What's for Dessert?

Bacon Chocolate Cake, Earl Grey Milk Jam, Caramelized Banana, Dark Chocolate Mousse

Its not a Popover!

The new bread of the week is the buttery Fantail. Using the trimmings from danish dough, the Fantails (not popovers Jesse! Popovers are made with a liquid mix of flour and mostly eggs) were sprinkled with salt and baked in muffin tins. They came out flaky and slightly sweet with a salty crust.

No Imposters Here!

Every time I go to a restaurant and see Lobster Ravioli on the menu I never order it... and you shouldn't either. No restaurant that wants to make money is going to give you real lobster meat in those ravioli. It will be 80%-90% shrimp and fillers with the remaining frozen lobster scraps.

Since we are serious about our food and our customers we don't do that to our ravioli filling.

The filling is made with large chunks of raw lobster meat from the tails and claws bound by a tiny bit of shrimp meat paste and herbs. Each giant ravioli contains 3oz. of lobster meat.

The shells and heads are then used for stock which forms the base of the sauce.

Lobster Ravioli, Burratta, Roasted Mushrooms, Beets, Tarragon, Lobster Emulsion

Do I smell fish(y)?

There is nothing worse than the smell of bad fish. Its like the smell of Chinatown markets on hot summer days. Its like in the cartoons where the smells are so strong they look like waves of smoke wafting up.

A fresh fish on the other hand should have no smell or a light scent of the sea. Don't be afraid when buying fish to smell it. You might regret it if you don't when you get home and open your package from the Chinese market and get hit in the face by waves of vomit inducing odors. Get you barf bags ready.

When buying fish it is highly recommended to get your fish monger to clean and fillet it if that is the way you desire to serve it. If not you might find yourself covered in scales like I did while scaling gutting and cleaning these bronzinos. It brought having scaly skin to a another level.

Once I get the fillets I make sure to double check for scales and pin bones that I may have missed. Scales in the mouth are like chewing on little shards of plastic. Choking on a fish bone is a trip to the emergency room. But you can skip these steps if you are serving it to your worst enemy, that's what I would do.

If I were being Chinese I would say to chop off the heads and make a soup then gouge out the eyes and eat them along with the cheeks. Actually Chinese people can literally suck the flesh off of every bone on the carcass but I'm not my own worst enemy, yet.

Crispy Bronzino, French Lentils, Parsnip Puree, Sauce Vierge

Who you calling a cracker?

The most basic crackers are made with just water and flour but they can come in any form, from buttery to matzo like. These I like to call Whole Wheat Crisps just because they are thin, crisp and made with whole wheat flour. I know, I'm so cleaver.

So no one will probably make these because why go through all this trouble when you can just buy something at the store? Is it worth it? I of course can't just buy something and serve it to our guests because we wouldn't be who we are if we just bought it (Jesse made me do it). But the truth is that they aren't like any crackers I've had from a factory production line, they are more delicate and its worth the effort if you have the time (I know none of you are convinced). To make them so thin a pasta roller is essential.

Whole Wheat Crisps

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups bread flour

1 cup water

1Tbsp salt

0.5 cups olive oil

In a mixer with bread hook combine all ingredients until dough pulls away from sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30min or longer. Cut dough into 6-8 pieces and keep wrapped. Roll once piece at a time through pasta roller until #7 setting flouring as needed to keep from sticking and tearing. Cut rolled out dough with a pastry cutter. They do shrink a little during baking. Line them up on parchment lined sheet trays.

Preheat oven to 325F. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt before baking until golden and crisp.

The dough can be re-rolled if needed. One recipe makes like 400 or more (which I did today).

We use these for Canape parties but I've been secretly having them with the hummus we made.

("Gazpacho": Tomato tartare, Cucumber gelee, Pickled fennel)

Recette Video!

The Apple is Far from the Tree....

Apple season is long gone but so many apples remain in stores and even in my pantry. Seasonality is a non issue with refrigeration and imported fruits. Apples that have been stored and refrigerated to last this long tend to lose their flavor. If you just added diced apples to a recipe you would not even be able to taste the apple at all. My solution to that was to caramelize them in some butter with brown sugar.

Caramelized Apple Cake

4 granny smith apples diced and caramelized

2 sticks butter

3/4cups brown sugar

1/2cup sugar

3 eggs

2 yolks

1/2cup sour cream

2tsp vanilla extract

2.25 cup AP flour

1Tbsp baking powder

3/4tsp salt

Pre heat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time while mixer is beating slowly. Add sour cream and vanilla and beat till combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just till combined. Fold in caramelized apples. Bake in buttered tube pan coated in sugar.

If you have left over apples this is a great moist cake for afternoon tea on a rainy day.

Vending Machine Quick Fire Challenge!

Inspired by last night's episode of Top Chef Masters I looked for some stuff laying around my house that you would find in a vending machine and made something quick with it. Its not really a challenge, and its not really interesting, but its pretty tasty.

