Grace Piper: Fearless Cooking

2011-03-25T14:32:00.003-04:00

Restaurant review of B.E.S “BOUTIQUE EAT SHOP”

Chef as Artist is something I hear often, but in the case of Chef Charles Cho it is true. I was invited to dine at B.E.S “BOUTIQUE EAT SHOP” and enjoyed a truly memorable meal. Part art gallery, part restaurant and part hang out for the local gallery denizens, the space doesn't have that cold feeling of the gallery spaces B.E.S. shares the Chelsea neighborhood with. On the contrary, it's very warm and cozy. Imagine you are in the home of your eccentric uncle who collects art and travels the world filling it with treasures. Now imagine that uncle was a teenage punk who came into money and is able to indulge his edgy 80's aesthetic with expensive materials and workmanship. The attentions to detail from service to the curated menu was thrilling and it didn't hurt they played great 80's tunes we love. Bowie, Heart of Glass... It's a very sexy space that would be great for first dates. The prices are high, but we're in NY and in a trendy nabe. Now, on to the food!

Starters

Ginger Grapefuit Panna Cotta with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese
Highly recommend this. Flavorful cubes of gingery grapefuit, almost like a gelatin, paired
beautifully with a Lemonchello gastrique and goat cheese. The chef's genius lies in his terrific flavor combinations.

Seared Ahi Tuna, Fuji Apple and Watercress with Peanut Miso Dressing
Perfectly seared with an extremely flavorful dressing. The miso paired perfectly with the ahi.

Lobster Ravioli with Creamed Corn and a Tabasco Foam
I'm not a pasta fan, so this fell a little flat for me, but the foam was a revelation. I need to learn to make this myself. I'd love it on fried calamari.

Australian Lamb Chops with Mushroom and Truffle Risotto and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with a Pomegranate Demi sauce. Decadent creamy and highly truffled. Mindblowing. You must order this.

Chocolate Lava Cake with Trio of Mango, Raspberry and Tangerine Sorbet
The sorbets were wonderful, but we were a little underwhelmed with the cake. The outside had an unusual almost chewy texture.

I can't wait to go back and bring friends. If this was in my neighborhood, it would be my local hangout. I'm told they're opening a spot in Brooklyn, but sadly not Park Slope.
Full disclosure: I was an invited guest and they knew I would be writing up a post. I did check out all the other patrons' dishes as they went by and they all looked as amazing as ours did. Check out the rave reviews over on Yelp. You don't have to take my word for it. :)

559 W 22nd St
(between 10th Ave & West St)
New York, NY 10011
Neighborhood: Chelsea

2011-02-18T14:45:00.003-05:00

NYC Food Blogger Potluck and Juicy Pork Recipe

What is better than having a potluck with 30 of New York's greatest food bloggers? Having that potluck be a Chinese New Year Celebration. The food was spectacular and the food centric conversation was even better. Our hosts were the fabulous Jackie Gordon @divathatateny and Ken Leung @hungryrabbitnyc, who not only hosted, but put up fabulous decorations. The video below will give you a sense of the banquet we all enjoyed. You can see that everyone brought their A-game.

My contribution was braised pork shoulder, hoisin BBQ sauce and a cilantro chili slaw. You can probably guess I was going for a Southern spin on Asian cuisine. I was really please with how it turned out. The meat was meltingly juicy and tender and the slaw was the perfect fresh kick it needed. This is the recipe I based the slaw on, but I did up the herb quantity from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of both the mint and cilantro and added in 2 deseeded and minced Thai chili pepper. I also added some fish sauce to taste. The hoisin BBQ sauce is based on this recipe at Epicurious. I subbed out shallot for yellow onion and added in 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds.

Juicy and Simple Pork Shoulder
for carnitas, enchiladas, stew, Vietnamese buns...
This shredded pork comes out juicy every time. It is a no fail recipe. I don't use lots of spices during the cooking process so that the leftovers are more versatile.

One 6 to 10 1/2 lb pork shoulder, skin-on, bone-in
Season well with salt and pepper
Sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of each seasoning like cumin coriander chili powder cayenne
2 Tablespoons paprika
2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
3/4 bottle brown ale
a few cloves of garlic, peeled and halved, 6-10

Rub in the seasonings and put pork into an oven safe stockpot.
Add liquids and cover tightly with a lid or tinfoil. Cook 9-12 hours at 250 degrees until it is falling apart. Start checking after the first 8-9 hours. You'll know it's done when the fork slides in easily and the juices slide out. The internal temperature was at around 190 degrees when it was done.

The liquid it's in is delicious(might need some salt), but the meat is occasionally helped by a BBQ sauce, gravy, asian hoisin sauce or enchilada sauce for leftovers.

When the shoulder is done you really can keep it in a 200- 250 degree oven for 4-5 hours. I have recipes that have it cooking for 24 hours. I kept mine in for about 20 hours before we ate.

The skin is the best part!
When it's done, using a knife and tongs peel off the fat and skin layer and put it on a pan to roast in a hot(450 degree) oven. Make sure you salt and pepper it first. Roast about 10 minutes, or longer til some crisp bits are there. So delicious. You could also smear it with some honey before crisping it in the oven.

2010-12-13T15:44:00.015-05:00

Holiday Gifts for Foodies

Whether you have a food geek niece, a chef brother, or a foodie aunt here are a few ideas to get you started. You might also like to check out my list from last year.

Under $25
Star Wars Heroes & Villains Pancake Molds (Photo at the top) This is so cute, what else can I say. I know plenty of geeky boys and girls here in New York who would want this. :) $19.99

Angled Measuring Cups. I love these! Possibly life changing, especially when you need the liquid measurement in a recipe to be exact. Due to the angled surface you can look straight down at the cup to check the level. $19.99 for a set of three.

A popover pan is a fun tool many cooks might never buy for themselves. Making it the perfect gift. I'll probably be using mine for my New Years Eve Party. The wow factor when guests see that tall cripsy exterior bursting up out of the cup and the moist eggy hollow interior ready for butter makes it well worth the $21.

Whiskey Stones are great for friends who like their tipple chilled, but not watered down. I've seen these in a local store and they are beautiful in a glass. Form and Function, FTW. You'll get 8 ice cube sized smooth soap stones for $20. (Edited to add: Thanks to a comment left here these don't hold the cold! Sorry about that.)

A Food Lover's Basket

I like the idea of introducing friends to cooking authentic recipes and THE source for whole spices and pastes and really anything you can imagine buying in Mumbai, London or Bangkok can probably be found at Kalustyan's. If you have a friend with an interest in Indian food create a gift package.
Start with Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking, a great novice cookbook. I learned to cook with whole spices from Jaffrey's books.
Although you can find many whole Indian spices at Whole Foods and even some supermarkets, the quality will probably be superior ordered from Kalustyan's thanks to the high product turnover. No old musty spices there.

Here are the staple Indian spices you might include in the gift package:

Black Mustard Seeds
Cardamom Pods
Coriander Seeds
Ground turmeric

Round out the gift with a bottle of mango chutney, ghee, which is simply clarified butter, and a package of crispy pappadums.
Price could be as low as $40 or as high as $60
http://www.kalustyans.com

D'artagnan
It wouldn't be my Holiday gift list without something from D'artagnan , my favorite purveyor of natural and organic meats and other good things. The quality and care in their products is amazing.
I don't have a relationship with them other than that of slavish fangirl. :) Although I'd love a relationship. Don't they need a social media darling in the NY food world?

I did have a small fling with them after calling to let them know I found a bone in a sausage. They were sweet enough to send me a fois gras package as an apology. I hadn't blogged about the bone, and hadn't planned to. After all sausage is made from meat, right? I just wanted to give them a heads up about it because I eat their sausage and duck fairly often. There was strange timing with it since I had also included them in my Holiday Gift List just one week earlier! There was no quid pro quo. That's not how I roll as a food blogger.
Anyway, on to the good stuff.

Game Sausage Sampler for $26.99. I've had the duck and merguez and they are terrific.
You get one pack of EACH of the following:

• Duck & Armagnac Sausage
• Merguez Sausage
• Rabbit & Ginger Sausage
• Venison & Cherry Sausage
• Wild Boar Sausage

Duck Foie Gras with Bl ack Truffles for $16 This would be a great gift on it's own, but even more so if you order the French Kisses 12 ounces for $10 to go with it.
Here is D'Artagnan's description of their kisses, "We start with plump, juicy prunes marinated in Armagnac (French Brandy) and then lovingly fill them with creamy, sweet mousse of Foie Gras." I haven't tried the Kisses yet, but I hear it from good authority they are mind blowing.

That's my list. Anything you'd like for the holidays?
-Grace

2010-11-10T19:55:00.008-05:00

Fast Vietnamese Slaw
This is a colorful side dish that can add excitement to everything from roasted meats to simple baked fish fillets. It's sweet, salty, and crunchy with a little bit of heat that you can control.

I like keeping a bag of the premade slaw mix in the fridge for this recipe. It's one of those rare ready made ingredients that stay fresh for a good week or so. The slaw keeps for about a week in the fridge and I like it more the longer it sits. You might think the herbs would die in all that acid, but the flavor is still great.

Ingredients:
Mix and let marinate for about 1/2 hour the following:
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and minced, or more :)
1/2 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Fish sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoon Sugar

Then add:
1 1/2 cup slaw mix (half a 1 lb bag) or 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced
1 shredded carrot (optional, I like more carrot than comes in the bag of slaw mix and it definitely adds a freshness to the mix)
1/2 thinly sliced red pepper (optional)
crushed peanuts and more cilantro for garnish

This slaw can sit for quite awhile, even overnight, but the vegetables do give off alot of liquid you might want to drain off. BUT save that liquid, I think it would make a great marinade for chicken or shrimp. Not sure about that idea of a marinade that's just a theory I'll have to try out.
Taste:
Now, taste for the sweet, sour, salty balance adding more sugar, lime juice or fish sauce as needed. I think this is a skill that takes practice, figuring out how to balance flavors. It will probably need a little more fish sauce or sugar. Go very, very slowly when adding them it. Keep tasting.

