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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Top Chef's Richard Blais visits Tampa!
Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with
Top Chef's Richard Blais (from season 4) and Carlos Fernandez (from Season 2). The Top Chef tour made a stop
in Tampa this weekend with a gigantic tractor trailer that included a fully equipped kitchen and indoor seating
area for about 30 people. I was fortunate to get entry to the first seating, along with Tampa's mayor Pam Iorio and Chef
Blais's in-laws, wife and newborn daughter.
Though he cooked a simple dish of Mediterranean style lamb chops and
potato salad, he did it with flair, even branishing a blowtorch to give the chops a "steakhouse broiled" finish.
During Top Chef's competition, Blaise was given the name "Willy Wonka" because of his love of playful toys,
innovative gadgets and his use of molecular gastronomy (as well as his choice of the movie for a themed dinner).
And true to his style, Richard did break out the blowtorch as part of his cooking demonstration.
But although he's known as the guy to likes gadgets and cooking with nitrogen,
we learned that his style really is rather simple. We were able to watch him prepare such a basic, yet
satisfying meal using fresh ingredients bought the previous day at a local Whole Foods Market. There
were no scripts and no recipes, just cooking and commentary, which kept the entire demonstration interesting and
fun. While adding ingredients to a home made potato salad, we learned about one of Richard's favorite
herbs, dill, as he made the comparative statement "cilantro is like rap music, while dill is like Jackie O."
His point being that cilantro is cool right now, but he prefers the classy swagger of dill.
So how was the food? Fantastic. The lamb chops were perfectly seasoned
with rosemary, coriander and cumin and cooked to medium rare; the potato salad was creamy and balanced
with salty capers and fresh dill. Although Richard Blais did not win season four of Top Chef
and was not even elected fan favorite, he was my favorite. And having the privelidge of shaking his hand and tasting
his food affirmed not only that he is a great chef, but also a great guy.
9:30 pm | link
Friday, August 29, 2008
K + 3
3 years....
When Napoleon fled France, he was in exhile for several years and
even had a plan to spend time hiding in New Orleans (hence the name for Napoleon House in the French Quarter). For me,
today marks the third anniversary of the day that Hurricane Katrina forced me from New Orleans to find a new home.
I am unsure as to whether I will ever return to live in the city,
but the flavor of New Orleans culture runs deep inside me. Red Beans and Rice on Monday, coffee every morning
from one of my French Market Coffee mugs and a fridge full of Abita beer in my home bar. You can take me out of
New Orleans, but you can't take New Orleans out of me.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day! What Are You Cooking?
Valentine's day is the most over-commercialized excuse for a holiday in
existence and I despise it. Regardless, I will be doing something special tonight. I have rules against dining
out on Valentine's day, so cooking it will be. At the request of my fiancee (wife in about 6 weeks), I will be cooking:
Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin, with Brandy-Mushroom
Cream Sauce, Herbed Polenta and Fresh Wilted Spinach
paired with Pinot Noir
Let me know if you'd like the recipe, it's easy and it is dyn-o-mite!
What will you be creating tonight?
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Begin Your Food Education
I was reading a local Tampa food blog this morning and came across a request
by the author for suggestions about books to help him increase his food knowledge. Unfortunately, I believe food knowlege
is something that can't be learned instantly, but rather over a period of time that includes reading, cooking, tasting and
experiencing.
That being said, I believe there are five books for every beginner that
are essential to help build a solid foundation. Sure, there are plenty of cookbooks and how-to books out there, but
in my short time I have found that these five are easy to read and contain relevant information without all of the fluff.
But don't take my word for it, check them out yourself.
Kevin's list of essential books about food and cooking (in no particular
order):
- Culinary Artistry, by Dornenburg and Page
- I'm Just Here For the Food, by Alton Brown
- How To Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman
- Cooking For Dummies
- What To Drink With What You Eat, by Dornenburg and Page
Saturday, November 3, 2007
"The Turducken"
When cooked properly, the duck, the chicken and the turkey are all fantastic
on their own. If you put them all together, you'll end up with a Turducken.
I've never really been one for food fads. I am not a fan of molecular
gastronomy, avocado foam or oxygen bars, so I've always done my best to avoid a Louisiana food "creation" called the turducken.
If you've never heard of it before, you're probably living in a cave, but I'll explain. It's a turkey, stuffed with a chicken,
stuffed with a duck, stuffed with, well... stuffing. The coolest part of the whole creation is that each of the birds
is de-boned!
Just a couple of weeks ago I gathered a few friends to act as my ginea
pigs for my first turducken. Although there are recipes out there and "how-to" videos on making a turducken, I took
the easy (and intelligent) way out and procured mine already prepared from CajunGrocer.com. It showed up frozen solid, in a foam ice chest packed with dry ice, though all of the dry ice had evaporated by the
time mine arrived. I have to admit, the toughest part of the process is conquering the unknown. Since I had never
cooked one before, I had no idea what to expect. The defrosting process was the most daunting, but I did so by leaving
it on the counter for a full day, then placing it back in the refrigerator for another day. By day three, the bird(s)
were ready to be cooked. I wasn't sure how many people it would take to eat a single turducken. Although
the total weight was around 16 pounds, there were no bones to weigh it down. I'll tell you right now, 16 pounds of meat
is a LOT!