Double Chocolate Snickers Cookies

2 snickers bars, frozen and chopped

1cup AP flour

1/2cup cocoa powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

3.5 oz dark chocolate

1 stick butter

1cup brown sugar

1Tbsp molasses

1/2cup sugar

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt butter and chocolate together. Sift together AP, cocoa, salt and BS. Beat eggs, sugars and molasses together. Combine all ingredients and fold in chopped Snickers bars.

Scoop and bake cookies until puffed up but still soft in the middle.

The cookies came out chewy. The caramel and nougat from the Snickers melted out and got even more caramelized during baking. The dark caramel gave a bit of bitterness that balances out the sweetness of the cookie. You will definitely need a glass of milk with these.

Bing!

I'm not talking about the new search engine by Microsoft.

I'm talking sweet but tart deep red cherries. I love eating them straight out of the fridge, but as a pastry chef I have to think of ways of dressing them up and featuring them in desserts. A classic French application would be to make a Clafoutis, which is a tart with a custard and cherries (pit and all) filling baked in it. It can be quite hazardous for the teeth; and could explain a lot about french people and bad teeth.

This week I did a chilled "soup" of Bing cherries with yogurt "cream" and a red wine poached cherry. Simple and refreshing as a palate cleanser before the dessert course.

Holy Mackerel!

Mackerel is that one piece of fish you stare at on your sushi deluxe, eying it as if it were the sketchy guy at some dive bar sitting alone staring your way. Its always the last piece because when you think of mackerel you think fishy, meaty texture. Its usually offset by a pile of thinly sliced scallion and ginger with lemon squeezed on top. Sometimes I think if it needs so much "dressing" just to make it palatable then why eat it at all? The truth is that it is really sweet and has that taste of the sea if it is really fresh. Not at all "fishy" as you would imagine.

This dish was not raw but was seared skin side down till crispy. The flesh becomes firm and can seem dried out if over cooked (which ours was not, good job Jesse) So give Mackerel a try but ask your fish monger if its fresh. Smell it before buying it.

Dish of the Week: Seared Mackerel, Cauliflower "silk", Baby Octopus, Confit tomato, Cherry stone clam, Grapefruit gremolata, Sherry gastrique, Roasted Cauliflower.

Red 'Eggs' and 'Ham' "

Nothing is as it seems.

I love to do whimsical interpretations of classics.

Sometimes its just fun and experimentation, a culmination of ideas from myself and Jesse. Most of the time I don't even know where I am going when I create different elements of a dessert but there is always a "ureka" moment when it all comes together.

Today it came in the form of "breakfast". Eggs, french toast, potato hash, bacon and maple syrup.

The "red egg" is a rhubarb gelee with a raspberry "yolk". The yolk is made using a special process called spherification, which was developed by Ferran Adria at El Bulli. Once the skin is punctured the liquid inside will run out like a broken yolk. You can watch me making them at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzj1ar7S6B4

The "French Toast stick" is not made of bread at all but is custard "toasted" using a torch.

The "hash" is carmelized apples.

The "bacon" is not pork at all but a chocolate and vanilla cookie.

The maple syrup is an apple and Grand Marnier caramel.

Well if you don't like green eggs and ham maybe you might like red eggs instead.

I love sous vide meat!

Sous Vide Duck Breast, Foie Gras, Spring Vegetables, Raisin Date Puree, Maple Cranberry Glaze. The duck breast was cooked at 70C for 10 min then taken out of the bag and the skin was seared to render some of the fat and crisp the skin. The sous vide process allows for the meat to stay pink and tender.

The temperature regulator we use is a circulator made for medical use. It keeps the temperature low and steady which is very hard to do over a flame or induction burner. We can keep sauces and purees in the circulating water as well to warm up while cooking the tenderloin, vegetables and eggs. Its a great piece of equipment. We wouldn't be able to do the kind of food we cook without it.

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin, Pommery Mustard Soubise, Pomme Fondant, Baby Garden Carrot, Parsnip Chips, White Truffle Essence

Perfect Little Bite

Foie Gras Mousse Filled Meringue Jesse and I were throwing around ideas today before service for a way to use the trimmings from the foie. All that tasty fat can't go to waste! In the past we have done Marshmallow Fluff with foie folded in so I suggested for a canape to do a baked meringue that is light and slightly sweet to balance out the richness and savoriness of the foie. Jesse said "its the best idea you've had yet" so i guess its a keeper.

Soy Sauce Noodle Soup vs Beef Noodle Soup

Growing up there was one place in Flushing that my family always went to for Taiwanese beef noodle soup. It had a really deep broth that full of flavor from the melt in your mouth meat, spices and preserved vegetables. That place is long gone since Flushing has changed so much over the years. Good restaurants have shuttered making way for new places run by China people. Ever since then with every bowl of beef noodles we bought my dad would say "I'm not eating that soy sauce water.", in Taiwanese of course. I would give him the eye roll and eat my noodles, but the thought was in my head. It certainly wasn't as good as the place before, in fact, it does taste just like someone dumped soy sauce in a pot of water, added a few vegetables a few slices of meat and noodles. Crap I got ripped off!

