free of charge (or rather, for food). Erica, the sous chef at Campanile, was more than happy to take me on for a couple days. Campanile is owned by Mark Peel, a well-known chef who was the opening chef de cuisine at Spago.
It wasn't that busy the first day I was there, so I got to work on the grill station with Erica. Campanile has a huge wood grill, which I have used before and in my opinion is much more fun than a gas grill (except for smoke in the eyes). All in all, the food was pretty simple and uncomplicated. I can't say I really learned that much that night, but that's probably because it was slow. I spent most of the night peaking at the guy on the next station who has been working saute at Campanile for 20 years. Quiet, fluid motion, no wasted movement - this guy was seriously invested in self-preservation by the way he moved.
The second night I worked was much busier - a Saturday night with three private parties. I helped out another sous chef, Aris, in putting out all the passed apps and half the plated dishes for the parties. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the hors d'oeuvres we were putting out, and the mushroom risotto I was shown to replicate wasn't nearly as good as the version I cook, but I did like a of the items we were preparing.
In exchange for my services, Lily and I went to dinner at Campanile and were sent a whole bunch of food on the house. Erica started us with bruschetta and burrata, which was excellent, followed by crab cakes with remoulade, also good. Then came a pasta course - crispy fried trenne pasta on top of their version of ragu bolognese, with shaved parmesan for garnish. I liked the creativity of their version of pasta bolognese, but my heart still belongs to the version I prepared a million times at La Morra. We ate dinner on "sandwich night", so we got a braised brisket sandwich as our entree - pretty good, but the fries were excellent. Dessert was alright - a very sweet lemon tart and a tasty version of the ubiquitous molten chocolate cake.
The more Lily and I eat out, and with each place I stage at, the more I realize how far I've come as a cook and how developed my palate really is. The food at La Morra, which I am very thankful to have absorbed, is utterly, ridiculously underrated - much better than a lot of noteworthy and expensive establishments such as Campanile. Not only that, but the food we encounter at some of the restaurants we dine at is sometimes not even as good as what I cook in our tiny camper. When we're eating a nice meal at a good restaurant, I usually try and relax and enjoy, but most of the time I am noticing not only what can be better about a particular dish, but how it can be better, and I'm beginning to really understand the most important question - why.
It's becoming an increasing source of frustration that I can't just put all of my ideas to work and be in charge of a kitchen right now and do things right. I'm tired of watching other people doing things poorly or half-assed and being unable to say or do anything about it. I want to be teaching people how to cook well, clean well, organize, create, and take pride in their food and their work.
I think I'll be ready to be a chef sooner than I thought.
It wasn't that busy the first day I was there, so I got to work on the grill station with Erica. Campanile has a huge wood grill, which I have used before and in my opinion is much more fun than a gas grill (except for smoke in the eyes). All in all, the food was pretty simple and uncomplicated. I can't say I really learned that much that night, but that's probably because it was slow. I spent most of the night peaking at the guy on the next station who has been working saute at Campanile for 20 years. Quiet, fluid motion, no wasted movement - this guy was seriously invested in self-preservation by the way he moved.
The second night I worked was much busier - a Saturday night with three private parties. I helped out another sous chef, Aris, in putting out all the passed apps and half the plated dishes for the parties. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the hors d'oeuvres we were putting out, and the mushroom risotto I was shown to replicate wasn't nearly as good as the version I cook, but I did like a of the items we were preparing.
In exchange for my services, Lily and I went to dinner at Campanile and were sent a whole bunch of food on the house. Erica started us with bruschetta and burrata, which was excellent, followed by crab cakes with remoulade, also good. Then came a pasta course - crispy fried trenne pasta on top of their version of ragu bolognese, with shaved parmesan for garnish. I liked the creativity of their version of pasta bolognese, but my heart still belongs to the version I prepared a million times at La Morra. We ate dinner on "sandwich night", so we got a braised brisket sandwich as our entree - pretty good, but the fries were excellent. Dessert was alright - a very sweet lemon tart and a tasty version of the ubiquitous molten chocolate cake.
The more Lily and I eat out, and with each place I stage at, the more I realize how far I've come as a cook and how developed my palate really is. The food at La Morra, which I am very thankful to have absorbed, is utterly, ridiculously underrated - much better than a lot of noteworthy and expensive establishments such as Campanile. Not only that, but the food we encounter at some of the restaurants we dine at is sometimes not even as good as what I cook in our tiny camper. When we're eating a nice meal at a good restaurant, I usually try and relax and enjoy, but most of the time I am noticing not only what can be better about a particular dish, but how it can be better, and I'm beginning to really understand the most important question - why.
It's becoming an increasing source of frustration that I can't just put all of my ideas to work and be in charge of a kitchen right now and do things right. I'm tired of watching other people doing things poorly or half-assed and being unable to say or do anything about it. I want to be teaching people how to cook well, clean well, organize, create, and take pride in their food and their work.
I think I'll be ready to be a chef sooner than I thought.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tacos el Gordo, Pizzeria Mozza
Though we haven't been eating out as often on this trip as we once were, we try to pick our spots when we do, and recently we've had some great meals.
San Diego has tons of great Mexican food, so I did some research decided take Lily to a cheap, yet awesome taco place called Tacos el Gordo. The concept is pretty simple - small menu, order from one of three windows based on what you want, pay at one register, and devour. At first, Lily was a bit disappointed that they didn't have chicken on the menu. I was more than happy with that, as they did offer a small variety of my favorite pork and beef parts. The tacos de cabeza and beef shoulder tacos were excellent - tough cuts of meat well seasoned and cooked forever. The tortillas were handmade on a griddle by a lady through the night, supplying the line with wonderfully soft pillows that soak up the greasy meat of your choice. The best tacos of the night were the tacos de adobada - pork meat marinated and roasted on a spit - sometimes called al pastor in some joints. What made el Gordo's version so tasty was that the flame on the spit was burning crazy hot, so the meat got nice and crispy before it was sliced off for a taco. Also, the guacamole on top was thin (cream added?), saucy, and delicious. We left stuffed for around $15 for the two of us - excellent value.