Just before serving stir in:
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, make sure to include minced stems

Edited to add:
My friends over at eGullet forums recommend salting the cabbage first, letting it sit for awhile and squeezing out any liquid to cut down on how watery the slaw becomes the next day. It's not necessary, but I'll be trying this next time I make it.

2010-10-29T18:49:00.015-04:00

Food Swapping
Urban domestics swap food in Brooklyn.

I went to the BKFoodSwappers food swap in Brooklyn last night and made out like a bandit. If you aren't familiar with the idea of food swapping, basically you bring some homemade food item and barter it for something tasty someone else made. We had a fantastic crowd of about 30 foodies.

I brought mango habanero hot sauce, papaya habanero ketchup, quick refrigerator pickles and an apple butter spiked with a tiny amount of habanero.
If you are looking for a great workspace in Brooklyn check out Brooklyn Creative League that gave us the space for our event. Thanks Neil! You can see the nifty form swappers fill out and put in front of our goodies for people to sign.

I came home with pickled green beans, some spectacularly tasty baked goods from Hungry Rabbit NYC, SkeeterNYC's Salmon Rilette, fridge pickles, apple pie rum, flax cracker, date tamerind dipping sauce from Jackie Gordon and Nomnivourous' bacon jam(recipe). I'm feeling very pleased with myself.

Swapping tips:

Know your audience. I knew my particular crowd are foodies, so I couldn't just stroll in with basic chocolate chip cookies and expect to score.
Label your items with your contact info and any social media links.
Have great organizers like Kate of Hipgirls and Meg of Brooklyn Homesteader who keep the event moving along.
Be prepared to go after what you want, channel your inner car salesman. I heard lots of begging and cajoling last night. I may have threatened @EmilyHanHan on Twitter for her bacon jam. :)
Go early. Get your name on what you prize the most.

Are you a swapper? Want to throw a swap? Kate has a nice description over at her website.

2010-10-22T16:01:00.006-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Love a macaron? Like pumpkin? Live in New York?
You might want to head on over to the Payard Patisserie website and preorder some pumpkin goodies. A lovely PR person let me know about how Payard is celebrating Halloween and I'm happy to share the good news with you.
Here are a few reasons why you would be a hero if you show up at a Halloween party with pumpkin macarons or even the $24 completely adorable cake:

François Payard is a third generation French Pastry Chef.
He was awarded “Pastry Chef of the Year” by the Bon Appétit Food & Entertainment Awards
While the kids are eating poor excuses for sweets, you could be eating a terrific dessert.
Macarons are the tastiest little bites, crispy outside creamy inside bites ever created by man.

Need I say more? I'd go for the cake. $24 is reasonable considering the fabulous chef.
Deets:
Available Friday, October 29 through Sunday, October 31 and can be ordered at www.payard.com for delivery in Manhattan on Friday or Saturday, or for pick up at FPB or FC Chocolate Bar (located in the Mauboussin jeweler on Madison Avenue) on Friday, Saturday or Sunday by calling 212-995-0888 ext 131 or emailing sales@fpbnyc.com.

2010-10-07T19:11:00.005-04:00

Papaya Ketchup
This is delicious with my fried plantains, baked sweet potato spears or served with fish. This is terrific with mango too.
 Makes 1 cup

  Ingredients:
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
 1 tablespoon butter 
4 tablespoons onion, minced
 1 teaspoon ginger, minced 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 papaya, ripe, chopped
 1/4 cup cider vinegar
 4 tablespoons orange juice(optional, you could use just about any juice or water here)
 1/4 cup sugar

 Pinch of ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon allspice, ground 
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste, habanero is reccommended

Preparation:  

In a medium sauce pot, heat the oil and butter.
Add the onion, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes over a medium low heat until the onion as softened.
  Add the papaya and cook an additional 5 minutes.
  Add the cider vinegar, water, sugar, cloves, allspice and hot sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until thickened. Puree in food processor and cool completely. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may want to add more hot sauce.

2010-09-30T15:19:00.009-04:00

Quick Fried Ripe Plantains (Maduros)

This is my new favorite side dish. If you've seen plantains and not know what to do with them this is a quick and easy and tasty introduction to bananas big starchy cousin. It's delicious with roasted meats and any Latin flavored meal or as a quick appetizer. When you fry up the very, very ripe plantains the sugars caramelize into the most amazing slightly crunchy outside complimented by the soft and sweet inside. The only difficult part of this dish is waiting for the plantains to turn completely black. This is when the plantain is at it's sweetest. I like to serve it with lots of fresh lime and salt and a habanero hot sauce, but sometimes will make a quick fruit ketchup. That recipe will be posted soon.

Serves 2 as a side dish, 4 for appetizers

Ingredients:
2 ripe plantains, best if the skin is completely black, but wait until it has ripened to at least 1/2 black. It's not rotting, the starch is converting to sugar.
Vegetable oil, enough to cover the bottom of your wok or fry pan with 1-2 inches of oil, just about the thickness of your sliced plantain
Lime, cut into quarters

Directions:

With a sharp knife slice each end off the plantain. To remove the skin make shallow slices into the skin lengthwise down each plantain in 4 places. Carefully peel the skin off. This is easier the riper the fruit is.
Slice plantains into 3/4 to 1 inch slices.
Heat oil to 365 degree, I use my candy thermometer for this.
Carefully slide slices into the oil and fry on one side for a few seconds. Keep peeking to see if they are browned. Turn over to brown the other side. This is a very quick fry, so don't walk away.
Drain on brown paper, or just drain with slotted spoon and put on a plate. Don't drain on paper towels. I've made that mistake. They stick!
Sprinkle with a coarse salt and pepper.
Serve hot with lime for sprinkling and a good hot sauce.
I like to serve it with my Papaya Ketchup, recipe coming soon.

2010-09-19T10:33:00.002-04:00

Caramelized Onion Pie for @FeastUp Potluck Picnic!
If I wanted to get fancy then you could say this is my take on Tarte à l'oignon alsacienne that I learned from a Master Class with Chef Andre Soltner at The International Culinary Center in Manhattan. Chef Soltner said other chefs he knows send out a glass of champagne to a friend, but he likes to send out a slice of this pie. He believes, "If someone wants a glass of champagne, he can buy it. But an onion tart he cannot buy". Just as a heads up you really need to keep an eye on the onions as they caramelize, giving them a stir every few minutes or so. It does take a good 40 minutes or so, but the flavor is spectacular. This is a great dish to bring to a picnic and it holds well for a day or so, though it does taste best the day you make it.

3 good sized yellow onions, chopped
1 stick butter
1 or 2 ounces SCHALLER & WEBER BAUERNSCHINKEN (FARMERS HAM) smoky, don't use watery deli ham
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
4-6 slices of swiss cheese, thickly cut
pie dough, feel free to make your own, I always use storebought

Preheat oven to 400
Press pie dough into pie pan. Prick all over with a fork.
Bake til brown, about 15 minutes

While pie shell bakes saute onion with butter over medium high heat until lightly browned and all pieces are tender. Once you see some browning you might want to turn the heat down a bit, or if your brave just stay there stirring until you reach a nice golden color. Stir often!

Scoop cooked onions in a large bowl and let cool. Whisk egg and add to cream. Stir well and mix into coolish onion. Stir in minced ham. Stir in freshly grated nutmeg. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Turn oven down to 350

Line pie shell with cheese slices. I find this layer of delicious melting cheese keeps the pie shell crisp. Pour on the egg, cream and onion mixture. Smooth down with a spatula.
Bake until set about 25 minutes.

2010-06-24T16:46:00.009-04:00

Summer Quick Pickles

This recipe will blow your mind. You will never buy pickles again. There was a summer where I made a vat a week. I went to a food swap in Brooklyn recently and was told later that someone I swapped with liked them so much she was rationing them out to 1 or 2 pickle slices a day. Crunchy and spicy with a little sweetness it's great with everything from BBQ to a cheese plate. I like them out of the jar for breakfast. :) Try the onions and garlic on your next grilled hot dog.

This recipe came from my tinkering with Chris Schesinger's Famous Back Eddy House Pickles. When I lived in Somerville, Mass. his East Coast Grill restaurant was one of my favorites. As soon as you sit down in the restearnt your brought a little dish of these pickles. I've simplified it by not sauteeing the onion and garlic. I also don't bother with sliced carrots and peppers, though by all means go for it if you like. If you are interested in experimenting with more delicious quick pickles I absolutely recommend his cookbook Quick Pickles, Easy Recipes with Big Flavor. I've gotten alot of use out of it.

Actual work time is no more than 1/2 hr.

3 lb of pickling cucumbers
3 Tbsp salt
8 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
2 onions, sliced
4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cloves
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 Tbsp black mustard seeds (FYI you can use any mustard seeds you can find.
2 Tablespoon Dijon, I'm sure any good mustard would work
2 tsp whole allspice, cracked (put on a cutting board and press down very hard with your heaviest pan)
2 tsp whole coriander seeds, cracked

Prep the veg:
Slice cucumbers into 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds. Remove both ends, some people say if you leave the blossom end in the pickle it could turn the batch bitter. I haven't seen any science on this, but just in case I slice them off. Maybe someday I'll do a head to head with two batches.
Toss slices with the salt in a large bowl and top with some ice. I never have more than one tray actually full in my freezer so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Put this bowl in your fridge for 3 to 9 hours.
Remove from the fridge, rinse the slices well and set aside in a non-reactive heat proof bowl. I use a large mixing bowl.
Make the brine:
In a non-reactive pan dissolve the sugar in the vinegar over medium heat. Stir in spices. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Pour your boiling syrup over cucumbers and onion/garlic mix. Let it cool before refrigerating. I would wait maybe 4 or 5 days for best flavor, if you can wait that long. This will keep about a month in the fridge, but I doubt it will last that long once you've tasted them.
Notes:
Your kitchen could smell like vinegar for about a day. I tend to toss my box fan in the kitchen window blowing out and that takes care of it. One day of your place smelling a little like vinegar is worth these terrific pickles!
You can vary these spices depending on what you like. I've been thinking of tossing a few serrano chili peppers poked with a fork a few times in with the cukes.

