Tequila-Grapefruit Shrimp, Roasted Corn & Avocado Salad, Fennel Basil Calamari

Apologies up front for the delay between blog posts, it's been a busy summer! But these new ideas are sure to bring some inspiration to the table.  Summer is rapidly turning into fall and I wanted to make sure that I had some new ideas in the books before my mind switched into squashes, turkey, and savory dishes.  I had been itching to do some experimenting for a while and a recent journey to LA brought on the chance to play in a kitchen. In the events leading up to a Saturday night meal with my dear friends Kenny, Erica and their newest addition little Rowan, shrimp had been on my mind.  My friend Axel had mentioned something with tequila might be fun and interesting, so I took it and ran.  

It was a tough go at Whole Foods with no real dish in mind, so a lot of browsing through the local produce helped drive the dish.  I started with the shrimp. Limes, peppers/chilies, and cilantro is where I started, then I found some Grapefruits and that was the beginning of something good.  The dish came together like this: Tequila, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, cilantro, garlic, agave nectar, diced sweet peppers, and salt marinaded the shrimp. They were then skewered and grilled. Topped with supremes of grapefruit and sliced avocado.  The perfect bite; a shrimp, a supreme of grapefruit, and a slice of avocado. Delicious and perfect for summer.

To accompany the shrimp a few other dishes were constructed.  At the store we also ran into some awesomely fresh calamari.  Wanting to do something a bit different and out of the box, I again found myself stuck in the produce section.  I came across some beautiful fennel and my mind went to Sicily where I had seen calamari & fennel paired.  I grabbed some lemons, and remembered that Kenny had oodles of fresh basil growing in his garden.  The calamari was cut into rings, the fennel diced in to the same shape along with diced fennel frawn.  I added some thin slices of red onion, fresh lemon juice & zest, and a touch of agave nectar.  This concoction was sauteed very quickly in some olive oil.  It was pretty delicious upon first bite, but was definitely missing something.  After some debate, we came to the conclusion that this needed pasta.  Keeping the idea, but it's not quite there yet.  

Onto what turned out to be the star of the show.  I have made roasted corn salad in the past, but none quite like this.  With fresh corn roasting on the grill, I sliced up some beautiful radish and fresh cilantro.  Then I added some roasted pine nuts, and large chunks of avocado. Lastly, I grilled some green onions and diced up the char and threw it in to the colorful bowl.  Finished with some high quality olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt, this salad was hands down the best dish of the night.  You can expect to see this pushed on all my summer offerings!

The meal was completed with some cous cous and roasted peppers. A perfect starch to accompany all the flavors on the plate.  There was a ton of vegetables, herbs, and fruit making this a very healthy summer meal.  Thanks Kenny, Erica & Rowan for having us!!  

Slider Night, Edition 1

It was a Tuesday night and I was sitting around the house talking with my roommate Amy.  We were in separate rooms carrying on a loud conversation about what we wanted for dinner. I started listing things I had in the fridge, and she was firing off ideas and verdicts on my proposals.  The menu suggestions went from tacos, to meatloaf, to burgers.  Someone mentioned sliders, and we both paused and quickly agreed.  We assembled and made the quick trek to Whole Foods to gather ingredients.  From just a small thought, came a mountain of fun ideas.  We weren't going to make just one style, we were gonna create 3-4 different sliders.  It was time to play. 

First and foremost we had to do a classic.  I had some delicious black forest rubbed bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese.  With the addition of caramelized onions and a srirracha ketchup, that one was finished.  Easy.  

The second one that came to mind was using goat cheese.  We decided to put an heirloom tomato slice, and some crispy shallots.  In addition, we agreed it would need a sauce. Keeping on the garden theme, a roasted garlic aioli was to be constructed. A couple leaves of spinach and this one was ready.  

The third one took some time to get right, but we were very excited about it.  A roasted Anaheim chili would be the inspiration.  Pepper jack cheese would be melted, and a south western aioli would be the sauce that bound everything together.  This one was mouthwatering. 

And the final and fourth slider was tricky.  We both wanted something random and different.  As we wandered around the crowded grocery store watching all of the neighborhoodies get their organic produce, we landed in the seafood department.  Somehow we decided to get fresh dungeness crab.  It was discussed and decided that a crab salad would be made, and avocado to top the fourth slider.  We were excited. 

With the ingredients purchased, the hurricane of prep began.  Prepping four different sliders and all of the toppings proved to be an arduous task, but well worth it.  Drying and deep frying the shallots, making the crab salad, roasting garlic & the Anaheim pepper, and making homemade potato chips took about an hour and a half.  With the sauces were constructed and mini buns toasted, it was time to build.  The sliders began to tower as our mouths salivated.  Also a last minute dish was a crab salad with an orange vinaigrette and arugula was thrown together as a palate cleanser.  

