It's All About the Garnish!

Five Courses for My Favorite Husband

Obviously, Valentine's Day is all about love. It's a day to be thankful for love in your life and appreciate those who give it back to you. However, I don't think it should be about cards, flowers or sparkly gifts. For me, it's about making my husband a sumptuous feast interspered with movies, cocktails and hot tub breaks!

Last year, I created a five-course dinner that went like this:

* Smoked Tomato Bruschetta with Spiced Mozzarella

* Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Ancho Avocado Drizzle

* Shallot-Dressed Greens with House Made Croutons

* Beef Carpaccio Rouladen with Shiitakes and Spanish Blue Cheese

* Sticky Toffee Pudding with Cabernet Port

This year, with a new arsenal of avant-garde culinary toys at my disposal (Sous Vide Supreme Demi and Ferran Adria's Texturas), I want to bring the dinner offerings to an entirely new level. Here's what I'm planning:

* Amuse Bouche - Whatever looks fresh and inspriring at the market!

* Fish - Champage, Tarragon and Shallot Battered Shrimp with Goat Cheese Burre Blanc

* Salad - Inside-Out Salad with Puff Pastry Leaves and Arugula Croutons

* Meat - Sous Vide Pork Belly with Truffle Oil and Smoked Sea Salt

* Dessert - Cabernet Cheesecake Ice Cream Pies with Mouverde Drizzle

Photos and recipes to follow! Also coming up:  Reverse Chicken Pot Pie on Sunday!

Upcoming Cookery: Valentine's Day!

I love, love, LOVE Valentine's Day! Even after ten years of wedded bliss, it gives The Husband and I an excuse to hang out with each other, remind each other how much the other is loved...and have an awesome dinner.

We used to go out to restaurants, but as our tastes evolved, we realized that Valentine's Day was strictly amateur hour on that night. Prix fixe dinners aren't really specially designed with the diner in mind, they're a way for the kitchen to get away with cooking only seven dishes the whole night, like slopping the hogs. So, I began cooking Valentine's dinner at home. 

I've done the whole steak-and-lobster thing enough. This year, with a three-day weekend, I have time to really stretch myself. I've decided on five courses, mainly because there are five things I want to make. But I abhor the idea of stuffing ourselves and not being able to enjoy every morsel, so I'm going to only serve one course at a time, with wine pairings. I'll begin at 5:30, with dessert ending up somewhere around 9:30 or 10. Perfect!

I know I'll make an appetizer, vegetable, starch, protein and dessert, but I'm not going to spill the details just yet as The Husband reads my little blog. So, stay tuned for the whole rundown, with recipes, after the Big Day!
 

Upcoming Cookery: Amuse Bouche Party!

My friends are fabulous cooks. Like me, they're interested in quality food, having fun while cooking it, and having even more fun while sharing it with friends around the table. We get together quite often for potlucks, and I'm always amazed and humbled by the dishes they bring. We've had 70's night, complete with green bean casserole, vienna sausages and speared gherkins. We've had appetizer nights, where we passed around giant platters of asian lettuce wraps. I thought I'd close out the holiday season with another potluck, just as an excuse to see my friends and spend some time in the kitchen, so my brother and I came up with an Amuse Bouche Party.

In French, amuse bouche means 'to amuse the mouth' and is generally a one or two bite dish sent out by the chef to set the tone of the meal to come. I'm challenging my friends to make a larger version, as this will be our dinner, and there are only going to be six of us. I also ruled that there can be no crockpots, shortcuts or laziness! I'm really excited to see what they come up with, and I'll definitely post photos on Sunday. In the meantime, I'm trying to come up with an idea for MY dish! Feel free to send suggestions in this direction...

Upcoming Cookery: 3 Courses for My Mother in Law!

Okay, I know the term "Mother in Law" conjures up some stereotypical descriptions, but not for MY Mother in Law! She's one of the sweetest ladies you'll ever meet, and I want to do something special for her birthday. She's coming over tomorrow afternoon, and my goal is to make her a three-course dinner with wine pairings.