Let me know if you make them! I know you'll love this easy recipe.

2010-06-09T15:00:00.006-04:00

The Plaza opens a Euro Style Food Hall

I love this concept. Imagine if your local mall's food court was taken over by the terrific chef Todd English and a great sommelier. Just imagine it for a moment.

That is what that iconic New York hotel has created, sans The Plaza prices. I was invited to the opening-day launch and the layout is very much what you find at a food court, but with very comfortable seating in front of each of the eight stations. The space was beautifully designed to look like a European food hall by architect Jeffrey Beers.

I sat at the wine bar counter and had a perfectly tender and seasoned octopus, some slightly overcooked and under seasoned lamb skewers, terrific sashimi and a very nice chianti. The bonus was I met a really cool girl sitting at the bar with me. Emily works nearby and was excited to have some new food options in what is a Manhattan food deadzone.

I really think this will catch on with the local office workers. You can eat at the bars and as a bonus, order from any of the other stations no matter where you sit. Sit at the Grill and order from the Dumpling Bar. A pretty ingenious idea.

Stations at The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English include The Ocean Grill & Oyster Bar, The Bakery, The Cheese & Charcuterie Counter, The Wine Bar, The Grill, Pizza, The Dumpling Bar, and The Sushi Bar. If you are in the area I recommend it, the food quality was stellar, but if you're short on time they are still working out the service kinks. It took a while for my dishes to arrive. If you're on your lunch break, you might want to get your food to go.

The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English will be open Monday through Sunday from 7am to 9pm. It is located at One Central Park South, New York, NY 10019.

2010-02-25T15:33:00.003-05:00

Hardcore Homecooking
Have you ever imagined not eating out or getting delivery for a year? Yeah, me neither, but Cathy Erway of the Brooklyn blog Not Eating Out in New York did. For two years she did not eat out in New York! In addition to being a lovely person, she bravely committed to this mad mission, and succeeded. Through her blog she was able to turn her adventures into a recently published book, The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove.

How can you not eat out in New York? More so than any other city I've lived in New Yorkers eat out... alot. How can you socialize with friends or boyfriends? Cathy finds some unique ways to make it work, with varying outcomes. Her book is more a memoir of her experiment with some great recipes thrown in. I plan on trying her San Bei Gi very soon. The Brooklyn food scene is so vibrant and she is shining in the middle of it. Go Cathy!

You might also want to check out The Week of Eating In that Cathy inspired on the Huffington Post.

2010-02-10T23:54:00.004-05:00

Twitter Recipes:
I like to write an entire recipe in 140 characters

I've heard from a few of you that you would like to see a repository of some of the recipes I twitter. Maybe a tumbler blog? If you have any suggestions let me know.

Ultimately I'd really like to publish a mini book of my recipes. The type of book you often see by the counter at book stores, usually 2 inch square.

If you're interested in more twitter recipes you might also like to see this UK Guardian article about other twitter users and chefs who tweet about delicious ideas. I'm in it!

This is the quote from the paper: Piper's Best Baba Ghanoush, transmitted over two tweets: "Best Baba Ghanoush Halve 2Eggplants rubwithEVOO RoastCutSideDown 400degrees tilSoft chopwithskinON Processwith 1/4cupTahini Juice1Lemon 2mincedGarlic Cloves 1TbspCumin Add more of any of these &S/P to taste."

Twitter Recipes
Depression Proof Recipes: Rub whole sweet potato with OliveOil & lots of salt/pepper. Pokew/knife so it doesn't explode Roast 400degrees 1hr

Chicken legs marinating in Italian dressing. later dredge in grated parm cheese and roast ~1hr @375 #cheapdinner 5:00 PM Jan 21st from web

Steam head of cauliflower(pokew/knife) til v.Tender drain well(Key!) Puree w/ 4-6ouncesCreamCheese S&P Nutmeg ToTaste :)

Avocadoes on sale 2 for$3 Guac! Cilantro 2TbspWhite Onion minced, Juice of 1 lime, 1 tomato chopped, Jalapeno, 1tspgarlicclove S&P

Eggplant 1/4"slices dipped in egg then 1/2CornMeal and 1/2freshgratedParm Bake onOliveOiledPan 350 about 45 min. flip when each side brown

Make the eggplant into a Napoleon, stack with layers of Tom Sauce, Mozzarella and parm cheese. Top layer is Mozz. Put back in oven to melt.

Brussel SproutsFresh/frozen simmer til tender drain/dry well Toss in EVOO with lots of S&P Roast 400degreetill brown ~45min stir ocasionaly

@Jeters I'd cube veg, roast with lots ofolive oil/rosemary/S&P for about 1 hour @375degree put S&P'd fish on top after 50 min. cook til done

PureedSwedes: nuke 1large/choppedPeeled rutabega tilSoft, puree with 4tbspcreamcheese or butter, S+P totaste. Keeptasting for salt

CheeseSauce that makes everything taste goodMelt2TbspEach Butter+Flour cook til gold Stir in 1CuptEach Milk Shred SharpCheddar til Melted

RecessionProofCooking MisoSoup 4cupsH2o 3TbspMiso 2tsp InstantDashi(get@JapaneseStore) simmer w/cubedtofu little minced greenonion

Vegetable Candy: CutCarrots/Parsnips into same size tossed w/oliveoil lots of S+P Roast at 375 tilsoft 1hr. Stir every15-20 min or so

FastGravy for boring leftovers: Stir 2TbspFlour into2TbspHotButter Stir 1Minute Stirin1CupChicknBroth 1CupHalf&Half S+P to taste

Slaw shred HeadCabbage 1/2thinlyslicedRedOnion 3-4TbspCiderVinegar 2-5TbspMayo 1tspPaprika/DryMustard S&P ToTaste Chill a few hours.

Slaw Rec. cont I also sometimesadd thinlyslicedFreshHotPepper, 1TbspChipotleinAdobo, grated carrot, cilantro, depends on whats in the fridge

Want: A Grilled Cheese made from fresh sourdough bread sliced with mix of XtraSharp Vermont&Irish CheddarCheese browned inlotsof goodbutter

Quick Summer Salsa Cube1ripeMelon, mince1/2jalapeno, 1/2bunchmint, 2-3TbspRedOnion Add toTaste limejuice little hotsauce ChiliPowder S&P

Cheap Tasty Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe on the way. Don't forget to add salt and pepper to taste cont...

Cook1dicedOnion in 1/2stickButtersStir in2TbspFlour Whisk in5cupsChickenStock Simmer Add1boxFrozenBroccoli Cook20Min Add 1/2cuptCreamPuree

2010-02-04T15:37:00.011-05:00

Respect for the Eggs is the Brunch Litmus Test
Brunch at L'ecole Review

I take brunch seriously. I recently had one of the best at L'ecole, the restaurant of The French Culinary Institute. Full disclaimer: I was invited to this brunch and aside from tips, it was free. Please believe, I would never tell you I loved a meal if I didn't. Speaking of love, they are having a special Valentine's Day brunch.

For $19.50 you get an assortment of freshly made bread, an appetizer and an entree. In Manhattan that is a steal! The quality of everything I tried was stellar. Every dish was clearly made with care and attention. Even more importantly, my eggs weren't crucified. They were exactly how an omelet should be - soft and creamy perfection. Why is it that most brunch spots can't cook eggs? They're always rubbery or brown. Usually, if I want great eggs I have to do it myself or go to Stone Park Cafe in Brooklyn. I even heard another diner order their eggs cooked “over medium”! I could see it and it did look more glistening with a gorgeous wobbly yolk.

Here's what we had:
Complementary Bread: The basket came with an assortment of 5 different types. Most had seeds, nuts or dried fruit and were delicious. Even better, the butter was actually spreadable. I have never understood sending out cold bread with frozen butter.
Cappuccino and a Bloody Mary: Coffee was very good, but the Bloody Mary wasn't that inspiring. It seemed watery and needed more horseradish.
Appetizer of Duck and Pork Terrine with Pistachio and Truffle: I think this was terrific, but I wasn't in the mood for it. It was a cold day and I should have started with something warm. Next time I'll try the French Onion Soup app.

Appetizer of Butter Poached Shrimp on top of Grits with Andouille Sausage: Three perfectly cooked tender juicy shrimp on top of a good 1/2 cup of buttery grits. Very generous serving size for an app.

Omelet: Redolent with delicious smoky bacon, thanks to North Country Bacon out of New Hampshire. I also added in some goat cheese and sauteed onions. Like I said, perfectly cooked eggs! Hooray! It came with a potato terrine in the form of thinly sliced potato, layered with herbs. My only disappointment was that although I could see the herbs between each layer I couldn't actually taste them. I also would have liked a hollandaise or bernaise sauce puddle underneath.

Second Main of Duck Confit: Delicious juicy duck with a citrus sauce that I wanted more of! The fresh tasty greens (baby arugula?) were a nice accompaniment, but could have used a little more acid in the dressing.

Atmosphere:
The decor was warm and attractive, though maybe just a little hotel lobby-ish. I appreciated that my seat gave me a view out the street. Ask for the table in the corner closest to the bar. I haven't had dinner there, but the dress of most everyone at brunch was casual. This may sound odd, but the dining room chairs are really comfortable. Some restaurants feel like they chose chairs just so that you would eat and leave as soon as possible. Too bad I didn't take a photo of them. :)
The music level was perfect. I often I find myself at brunch yelling over Led Zeppelin.
This is a great spot to bring larger crowds, though I would make reservations. There are 3 or 4 tables that can take parties of 6 to 10.

Service:
Very friendly and attentive. Not sure you can take this into account since they knew I was there to review them. :) I did see that other tables were well taken care of. You can read on Yelp that I'm not alone in my opinions. The yelpers love this place.

Wrap up:
Over all very, very well done French food with good portion sizes at prices that you can't complain about. I plan on coming back as soon as I can and recommend you try it out, maybe this Valentine's Day. I'm looking forward to trying a dinner here. They have a $42 five course prix fixe that dinner menu that includes appetizer, fish course, meat course, salad, and dessert. That is an incredible value. Great spot for any age range, good for dates and out of towners you want to impress.

