Recipe: Thomas Keller's ad hoc meatballs with pappardelle

Last night, we spent 3 hours cooking the meatballs with pappardelle recipe from Thomas Keller's ad hoc at home book.  We followed the recipe exactly and were, well, disappointed.  It was ok, but certainly didn't justify the amount of time it took to make it.  The sauce called for leeks and fennel which we thought would lend itself to a unique sauce, but in the end, it was flat.  The meatballs also needed more oomph.  I would've been disappointed had I paid an Ad Hoc price for this dish. 

The grandcruman (blog contributor) agrees.

Restaurant: Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

I am in love with Grimaldi's pizza. 

There are a lot of specialty pizza places in Dallas -- Coal Vines, Picasso's, Fireside Pies, to name a few, and they're all fine.  Basic.  Nothing to write home about.  (At least to me.  I know others would argue otherwise.)  So, I wasn't planning to be blown away by the pizza at Grimaldi's when we met friends for dinner there on Friday.  Grimaldi's has been around in Dallas for a while, but I'd just never been.

The pizza was exceptional.  The crust was thin but not too thin;  chewy but just the right amount of chewiness.  And the ingredients were fresh, fresh, fresh.  I've not tasted tomato sauce and mozzarella on a pizza that was that good, ever.

I'd gone to the restaurant's website beforehand, and kind of chuckled at the fact that they go to such great lengths to make sure the composition of the water is similar to that in Brooklyn (even hiring a chemist to analyze and recreate the mineral content via a New York water pumping system) so that the pizza dough's integrity is maintained.  Apparently, the secret to true New York style pizza is the water.  They also have a special signature brick oven and use special coals (anthracite) from Pennsylvania.

I'm a believer that it makes 'the Grimaldi's difference.'

I'll be going back there soon since I just finished the leftover pizza today.

http://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/pizza

Recipes: Chicken Au Champagne; Cauliflower Gratin



I mentioned the book French Women Don't Get Fat in an earlier blog post and the recipe Chicken Au Champagne.  Voila!  We made it last night for the second time along with Mireille's (the author) Cauliflower Gratin.

The chicken is so flavorful and easy to make -- here is the recipe:
http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/content/chicken-emau-champagneem
Note: We didn't use Champagne but instead some inexpensive sparkling wine.  I believe that cooking with good Champagne is such a waste!

For the Cauliflower Gratin, I threw in some broccoli as well and doubled the amount of cheese (so in the end, it wasn't low fat).  Interestingly, the Cauliflower Gratin recipe in the book is different from what's on Mireille's website. 

Cauliflower Gratin recipe on her website (looks tasty; is cheese-less; we'll try it next time):
http://frenchwomendontgetfat.com/content/cauliflower-gratin

Cauliflower Gratin recipe that we made that's in her book:  http://www.goodcooking.com/ckbookrv/spring_05/fat_bu05/fat_rev.htm

This is an easy meal to make during the weekday.

Drinks: Fever-Tree Ginger Beer

Do you love ginger?  If you do, read on!

I've found the most amazing ginger beer I've ever tasted.  Note:  ginger beer is non-alcoholic.  I was strolling down the 'ethnic' aisle in our local grocery store (Kroger) and found it there of all places, near the Italian food section.  I'd heard of Fever-Tree before, having had a drink made with its all-natural tonic but had no idea they made ginger beer as well.

I've had a hard time finding ginger beer in Dallas, only finding Reed's Extra Ginger Brew (all-natural Jamaican style ginger beer) at Central Market.  Fever-Tree's Ginger Beer blows it away by a long shot if you like a very strong, almost spicy, ginger flavor.  It makes Reed's taste like water.  Fever-Tree's Ginger Brew is made with all-natural ingredients and is only 88 calories per 6.8 oz bottle.  The only drawback is that it was $6.49 for 4 bottles, but it's well worth it.

For more info on Fever-Tree, go to: http://www.fever-tree.com/drinks.php
They tout Ferran Adria of El Bulli saying, "Fever-Tree is an outstanding mixer" and that their products are used in 7 of the 10 top restaurants in the world.

I'm going to have to try the Ginger Lemon Drop Sprizer recipe (ginger beer, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, vodka, lemon juice, minced ginger) tonight.  The recipe is within an article about chefs using ginger more and more in their cooking because of its great versatility.

Book: French Women Don't Get Fat

This book came out years ago, and while I bought it back in 2004, I only read it just recently as recommended to me by a friend.  I really enjoyed it -- it's a FUN, quick read and has changed how I view food.  In addition, the book has some wonderful, easy and tasty recipes like 'Chicken au Champagne.'

