Starting with stock

Since beginning my professional culinary adventure I have worked in a few kitchens.  Ok more than a few.  I have worked in over 10 restaurants with 4 new restaurant openings under my belt.   Working the back of the house for a few years now I have seen kitchens that work and kitchens that don’t .  Some operations no matter how hard they try cannot avoid being painful cooperate sweatshops producing neigh edible food at best.  I have also worked with passionate dedicated chef owners who believe in the real influence of cooking on people and community.  What sets most kitchens apart at the base is stock. If you find yourself working in a kitchen where high sodium beef base and water start out your beef a jus, then you know what to expect from the rest of the operation.  If you are lucky enough to join a team were the sous chef arrives early in the morning to compile and slowly cook a beautiful stock correctly then be grateful.  With that, a look at a successful stock recipe.

Estouffade (Brown Stock)

Yield 2 ¼ gallons

13 lb beef bones

13 lb lean veal trimmings and bones

1 lb 7 oz roughly chopped carrot

1 lb 7 oz roughly chopped onion

1 lb 7 ox chopped celery

1 bouquet garni (herb sash) :

3 1/2 oz parsley

1/3 oz thyme

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic

3 oz olive oil

4 oz good red wine

4 oz tomato paste

Remove all meat from veal bones and fry meat until well caramelized.  Remove oil from pan.  Deglaze pan with half the wine.  Add to stock pot.   Place beef bones In a large roasting pan and roast at 400 for 1 hour.  Paint bones with the tomato paste and roast for an additional 30 minutes.  Add bones to the stock pot.  Deglaze roasting pan with wine and add to stock pot.   Fill the stock pot with cold water.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a gentle rolling simmer.  Add aromatics 1 hour before finishing the stock.  You can cook this stock for 12 hours to perfection, however if you reach your desired flavor profile prior to that stop cooking, strain and cool.  Remember during the cooking process to strain frequently and add water when needed.  When finished strain and rapidly cool or freeze for later use.

A walk in the Garden with Escoffier (Menu 1)

I wanted to add some of my menus to this blog if only for my own benefit.  Please feel free to pick it apart and share your comments

A Walk in the Garden with Escoffier

 

 

I can only imagine what the famous French chef Auguste Escoffier would say to a young inspired chef on a walk through a vibrant, thriving, organic Washington garden today.  He certainly would be familiar with our tough economic times and even war.  He might recall the scarcity of food and hardships of the siege of Paris.  Truly our hardships might pale in comparison.  Looking at the bounty of substance we have available to us, brought to us by our dedicated local farmers and growers he could only say that we are blessed by the powers that be with the most fundamental and necessary commodity of any chef.  Access to the best possible ingredients!

 

Premier Cours:

 

Consomme Midinette

 Poached quail Egg, Essence of the Garden Pearls

 

Le Entree:

 

Salad de Pommes Terre

Fingerling Potatoes, Braised Salmon, Winter Greens

 

Le Plat Principal:

 

Lapereau de Garenne Saute aux Champignons

Rabbit Saute, Foraged mushrooms

 

Le Dessert and Cafe:

Beignets Soufflés en Surprise

Rum Sabayon filled Fritter, Coffee, and Chocolate Soil

Cast Iron NY Steak and Coffee reduction (A carnal indulgence)

 

 

I have never had any beef with a vegetarian.  In fact I have always had an amount of respect for the discipline it must take to refrain from the pure delight some animal proteins bring to the rest of us meat lovers.  Personally as a chef, I have found living with a vegetarian as a chef, impossible.  It just can and should not work. My mistake for trying, and in the end my decision to move on. 

Now single, I indulge myself with a home cooked cast iron steak.  The cast iron being a well seasoned 2 decade old pan(believe me this can really affect the flavor profile of the meat.) So here is the breakdown!

1.  1  14oz ny steak

2.  1 large cast iron skillet (well seasoned)

3.  1 oz olive oil

4.  salt and pepper to taste

 

          Remove the steak from refrigerator, season both sides with salt and pepper  and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Place the skillet on a medium high burner and add the oil.  When you see a small amount of smoke rising from the pan add the well seasoned steak.  Allow the steak to caramelize on both side about 3 1/2 minutes each side.  Finish by putting cast iron in a 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.  Remove the steak and let rest on a plate.

Coffee reduction

1.  4 oz coffee

2. 1 oz teriyaki sauce

3.  1 tsp paprika

        Deglaze the cast iron skillet with the coffee.  Add the teriyaki and paprika and allow to reduce by half.   The sauce is done when it coats a spoon without dripping!  Add the sauce to the steak and enjoy!

 

The dish pit!

Ask many chefs and they will tell you that the dishwasher is the most important position in the kitchen.  I remember the long hours during and after a rush and the seemingly endless flow of dishes flow to the pit!!  In culinary school some dishes were burnt to the sides so bad, food unrecognizable.  Chefs send us your pics in the Pit and tell us about your experience!

http://www.northwestchefs.com

Food and family (Cooking with Jagermeister)

Being away from your family, separated for any period of time, you often forget how important they are to you.