2010-01-22T11:52:00.003-05:00

Help for Haiti!
On Sunday, January 24th, L'ecole, at The French Culinary Institute,
will be donating 100% of brunch proceeds (11:30am-2pm) including
waiters tips to The Red Cross Haitian Relief.
The prix fixe menu will be $19.50.

During the last third of their training, L'Ecole, the Michelin-rated restaurant of The French Culinary Institute, provides a unique opportunity for culinary students to apply their skills in every station of a busy kitchen. Under the watchful eye of Chef-Instructors, students learn to prepare meals for New York's sophisticated clientele. The Zagat Survey rated the restaurant highly, comparing it to "getting Prada wholesale." The menu prices really are fantastic.
L'ecole 462 Broadway, New York

2010-01-18T18:43:00.005-05:00

The Best Tomato Soup Ever
Campbell's tomato soup is what I grew up on and it's what I turn to when I feel sick, but this is even better. Try it with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. I added 1/2 a chipotle, but it's wonderful without it. This is a very forgiving recipe, more of this and less of that. If you don't have celery I would still make it. The key is to keep tasting and get the salt and pepper right. It won't take more than 20 minutes of your attention to pull it together.

INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp butter
1 medium size onion, finely minced
1 stalk of celery, finely minced

1 28 ounce can of tomatoes, chopped
~3 ounces tomato paste, about 1/2 a small can
1 cup chicken broth

SEASONING
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried basil, or 1/2 bunch of sliced fresh basil leaves added at the last minute before serving
1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (completely optional, or a little tabasco)

1/2 - 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 to 2 tsp of sugar (to taste depending on acidity of tomatoes)

METHOD

Saute onion and celery in butter over low heat until soft, about 15 min.
Add can of tomatoes with it's liquid, chicken broth, and seasonings to the pot.
Bring to a boil, and lower to a slow simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes. Puree with blender, food processor or hand stick blender. I like a cup or so not pureed to give the soup a bit of a chunky texture.
Return to the pot, bring to simmer and stir in baking soda and cream to taste. It may foam up a bit with the addition of baking soda, but don't be alarmed. It's added to make the soup less acidic so your cream doesn't curdle.
Stir in salt and sugar adding very little at a time stirring and tasting to balance the flavors. Keep tasting! You may even want to add more cream.

Serves 4

To serve for company: Top bowls with a tablespoon of herbed goat cheese and a fresh basil leaf.

2009-12-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

In Praise of Spiking your Eggnog

Can adding massive amounts of alcohol kill salmonella in eggs? This video from Science Friday (my favorite science audio podcast) is terrific. A little late for Christmas, but this is so interesting I thought I'd still post it for you. I recommend listening to the podcast for more fun science talk about the experiment.

I have never heard of eggnog being made at Thanksgiving and served at Christmas, but Nog expert and microbiologist Vince Fischetti agreed to run some tests in his lab at The Rockefeller University. The real problem with the recipe is finding room in the fridge for four weeks at that time of year. Too bad my kitchen doesn't a lab's walk-in cooler. Although maybe that's for the best, I would never be forced to clean out ancient leftovers.
Here's a link to the recipe.

2009-04-13T16:33:00.004-04:00

Terroir and Beef
I wanted to tell you about a fantastic blind steak tasting event I attended recently. It was the first Food Bloggers Playdate in New York. Mark Tafoya and Jennifer Iannolo put out the call to fantastic and fanatical food bloggers to convene for a tasting party.
We were lucky enough to have the guidance of Carrie Oliver of Oliver Ranch, who provided the steaks along with a fascinating presentation about how, similar to wine, the terroir and variety of the cattle will alter the flavor and texture.

Where it is raised, what it is fed, the conditions it’s kept in are all important. Oliver Ranch hand-selects artisan ranchers who produce delicious, signature styles of beef. What an amazing and surprising night. One of the best parts was that so many of us chose different favorites. There was no consensus on the best steak, just the steak we liked best. Fantastic. The impetus for the event was having Jaden of Steamy Kitchen in town from Florida. Most of us knew each other from Twitter, but it was time to meet in person.

Anu Karwa from Swirl Events brought along some terrific wines to pair with the beef and I got to meet the lovely Betty Fussell, author of Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef. Betty also wrote The History of Corn. If you're interested in learning more about the types of beef you may be missing out on, try the following links.
The impact of Region
The impact of Breed
The impact of Ranchers
This video is a slow pan of the table as we listen to Carrie describe what we'll be tasting. Terroir for beef! FTW

This was just the first of many more Food Blogger Play dates. What should we taste next?

2009-01-06T15:52:00.005-05:00

Hand Pies, the Cupcake Culture Killer
I am so tired of the cupcake culture, sure they are cute and delicious, but enough! Let's make this a new trend: hand pies. Small, cute and tasty. Even better they are just as good with a savory filling as sweet. :) Spread the word. Here are two recipes to get you started. If you'd like a hand pie recipe, ask in the comments section.

Apple Hand Pie
Ingredients
Makes 4.
• 4 apples, peeled and chopped quite small, pick a baking apple
• 2 tablespoons sugar, I add this to taste since it really depends on how tart your apples are
• Sprinkling of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• All-purpose flour, for work surface
• Pie Dough, I tend to use Pillbury crust
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil or a Silpat (a nonstick baking mat).
2. In a medium bowl, add apples, cover and microwave about a minute to soften.
3. When slightly cooled add cinnamon, sugar and cornstarch; stir to combine, set aside.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into a large rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut out 4 rectangles. Transfer rectangles to baking sheet.
5. Pile as much apple as you can fit onto one-half of each rectangle. Lightly brush egg around the edge of the covered half of each rectangle. Fold remaining dough over to enclose. Gently press edges together to seal. Brush the tops of each pie with egg. Using a paring knife, slash the top of each pie. This allows steam to escape and keeps your pie crispy. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
6. Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. If parts of the crust get too brown cover with small strips of tinfoil. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Be careful the filling can remain as hot as molten lava.

Savory alternate Spinach Pies
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, cooked
• ¼ cup shredded Swiss
• ¼- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese or feta cheese
• 1 jarred roasted red pepper, chopped

1. When spinach is cool enough to handle drain and squeeze out as much moisture as you can and add Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Follow directions as above, but at the stage where you would use apple, sprinkle 1/2 the rectangle of dough with shredded Swiss cheese. The Swiss will form a moisture barrier between the spinach and dough, keeping the bottom of the pie crispy.
3. Pile on as much spinach mixture you can fit and top with chopped red pepper. Seal pie, slash top, egg wash, sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan and bake as directed above.

2008-12-13T17:33:00.004-05:00

How to Eat
Terrific video of Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma & In Defense of Food, speaking at the Google campus. He is often quoted, "Eat food, not too much, and mostly vegetables."

Here's a list of how Pollan suggests we try to eat. I agree.

1. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
2. Avoid foods containing ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3. Don’t eat anything that wouldn’t eventually rot.
4. Avoid food products that carry health claims.
5. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket; stay out of the middle.
6. Better yet, buy food somewhere else: the farmer’s market or CSA. (Find your local market)
7. Pay more, eat less.
8. Eat a wide diversity of species.
9. Eat food from animals that eat grass.
10. Cook and, if you can, grow some of your own food.
11. Eat meals and eat them only at tables.
12. Eat deliberately, with other people whenever possible, and always with pleasure.

2008-12-09T16:34:00.002-05:00

Happy, Squeaky Boy in the Snow

I don't usually blog without some food angle, but this is just too adorable not to share. The day before Brooklyn had our first real snow, I saw this fake snow and the little boy dancing along to carolers. The joyful noises he's making are so great.

2008-12-06T18:19:00.012-05:00

Holiday Foodie Gift Guide
Here’s a list of great gifts for your friends and family (or even yourself) who think there is nothing better than roasting squash with maple syrup and sticking your hands in a raw turkey. There’s a mix of things I have and love and things I desperately want.

The Sylvia Plath Oven Mits from Etsy.com are $28. This is so sick and wrong… I love it. Even better would be to pair it with The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.

Books
How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman. You might know him from The New York Times food section. This is my favorite go to cookbook. I have cooked at least a quarter of it and have always been pleased with the results.

How to Eat, Nigella Lawson. Love her, love her recipes and love her breezy intimate writing style. Within a few pages you’ll have her soothing voice in your head. I also am a fan of Feast, where she tackles holiday cooking. It's too bad The FoodNetwork buries her new show at the early Saturday time slot.

Devil in the Kitchen , Marco Pierre White's biography. The original bad boy abusive chef, who makes Gordon Ramsey look like a wuss. Fascinating read, I made my way through it in two days. You won’t be able to put it down.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, Anthony Bourdain. His seminal work, written in the early morning before he went to work the line at Les halles. Find out why you might never order fish again on a Monday.

You might also consider a subscription to Gourmet or Saveur. I really can’t recommend Bon Appetit any longer. Last year's subscription was just not inspiring and the photos are ugly.

Stocking Stuffer
Astronaut Ice Cream 10 packages for $25: Sweet, chalky, freeze-dried goodness. Give them to all your friends and family

Under $15
Embroidered Dish Towel $6.40: (left) I found this on Etsy.com and I think it the cutest gift ever.

Cookie Scoop $10.95: I have one and love it for shaping cookies and mini meatballs very quickly.

Microplane $15: I love mine and probably use it a few times a week for grating garlic, as opposed to mincing it. It’s also great for parm cheese or nutmeg.

Instant Read Thermometer $10: Every cook should have one of these, but not everyone does. Great stocking stuffer.

Under $25
D’Artagnan Black Truffle Butter (1 lb.) $20.99: Smear it on bread or toss it with pasta. Yum.

Vacuum Sealer $23.99: This looks like it could be a great gadget for when you make a big batch of stew or soup. Freshlock bags are recommended for the microwave and boil-in-bag cooking and features a labeling strip to record the contents, weight and date stored. I've never used it.