The author, Mireille Guiliano, is the former CEO of Champagne house Veuve Cliquot and relates the story of how she changed her relationship with food with the help of 'Dr. Miracle' who helped her easily lose weight when she was younger.  She gives tips on how to stay slim without dieting.

The premise of the book is all about changing your lifestyle bit by bit but still indulging in life's pleasures.  There are trade-offs you can make ~ for instance, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or cutting out a dessert if you're going to have a sweet after-dinner drink.  Little things added together (cutting a few calories here and there and gradually increasing exercise) can lead to easy weight loss.

While I'd encourage you to read the book, here is a summary of what Mireille thinks French women do differently compared to American women:

1. French women eat smaller portions of more things (each meal averages 3 courses).
2. French women eat more vegetables. 
3. French women love chocolate, especially dark chocolate.
4. French women honor mealtime rituals and never eat standing up, on the run, or in front of the T.V.
5. French women eat what's in season for maximum flavor, and know availability does not equal quality.
6. French women don't care for hard liquor.
7. French women walk wherever they can.
8. French women drink water all day long.
9. French women don't eat anything "fat-free", "sugar-free" or anything stripped of natural flavor. They go for the real thing IN MODERATION.
10. French women choose their indulgences and compensations.

Recipe: Thai-Style Beef with Noodles

I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner on Saturday and went on to epicurious.com to get some ideas.  They have 'top-rated recipe' categories like 'Best Burger Recipes,' 'Best Chicken Recipes,' etc.  I found the following recipe under 'Best Steak Recipes' which sounded really delicious but wasn't as flavorful as it could be (but then, we really like BOLD flavors).

The recipe has potential but wasn't great as-is.  I think the meat needs to marinate longer (a couple of hours rather than 20 min), and my husband suggested adding more sugar and also ginger to the marinade.  Next time, I might add some other vegetables as well and more scallions and more Thai green-curry paste.  As you can see from the photo, we used Sriricha sauce which added spice and helped saved the dish.

We'll make it again, and I'll update this post with our additional recipe tweaks.

Thai-Style Beef with Noodles
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/beststeakrecipes/recipes/food/views/Thai-Style-Beef-with-Noodles-241478

Recipe: Potato and Celery Root Mash

We didn't do too much cooking this past week, but we did make this Potato and Celery Root Mash recipe to go with some brisket (that we'd previously made and froze).

I don't know if I can eat regular mashed potatoes from now on without thinking about this recipe.  It's easy to make and only involves 7 ingredients: potatoes, celery root, horseradish, sour cream, Dijon mustard, butter and salt.

We made half the amount (the recipe is for 6-8 servings) and used horseradish cream that's easily found in the grocery store instead of actual horseradish which our store was out of.  It was my first time cooking celery root -- which we had to go to Central Market, our specialty grocer, to buy.  It along with the horseradish added a nice dimension.  We'll definitely be making this again!

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2011, p. 93
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-and-Celery-Root-Mash-368964

A Cool Gift: Alcohol Art

A research scientist at Florida State University tried to find novel ways to fund his research, and decided to take photographs of various alcoholic drinks under the microscope and sell them as art.

Here's how this unique art is made according to the website:
"BevShot images are made by first crystallizing the drink of choice on a lab slide. Using a standard light microscope with a camera attached, the light source is polarized and passed through the crystal. This creates the magnificent colors we see in our favorite drinks featured on this site."

Rum and Cola is my favorite, and I received it for Christmas.  I think it's a cool and unique gift!  You can buy them at:  http://bevshots.com

Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup

We've been eating leftovers (the Rick Bayless enchiladas I posted last weekend, more Martin Yan dumplings I made, and a beef daube stew my husband cooked up last weekend).  So, today it was time to make something new.  I was craving souffles and since we had some gruyere in the fridge, we made Gruyere and Parmesan Cheese Souffles.  I still get excited when the souffles rise beautifully.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gruyere-and-Parmesan-Cheese-Souffle-103223

We also had some spinach that we needed to use up, and I'd seen Grace Parisi's recipe for Italian wedding Soup (that calls for spinach) in the new Food and Wine Magazine (Feb 2012) we received the other day.  On a cold day like today, it was perfect and a nice complement to the souffles.  We decided that the soup is  perfect if you need something hearty, basic and quick. 

