I Want a Real Snow Cone

I grew up around snow. Actually, I didn't just grow up around it, I grew up in it, on it, and under it. So, when I saw this video from Chef Jason Hill on how to make snow ice cream, I was kind of upset I had never done it. I'm not usually one of these "blame your parents" people, but in this case, I really have no choice. Why didn't we make snow ice cream? Mom?

Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone that's tried this dessert, and what your experiences were. Of course, I don't have to tell you (but will), this is not something we're doing downwind from the old tire factory! You'll need to find pristine, freshly falling snow to attempt this. Enjoy!

Little Lamb Meatballs in a Spicy Eggplant Tomato Sauce – Please Come Out with Your Hands and Forks Up

There's one thing I learned a long time ago; if you add a little cinnamon to a savory recipe, you are allowed to describe it as "exotic." That's just the way it works. And really, who doesn't need a little more "exotic" in their lives?

As far as the easy part, well, that is a more relative term. There are no difficult techniques here, and after cutting up an eggplant and onion, most of your prep is done. The only step that one would describe as "not easy," would be the shaping of all those little meatballs.

Eating little lamb meatballs is fun, but it does take a while to portion them out. Happily, I've included a top-secret restaurant trick for making lots of small meatballs very quickly, by using your hand as a sort of extruding device. Spoiler alert: it's pretty vulgar (but highly efficient).

By the way, this lamb meatballs recipe video was done as part of a special feature my friends over at The Daily Meal are doing. Once a week they have something called "Recipe SWAT Team," where they tackle a new ingredient with one goal in mind: creating easy and delicious dishes.

This week it was "Recipe SWAT Team: Meatballs," and I was asked to throw on my bullet-proof vest, grow a mustache to look more like a cop, and bust through the door both barrels blazing. You can check out the entire feature here, and see some other great meatball recipes.

I hope you give this delicious lamb and eggplant recipe a try soon. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1 eggplant, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup minced onion
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce
1½ cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chiffonade
For meatballs:
1 large egg
1½ tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cloves finely minced garlic
¼ cup finely minced onions
1 pound ground lamb

Stovetop "Sous Vide" Episode 1: The Best Duck Breast Ever

If you watch any food television at all, you've undoubtedly seen the "sous vide" (French for "under vacuum") technique many, many times. What was once a very unique procedure is now about as rare as a hung-over line cook.

Not so long ago, only a handful of pros using state-of-the-art sous vide set-ups, costing thousands of dollars, got to play this game. Today, there are many options for home sous vide kits, most costing hundreds of dollars, but what about the home cook who just wants to try this once and a while, and doesn’t want to invest that kind of money and space?

How about a simple, almost foolproof, stovetop sous vide method that requires no special equipment? Too good to be true? Well, I'm happy to report it's so very true, and produced what Michele and I agreed was the best duck breast we've ever had.

The principles behind this sous vide duck breast's succulence is quite simple. Put the meat in a watertight, vacuum-sealed bag, and place it in a water bath held at a temperature exactly equal to the ideal desired internal temperature. After a certain amount of time, the meat reaches that temperature and stays there.

That's it. Not only is there no real danger of overcooking the meat, but it cooks so gently, in a vacuum, that virtually no moisture is lost. The only real difference with our stovetop sous vide and the professional set-up, is the vacuum part.

We're going very low tech here; simply pressing or sucking the air from a ziplock bag. It's not a perfect vacuum, but as you'll see, it doesn’t have to be. As long as your package sinks below the surface, and no water gets in, you're good to go.

After an hour in the 135 degree F. water, my duck breasts were picture perfect inside. I crisped-up the skin, drizzled over some sweet and sour peach sauce, and ate in stunned silence. I could not believe how amazing the texture was. I won't even waste time trying to find the adjectives, as most of the ones I need haven't been invented yet.

I've only done this with one other meat (a NY Strip steak, also very impressive) so I can’t give you any info on other recipes/times/temperatures just yet. I will, however, post the quick and easy peach sauce seen in this clip soon. Anyway, I really hope you give this spectacular sous vide duck a try. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
2 large duck breasts, boneless, skin-on
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Snackpicks' Deviled Shrimp Bites!

Some of you may remember my trip to Little Rock last October, where I filmed a series of eight snack videos for Kellogg's Snackpicks.com. It was a really fun trip, and I had a great time working with an amazing team of producers.

This quick and easy Deviled Shrimp Bites is the first recipe to air. The video is very straightforward, but I will offer one additional tip. Be sure to use the best shrimp possible. If you are buying them cooked, they need to be fresh and sweet! Better yet, buy raw shrimp and follow the poaching technique in this shrimp cocktail video.