Under $60
Grill Pan 12-Inch Shallow Round Grill Pan $54.95: I've been wanting one of these pans for awhile now. Great for searing steaks, fish and even halloumi. Wrap it up with a jar of fig jam and a package of the cheese.

Under $100
D’Artagnan Foie Gras Sampler $69.99: Want, Want, Want. It comes with Medallion of Duck Foie Gras with Black Truffles (6 oz.), 1 package of French Kisses (6 Armagnac-soaked prunes filled with creamy Duck Foie Gras),Terrine of Duck Foie Gras, Small (8 oz.), and 1 package of Organic Charcuterie Crackers. I've never had this package, but have tried many of their other products and have been pleased.

Immersion Blender $59.99: I got one of these last Christmas from my brother Steve last year and it was my favorite gift. I will never ever have to puree soup in a blender. The attachments it comes with are also really handy, whisk and a mini-chopper for jobs that might be too small for your large food processor. I've been chopping up 2-3 heads of garlic and storing it in small jars in olive oil.

Help me add to the list. What do you want for the holidays? Leave your wish in the comments section.

2008-11-24T16:16:00.006-05:00

Baked Pecan Maple Apples
This recipe is for Mandy. I was trying to Twitter her instructions, but realized this recipe deserved it’s own blog post. In addition to it homey apple flavor, the brown sugar and pecan topping becomes unbelievably crunchy. I haven’t experimented with it yet, but have been considering drizzling them with a little molasses along with the maple syrup.

Ingredients:

Apples, cored and not peeled
Equal amounts brown sugar and chopped pecans, mixed
Maple syrup, for drizzling
Cinnamon
Little nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice off the top and bottom, to create a flat surface and place in a 2-4 inch deep baking dish.
Drizzle apples with maple syrup, then pack the core with pecan and brown sugar. Top with more of the sugar mixture, packing it on.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a little nutmeg.
Pour enough water to come up to about ½ an inch up the apples.
Bake in the lower part of the oven until quite soft, about an hour. Press the side of the apple to test.

Tips:
The apple you choose is key. Here’a link to choosing baking apples.
This is great served as a side dish during a turkey or ham dinner. It’s also a delicious served hot with vanilla ice cream.

2008-11-11T15:56:00.004-05:00

Funny Old School Lunchroom Manners Film

I stumbled on this video at Archive.org. An amazing repository of free movies, films, and videos. This library contains thousands of digital movies which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to videos of every genre uploaded by Archive users. Many of these movies are available for download. My favorites are the films made for schools in the 50's and 60's.
The best line is a narration moment is "Phil always enjoyed the lunch in the cafeteria. It tasted good and was good for him." Too bad that is no longer true.

2008-11-07T15:46:00.003-05:00

I Go Casserole Crazy in Brooklyn!
Eric Rochow of GardenFork.tv and I trekked out to Williamsburgh to celebrate the publication of the new cookbook Casserole Crazy with the lovely author Emily Farris. We tasted her delicious casseroles, debated the merits of ramen and just generally food-geeked out at The Brooklyn Kitchen (a totally kickass cooking goods store).

2008-11-04T14:37:00.005-05:00

Ale and Cheese Soup
That’s right, beer and cheese brought together in a creamy soup. Great for the first few cold days of autumn or save it for a snow day. Use any of the leftovers for a cheese sauce over steamed broccoli or an omelet.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
7 cups of chicken broth, I think Better Than Bouillon is the best tasting one on the market
1 stalk celery, shredded
1 onion or 1 leek, shredded
1 turnip, peeled and shredded (optional, I use it to thicken the soup)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
2 Bay leaves
3 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, I used ½ tangy São Jorge and ½ Kraft Sharp Cheddar
1 bottle of beer
If I make this for company a few chive sprig on top of each bowl would be nice

Directions:

In a large stock pot, melt butter and sauté onion and celery over medium high heat until softened.
In another pan heat up the stock.
Stir in the flour into the onions and sauté for a minute or two. You’re cooking the raw flavor out of the flour.
Stir in the hot stock and remaining vegetables/seasonings/beer. Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
When all vegetables are tender remove bay leaves and puree either with a stick blender or a traditional blender.
Over medium heat, stir in handfuls of the shredded cheese stirring all the time. Wait for each handful to mostly melt before adding another.
You can add a little more beer or milk at this point if it seems too thick or pungent, but just a very little at a time and keep tasting.
Sometimes top with shredded sharp cheddar or chive sprigs on top of each serving.

Tips:

I find it easiest to put all the vegetables through the shredding disk of a food processor, taking care to set aside the onion and celery as they are sautéed first. Then you can run your cheeses through the same shredding disk.
Clean your pots after pouring the leftover(if there is any) soup in to a storage container. The cheese will congeal and be difficult to clean after a few hours.
Feel free to substitute just about any other vegetables for the carrot and turnip. The key is the beer and cheese. I’ve used Pete’s Wicked and Bass Ale in the past, and for cheese Dubliner and extra sharp Tillamook.

2008-11-04T12:44:00.003-05:00

Voting in Brooklyn!
I voted today and found out that if folks knew their district they could bypass an initial 30-40 min. line. I was lucky enough to have brought my voter confirmation form that stated mine.

2008-10-25T18:08:00.004-04:00

Behind the Scenes at The Food Network Shoot

I was invited to a Supper Club in Brooklyn recently that also happened to be shooting the meal for a web show that The Food Network will launch sometime soon. I ended up helping out in the kitchen making a quick tahini sauce for their really inspired mini falafel appetizer.
This is a quick glimpse behind the scenes. I also talked with one of the housemates who lives in this Brooklyn loft, but isn't one of the cooks.

2008-10-24T14:41:00.008-04:00

Nokia Picked Me! They Like Me, They Really, Really Like Me.

Nokia will be loaning me their new N96 phone to take on a test drive. One of 20 video/new media types for this project chosen from around the world, I'll be documenting a day in my life and letting you know my thoughts on this device(If warrented, I'll be harsh). My question for you is what should I shoot? I produce shows that revolve around food, but I'm also in the tech industry and working on a startup of my own.

I spend time in Brooklyn and also Manhattan.
There should be some classic NY moments, some food, maybe a geek out technology moment, certainly some social media, but I really want to know is what you'd like to see me do. I think it should culminate in a big party that night so I can get all of you on this documentary too. Stay tuned for details about that.

Here is some of Nokia's request that I participate:
"We’re offering trial N96s to 20 social media and video enthusiasts to film mobi-documentaries of ‘a day in their life’.

Basically, we’d like you to create a mobi-documentary using the video functionality of the N96, capturing the passions and activities that make up your day. This will be uploaded onto Nokia viNe, their new site currently in beta (you can check it out here: www.nseries.com/nseries/nokiavine/ and geo-located with GPS, so we have a nationwide video collage of what our very individual trialists do with their day. "

At the link above you can see the map of the world with dots pointing out our locations. I'm very much looking forward to getting in touch with the other participants.

2008-10-23T19:10:00.004-04:00

Quick Broccoli Soup
This is a tasty warm recipe for the cool weather we’ve been having in New York. You can replace the broccoli with one bag of frozen peas, or if you’re Andre Sala and have celeriac on hand, and you’ve got a different but equally delicious soup.

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli, about 1 1/4 pounds, washed and trimmed
5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
7 cups of broth, I am a huge fan of the brand Better Than Bouillon
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 onion or 1 leek, minced

Directions:

Divide broccoli into florets and chopped stems.
In a stock pot simmer florets in 7 cups of broth until tender. Remove and set aside.
In a seperate deep pan melt butter and sauté onion and celery over medium high heat until softened.
Stir in the flour and continue to sauté until the flour turns a light shade of brown. The color change lets you know that you’ve cooked the raw flavor out of the flour.
Ladle a cup or two of hot stock into the flour pan and stir until well combined, then pour this back into your stockpot. Simmer until all the vegetables are tender.
Puree broccoli stalks, onion, celery mixture. I’m lucky enough to have received a stick blender last Christmas thanks to my older brother (thanks Steven!), but you could also use a traditional blender.
Once pureed, add the florets back in and simmer until heated through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Sometimes, as in the photo above, I add in a little cream to the top of the soup.

2008-10-21T12:24:00.008-04:00

Molecular Gastronomy and Me
This field of cooking is something that has appealed to me since I first read about it. In addition to being a cook, I'm also a science geek with a degree in Biotechnology. The idea of chefs and chemists working together is so exciting. When the opportunity to eat at WD~50 in the Lower East Side with my pal Steven Cobb I jumped.

It was the most unique meals of my life and I was lucky enough to go into the kitchen and thank Chef Wylie Dufresne. I'm sure it's annoying to have people come into your kitchen, but he was a good sport about it. I did have to put him in a headlock to get this photo, but it had to be done. :)

Here is the 12 course tasting menu we had:

Chicken terrine, tikka consomme, cranberry, watercaress
Grilled corn pebbles, lime mayo, scallion
Knot foie
Horseradish chestnut soup, smoked mackerel, verjus
Eggs Benedict
Crab tail, soy bean noodles, cinnamon dashi
Chicken liver spaetzle, pine needle, radish, cocoa nib
Beef tongue, cherry-miso, fried quinoa, palm seeds
Ricotta, capers, frozen honey
Jasmine custard, black tea, banana
Toasted coconut cake, carob, smoked cahew, brown butter sorbet
Concord grape sorbet-black sesame

Here is a shot of the most delicious morsel I've ever put in my mouth. It was only 5 small kernels of the Grilled corn pebbles, but each one was a revelation. Smoky and sweet with a shocking dry texture. The odd thing is that after I ate all 5 I was satisfied. The flavor was so profound I couldn't have eaten any more that night, though I'd love some right now.

Can we have better food through science? Maybe, but I think what I appreciated most about this dinner was the playfulness of the menu. Turning conventional food on its head.

2008-10-18T14:32:00.004-04:00

Pickle Sorter in Pittsburgh
Thanks to the nice folks at VisitPittsburgh I've been running around the city taking photos, shooting videos and having a great time. Big thanks to Kristin Mitchell for organizing a few great days in her city. Here is one of the videos I thought was fun. I was hanging out at the Heinz History Center and came across a display that made me giggle.

