Monday, December 27, 2010

ThIs YeArs HoLidAy LeFtOvers and SoMe IdEas For YoU

First id like to thank you as ive had over a thousand viewers this month.. As the numbers grow i will be building content faster in the new year.. so lets talk turkey well in this case Prime rib, and roasted pig. im sure most of you can account for a refridgerator full of food in the days folling a holiday well ive come up with a few simple dishes you can do easily at home and reallly impress your family..

day one the "christmas hangover hash " lets just say we had a few bottles of wine!!

leftovers= chopped prime rib, carmelized onions and potabella mushrooms, some chopped chives,and some confit baby potato with black truffle.. start with a really hot pan and add the potatos, ribeye, onions and mushrooms and cook on medium high heat making sure to season them with a little salt and pepper. once you have a crispy concoction add the chives and crack an egg right on top and cover with a lid to finish the cooking.. serve with a glass of chilled eggnog and you have a great breakfast..

for dinner we  had chinese steamed buns with roasted pork.. i cheated and picked up a package of the cooked bao in chinatown to make life as easy as possible as im still recovering from all the wine.. this ones easy and will take you less than ten minutes..

leftovers=shredded pork, soy sauce, sliced green onion, hoisin sauce and steamed bun
using a bamboo steamer we took the pork and tossed it in a little soy sauce place it next to the buns in the steamer for five minutes and serve with the sliced green onion and hoisin sauce.. my fench bulldog really liked his left overs tonight




lets finish with one more dinner recipe "beef stroganoff" or for all of you professional kitchen folks "beef stroke en off",,,. very comfortating on a cold december evening, this dish will warm the hearts of all, and be sure to add another pound or two, to the already growing stomach youve acheied this holiday season, and if youre one to watch what you eat during the holiday season, you probably should not try this at home..
leftovers = 1/4 bottle vouvray or white wine, chopped prime rib, dijon mustard, beef stock, flour, sour cream,carmelized onion and portabella mushroom, cooked pasta of your choice and of course for all of you who dont know this salt and pepper!

start by cooking your pasta, a pot of boiling water seasoned with olive oil and a good amount of salt.. think the ocean! while your pasta is cooking heat a saute pan and add the onions and mushrooms.. cook for two minutes and add the beef once carmelized sprinkle about 2 tbs of flour and stir, now add your white wine and reduce.. your sauce should begin to thicken. season with s+p again and add the beef stock and dijon and let cook for five minutes right before serving stir in your sour cream and chives and top your pasta..

i hope ive made this as painless as possible and have left you with some insight on a few quick and easy dishes you can make at home utilizing all of your leftovers.. or if your like me whatever you dont cook goes to the puppy.. well kinda

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

WOuLd YoU Eat IT


The Hard to swallow question.. "would you eat it".. i once worked with a chef who asked that question everytime a girl walked into the room..well this ones for you bruno hahha "would you eat it?????????? Balut !

A balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell.These fucking things are awful but Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein,yummm id rather eat an egg white!what a hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors in the regions where they are available. It is commonly sold as streetfood in the Philippines. They are common, everyday food in some other countries in Southeast Asia, such as in Laos and Thailand (where it is called Khai Luk), Cambodia (Pong tea khon in Cambodian),[1] and Vietnam (Trứng vịt lộn or Hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese). They are often served with beer.." ill have one duck fetus and a saporo please"..give me a break.. what happend to a nice hard boiled egg sandwich.


Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the embryo inside.  eight days later the balut are ready to be cooked, sold, and eaten. Vendors sell cooked balut out of buckets of sand used to retain the heat.. you ready for more or would you like to go throw up yet. im one to try everything once and i like some weird shit, even as a chef i cannot stomach this one.

The age of the egg before it can be cooked is a matter of local preference. In the Philippines, the ideal balut is 17 days old, at which point it is said to be balut sa puti ("wrapped in white"). The chick inside is not old enough to show its beak, feathers or claws and the bones are undeveloped.. "oh good to know"

The Vietnamese often prefer their balut mature, just how i  like  my women.. from 19 days up to 21 days{in human years this is between 32 ans 40 im just sayin} when the chick is old enough to be recognizable as a baby duck and has bones that will be firm but tender when cooked. In Cambodia, it is eaten while it is still warm in its shell. It is served with nothing more than a little garnish, which is usually a mixture of lime juice and ground pepper, "well i like ime juice and i like pepper?

i am sorry if i have offended anyones culture but just after you put that lime juice salt and pepper on it drop it in the deep fryer for me!!