Revisiting my family I definitely know where I get some of my particular characteristics others might seem odd.

Traits outsiders, and even yourself, might consider crazy seem to be forgotten with the passage  of time and covered  with the  signet we call love. With that the  question. What to pair with jagermeister.

My sister-in-law brought over to my house yesterday a full bottle of jagermeister to chill in our freezer for here birthday bbq bash which is today(sorry Sis, I did take a shot )

No matter what you are Grilling this easy bbq sauce will work great.

16 oz of Guinness beer

3 oz of jagermeister

1/2 cup of your favorite bbq sauce

S&P to taste

1.  In a sauce pot reduce the guinness to half.

2.  Add the Jagermeister and barbecue sauce.

3.  Adjust with salt and pepper and set in a fridge for 30 minutes or until ready to baste.

Apricot pecan icecream and a chilled chardonnay

We’re approaching August and its hot.  At least were I am.  What better fix for a hot afternoon than ice cream and a chilled glass of a quality chardonnay?  This pairing  would be great to entertain a guest and is perfect to serve later in the afternoon when it starts to cool down.  The recipe below is simple; a nice presentation will be sure to impress your friends.

1 lb apricots washed, stoned, and small diced

1/4 lb pecans shelled, and halved

10 oz whipping cream

1/4 cup or caser sugar

1.  Whip the cream to  supersoft peaks (slightly firm but still falling of a spoon)

2.  Gently fold the rest of the ingredients into the cream, place in a freezer safe bag.

3.  After 3-4 hours place the ice cream in a large bowl, let it set for five minutes then mix the mixture with a large fork.  Place ice cream back in freezer for 3-4 hours. 

4.  Be sure to let the ice cream sit at room temp before service. 

5.  Garnish with a few slices of fresh apricot and crushed pecans. 

6.  Here is a link to a great wine selection http://forgeroncellars.com/accolades/?c=chardonnay

Wine and Strawberries

The Northwest if famous for its strawberries.  The queen of England at one time was shipped strawberries from the area.   Check out these links for some history about the regions strawberries. 

http://www.visitbainbridge.com/about-bainbridge/bainbridge-history.html

www.oregon-strawberries.org/history.html

The strawberry has such a complex sweet to tart flavor and has many qualities of an aphrodisiac.  Here is a great pairing suggestion  for strawberries to pass a way a lazy summer day?

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto

        1 Quart of Fresh local strawberries

        1/2 pound of semisweet chocolate. (your choice)

1.  Using a glass mixing boils over a pot of boiling water, (making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl) melt the chocolate. 

2.  Dip the strawberries in the chocolate let the chocolate set. Place then on a in the refrigerator on wax paper until the chocolate is completely solid.

3.  Pair these delights with Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto a perfect italian dessert wine.  Here is a link to the wine

http://www.wine.com/V6/Banfi–Rosa-Regale-Brachetto-2007/wine/94192/detail.aspx?ct=1

Coming Home!

I had forgotten the amount of family that I have in Redding.  Brothers, Sisters, uncles, aunts, nieces, and nephews.   Not to forget my professional poker playing step-father who taught me so many lessons when I was young.  The Tribe has grown quite big since I last pasted through town.  

My life has changed so much sense then.  I have worked on an organic farm for a couple of years.  Found cooking, went to culinary school, and worked for many great chefs.  From dishwasher to chef I have worked my way up in the competitive culinary world of Seattle.  Something was missing.

Modern life is definitely for the multitasker.  With that, you need to make sure that your priorities are for the ones who truly need you the most.  Right now I now my family needs me.  If even to cook a few meals…

Coffee at Stopsky’s

I am finding a little time in my schedule to enjoy a good cup of coffee.  A few years back I could care less what type of coffee I was drinking.  I remember those little packets of coffee you would get in your MRE in my army days.   Although the instant coffee was horrible we were so thankful for any type of caffeine after a long walk in the woods.  At Stopsky’s all the coffee they serve comes from Seattle’s Stump Town Coffee.     I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon at Stump Town Coffee and learn what they are all about.  The sustainable principles that they hold to and the caffeine induced fervor they put into their product is something to admire.  On a nice morning Stopsky’s is a great environment to sit and poke through the Seattle times, catch up on a NPR podcast or do some writing of my own.  

Lunch at the iCactus

 

I recently had lunch at the iCactus in Kirkland with my little pal Joey. 

The Cactus  is a great place to eat if you have a dog.  On a sunny summer day the out-door bar seating is great, especially with a cool summer breeze.  We sat outside and not only was the food good, the service was great.  They actually brought out water (ice water)for the “Joe Moe”!  They have a decent happy hour and a nice margarita!  I will probably go there again.