Be sure to head over to Snackpicks.com, to get the written recipe with ingredient amounts, as well as many more great snack ideas. Enjoy!

Coconut Milk Corned Beef and Cabbage - Irish-American/Thai Fusion is Going to be Huge in 2011!

Whenever I travel in Thailand, I always make it point to seek out each city's Irish-American neighborhoods so I can enjoy a steaming bowl of coconut milk corned beef and cabbage.

Okay, so I've never been Thailand, but if there are any Irish-American neighborhoods, and if they do have corned beef available, they may possibly make something vaguely similar to this. If not, that's fine, since I wasn't really trying to make a Thai dish anyway.

I was craving corned beef and cabbage recently, but the thought of doing the same old New England "boiled dinner" had me yawning. I tried to think of some new, interesting braising liquid, and that's when I remembered I've never had something stewed in coconut milk that I didn't like.

Since I had no previous experience to go on, I was pretty conservative with the ingredients in general, and the red curry in particular. That said, I was really happy with the results. The coconut milk gave the broth a subtle sweetness and richness not present in the classic brew.

It's my hope that those of you trying this will be sharing any additions the rest of us may find interesting. I think a little cilantro or basil would have worked, as would the addition of small eggplants, or bell peppers.

Now, how does a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich made with the leftovers sound? Enjoy!

4 pound corned beef brisket (do not add the spice packet to the recipe!)

1 (15-oz) can coconut milk

1-2 teaspoon red curry paste (I used a Taste of Thai brand red curry paste, and their products are found at most large grocery stores that stock an ethnic foods aisle.)

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 quart water

1 onion

2 rib celery

2 carrots

1 pound potatoes

1/2 small green cabbage

My 2010 "Meal of the Year" – A Big Easy Brunch "Sans Pants" at Commander’s Palace

What a truly amazing food year that was! I worked, played, and ate in 10 different cities, and enjoyed over 200 professionally prepared meals, many created by the country's top chefs.

So, you'd think with so many options, choosing a "Meal of the Year" would be difficult. Well, that's not the case. In fact, it’s a total no-brainer. And by brain, I actually mean pants.

That's right, my meal of the year came as a direct result of not wearing pants. I'd love to explain. This all took place on a press trip Michele and I attended, hosted by the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.

We had been invited down to experience New Orleans' cuisine and seafood post BP oil spill, and since neither of us had ever been before, we jumped at the chance.

We had already enjoyed several days of incredible food, drinks, and music in the French Quarter, and the trip was to culminate in the Garden District with a special brunch, prepared by three of the city's star chefs, at the venerable Commander’s Palace.

For those of you that don't know, Commander’s Palace has been considered one of New Orleans' finest restaurants since it was built in 1880. A who's who of great chefs have passed through its bustling kitchen, including Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. This day it would be Executive Chef, Tory McPhail (tall hat) teaming up with Donald Link (ball cap) from Cochon, and Matt Murphy (right) from M Bistro at the Ritz Carlton. I was really, really looking forward to this meal.

As we waited to be seated, I stared hungrily into the colorfully decorated dining room. The smells were glorious; the scent was some sort of sweet, smoky amalgamation of bacon and butter. I was shaken from my trance as our group was led forward toward the source of these heavenly aromas. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was co-owner, Ti Adelaide Martin, and she asked if I could step aside and let the others pass. I did, to quizzical looks from my fellow media members. Then I heard something I'll never forget, "I'm sorry," she said with a stern smile, "we can't let you into the dining room without pants." It was true. I was not wearing pants. I was wearing shorts.

If you've never been to New Orleans in August, let me tell you, it's very humid, and very hot. People say things like, "it may only get up to 95 today." So, since it was brunch, and hot enough outside to accidentally make roux, I decided to go with a nice pair of khaki dress shorts.

She politely explained to me, and the completely horrified PR rep who had made the plans, that everyone who makes a reservation is told about the dress code, and that in the 130 year history of the establishment, no one has ever been allowed to enter the dining area sans pants. Clearly, my "don't you know who I am?" was not going to work.

My heart sank. Talk about a swift kick to the beignets. Michele and I were starving, and crazy with anticipation, and it would have been 30 minutes each way to go back to the hotel. Not only that, all our luggage had already been packed for the return trip to San Francisco following the meal.

Since everyone was flying out after this event, I had no intention of keeping the other press members waiting. The only option would be to return to the Ritz-Carlton to change, thereby missing out on the first half of the menu.

Then, just as my exposed knees and I were about to leave in shame, I was introduced to the true meaning of Southern hospitality. Ti told us that while I would not be allowed to enter the dinning room, she had checked with the kitchen, and they were fine with setting up the Chef's table.