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/italian-wedding-soup

A few suggestions:

• Add herbs
• Saute the meatballs first to give them more flavor and color
• Use 3/4 orzo and double the amount of celery and carrots (we like hearty soups that can stand alone as a meal)

All About Champagne

While Champagne is especially apropos today (and of course, last night), I think it's great any and every day of the week.  Why not?

Don't know much about Champagne? 
Do you know how Champagne gets its bubbles? 
What are the 3 primary grapes used in Champagne? 
Did you know that Champagne was "invented" by a monk. . . Dom Perignon?

This informative article "Bubble by Bubble" by Lettie Teague at the Wall Street Journal is a nice primer:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204879004577108771968650542.html?KEYWORDS=bubble+by+bubble

Happy New Year!!!!

King Ice Cube Tray -- and an Apple Pie Cocktail

Happy New Year's Eve!

For your New Year's bash tonight, impress your guests with William-Sonoma's 'King Cube Silicone Ice Cube Trays'.  A set of 2 trays (8 cubes) is $14.95.  The 2" cubes will keep their drinks colder and won't water down their drinks as fast.  Plus, large ice cubes look cool.

The cocktail I made in the photo is an Apple Pie Cocktail:

• 1.5 oz Stoli Apple Vodka
• 2 oz Apple Juice
• Pinch of Cinnamon

Shake all 3 ingredients in a cocktail shaker over ice and strain into a glass.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Vietnamese Caprese (from Chef Anthony Myint of Mission Street Food)

"Vietnamese Caprese?," you say.  Intrigued?

This recipe from Chef Anthony Myint of Mission Street Food in San Francisco is one of my favorite healthy recipes we make.  While it's a more fitting summer dish, I was craving it last night.

I love this description of the dish from Food and Wine Magazine.  "Unexplored synergies" is the perfect way to describe the combination of ingredients and how well they work together:

Chef Anthony Myint likes to play with "unexplored synergies" in food. For this noodle salad, he combines the Italian trinity of tomato, basil and mozzarella with Asian rice noodles and a version of the classic Vietnamese noodle sauce nuoc mam, made with fresh tomato juice. You could also call the dish an Asian-inflected take on spaghetti and meatballs.

Couple of tweaks we made:

• Instead of thai chilis, I used 1 serrano pepper.  I love SPICY!
• It's not completely necessary to chill the meatballs overnight (we chilled them for an hour or so).
• It also wasn't necessary to allow the tomato mixture to strain overnight (an hour worked for us).
• The photo is missing basil.  I went to 3 grocery stores last night to look for the ingredient, and everyone was sold out.  Yet another reason that we need to grow our own!

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/vietnamese-caprese

Food and Wine Magazine, July 2011 p.102

Food Truck: Ssahm BBQ (Korean)

Food trucks on Flora St. in downtown Dallas
next to the Nasher Sculpture Center

A daeji (pork) taco and kimchee fries!

What a huge surprise to see food trucks lined up next to the Nasher Sculpture Center during lunch today!  We were planning on grabbing lunch at Mia's on Lemmon, but opted to support the food trucks and try out their fare.  We tried a couple of things from Ssahm BBQ, and they were delicious especially the kimchee fries.

Daeji Taco:  pork, sesame soy vinaigrette salad, caramalized kimchee, cilantro & onion, salsa roja, served on 2 corn tortillas.

Kimchee Fries:  fresh handcut potatoes, monterey jack & cheddar cheeses, cilantro & onion, caramelized kimchee, spicy majo.

Ssahm BBQ (and other food trucks) are often in the Arts District in Dallas, so check them out!  They'll let you know where they are if you follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
http://www.ssahmbbq.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SSahm-BBQ/199298540108401?sk=wall#!/pages/SSahm-BBQ/199298540108401?sk=wall

For those unfamiliar with kimchee, here is how Wikipedia defines it:
"Kimchi also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings.  There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber.  It is the most common banchan, or side dish, in Korean cuisine. Kimchi is also a main ingredient for many popular Korean dishes such as kimchi stew (김치찌개; kimchi jjigae), kimchi soup (김칫국; kimchiguk), and kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥; kimchi bokkeumbap)."

Recipe: Martin Yan's Shrimp-and-Pork Dumplings with Bamboo Shoots

We can cook, so can you!  [channeling my Martin Yan]

For dinner tonight, we made the Shrimp-and-Pork Dumplings with Bamboo Shoots recipe from Food and Wine Magazine (Jan 2012, pg. 52)  Easy and delicious, seriously -- you just need a handful of ingredients.  Shrimp, pork, bamboo shoots (found them at our local Kroger!), canola oil, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and wonton wrappers.  We added about 4 oz of pork intsead of 2 to make them more 'porky' (ha ha)!  The next time we make them, I'm going to add some green onion.