After a few iPhone pics, we dove in.  All of the sliders were delicious, but we each had our personal favorites.  The goat cheese & heirloom tomato slider was my choice, and Amy leaned towards the roasted Anaheim chili & pepper jack creation.  There were definitely no losers in this battle.  Cant wait to do it again, this time for more than two people!  #slidertuesday. 

Grilled Watermelon, Boc Choy, Tofu and of course, Steak

I am very fortunate to have great clients that allow me freedom to plan their menu.  On a recent Saturday, I was asked to cook a birthday dinner for one of my favorite clients.  The menu was chosen to be Asian motif, however I snuck an appetizer in that didn't really fit the theme.  With 20 guests on the invite and a warm summer night, I looked to grill most of the menu.  

I had been experimenting with watermelon for a few weeks, so the appetizer I went with was grilled watermelon and cherry tomato skewers with fresh mozzarella and basil oil.  I made the basil oil by blending basil, olive oil, garlic and a few sprigs of mint, along with a pinch of salt, then straining it to get all of the solids out.  This would provide a wonderful topping to the fruit & cheese. I prepped the watermelon into nice sized squares and skewered them along with some cherry tomatoes.  These were hit with some olive oil and placed on a very hot & smokey grill.  The skewers were grilled for about 3 -5 minutes, until the tomatoes were splitting.  Once removed, they were arranged with some fresh mozzarella and topped with the homemade basil oil. Served with a few pieces of bread to sop up the oil and juices, the appetizer went over well and was finished quickly.

With the guests happily munching and drinking away, it was time to get the bulk of the meal onto the grill.  I had about 12+ pounds of NY Strip Steaks marinating overnight in my Asian Miso marinade (see Shark wedding post for marinade).  These went to the grill first.  Smoke and smells enveloped the patio and I had a few visitors wander over to the grill to see what was cooking. Cooked to medium rare, the steaks were pulled from the grill and left to rest.

On to the veggies! I had a handful of beautiful baby boc choy heads lightly seasoned with sesame oil and salt.  These hit the grill with some shitake mushrooms that had also been lightly marinaded.  After getting a sear, the veggies were placed in a warm oven to finish cooking while I attended to the rest of the grilling items.  I was definitely pressing hard at this point. Only half way through the grilling items and I was breaking a serious sweat!

The scary part was next... Tofu.  I had done all I could think of to prep this ingredient for the grill.  Marinaded over night, then dried for 2hrs on paper towels to firm up the outside, and finally brushed with oil and onto the grill.  With fingers crossed, I began to grill and flip the tofu.  I was fortunate that everything stayed together and the veggie protein had wonderful grill marks.  Topped with some charred scallions, this dish was ready.

The last thing on the grill was shrimp.  I had marinaded these in a chili, garlic, ginger mixture. These were skewered and placed on the grill as the guests were making their way down to the dockside dinning table.  Seared fast and placed back into the marinade which was bubbling away on the stove, the shrimp were ready along with the guests.

The sun was setting, and alpenglow was lighting up the beautiful mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe.  Dinner was ready. All the dishes had been finished and beautifully arranged by my assistant Jess.  The guests were hungry and the serving dishes came back empty in a matter of minutes.  As it got dark, the birthday cake came down and more wine was poured.  A great meal enjoyed by great people in an absolutely stunning setting.

 

Tortilla! The Spanish Omelette

 So, your friends are over for a weekend, and everyone seems to have brought a dozen eggs. Your fridge is full of egg cartons and everyone leaves on Sunday. What to do? Sometimes a quiche is in order, but I like to go a different route.  

During my travels in Europe, I spent a little over 3 weeks in Spain.  One of the dishes I fell in love with was the tortilla, or Spanish Omelette.  Always an option at tapas bars, restaurants, or street food vendors, this dish never disappointed.  And, it was often served cold! This tasty dish is traditionally comprised of eggs, potatoes and onions. In Spain, you would usually get a slice of the tortilla served on top of a piece of bread, and in some cases a roasted chili on top (I had this version at this tapas bar in Granada).  Warm or cold, it was always delicious... and even better with beer!

For this round, my filling was Yukon gold potatoes, shallots, mushrooms and spinach.  The cooking method is really what separates a tortilla from a scramble.  In one bowl, I cracked about 8-10 eggs and whisked thoroughly with milk, salt and pepper.  It's important to whisk the eggs very well.  In a large skillet, I started cooking the filling.  First went in the onions and potatoes along with a generous tab of butter.  Cooked until the potatoes were soft, the spinach and mushrooms were added with a bit of seasoning.  Once all cooked, this mixture was pulled from the heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.  This is then added to the egg mixture, and it's ready for cooking.  