2008-10-13T10:56:00.002-04:00

My Interview with Chef Tyler Florence.
Recently Ashley Cheng, who works with Ocean Spray, invited me to see the cranberry bog they had built at Rockefeller Center. Later on I hit the after party, which as you'll see, was on a spectacular rooftop garden. I had an amazing time and snagged this interview with Tyler.

2008-10-05T20:50:00.003-04:00

The Food Network Supper Club Shoot
Last night I was lucky enough to enjoy a truly memorable evening with author Lyn Stallworth of The Brooklyn Cookbook at Mark Low's Supper Club. What made it even more exciting was the presence of The Food Network's crew. This video will give you a glimpse of how they have decided to shoot online shows. I'm curious what they'll do in the editing room.

They were shooting the dinner for an episode of an online show called Kitchen Conspirators. The food was lovely and I really enjoyed meeting Mark's 3 roommates. And, no I didn't shoot that poor Food Network staffer with his pants falling down on purpose. :)

2008-10-04T17:29:00.011-04:00

Autumn is Beautiful
My local green market is at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, and today I stopped in to say hello to Cathy of NotEatingOutInNewYork who was teaching folks walking by how to make a simple risotto. It smelled wonderful. Maybe she'll share the recipe with us.
While I was there I was overwhelmed by the variety of pumpkins, squash and gourds that our local farmers are growing this year. Here is one of my favorite displays.

Here are a few of my recent Recipe Tweets. A tasty recipe in 140 characters or less.

I wanted to focus more on the Vice Presidential Debate than dinner so whipped this up.
LazyDebateDinner MarinateChickParts in ItalianDressing dipin BeatenEgg dredgein 1/2PankoCrumbs 1/2ParmCheese ButterPan Bake400 ~45min 01:14 PM October 02, 2008

The following is a quick marinade recipe you could use on chicken or beef.
@girlgamy Marinate at least two hours or more in 1TbspOf: oil, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, pepperBroil rare about 4 min each side 08:26 PM September 30, 2008

Brussel sprouts: Simmered til tender, dry and roast in plenty of olive oil, salt, pepper. 400 degrees 09:22 PM September 25, 2008 (This is just so yummy and crispy as long as you dry it well enough. You will convert self professed sprout haters. It took about 30-50 min. to roast)

Here's some food news that disturbed me.
Cadbury recalls Chinese-made chocolates. What is up with China? When is poisoning folks a great business model?

Please let me know if you try any of these recipes. Thanks guys. Love the comments. Follow me on Twitter if you like to eat as much as I do.

2008-09-20T14:14:00.007-04:00

Manual Meat Grinder is my New Toy

I found the kitchen tool I've been coveting for years at a yard sale this morning. It’s a manual Enterprise Tinned No. 10 Meat Grinder. You put various meats or even fruit into the top funnel and as you turn the crank a gear inside forces the meat/fruit through the perforated plate. I think the No. 10 refers to the size of the hole in the plate. You can see on the handle it was produced in 1884 in Philadelphia.

I am really excited to make my own hamburger meat, pate and sausages. The only problem is it needs to be refurbished. There are some rust spots and because it is tinned, anywhere there is rust means the tin has been eaten off of the cast iron. Looks like I have a few options including scouring pads, lye and maybe electrolysis. You can read more about why tin is used as a protective coating for the iron here.

I found a good resource at the Wagner and Griswold Society, an online community for cast iron and aluminum cookware collectors. There were a few posts that deal with how to clean up tin coated kitchen tools. The best part was it was only $5, sold to me by a couple who were having a baby and wanted to trade in knickknacks for Playschool. They never used it in the kitchen, it was just hipster object de art for them.

2008-07-31T10:13:00.011-04:00

Grace’s Overnight Pickles
Crunchy, tangy and the little sweet. It’s as simple as bringing a pot of vinegar, sugar and spices to a boil and pouring it down over salted sliced cucumbers. These pickles stay crunchy thanks to the extra step of salting the slices and letting them sit under ice for a bit. After you try my recipe check out the Cuke and Zuke Fest that Deb Puchalla, editor in chief of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine put together.

Actual prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2lb of pickling cucumbers, also called Kirby, you can sub supermarket or English cukes
2 Tbsp kosher or other coarse salt
Ice to cover pickles

Pickling Mixture
½ tsp celery seed
1tsp mustard seeds
2tsp coriander seeds, bashed
2tsp whole allspice, bashed
¼ tsp ground clove
2 bay leaves
¼ tsp turmeric
pinch crushed red pepper
2 crushed garlic cloves

3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ Tbsp molasses

Directions:
1. Slice 2 lb pickling cucumbers skin on, also called Kirby cucumbers, into approximately ¼ inch wide rounds. I have a fancy kitchen doodad that gives me a crinkle cut, but there’s really no need.

2. Toss with 2 tablespoons of coarse salt, top with lots of ice cubes and let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours. The salt draws out some moisture and keeps pickles crisp.

3. In the meantime, add pickling mixture to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and reduce to simmer for 4-6 minutes to dissolve the sugar.

4. Once cucumber slices have sat in the salt and ice for about two hours, drain, remove ice and rinse.

Place in heatproof, non reactive bowl, bring pickling mixture back to a boil and pour over pickles.

5. When they’ve cooled pack them into a clean glass or ceramic container and pour liquid over them and refrigerate. I like to use leftover pickle jars. The pickles are delicious once they’ve chilled, but do taste their best after a few days after marinating in all those wonderful spices and garlic. They’ll keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

If you want to try other simple pickle recipes I highly recommend Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes for Big Flavor by Chris Schlesinger a great Boston chef.

2008-07-20T15:38:00.005-04:00

Unfancy is the New Fancy
Grace interviews Tom Mylan cofounder of Brooklyn's Unfancy Food Show about what makes his event so much fun and what kind of noise it takes to cause mass produced pigs to keel over and die.

The amazing photos in the video of Tom giving a Pig Butchering Class at The Brooklyn Kitchen are courtesy of Adam Fields. Grub Street over at New York Magazine have a great interview with Tom here.

2008-07-14T12:22:00.003-04:00

Recipes in 140 character

On an almost daily basis I use Twitter.com a microblogging and social media site to post recipes. You can follow @gracepiper. Here are few of the latest.

Sunday, July 06, 2008
EasyEggplant Parm.Dredge slices in beatnEgg then halfBreadcrumb halfParmCheese. Bake375 tilbrown turn, top with SauceMozzParm broil to brown.

Monday, July 07, 2008
Watermelon Blast: TossinBlender 3cupchunked frozen watermelon, mintleaves, 3/4cupRum, 1/4cupMintSimpleSyrup(c my blog for syrup recipe)

Monday, July 07, 2008
Tahini Sauce for Lamb:1/2 teaspoon minced garlic1 cup tahiniFresh lemon juiceSalt Stir in lemon juice will thicken KeepStirring tilLikecream

2008-07-06T11:17:00.005-04:00

Blueberry Smash! Cocktail

Learn to make a cool, blue drink for a long, hot summer.

Yield: 1 serving (4 ounces each)

Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 ounces Citrus Vodka
* 2 ounces of fresh mint simple syrup (see recipe below)
* Small handful of ripe, plump blueberries
* Splash of fresh lime juice
* Seltzer water

Method:
Prepare mint simple syrup. In an old-fashioned style glass, add blueberries and about ½ ounce of mint syrup. Muddle (smash) the blueberries against the bottom of the glass until crushed. Add ice, lime juice and top off with seltzer. Stir well. Add more of any ingredient to taste. Garnish with fresh mint and a few whole blueberries

Fresh Mint Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup fresh mint leaves

Method:
Combine sugar, water, and mint in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook just until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool before using.

2008-07-03T14:50:00.002-04:00

My Interview with Blip.tv

Politics at the Fancy Food Show. Who would you vote for?

2008-07-01T19:16:00.001-04:00

Fancy Food Show. Who would you vote for?
Originally uploaded by gpiper

2008-06-30T23:04:00.006-04:00

MicroRecipes in 140 Characters.

MicroRecipe Chicken: SoakChickenDrums in 1cupMilk1TbspVinegar(makes buttermilk)overnight, Dredge in ParmCheeseGarlic/OnionPowder Bake350~1Hr

This makes a tender, moist piece of chicken with a nice crust. Sometimes I spoon a tablespoon of melted butter and garlic over each piece before baking.

2008-06-30T00:32:00.009-04:00

Battle of the Food Shows!
UnFancy Vs. Fancy

I shot some great interviews with the wonderful foodies at the UnFancy Food Show out of Brooklyn today. Tomorrow I shoot at The Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Folks I enjoyed talking to-

Salvatore Brooklyn Ricotta: I hate to admit it, but I've NEVER liked ricotta. This fresh, wonderful, creamy stuff has turned me not only into a convert, but into an evangelist. It is good, it is fresh, it is not the ricotta you might buy in the grocery store with a slightly off smell. This is the real deal.

Scott Gold author of The Shameless Carnivore: It's true, he is a complete degenerate when it comes to how much he enjoys meat products, and that is why he is wonderful. His book is terrific and you should all go buy two copies; one for you and one for your brother's vegetarian girlfriend.

2008-06-25T19:55:00.003-04:00

Recipes in 140 Characters or less.

Garlic Spinach: Saute MedHeat1mincedgarlicclove 1TbsnPeanutOil toss in washedFreshSpinach, stir til softened stir in S&P toTaste

2008-06-24T16:45:00.004-04:00

Bad Brunch, Bad

If I’m eating at your restaurant and the tastiest item on my plate is the ketchup, you have a serious problem.

When I eat out I have this crazy voice in my head saying things like, “Under seasoned, overcooked, this came out of a can/bag/box, this chef doesn’t give a shit!” I just like thoughtful cooking, it doesn’t need to be great, I just want the chef to have put in a modicum of effort. This past Sunday morning my internal monologue went into overdrive at brunch at Elementi on 7^th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I ordered the Eggs Benedict and a side of spicy sausages made in-house.