Thursday, December 9, 2010

the GoOse Is LoOse..


Active Time: 30 min;

Total: 3 hr 20 min
Plus overnight drying
Ingredients:
1 One 12-pound goose,

neck and giblets reserved,
visible fat removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ¼ cups warm water
1 ½ tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon potato starch
dissolved in 2 tablespoons
red or white wine

Im excited to share a simple holiday goose recipe using Chinese and French techniques.. Separate the skin from the meat, then steam the goose before roasting – an adaptation of a Chinese technique that helps the bird baste in its own fat and ensures crispy skin.
 
I chose not to stuff this bird but you can, my choice would be to stuff it with foie gras, sweet breads, pistachio and black cherry. but to each is own!  Now lets get started..


Beginning at the neck end, work your fingers under the goose skin, snipping any fibers and sinews with kitchen scissors; work your fingers as far down over the thighs as possible. Using a sharp knife, cut halfway through the wing and leg joints to help the bird cook evenly. Generously season the goose inside and out with salt and pepper.


Set the goose on a rack in a heavy roasting pan, breast side up. Add the neck, gizzard, and heart and 4 cups of the water to the pan. Cover the goose with foil and seal the foil all around the edge of the pan. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and steam for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer the rack with the goose to a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered overnight, until the skin is very dry, like parchment. Strain the pan juices and refrigerate. Bring the goose to room temperature before roasting.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix the honey with the Tabasco and the remaining ¼ cup of water. Return the rack to the pan and roast the goose for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the Tabasco mixture. Carefully turn the goose breast side down. Roast for about 30 minutes longer, basting occasionally. The is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 160 degrees. Turn off the oven and let it cool to 150 degrees, you have to allow for carry over cooking..Transfer the goose to a heatproof platter, breast side up. Return the goose to the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes.

another option would be to roast the goose peking style placing the roasting rack underneath the goose to catch any fat, remove all of the oven racks and tie the goose just under the head using butcher twine and hang from the top of the oven to ensure a more even cooking method and crispier skin..


 MAKE THE JUS:
Pour off the fat in the roasting pan. Scrape the solidified fat off the refrigerated pan juices and refrigerate for another use. Add the juices to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Pour the juices into a small saucepan. Stir in the potato starch slurry and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Season the jus with salt and pepper and strain it into a gravy boat. Carve the goose and pass the jus at the table.


WINE PAIRING :
Rich goose pairs well with a voluptuous Pinot Noir , loaded with the earthy black cherry fruit, or the spicy, aromatic syrahs ..

i wish you  happy holidays,and dont forget to  check for more holiday recipes coming soon..

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

a little bit about cantonese cuisine 吃好住好... one of my personal favorites

Cantonese Cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in Southern China, or specifically from Guangzhou. Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is the best known outside China. Most of Chinese restaurants in Western countries serve authentic Cantonese cuisine and dishes.




Cantonese cuisine draws upon a great diversity of ingredients, Guangzhou (Canton) being a great trading port since the days of the Thirteen Factories, bringing it many imported foods and ingredients. Besides pork, beef, and chicken, Cantonese cuisine incorporates almost all edible meats, including organ meats, chicken feet, duck and duck tongues, snakes, and snails. Many cooking methods are used, steaming, stir-frying, shallow frying, double boiling, braising, and deep-frying being the most common ones in Cantonese restaurants, due to their convenience and rapidity, and their ability to bring out the flavor of the freshest ingredients.

For many traditional Cantonese cooks, spices should be used in modest amounts to avoid overwhelming the flavors of the primary ingredients, and these primary ingredients in turn should be at the peak of their freshness and quality. Interestingly, there is no widespread use of fresh herbs in Cantonese cooking (and most other regional Chinese cuisines in fact), contrasting with the liberal usage seen in European cuisines and other Asian cuisines such as Thai or Vietnamese. Garlic chives and coriander leaves are notable exceptions, although the latter tends to be a mere garnish in most dishes.

Cooking Methods

At home, steaming and stir-frying are the two primary Cantonese cooking techniques. Given the emphasis on freshness in Cantonese cuisine, it's not surprising that steaming is popular, as this is the least intrusive cooking technique, and the healthiest. As for stir-frying, the Cantonese are the acknowledged experts. Cantonese cooks believe every stir-fry must exude a taste and aroma that comes from having "wok hay" or "wok breath."