The egg mixture is then poured into a well buttered/oiled skillet on medium heat.  This is where your patience is tested.  First steps are to use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir and move the egg around so it starts to cook, but not too much.  Once you have the egg mixture beginning to set, the heat goes down a little and the pan is left alone... for what seems like forever.  

20-30 minutes later, or until you and your friends cant stand it any more, it's time for the "flip."  The flip is performed by placing a plate, or pan (in my case a pizza pan) over the skillet and then swiftly flipping the tortilla over and sliding it back into the skillet to brown the top (now bottom).  I always tend to loose a little of the mixture, but nothing major is lost.  The tortilla is then browned on the bottom for a few more minutes then transferred to a dish for serving.  

The golden brown doneness of the tortilla is always a crowd pleaser.  In this instance, I topped the dish with a roasted jalapeno & cilantro oil which I had made for a previous meal.  Served with bacon and a fruit salad, the tortilla went fast.  I was hoping to have a piece for a sandwich later on but when I looked back, the plate was empty! This is a wonderful dish enjoyed in all seasons, warm or cold, for breakfast, lunch or even a late night snack! 

Blue Moon Recipe: Holiday Meal, part 2

With the Pot Roast nailed down as the centerpiece of the Holiday Meal offering, Blue Moon wanted to create a balanced meal using the other beers in the Holiday Variety pack.  Pale Moon was one of the beers I was asked to use to bridge into a recipe.  My mind went directly to appetizers, as it would be tough to use a bitter beer for a dessert.  The lightness and citrus notes of the beer would pair well with a mild goat cheese.  So, I constructed a simple crostini using whole wheat crackers and prosciutto.  To make this app a little more complex, I added a tablespoon of the beer into the goat cheese, along with some fresh chopped chives, orange zest, and some clover honey.  This was mixed well until soft, and then generously spread over the crackers.  Topped with prosciutto, these tasty bites went over very well with my guests!

The next portion of the meal was a pairing with the signature Belgian White.  Consensus among the team was that a salad was in order.  I used the orange notes of the beer as my guide and decided on a fairly simple spring salad with a hand crafted dressing.  The salad was made with Arugula, thinly sliced red onions, slivered almonds, and orange supremes (just the flesh!).  The salad dressing came together way better than I anticipated.  Using fresh squeezed orange juice, Dijon mustard, a touch of honey, fresh cracked pepper, and a little white balsamic along with a high quality olive oil, this dressing was a hit! It paired awesome with the Belgian White.

The holiday dinner went extremely well! Heavy encouragements to try these recipes soon!!

BMBW Orange Salad
Ingredients:
1 6oz box of Arugula
2 oranges, supremed (slices without the pith)
6 oz sliced almonds
½ red onion, sliced thin

Orange vinaigrette
2 oranges, juiced
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Fresh cracked pepper

Method:
Combine all ingredients except the olive oil and mix well.  Slowly add olive oil in while mixing; this will create an emulsion. Chill until service.
Makes 500ml

BMBW Goat Cheese Crostini
Ingredients:
5 oz Goat Cheese
¼ cup fresh chopped chives
1tbsp BMBW beer
1 tbsp Clover Honey
Orange Zest
Prosciutto
Whole wheat crackers or Crostini pieces

Method:
In a small mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, chives, orange zest, beer and honey.  Mix until all ingredients are fully combined and cheese becomes soft.  Spread cheese mixture over crackers (about 1 tbsp).  Top with prosciutto and serve.

Blue Moon Recipe: Winter Abbey Ale Pot Roast!

When the conversation first occurred, it was February and cold out.  Blue Moon wanted to create an entire holiday meal plan around their seasonal brew offerings.  The big discussion was on what would the main meat offering be and with what beer.  After a few ideas that didn't quite make the cut, we landed on beef.  I can't remember what spurred the idea, but a pot roast came to mind.  Very humble, easy, and something that seemed fitting for a holiday meal. Plus, it would be easy to bridge the beer into the recipe.

Pot roast is one of those dishes that is easy to create, but can be tough to finesse.  It can be easily cooked dry, and either way over seasoned,  or severely flat and under seasoned.  Using the Winter Abbey Ale as a liquid base was incredibly useful in setting a huge flavor base for the meat.  Adding a handful of aromatics and other seasonings I was off and cooking.  