We had Ginger Garlic Green Beans on the side but without the garlic (because raw garlic = awful breath later) and added sriracha sauce to it.

Shrimp-and-Pork Dumplings with Bamboo Shoots
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shrimp-and-pork-dumplings-with-bamboo-shoots

Ginger Garlic Green Beans
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ginger-Garlic-Green-Beans-354956

For the dumpling dipping sauce, I concoted the following:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sugar
• About 1 tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger
• About 1 tbsp chopped green onion
• Sriracha sauce to taste

Believe me, fresh dumplings are a million times better than the ones found in the freezer section of the Asian Supermarket.

For more on what Sriracha Sauce is, click here.  You can probably find it at your local grocery store if your store has an aisle dedicated to ethnic foods.  Interestingly, the ingredient was named 'Ingredient of the Year' in 2010 by Bon Appetit Magazine.

Drink Recipe: Blood and Sand

We went to a party recently, and one of the two specialty cocktails they were serving for the event was called Blood and Sand. 

I did some research on the name (it sure doesn't sound appetizing), and on Dewar's website, it says, "Tommy Dewar loved film.  This delicious cocktail takes its name and inspiration from the 1922 silent movie with Rudolph Valentino.  In the film, he plays a matador who dies in the arena by his own reckless behavior having lost his true love."

The recipe on Dewar's site shows this as a martini, but we use a double-old fashioned and build it over ice.

2 parts Dewar's White Label Scotch Whiskey
1 part cherry liqueur (we use Heering)
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part fresh squeezed orange juice
Add orange twist

This cocktail is complex and surprisingly drinkable for someone like me who is more of a vodka and gin drinker.  Drink this and you'll feel like Don Draper.

Recipe: Apple Cider Cream Pie

I love apple pie, so this recipe caught my eye in November's issue of Food and Wine Magazine.  It's absolutely incredible if you love apple desserts.  I made this a second time the other day and offer these suggestions:

1. I was a little short on dough for the crust, so I would make a tad more next time.
2. It took me about 15 minutes to reduce the apple cider down to half a cup.
3. To give the dessert more texture reminiscent of apple pie, dice up 1 large Golden Delicious apple and 1 small Granny Smith apple and bake it in the custard.

If you figure out how to get the apple garnish on top to look like the Food and Wine Magazine photo, please let me know!

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/apple-cider-cream-pie

Enjoy!

Recipe: Gingerbread Cheesecake

This Betty Crocker recipe was a hit and so easy to make.  Not wanting to make the typical gingerman cookies, I found this recipe on the back of the packaged mix and decided to try it out.  There's a gingerbread cookie bottom, cheesecake topping and crumbled gingerbread cookies on top.

Recipe: Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington (photos & videos)

Per request, here are a few photos and videos to show how we made the Beef Wellington recipe (see the blog post on Dec 18th for a link to the recipe).

Lay prosciutto on cling wrap



Spread mushroom paste over the prosciutto

Roll the prosciutto & mushroom around the seared filet mignon

Wrap the filet mignon in puff pastry

Wrap the filet mignon in puff pastry (cont'd)
Then score the pastry

Voila!

Recipe: Apple Turnovers (using leftover puff pastry scraps)

When we made the Beef Wellingtons last week, we had quite a bit of leftover puff pastry scraps (that of course, did not touch the beef).  Alas, we did not want to waste the puff pastry, so I made Apple Turnovers last night using the following recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/French-Apple-Turnovers-em-Chaussons-Aux-Pommes-em-350419

They were easy, easy, easy.  I made 2 adjustments -- added more sugar and some cinnamon to the filling and baked them for less time than the recipe required because they were pretty brown when I checked on them after about 20 minutes.

The Girl Who Couldn't Eat

Can you imagine not being able to eat?  This short article was in Parade Magazine last week and caught my eye.  Matisse Reid, now a 5th grader, was born without a functioning digestive system and lived off of a feeding tube until last year when she received a large & small intestine transplant.  Even when she wasn't able to eat, she cooked, created recipes, watched the Food Network, and started a cooking blog.  She is ok now but will always be on anti-rejection medication.  Seeing food and not being able to eat it would be torture for me.

Read the short article to find out what she chose for her first meal:
http://www.parade.com/news/2011/12/the-girl-who-couldnt-eat.html

Here is her blog:
http://matisseskitchen.blogspot.com/