We're in LA now, which is a great food city for both cheap ethnic food and more upscale eats. This afternoon, between lunch and dinner service, Lily and I were able to grab a seat at the bar at Pizzeria Mozza. This place is one of the hardest reservations to get in LA, mainly because of who owns it (Nancy Silverton-Mario Batali-Joe Bastianich collaboration) and because the pizza close to perfection. We ordered an antipasti of carmelized brussel sprouts with breadcrumbs. It was a simple, tasty dish, but a bit over-the-top with the amount of vinaiger used. All the pizzas looked great on the menu, and we decided to go with the one with bacon, guanciale (cured pork jowl), fennel sausage, salami, and mozzarella. My expectations were set insanely high for the quality of the pizza at Mozza, and by God it was as good as I had imagined. The sauce was a perfect balance of slight amounts of sweet, tang, salt, and spice. The meats were all high quality ingredients. But the highlight was the crust - oh my the crust was otherworldly. Usually when I eat pizza I scoff at the crust - usually Lily eats it for me. But wow - this crust was crispy, well browned, and slightly chewy, and the occasional almost-burned air bubbles were a treat. Dessert was very good - a caramel copetta (tuile cookie undernieth gelato) with marshmallow sauce and salted peanuts. It would have been better if there were less salted peanuts - they made it saltier than it was sweet. We left full having for $43. Pretty good value.
Leaving Mozza, Lily and I had a brief discussion on cheap ethnic food vs. fine dining food. If you look hard, you can find some really great, cheap food in some hole-in-the-wall places. While the pizza was great and the atmosphere hip at Pizzeria Mozza, we had an equally great time and ate lots of great food at Tacos el Gordo in San Diego, and we could've eaten three times at the taco place for the price of the bill at Mozza. I find myself leaning more and more toward the cheap, ethnic options and avoiding pretentious fine dining food when we eat out. I find that, for some reason, the great food that blue-collar locals stand in line for has more soul and is usually tastier than what I generally encounter at even what I consider to be pretty good upscale/fine dining restaurants.
That, and it's much easier on the wallet.
-Ben
San Diego has tons of great Mexican food, so I did some research decided take Lily to a cheap, yet awesome taco place called Tacos el Gordo. The concept is pretty simple - small menu, order from one of three windows based on what you want, pay at one register, and devour. At first, Lily was a bit disappointed that they didn't have chicken on the menu. I was more than happy with that, as they did offer a small variety of my favorite pork and beef parts. The tacos de cabeza and beef shoulder tacos were excellent - tough cuts of meat well seasoned and cooked forever. The tortillas were handmade on a griddle by a lady through the night, supplying the line with wonderfully soft pillows that soak up the greasy meat of your choice. The best tacos of the night were the tacos de adobada - pork meat marinated and roasted on a spit - sometimes called al pastor in some joints. What made el Gordo's version so tasty was that the flame on the spit was burning crazy hot, so the meat got nice and crispy before it was sliced off for a taco. Also, the guacamole on top was thin (cream added?), saucy, and delicious. We left stuffed for around $15 for the two of us - excellent value.
We're in LA now, which is a great food city for both cheap ethnic food and more upscale eats. This afternoon, between lunch and dinner service, Lily and I were able to grab a seat at the bar at Pizzeria Mozza. This place is one of the hardest reservations to get in LA, mainly because of who owns it (Nancy Silverton-Mario Batali-Joe Bastianich collaboration) and because the pizza close to perfection. We ordered an antipasti of carmelized brussel sprouts with breadcrumbs. It was a simple, tasty dish, but a bit over-the-top with the amount of vinaiger used. All the pizzas looked great on the menu, and we decided to go with the one with bacon, guanciale (cured pork jowl), fennel sausage, salami, and mozzarella. My expectations were set insanely high for the quality of the pizza at Mozza, and by God it was as good as I had imagined. The sauce was a perfect balance of slight amounts of sweet, tang, salt, and spice. The meats were all high quality ingredients. But the highlight was the crust - oh my the crust was otherworldly. Usually when I eat pizza I scoff at the crust - usually Lily eats it for me. But wow - this crust was crispy, well browned, and slightly chewy, and the occasional almost-burned air bubbles were a treat. Dessert was very good - a caramel copetta (tuile cookie undernieth gelato) with marshmallow sauce and salted peanuts. It would have been better if there were less salted peanuts - they made it saltier than it was sweet. We left full having for $43. Pretty good value.
Leaving Mozza, Lily and I had a brief discussion on cheap ethnic food vs. fine dining food. If you look hard, you can find some really great, cheap food in some hole-in-the-wall places. While the pizza was great and the atmosphere hip at Pizzeria Mozza, we had an equally great time and ate lots of great food at Tacos el Gordo in San Diego, and we could've eaten three times at the taco place for the price of the bill at Mozza. I find myself leaning more and more toward the cheap, ethnic options and avoiding pretentious fine dining food when we eat out. I find that, for some reason, the great food that blue-collar locals stand in line for has more soul and is usually tastier than what I generally encounter at even what I consider to be pretty good upscale/fine dining restaurants.
That, and it's much easier on the wallet.
-Ben
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