Besides stir-frying and steaming, Cantonese cuisine is also famous for its roast meats such as pork and duck. Char siu bao, or steamed buns filled with roast pork, is a popular Cantonese dim sum treat.

Fresh is the Best

An emphasis on preserving the natural flavor of the food is the hallmark of Cantonese cuisine. A Cantonese chef would consider it a culinary sin of the highest order to produce a dish that was overcooked or too heavily seasoned. You might come across this scene in an Asian market: a vendor takes great pride in demonstrating the freshness of the ling cod - killed a mere three hours earlier - by pointing out that you could still see its heart beating.

Seasonings and Spices

No Cantonese kitchen would be complete without a bottle of oyster sauce, made from boiling oysters and seasonings. (Vegetarian cooks can use a vegetarian version made with mushrooms). Chinese fermented black beans (also called salted black beans) and shrimp paste also figure prominently in Cantonese cooking. Hoisin sauce, made by mixing soybean paste with spices, is used as well.

 My Favorite Featured Dishes

Here is a list of the top 10 dishes in Cantonese Cuisine:

1. Beef With Oyster Sauce: A classic Cantonese dish - snow peas and carrots are cooked with beef in an oyster flavored sauce.

2. Broccoli With Oyster Sauce: This recipe calls for Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan), which has a unique bittersweet flavor that combines nicely with oyster sauce. If it's not available, don't worry - the recipe also works well with regular broccoli or Chinese greens such as bok choy.

3. Barbecued Spareribs - Honey Garlic Spareribs: Cantonese spareribs are world famous. In this recipe the ribs are marinated in a sweet and spicy combination of honey, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and crushed garlic, and then glazed with honey during baking.

4. Beef With Tomato: A classic Cantonese home-cooked dish - tomato is cooked with beef that has been marinated in oyster sauce. A bit of sugar helps balance the slightly acidic taste of the tomatoes.

5. Beef and Peppers in Black Bean Sauce: Another example of Cantonese home-cooking - beef and sweet bell peppers are cooked in a savory black bean sauce.

6. Sweet and Sour Pork, Restaurant Style: Here is the popular restaurant dish, with pork deep-fried twice for extra crispiness and coated with a tangy sweet and sour sauce made with pineapple juice and ketchup.

7. Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Salt and Pepper Prawns): This dish makes an excellent appetizer or main course. The deep-fried shrimp shells turn a wonderful orange color, and have a crunchy texture, while the spicy seasoning adds extra flavor. Leaving the shells on protects the shrimp meat inside, so that it tastes very tender.

8. Chicken in Rice (Wat Gai Fan): This healthy one-dish meal is easy to digest, making it a good choice for children and seniors. Feel free to add 2 to 3 Chinese sausages, cut on the diagonal into thin slices, or a few slices of cooked ham if desired.

9. Flowering Chives Stir-fry: Delicate flowering chives are often available in the produce section of local supermarkets (and of course, Asian markets). The trick to this easy side dish is not to overcook the chives. It goes very nicely with fish and shellfish.

10. Cantonese Steamed Chicken: Chinese dried black mushrooms add an earthy flavor in this easy to make steamed chicken dish. A good choice for family meals.

things you need to know when eating with the chinese culture Different from table manners in western countries,trust me i learned the hard way.. lol ! Chinese table manners are usually 'loud'. It is a way to express your appreciation to the food and show your thanks to the people who make your food. The following is what you should do when eating with Chinese on the same table:


 Do slurp your soup. Chinese people don't mind some noise while eating;
 If you are at a 'feast' then you do not need to finish all the rice in your dish;

 If you are eating a small meal with family then do finish the rice that you take; there is a Chinese saying: every grain is the effort of the farmers, so wasting rice is not polite.

 Do leave bones, shells or other things you don't want to eat on your plate or on the table;

 Do help yourself to the food. Chinese people share food in the same plate, so when you want to eat something you like among all the dishes on the table, don't be shy to reach out your chopsticks.

Do not be too quiet. If there is a guest on the table, or it's a festival meal, Chinese people would not like a quiet dinning table. Talking and laughing will make the room more lively and also provide a friendly atmosphere.
and never cross your chopsticks or leave them standing in a bowl.. it is rude
 
if you live local in las vegas try cafe noodle, china mama, or changs for dim sum and den sum