Even though it was my first time, the cooking part was easy enough for
a third-grader. I cut it open, placed it in a roasting pan, covered with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for four
hours. Then I uncovered it and cooked it for an additional hour. Yep. That's it. Believe me, it is
really that easy. Carving the finished product was also a brease, since there were no bones to interefere with my slicing.
The finished product was a real treat. Though they are
available with several different varieties of stuffing, ours was filled with a spicy Cajun sausage. The fat from
the sausage and duck really added great flavor and a little kick to the chicken and turkey. To complement the spicy
Cajun flavor, we paired the turducken with several side dishes, like my almost famous mac-n-cheese, dirty rice and a
cold salad.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Katrina, Restoration and Jambalaya
On the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I found it necessary
to drink a couple of bottles of Abita Restoration Ale. Of course, I also cooked my famous jambalaya. I think that's
all I have to say about that.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Weekday Gourmet: Spicy Thai Shrimp & Noodles
Last night I enjoyed one of my favorite “ethnic-style” dishes in the weekday
gourmet category: Spicy Thai Shrimp and Noodles. It’s an easy way to spice up the middle of the workweek
with a dish that’s easy to prepare, takes only minutes to cook and is packed with flavor. I call it “Thai” because of
the inclusion of a respectable amount of spicy Thai chili sauce, but I don’t expect you to believe the dish is actually Thai
in pedigree (no more than the addition of Cayenne pepper makes a dish Cajun).
Although I sometimes make this dish with chicken, my favorite is with shrimp.
And since they were on sale yesterday at the local supermarket, I picked up about six ounces of shrimp for my dinner for less
than three bucks. With the addition of just a few more ingredients, the whole dish took me ten minutes
to prep, ten minutes to cook and only cost around $3.50 for one serving.
To complement the spicy chili sauce, I paired the dish with a German Riesling,
2006 Petals. The wine was a bit sweet for me to enjoy by itself, but putting it with the food was a match made in heaven.
Spicy pink shrimp, Thai chili sauce and a nice sweet wine sure did make for an enjoyable Tuesday evening. Try it yourself!
Click here for the recipe.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Weekday Gourmet: Flatiron Steak with Cabernet-Shallot Reduction and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
My friend Lisa owns a store called Weekday Gourmet that lets people come
in, choose their meals and prepare them for an easy way to have great food on weeknights without all of the work.
It's a cool concept, but its not for me; I love to cook my own food and create my own menus. However, I love the moniker
"weekday gourmet" and feel it describes my weeknight cooking style to a tee. To me, the term "weekday gourmet"
means cooking gourmet style food in a reasonable amount of time, on a budget. If you weren't on a
budget, you could easily get comparable food by dining out at a French bistro or upscale steakhouse.
Since I enjoy great gourmet food but can't afford to dine out every night,
I find creative ways to eat well, regardless of the day of the week. Just this evening, I enjoyed an 8oz. flatiron
steak, grilled to medium rare with a cabernet-shallot reduction and served with roasted fingerling potatoes and a blue cheese
chopped salad. It was fairly easy to prepare and didn't cost a fortune, but still allowed me to dine on cuisine
that most people would reserve for a special occasion. Life is a journey; every day should be a special occasion!
To keep you in the loop, I'll post a couple of meals each week that I would
consider "Weekday Gourmet" selections. Some you will like, some you will not, but I hope to get you in the mindset of
turning off the television, relaxing each night with a glass of wine and enjoying a great meal.
Check out the recipe for my grilled Flatiron Steak with Cabernet-Shallot Reduction. The flatiron cut of steak is sometimes tough to find in a supermarket, but my local Publix regularly stocks
them. It's an inexpensive cut of meat but is tender, flavorful and easy to cook. It's one of my favorite
cuts, but please keep that quiet, since the popularity could create a demand and increase the prices. (Let's just keep
it between us.) Bon Appétit!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Father's Day Dinner 2007 - Tapas Style
Yes, I know Father's day was last month, but I've been a little busy lately
cooking, eating, working and traveling. However, this year I made a kick-ass Father's day dinner for my fiancee and
my soon-to-be in-laws (including my future father-in-law) and figured it was too good not to share. If you are here
looking for photos, you won't find any; the food went too quick.
Choosing a menu was the tough part. Between the four of us, our tastes varied
too much for me to settle on any one dish, so the solution was tapas! It allowed us to cook a variety of dishes
simultaneously and also pleased everyone. I won't go into any more details and the recipes are all coming
soon, but here's the menu.
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Menu - Father's Day 2007
Filet Mignon with Mushroom-Brandy Cream Sauce
tender slices of broiled filet mignon topped with a mushroom-brandy
based cream sauce
Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
drizzled with olive oil, seasoned and broiled until tender
Steamed Mussels
in a white wine cream sauce
Caprese Napoleon
"stacked" salad of sliced tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil, drizzled
with a balsamic vinaigrette
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For any dinner party with a mix of people, consider doing it tapas
style. The choices don't have to be Spanish in style, but can revolve around just about any cuisine: Mexican, Japanese,
Italian or even Cajun!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Family Cookbook is Finished!
Yes, it is finished. I began in October and finished on time in December,
only to realize I wasn't 100% happy with the results. My favorite part about the family cookbook is the stories and
comments made from all of the contributors. You can get a recipe anywhere and cookbooks filled with recipes are a dime
a dozen. But our family cookbook is special. Check it out online here and download a copy, if you wish.
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