Here are just a few of the problems:

The Poached Eggs: Overcooked. Sad. Congealed yolk. (If you click the photo above you can see it up close in all it's poorly cooked glory.)

The English Muffin: It wasn’t toasted, it was mushy, and a little butter would have been nice.

The Sauce: The only thing the chef got right in this hollandaise sauce is the color. Bland, no flavor, no salt, no seasoning, no acid. Clearly nobody tasted this before sending it out of the kitchen. Really godaweful.

The Potatoes: Insipid and limp. They'd only been browned on one side and hadn’t been seasoned with salt and pepper properly. If they'd been crisp at one point, they weren't by the time they'd gotten to my table. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d sat around for awhile in the kitchen waiting for me to order them. The menu called them hashbrowns. Fail.

The Greens: Clearly bagged bitter greens, which I have absolutely no problem with, if properly dressed. The balsamic vinaigrette's acid, oil, salt, pepper ratio was off, off, off.

The Sausage: Homemade and tasted very good. Nice seasoning, I liked them…. Except for how they looked. As you can see in the photo, there is definitely something turd-like in the appearance. For $3 I got three tiny 2-3 inch by 1/4 inch sausages, for plating 2 larger would have looked more appetizing. In the video below I'd already eaten 2 before it occurring to me I should video it.

Unlimited Drinks for $7: That would be great if my Bloody Mary tasted like more than canned tomato puree with lots of horseradish. Didn't anyone taste that drink mix before sending it out to customers? Doubt it.

Really disappointing.

Elementi ** out of 5
Italian

140 7th Ave, Brooklyn 11215
Btwn Carroll St & Garfield Pl

2008-06-23T00:52:00.002-04:00

Recipes in 140 characters: Grilled Peaches

Halve v. ripe peaches, remove pit, brush with equal amounts molasses and lime juice, freshly ground pepper and toss on the grill til charred.

2008-06-21T19:58:00.004-04:00

Asian Un-Dumplings

I’m not really a fan of the outside of a dumpling, so here’s my take on tastiest part. It's similar to a Shanghai dish called Lion's Head. Next time I'll add in 4 dried shitake mushroom ( soaked, rinsed and finely chopped ) and 3 canned water chestnuts for more crunch.

1lb Ground Pork

1 Egg

1 cupMincedScallion

3 tablespoon Kikkoman Soy Sauce (La Choy is absolutely the worst soy sauce, bad taste and worse smell)

2 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon each minced fresh Ginger & Garlic

1 tablespoon Dry Sherry or Rice Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons of freshly ground Black Pepper

Mix together really well, then add in:

2 cups shredded Nappa Cabbage

Roll in walnut size balls and bake about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Keep your hands damp to reduce its sticking to you. Cut one open to make sure they are cooked through. Next time I may try steaming them.

Serve with equal parts soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.

2008-06-19T18:42:00.003-04:00

Recipes in 140 Characters or Less!

Goi Du Du (Thai Green Papaya Salad) 1lbShreddedGreenPapaya, 2clovegarlic 2tspsugar 1/4cupWhiteVinegar 1TbspSriracha FishSaucetotaste

2008-06-17T13:38:00.002-04:00

My coverage of The Webby Awards for Viral on Veoh.

The highlights: Tay Zonday serenading me, asking Dir. Michel Gondry(Dir. of Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind) who he'd put his money on if David Byrne and Steven Colbert got in a bare knuckles fist fight, and meeting the adorable Alex Albrecht. I was lucky enough to be shot by Adam Quirk of WreckandSalvage, who came up with some great whacked out red carpet questions to ask. My favorite was, "What are you wearing, under what you're wearing?". Unfortunately, it didn't make it off the cutting room floor.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

More winners who rocked my world, but didn't make it into the video. Veoh edited the show, but Sunny is sending me back the tapes. I may take a stab at my own take on the footage.

Meeting the awesomely funny David Wain of Wainy Days . When your done watching all my videos you should go watch all of his. I also told him he should move to my neighborhood in Brooklyn, and he told me the other douche press had not seen his show, but I did!
Asking one of the creators of The West Side Adam's question, "What are you wearing under what you're wearing?" He was a good sport and his web series rocks. It's an urban western that has great acting, script, and shot and edited beyond pro. These guys are the real deal and doing amazing work

2008-06-15T21:17:00.004-04:00

My Twitter Cookbook

I’ve been experimenting with using Twitter as a way of microblogging recipes that I cook in my everyday life. If you aren’t familiar with Twitter.com it’s a social media site that lets you stay in with friends, acquaintances and in some cases total strangers in 140 character posts. Here is the best explanation I’ve seen made by CommonCraft in the form of a fun video. My twitter name is my name with no spaces @gracepiper. If you want me to follow you after you've signed up use @gracepiper in a Twitter and ask me to add you back in.

Twitter Recipe One (This on took two tweets)

Best Baba Ghanoush Halve 2Eggplants rubwithEVOO RoastCutSideDown 400degrees tilSoft chopwithskinON Processwith 1/4cupTahini Juice1Lemon 2mincedGarlic

Cloves 1TbspCumin Add more of any of these &S/P to taste.

2007-12-28T19:29:00.000-05:00

The Best Damn Turkey Show Ever!

Grace tackles a 20lb Turkey and 2lbs of bacon in her first Holiday Special. Bonus: Meet Zelda the Wild Turkey of Manhattan!

Recipe for Best Damn Turkey Ever
20 lb Turkey, rinsed and dried with paper towels
2 lb Bacon, preferably Oscar Meyer, not hickory or other flavor

Steps

Remove bird from fridge one hour before cooking to come to room temperature, this ensures even cooking.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Slide your hands under the skin and gently tuck one pound of bacon slices between skin and meat.
Cover entire bird with second pound of bacon.
Cover breast with tinfoil and roast. Look here for an online calculator that will tell you how long to cook your turkey.
Remove tinfoil for last hour of roasting to brown bacon.
When done let it rest for 1/2 to 1 hour to let juices go back into the meat.

2007-11-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

Pot Roast Done Vloggy-Style
Watch what happen when Grace gets personal and cooks up a big hunk of beef.

2007-10-18T12:02:00.000-04:00

My Geek Peeps at the Brooklyn 2.0 Meetup

I was feeling the New Media/Video Podcasting/Blogger love last night at the Brooklyn 2.0 Meetup. This meetup attracted a great crowd to Mooney's Pub in Park Slope thanks to organizer Eric Rochow of GardenFork. Check out his terrific recipe for blueberry pancakes on his video podcast GardenFork.tv; in this same podcast you’ll learn how to fell a tree with a chainsaw.

Old friends, like Caleb Clark stopped in. Caleb challenged me to a FearlessCooking episode using his lox recipe, definitely a -white glove smacked against the face- moment for me. Charles Hope of Blip.tv talked code with David of social networking site Ning, I left them to it after noticing that the conversation started sounding like, “beep, beep, beep” type robot talk to me. John of Google was another code monkey floating around talking smack about Bangor, Maine small town living and telling me about working on iGoogle- lots more cool features rolling out there soon. Yahoo better watch out. Talked with Stephen Kline of Xanga.com about the challenges of doing live video on the net.

Had a great conversation about the merits of Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi in Star Trek. Consensus was - she's hot. Glad I stopped in for another fun night out with my Geek Peeps.

2007-09-28T12:48:00.000-04:00

Grace and Christopher Walken in the Kitchen

Raise your hands if you think I should get in the kitchen with Christopher Walken. Exactly. Chris needs some Fearless Cooking in his life. I can tell.

In this video he makes a really nice roast chicken. I'll have to buy one of those upright roaster contraptions he uses. I'd bet he gets more crispy skin on his bird than I do. I also approve of how generous he is with the salt.

2007-09-26T19:13:00.000-04:00

The Cult of the Oyster at Stone Park Cafe

Pleasure. Lately I’ve been finding it every weekend in Park Slope. It’s gotten so bad that I wake up on Monday morning thinking, “Only 5 more days until heaven.” I’ve found myself on the F train daydreaming about having them.

What I’m pining for are the perfectly cooked, enormous fried oysters I’ve been having for brunch every Saturday for the past few weeks - and sometimes if I’m really strung out I go back for seconds on Sundays. They’re at Stone Park Café in Park Slope, Brooklyn at 5^th Ave and 3^rd St.

Tasty well seasoned thin crispy batter outside, perfectly cooked ridiculously large oysters, that are often the size of a plum inside. Good God they are good! They come on top of eggs cooked with a very good quality bacon, green onions and topped with cheddar. The first time in the restaurant the menu said the oysters were on top of a frittata, but I asked for my eggs cooked “soft”. I’m sure that pissed off the chef. I do understand what a pain in the ass it is for orders to be changed up during a busy brunch, but I am so, so sick of overcooked eggs. And, I really wanted something crispy on the plate, the oysters, with something soft, the eggs.

I also hold the potatoes and toast and want greens. (I know pain in the ass, again) They do a really simple delicious sauté with the greens with lots of roasted garlic. I’ve been converting lots of friends including a cookbook author Lyn Stallworth and AnotherFoodBlogger to the Stone Park Oyster Cult and everyone agrees that the food is phenomenal and prepared by guys who really know what they’re doing and care about what they sling on the plate. If you're looking for me some Saturday morning you know where I’ll be, at Stone Park Café, engaging in full on oyster gluttony.

What:
Hangtown Fry – that’s what it’s called on the menu. Crispy perfectly cooked oysters on a bed of eggs, bacon and cheese.

Where:
Stone Park Cafe
5^th Ave and 3^rd Street

Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

2007-09-21T18:04:00.000-04:00

Dishwashing as Meditation

I just finished hand washing a load of dishes and realized my breathing had slowed and I wasn’t obsessing over what I needed to do next. I think I’ve discovered a new form of mediation for myself; the new yoga!

There was something satisfying about it. The sink was a disaster – and now it’s not. Cleanliness and order has been restored. Now how do I apply this to everything else I’ve been putting off in my life?

2007-09-19T19:24:00.002-04:00

In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I bring you How to Eat like a Pirate!