So my mom started making her own. Her version can be hit or miss depending on the cut of meat she decides to use for it. It can be like drinking a bowl of artery clogging lipid soup and

chewing on re-hydrated beef jerky. Avoid using short rib. Brisket can also turn out stringy and chewy. Most restaurants use a cheap cut of meat. At home I use a combo of beef tendons and a special cut of meat from the thigh that is tough and marbled with tendons but once stewed

becomes tender and juicy. The tendons contain a crucial amount of natural gelatin that thickens the soup and gives it a rich mouth feel without the fat coating your mouth and internal organs (and making its home permanently in the tire around your belly).

If you have a crock pot or a pressure cooker

the process is even easier. Its definitely worth making for yourself just to avoid the over powering urge to drink 10 glasses of water after all that sodium and MSG. (Sorry too lazy to write a recipe. If you really want to know how to make it email me)

Whoop..Whoop.. Whoopie Pies..

Suddenly I have been hearing/ reading/ seeing whoopie pies every where. Random little cafes have them, even Danny Meyer has them on the menu at Public Fare, his new concession stand in central park.

I have to confess that I have never tasted one before making them today. They are described as being not quite cake not quite cookie, sandwiching a creamy filling.

I found a recipe from the NY-times article on the whoopie pie craze and made it my own. I filled mine with a espresso and Kalua flavored buttercream. To me they are like eating Drake's Devil Dog cakes but with too much cake. The cake part is almost like a muffin top. Felt like eating them might give me muffin top (so I spit it out and threw it out).

I will try making them again before totally writing them off, with huge changes to the recipe of course. The cake needs to be thinned out and instead of only cocoa powder I will add some melted chocolate into the mix. A little ( or a lot) of chocolate always makes things better.

Back to work! Summer Menu executed.

Its sometimes hard to get back into work after being on vacation for a few weeks, but its always great to execute a new menu with new dishes.

To start out we did a few canapes : a pork "samosa" with truffle corn tapenade, Gruyere gougers, heirloom tomato and mozzarella, foie gras "tourchon"with raisin chutney.

Amuse Bouche: Oyster "Rockefeller"

"Tuna Nicoise" Orange Granite

Raw Foie Gras to build the terrine

Roasted Foie Gras set into terrine for "mosaic"

Foie Gras "Mosaic", Uni, Heirloom Tomato, Mizuna

Smoked pork belly that was slow roasted then seared for the "Egg & Bacon", Sous Vide Hen Egg, Morel Mushrooms, Roquette, Asparagus, Mushroom Puree.

Sea Bream(Dorade), Cherry Stone Clam & Rock Shrimp Fricassee, Fennel, Edemame, Coconut Saffron Nage.

Hand Cut Pappardelle, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Confit Leek, Parmesan

Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin, Bone Marrow "Custard", Baby Summer Vegetables, Confit Leek Terrine w/ Hazelnut Daquoise Dust, Pommerey Mustard Soubise, White Truffle Essence.

Apricot "Soup", Blackberry "En Aspic", Granola Crunch

Rhubarb "Crumble", Poached Rhubarb "Kidneys", Rhubarb Strawberry Compote, Vanilla Chiboust, Strawberry Balsamic Reduction, Almond "Streusel", Candied Mint, Maple Tuile.

Dessert is followed by Mignardises of Cayenne Chocolate Cakes, Fruit and Nut Sables with Coffee/Tea.

Such Pigs!

The pork butt was nicely browned and a little carmelized. The meat was cooked all the way down to the bone but did not pull away from the bone. The skin was a bit chewy still but a good deal of the fat had melted away which helped to baste the meat.

We ate the meat with Chinese buns, hoisin sauce, scallions and cilantro. We also tried it ssam style with lettuce wraps, kimchee, gochujiang, and hot peppers.

My friends devoured it all; leaving just the bare bone, so I guess it was okay to eat. What did I really think of it?

The verdict on my pork butt is it will be better next time.

What would I do differently?

I only brined the butt for 20hrs, should have been 36-48hrs. Next time I would get medieval on it and stab the crap out of it with a multiple sharp objects. Highly recommended for getting out any pent up frustrations as well as allow for the brine to better penetrate to the center of the butt (but don't go too crazy if you are going to try it because it could cause the juices to flow out during cooking and cause the meat to dry out).

I roasted it for 4.5hrs (2hrs @ 300F, 1hr@ 400F, 1.5hr@350F. I would instead roast it for 6hrs @ 300F then to crisp and caramelize it 1hr @ 350F covered with foil and 1hr@ 350F w/o foil.

Ideally I would have a combi oven that can steam heat. I would place it in a deep hotel pan and cover it with plastic wrap and then foil. Steam baking it at 250F for 10-12hrs would keep all the juices in and cook the meat to a fall off the bone consistency. I really miss the combi ovens at PerSe. I need to get one for my house.