I was told this is the hardest reservation in New Orleans, with people calling up to a year in advance. Out of sheer luck, they had decided to not book the table that morning, since the kitchen was hosting the aforementioned visiting chefs.

Michele and I looked at each other half-smiling, in total disbelief at our good fortune. A few seconds later we were seated smack in the middle of the most famous kitchen in New Orleans. A few friends from the press group came down to check on our situation, but as soon as they saw where we had landed, their looks of concern quickly turned to envious bemusement.

What followed was a brunch as magnificent as the setting, and as magical as the strange chain of events that led us to it. I hope you enjoy the photos, and enjoyed the story behind them.

Executive Chef, Tory McPhail, started things off in grand fashion with an amuse bouche of sweet corn Johnny cakes, pulled pork, soft poached quail egg, Atchafalaya river basin caviar, lemon and champagne gelee, hollandaise, and Louisiana sugarcane.

McPhail is known for his creative interpretations of classic Louisiana cuisine, which he reminded us was "the original fusion cuisine." Chef Tory prides himself on finding the very best local ingredients, and almost 90% of what's used in the restaurant comes from within 100 miles of the back door.

The benefits of such practices were as obvious, as they were delectable with this butter-roasted grouper with chanterelle mushrooms, Louisiana soybeans and crushed local blue crab bisque.

Chef Matt Murphy offered a “Veux Carre Brunch.” One gorgeous plate composed of four fabulous dishes. We had already enjoyed several examples of Chef Murphy's culinary skills at M Bistro, in the Ritz Carlton, so I was looking forward to seeing what he would come up with for this special menu. He did not disappoint.

By the way, in yet another twist of bonne chance, assisting Chef Murphy was Sous Chef Bradley McGehee (pictured above, far left), a former student of mine at the CCA! It was great seeing him again, and I'm glad he is getting to work with such talented chefs.

Alligator "Boudin" Sausage with Stewed Greens

Escargot "Croque Madame" with Quail Egg

Sweet Potato Biscuit With Truffle Scrambled Egg and Sausage Gravy

Jumbo Lump Crab Crepe with Goat Cheese, Sauce Choron, and Ghost Pepper Marinated Caviar

Donald Link, the James Beard Award-winning Executive Chef at Cochon, offered a hearty, Cajun change of pace to the "haute Creole" we had been enjoying, and presented a Sausage and Oyster Pie with Parmesan Bechamel and local Padrone Peppers. There was nothing light about this dish, except how it made you feel while you ate it.

Not only did we get the all this amazing food, prepared and served by these world-class chefs, but we also were blessed with several signature cocktails, like this "Tequilla Mockingbird." In addition to being brilliant at finding tables for people without pants, Ti Adelaide Martin is also an accomplished mixologist.

Speaking of tequila, halfway through brunch, and for no apparent reason, these guys walked into the kitchen and played this to the cooks. Would I be using the local term "Lagniappe" correctly to describe this?

As the meal came toward a close, Michele and I discussed how we could tactfully pass on dessert. We knew Commander’s Palace was known for its decadent desserts, but we were full…and not regular full, New Orleans' full. We decided we'd just split a plate of something, so as not to insult our hosts.

When we informed the server of our plan, she formed a smile as slow and sweet as molasses before simply saying, "No, that's not going to happen." She returned with a tray containing full orders of five of their most popular desserts, including a classic Crème Brulee, and a you-have-to-try-it-before-you-die Bread Pudding Soufflé.

From the depths of under-dressed despair, to the ecstasy of the ultimate Chef's table, this had been an experience we'd never forget. What a meal, and what a memory. A huge merci beaucoup to Commander’s Palace for a truly extraordinary brunch, and to Chefs McPhail, Link, Murphy, and McGehee for letting us share their kitchen!

In a Fowl Mood: A Fabulous Last Supper 2010

Just wanted to say Happy New Year to you all, and share what Michele and I enjoyed for our final meal of 2010. The first course was a superb Moroccan-style chicken crépinette seasoned with preserved lemon from Fatted Calf. I served it over a salad of raw, shaved asparagus, and garnished with kumquats candied in a chili syrup. 

For our main course I continued my exploration into equipment-less sous vide, which produced the finest duck breast I've ever eaten. I served it with a huckleberry gastric, and green lentils, The meat was perfect beyond description. I can't wait to show you how amazing and simple doing sous vide cooking at home actually is. Stay tuned!

Thanks to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats for his "Sous-Vide 101: Duck Breast" post, which served as the guide for the duck technique.