After looking at the options it is clear that talking like a pirate is way more fun than eating like one. Have a look at the recipe for Hard Tack. I'm pretty sure I have the same recipe for making inedible Christmas ornaments.

Hard Tack

Mix one teaspoon of salt with one pound of flour.
Add enough water to make a very stiff dough.
Flatten the dough to about 1/2 inch and cut it into about 4 inch circles. Punch holes in each circle with a fork.
Bake in a flat pan at 250 degrees for two or three hours.

In Food News:
Don't eat the Dole!
Dole is hurting after having to recall 5,000 bags of lettuce yesterday. Go to your fridge now and toss out that bag of lettuce. 11 people were sickened and 2 hospitalized.

5,000 bags of salad mix sought in recall, Dole says. Most packages were sold in U.S.

By Stephen J. Hedges | Washington Bureau
September 19, 2007 WASHINGTON - Dole Food Co. Inc. has recalled nearly 5,000 bags of its Dole Hearts Delight salad mix after a test by a Canadian food safety agency found E. coli bacteria in the product in a Canadian store. The salad mix also was being sold in a number of U.S. states, including Illinois.

2007-04-10T23:00:00.000-04:00

My latest show will play first. To watch all my shows click the guide button and choose the show you'd like to watch.

Watch Sunny Gault's show Viral featuring Fearless Cooking here at Veoh.

2007-03-08T13:39:00.000-05:00

Click To Play

See Grace cook mussels for the first time. Will she overcook them? Will she be able to cook in a stranger's teeny tiny Parisian kitchen?

2007-02-18T14:12:00.000-05:00

Java Jolt Pie

My second Paris episode where I overcome my trepidation of cooking mussels is on the way. In the meantime here is a very short episode where I make a simple retro treat in no time. High octane coffee and dessert all in one. This pie didn't take more than 30 minutes to make.

2006-12-18T17:18:00.000-05:00

Grace boldly goes shopping in Paris for the first time with only a limited vocabulary and a fear of humiliation.

Click To Play

Fear of the French

Grace boldly goes shopping in Paris for the first time with only a limited vocabulary and a fear of humiliation.

2006-08-22T15:16:00.000-04:00

THE HEATWAVE

It's hotter than hell in Hell's Kitchen, so we're keeping it cool with a watermelon/jalapeno cocktail.

Click here to watch the video in mpeg4 format or here to watch the flash version that will play on any computer.

4 cups semi-frozen seedless watermelon cut into 2-3 inch chunks

1/4 cup mint leaves

juice of 1/2 a lime

1-2 teaspoons minced, fresh jalapeno (NO SEEDS!)

1/4 cup (or more) vodka

4 ice cubes

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish glasses with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.
Makes 4 drinks.

2006-06-06T12:59:00.000-04:00

Girl Vs. Squid

She came, she cooked, she conquered. Squid beaks, tentacles and ink sacs, Oh my. Click here to watch the video in mpeg4 format or here to watch the flash version that will play on any computer.

Don't forget to write in my comments section what dishes terrify you and I'll cook them for you on the show.

As always in Fearless Cooking, I need a stiff drink to feel I have the courage and determination to face my fears in the kitchen. My drink of choice to complement a spicy Vietnamese inspired sauce is the Mojito. The muddled mint with the lime juice makes the kitchen smell wonderful, and did a pretty good job of masking the really unpleasant odor coming from the squid innards.

Mojito
5 fresh mint sprigs, or more
2 tsp sugar, Splenda or other sweetener
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz light rum......or more depending on how frightened you are
Seltzer to top it off
In a tall thin glass, muddle (squish) mint, sweetner and lime juice with the handle-end of a wooden spoon until the sweetener has dissolved. Add rum and mix. Top with ice and seltzer. Garnish with another sprig of mint and slice a slice of lime.

Dissect Your Squid
A well-made mojito makes the job alot less intimidating. I’m not typically squeamish in the kitchen, but I have to say grasping both gooey ends of the creature and tearing it in half made me feel more like a cavewoman than a home cook. I enjoy the messy bits of kitchen prep, ripping spines of chicken, peeling eggs and hacking up a whole fish, but this was more like an alien autopsy. That said, it was much easier than I thought it would be and it was a quick operation. I’m glad that I conquered this fear. Watch the video to see how it turned out. This website has a very good description of the how to dissect your squid.

Spicy Lime Dipping Sauce
This quick, fresh tasting sauce would be perfect for grilled pork or chicken. Before grilling, try marinating the meat for a few hours in coconut milk with a teaspoon of turmeric or curry powder thrown in for color. I found inspiration for the recipe from Nicole Routhier my source for great Vietnamese recipes.

2 squirts of Rooster Asian Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon fish sauce (Nam Pla)
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sweetener

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small serving bowl. Serve with grilled skewered meat, (not necessarily squid, see note above) with the dipping sauce.

Music in the video: (I'll update the full list within a few days)
The great drumming music is courtesy of Tribal Soundz.

2006-05-23T15:51:00.000-04:00

Watch a teaser for my latest Fearless Cooking episode Girl vs. Squid.

Click here to VIEW THE VIDEO, or GET FEARLESS COOKING IN iTUNES.

2006-05-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

Light and Cripy Tempura

Click To Play

Hot oil burns my flesh(this is set to Japanese pop music) and then I deep fry a roll of paper towels!

I read cookbooks the way some women read romance novels, but I there are certain recipes that make me feel more like I'm reading a Stephen King novel. They fascinate and thrill me, but when I think about cooking them myself, I get scared.

So what am I afraid of? Lobsters attacking!? Sauces curdling!? Anything with live yeast!? Some complicated sounding French recipe, like Gigot d'Agneau à la Bretonne!? Yes! I mean, no! I mean Hell No! I am determined to conquer my culinary fears, and cook the very dishes that scare me most.

I've always steered away from anything requiring a vat of boiling oil. I love, love, love, fried food, but there's the whole mess... the oil splattering up, disfiguring and blinding me... the fact that fried food tastes best hot or it goes limp... grease on the walls, and the house smelling like a fry-o-later... and of course the next day what to do with a cool vat of oil. But I'm set on overcoming my fears, so tonight I made tempura.

Tempura

Tips for Great Tempura

1. Keep the batter ingredients ice cold.

2. Don’t over beat the batter! You don’t want to activate the gluten in the flour, leading to a thick tough coating. We want it light and crispy.

3. Keep the oil hot, around 136 degrees F. Hot oil seals the outside of your coating, keeping it crispy. More tepid oil gives you the limp, greasy texture of bad burger stand fries.

Prepare the Tempura Vegetables and Seafood First

After trying all the vegetables, my favorite was the kabocha, a Japanese pumpkin. It becomes sweet and creamy with the crispy outer layer of batter. The scallions were also amazing-- just like onion rings, but a little fresher or cleaner tasting. I didn’t think the eggplant had much flavor, and the cilantro (which I usually love) was just weird and soapy tasting. I found that if I left the tempura pieces in the oil until very brown that although they were crispier, the vegetable flavor didn’t shine through – it just tasted like batter. It’s best to keep them a very light golden color.

1 zucchini, skin and cut into ¼” slices

1 Kabocha squash, the skin is edible so scrub well

1 bunch of parsley

Small handful of snow peas, leave whole

1 sweet potato or yam

1 red pepper, cut into 1 ½” by 1” pieces

Mushrooms, the best you can afford, wiped clean and if large sliced or halved

1 lb large raw scallops or raw, cleaned, peeled shrimp

The kabocha and sweet potato are so dense that I like to precook them a little in the microwave. Halve the kabocha, scoop out the seeds, and plate the halves along with the whole sweet potato. Poke a few holes in the potato with a knife and cover vegetables with wax paper. Microwave just until the flesh of each gives a little. Let cool until you can handle them and slice into ¼- ½ inch slices.

Prepare other vegetables and put all in a large bowl. All vegetables should be well dried so that the batter sticks. Rinse and pat dry scallops or shrimp.

Simple Batter

This is good, but next time I’ll try a batter with some corn meal to replace some flour for a little crunchy texture to the coating.

1 large egg, chilled

3/4 cup ice water

capful sake (optional)

¾ cup all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons, chilled

¼ cup rice flour, cornstarch, or all flour, chilled (you can grind your own rice flour in a coffee/spice grinder or blender)

1 lemon, quartered

Vegetable oil to come up 2-3 inches in your pot

Pop the flour and rice flour into the freezer an hour or so before cooking to chill it quickly. Beat the egg and mix well into the ice water. Using chopsticks or a fork, gently blend in flours, until just combined, small lumps are ok. Heat oil to 365 degrees with a candy/fry thermometer, and preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put a large sheet pan in the oven to transfer the tempura to as you cook each batch.

Dip the vegetables into the batter. Let excess batter fall off. Carefully slide the battered vegetables into the hot oil. Let them brown on one side then gently flip them, using long metal tongs or a slotted spoon. Fry until they are a very light golden color. Save the scallops or shrimp until all vegetables are done, to keep the vegetables from taking on a fishy flavor. Lightly dredge seafood in the flour, shake off the excess, dip into batter, and slide into the oil.

Serve with lemon slices and my dipping sauce below.

Dipping Sauce

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
soy sauce
hot Asian chili sauce, I use Sriracha brand

Mix soy sauce and hot sauce into dipping bowl of vinegar to taste.

Click this image to see my FoodMuse Fondue Party video (3 min.)

Enjoy!

Below are links to some of my very good recipes and funny things like spatchcocking and sex toys.

Silicone is not just for Boobs! and my Favorite Juicy Easy Roast Chicken recipe.

Cool photos of a shocking spatchcocking.

Dirty, dirty, dirty banana! Sex toys and my Quick Banana Bread with chocolate chips recipe.

Fact: Wooden cutting boards are more sanitary than plastic for raw meat! and a really yummy Jalapeno Popper recipe. Sweet, salty, spicy goodness.

I did not want to give out my dinner party secret weapon, but for you how could I say no. Here is my Nirvana Chicken Curry recipe. So easy, so good.

Simple Scrod recipe, yummy, quick and juicy. Scrod: a fish that isn't a fish.

The only tomato sauce recipe you will ever need.