After browning the dredged beef chuck roast and setting it aside, the braising liquid was constructed.  Two bottles of beer, Worcestershire, beef stock, onions, carrots, garlic, a can of tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt and what definitely became the secret ingredient, paprika.  With this mixture boiling, the beef returned to the pot for its 3.5 hour journey in the oven.  

Pot roast is a wonderful dish, not only because it is pretty easy to construct, but its cooking time allows you to get some stuff done around the house.  The perfect dish for a multi-tasker.  I was able to knock off some chores that had been nagging at me for a month.  

After a productive 3 hours, I pulled the pot out of the oven for a peak.  It smelled fantastic.  With most of my prep done for the rest of the meal, I added the final touches to the dish. I pulled the meat out and set aside, covered with foil, also grabbed the bay leaves & bouquet of thyme.  Then I took a stick blender to the braising liquid.  The onions, carrots, and tomatoes blended up to make this liquid a wonderfully consistent gravy.  I put the meat back in, and let it hang out in the gravy for a few minutes while we were getting the table ready for dinner.

The camera came out and beauty shots were taken.  But the real beauty was how great the roast came out.  Fork tender, savory and sweet.  Served with some roasted garlic mashed potatoes, this pot roast was rich and delicious. I know it's summer, but you must try this recipe! Special thanks to Kate for coming over and representing the Blue Moon team!

Winter Abbey Pot Roast
Ingredients:
1 3-4 Pound Chuck Roast
Flour for dredging
2 Bottles of Winter Abbey Ale
2 Large Onion - quartered
2 Carrots - large chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic
1/3 cup Worcestershire
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
2 bay leaves
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups beef stock
1tbsp Paprika
Olive oil
Butter
Salt
Pepper


Method:
 Preheat oven to 325.
Season chuck roast with salt & pepper on all sides.  Dredge in flour, including ends.  In a large Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the roast to the pot and sear all sides, about 4-5 minutes a side, then remove and set aside. 
Add a little more olive oil to the Dutch oven along with onions, carrots, garlic and a pinch of salt.  Cook until onions become soft, about 10 minutes.  Add beer, and Worcestershire and bring to a boil.  Then add the tomatoes, stock, thyme, and bay leaves, paprika and a bit more salt, mixing well.  Put the seared pot roast back into the pot and bring to a boil. 
Cover the pot and place in the oven for 3 – 3.5 hours until the meat is fork tender.  Remove meat and place the Dutch oven back onto the stove top.  Either with a stick blender, or food processor, blend up the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes.  Add 2 tbsp of butter to the liquid; this is now your gravy for the pot roast. 
Serve whole at the dinner table, or slice into ½- ¾ inch slices with a generous helping of gravy.  Garnish with caramelized onions. Suggested side; Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Serves 8

Summer Cocktails, Edition 1

Summer gives us an incredible array of fresh produce, especially here in California.  Coupled with the warm weather and plethora of outdoor activities, nothing is more refreshing than a well crafted cocktail.  For some time now, I have been looking for ideas and inspiration to create some fun drinks.  It was a sunny, yet breezy day in Tahoe City when I found myself at the grocery store.  With ample time on my hands that afternoon I aimlessly went shopping for fresh produce.  In my cart landed a wide range of fruit, herbs and veggies.  Still with no plan, I set home with the mindset to play in the kitchen. 

While prepping some fruit and veggies for another dish, I came to the notion that I had an entire watermelon.  What does one person do with an entire watermelon if there is no picnic in the near future? As I was chopping away, my mind was spinning.  Suddenly a light bulb went on.  I saw mint, I saw chopped watermelon, and I saw my stick blender.  Rummaging through the bar, I found some great Tequila Blanca (Partida... thanks Katie!).  I then pulled out some Grand Marnier, Agave nectar, and a lime.  It was all coming together.

Stick blending the watermelon, a couple leaves of mint, the Grand Marnier, Tequila and half of a lime, a wonderfully consistent pink drink emerged.  After one taste, I knew I had something... but it was missing just a little pop.  That's when I found a can of club soda in the fridge. A floater of soda and this drink was marvelous.  Officially on the summer menu, let this drink be a great starter for your Summer BBQs!

Shark Wedding, a Big Grill, and 60+ Pounds of Pork

It was memorial day weekend in Tahoe, it was not sunny, but rather nuking snow.  I was talked into crashing a wedding by Darcy to go see all of our friends.  It was at this moment I approached dear friend Shelly Barnes about her upcoming nuptials.  There had been some emails flying around the past few months about food options, ideas, and was ultimately going to land on brats & veggie burgers on a grill. I couldn't and wasn't going to let that happen. I had decided a few days prior that I was going to donate my services to Shelly & Mark for their big day, and produce some awesome food.  So, fittingly as I was crashing a wedding, I broke the news to Shelly and Mark. High kicks ensued, as did about 100 emails & phone calls leading up to their big day.  