What to make? I'm sort of over the whole steak-as-the-main dish idea, just because I do love it and do it so often. Chicken? Meh. Fish? I've been practicing the Poke' of Tuna dish so much lately that it just doesn't sound good. Hmmm...I think I have an idea:  my super decadent and tasty Fettucine Alfredo. But what to serve with it? Because it's essentially cheese and starch, I can't really do any kind of bread-based or cheese-topped item, which really wipes out half of my repertoire. And, because it's deliciously fatty, I need to do something fresh. Okay, I've got it:  a mesclun salad. But what about a little bit of meat? I can't go TOTALLY vegetarian! Maybe a plate of meats, olives, etc.? Like a mellow antipasta? To just have on the table and pick at? And what about wine pairings? Sangiovese or Sauvignon Blanc? And dessert! It's her birthday, we must have dessert! But the dinner will be so sumptuous, we'll be really full! Gah!

I'm going to go calm down with a Newcastle and will report back on Sunday.

Competition: Dad's Chili Cookoff

As I write this, my Dad is already standing before a hot grill, stirring his batch of Competition Chili. Today is the day of the Annual Moose Club Chili Cookoff, and as my family members usually are, Dad is in it to win it. He always makes great chili, but this year he has a plan.
You see, last year, Dad made the best chili there. Every person who came by his booth and had a taste remarked that it was the best batch in the bunch. I walked around as well and had a taste of the other entries and concurred that Dad's was superior. Of course it was!
But then, it came time for the judging and the winning chili was also the hottest chili, with virtually no flavor profile. That got Dad wondering:  should he just make a batch as hot as he can, not caring about building layers of flavor, only intent on searing the judges' taste buds so they have no choice but to award him the prize.
I'm of two minds on this one. Yes, I think it's a great strategy and it might even work. BUT...it's not being true to his culinary beliefs and he's making something that's not really 'his'. I'm interested to see how this pans out. I'll post results when we return later today.

Upcoming Cookery: The Tuna Trials

I really wish this fish didn't go by the Tuna name. When I think of tuna, I think of tin cans of shredded stuff you mix with mayo and stuff between two slices of bread, usually served with soup and a glass of milk on a rainy afternoon. No, THIS tuna is nothing of the sort. THIS tuna is deep red, carved at the butcher shop, sushi-grade and beautiful. You can serve it steak-style and the texture is a soft/firm presentation of delicate flavor.

The first time I made this dish at home, I decided to be faithful to the classic recipe:  chop the raw tuna into small cubes and marinate in a mixture of dijon, hot Korean chili sauce, vinegar and herbs. I served it on a bed of chopped romaine accompanied by fried wontons, and it was great:

But, we knew it could be better. First of all, the marinade was too strong and took away from the subtle flavor of the tuna. Secondly, the fried wontons felt a little greasy and needed to be crisper. Lastly, the romaine lettuce didn't hold up texturally to the rest of it. That's when the grilling idea hit me:  what if we grilled the tuna? With lots of spices rubbed in first? And, what about grilling the wontons? And, what about changing the marinade amount/time? AND, what about changing a few ingredients in the marinade?
Stay tuned for the next round in Team Tuna!       

Upcoming Cookery: Prepping the Poke' of Tuna

The Fourth of July may be a far way off for most people, but it's looming close enough for me that I'm already thinking about this year's Grilling Contest at the Napa County Fair. Here's the deal:  three years ago, I won First Place in the Fish category with my Spicy Grilled Shrimp, and also took Best of Show. It was a triumphant day, because not only did I beat a professional chef and loads of burly men with giant slabs of meat, it was the first food contest I had won entirely on my own. I skipped a year (due to camping) and returned last year to win First Place in the Beef category with my Deconstructed Beef Wellington, but lost the Best of Show title to the aforementioned professional chef. If I were a superhero, he would be my Arch Nemesis.
So, I need to step it up this year. Because I snagged the Beef category last year, Dad gets it this time around, and he also gets the Pork category because he's discovered some crazy Chocolate-Covered Bacon situation that sounds scary yet tasty. I'm not brave enough for the Wild Game category, Chicken is boring and it goes against my beliefs to enter the Vegetarian category. Fish it is!
For a few years now, the Husband and I have been enjoying Tuna Poke'. It's raw Ahi Tuna marinated in all sorts of yumminess and served with fried crisps. I've been making it based on a classic recipe and it's very good. But, I've always thought it would be better done my way:  grilled! I know, it' sounds strange, but you'll get the idea. From now until July, I'm going to make it once a month, serving it for friends each time and soliciting critiques. Taking notes, I'll tweak the recipe each time until it's perfect. I guess you could say I'm in training.
In the next post, I'll share my first round of adjustments, and chronicle the process.

Practice, Practice (Deconstructed Wellington, Take 2)

So, tonight I decided to practice the new garnish I wanted to do for the grilling contest. As you'll remember, I wanted to do the same flavor profile for the Deconstructed Beef Wellington, but I wanted to make it prettier. So, instead of using red wine to reduce the duxelle, I used white, and it was fabulous. I also layered it underneath the beef instead of on top.
For the big garnish, I did a tarragon creme fraiche with horseradish. Sounds fancy, right? It's just a 1/3 horseradish, 2/3 sour cream mix to which I added a tablespoon of fresh chopped tarragon. I then used a spare tarragon sprig to top it, as you'll see in the photo. That was our dinner tonight, and it was quite yummy. More posts on the grilling contest to follow!

Upcoming Cookery: Grilling Smackdown!

Summertime, and the grilling gets competitive.
Two years ago, my Dad and I entered the BBQ Contest at the Napa County Fair in Calistoga. The entries are separated by meat type: I entered Spicy Shrimp (slathered in a spicy butter, covered with basil and wrapped with proscuitto) and my Dad entered his Sizzling Lamb Chops. We each won our own categories, and I won Best of Show (and a mini Webber Grill). We weren't able to enter last year, but have eagerly awaited this year's contest.
This year, I'm entering the Beef category, and will attempt a prettier, grilled version of the Deconstructed Beef Wellington from the Fancy Schmancy Dinner Party two weeks ago. Still mulling over the plating/garnish for this one. Ideas? Let me know!
Dad, however, will raise the bar with his Grilled Pork Tenderloin. And, Mom is going for the cuteness by entering the Vegetarian category with her Grilled Lime Margaritas.
I feel good about our entries, but am a bit nervous about the Best of Show prize. Honestly, I'll be happy as long as it goes to family, but anyone who knows me will tell you I'll have my game face on this Saturday. Wish me luck!

Flaming Yawn (Filet Mignon)

Or, Filet Mignon, as it's properly spelled. I went to Costco today (retail Disneyland!), shopping for beef for The Big Dinner this weekend. I looked at the ribeyes, sirloins and anything else that was red, but was uninspired. The only thing that caught my eye was the filet mignon, but the price was prohibitive. But then I saw the Beef Tenderloin, which is basically a beef log, made up of tenderloin, which you just cut up yourself, at a substantial savings. Now, all I have to do is cut off the junky stuff and slice it into 2-inch thick rounds. I'll also throw them into zip-top bags with my standard red wine marinade, as these guys aren't as big on flavor as they are on tenderness.

While I'm here, I might as well tell you about my thoughts on how I'm going to prepare this particular dish. Because I'm doing a three course tasting menu with wine pairings, I'm not going to be able to hang out in the kitchen while these steaks are cooking. I'm thinking I might use the principals outlined in the procedure for Beef Wellington: sear the meat, then chill it until ready to use, then cook it in the oven. I think I'll ask Dad. (BTW, if you haven't met Dad, I'll introduce you to him later, but suffice it to say he's where I get my cooking craziness.)