After much planning, talking, and recon runs to Costco and the wedding site, we figured it all out.  Seven pork loins ranging between 8-11 lbs were purchased.  I luckily had a big rubber bin that was easily converted into a marinade container, and a fridge that was completely empty.  I had never attempted to marinade this much meat before, so my proportions of my signature marinade were going to be tested.  

Ali had bugged me about this one recipe for what seemed like a year, so I decided to treat everyone and give it a try.  The marinade is fairly simple, though for that much meat actually took about 2 hours to construct.  Soy Sauce by the gallon, Mirin by the liter, Miso paste by the bucket, Sesame oil by the cup, 6 bunches of cilantro, 3 cups of fresh ginger, a bag of brown sugar, an entire jar of chili paste,  and some white wine for good measure was all mixed very carefully in one of my cooking containers.  Then the 60+ pounds of pork loin went in to marinade, or as Emeril says, "Get Happy."

The meat was on marinade for about 28 hours.  Not realizing this before execution, but I needed an extra hand transporting the meat to the wedding location. Who would have thought that 60 pounds of pork and over 2 gallons of marinade would weigh a lot? 

The next step was the grill. Boy was it in bad shape. Buried under snow for 6 months, it couldn't have looked worse.  This is when a bit more panic set in.  We were 3.5 hrs out from service and the grill needed a lot of work.  7 bags of charcoal, a Josh, a Sarah O, and a Jess and we were in business. Heat, oil, brushes, repeat. The grill was looking pretty by 2:30.  Shelly was adamant about the meat being done by 4pm sharp.  This is where I got nervous.  I had never cooked that much meat without an oven, or any sort of controlled temperature.  Sarah and I took to the grill with yards of foil, marinade, and some beer to extinguish hot spots.  

At 40 min into cooking, I was feeling good about the meat temps and much more at ease. I wasn't going to ruin the wedding... thank goodness.  When the meat came off to rest, it was go time.  Sarah had her cutting station and I had to tend to the rest of the grill items.  We were moving. The pork looked great, tasted good, and was cooked perfectly.  Ronna, Darcy, Joe and a few others had coyly positioned themselves behind the cutting station picking at the scraps as they came off of Sarah's knife.  

I was feeling great as the food hit the chaffing dishes.  People were smiling, eating and happy.  Compliments flew in, but my personal favorite was hearing and seeing the Mother of the Bride run back for seconds and thirds.  

Many many many thanks to Sarah O, Josh, Amanda, Liz, Ben, JP, The Pollocks, The Barnes', and of course to Shelly and Mark.  What an incredible wedding!! I'm so honored I could be apart of it.  

Cheers to the Shark Wedding! (insert lake splash here)

Giants, Salmon, Slaw & a Ring

When my old roommate Sean moved out, we had talked a lot about doing a big dinner at his new spot which can host a good number of people.  We finally got a date on the calendar and invited all of our friends who were in Scottsdale for Spring Training.  Naturally, the SF Giants ended up being the main theme with food and a fun activity planned around this idea.  

The menu created was very similar to what I did with the Lake Tahoe Mackinaw with some slight adjustments.  Instead of Mackinaw, I used a beautiful fillet of Alaskan Salmon.  To add a bit more flavor and moisture to the dish, I made a Honey-Dijon Glaze with fresh dill to coat the fish.  It was wrapped in black forest ham and roasted atop corn husks, just as the Mackinaw was.  

To accompany the fish, the same slaw was made using green apples, napa cabbage, radishes, cilantro and crispy won ton strips dressed in a light champagne vinaigrette.

In addition, I made a roasted corn relish, using roasted jalapenos and minced shallots.  The mixture was lightly pickled using champagne vinegar and some honey, and finished with fresh parsley.  Lastly on the menu was an Orzo risotto with marscapone cheese and fresh spinach. 

The dinner was a huge success and everyone had clean plates.  After dinner, our friend Kasey had some surprises for everyone.  Kasey works for the Giants and was kind enough to bring some fun items.  But the highlight was Kasey's World Series Ring.  We were all giddy and took turns wearing the hardware of champions.  Everyone took what seemed like a million pictures with it on, including this chef!  

Thanks again to Sean for hosting, Kasey for putting the party over the top, Keith for helping with all the food & service, and all of those who came from near and far (That's YOU Zoe!).  What a great meal, with great people.  Cant wait to do it again!!