Seems like a trend…

each blog update takes longer; my apologies. Anyway, after countless trashed medium diced potatoes, the chefs finally gave us a use for them. I’m happy to announce: pomme persillades, similar to pomme frites or french fries with its crispy exterior and tender interior. A faux deep-frying in the sautoir and a generous coating of butter, garlic, parsley, and sea salt makes these snackables an addicting treat as you plow through the kitchen.



Pomme Persillades

I've been bad about keeping track of all the recipes and goodies made, but some of it include: Roasted Corn Red Pepper Salsa, Mango Chutney, Duck Consomme, Cream of Broccoli, French Onion, Gazpacho, Lobster Bisque, Pan Fried Rabbit Chops, NY Strip Steak, Beef Steaks in Red Wine Sauce, Chicken in White Wine Sauce, Seared Scallops with Onion Sauce, Seared Pork Loin in Red Pepper Sauce, and a bunch of other different mother sauces.



Duck Consomme



Rabbit Chop in Tomato Coulis

Rabbit Chop in Tomato Coulis

Chops

6 rabbit chops
3 Tbsp herbed butter

Heat a small skillet to medium high heat and add butter to the pan. Quickly sear rabbit chops in pan for about 30 seconds and remove.

Tomato Coulis

1 cup Plum Tomatoes, seeded and quartered
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme over tomatoes in a baking pan. Roast tomatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and let them cool. Place roasted tomatoes in blender with garlic and start puree. Slowly pour in infused olive oil. Reserve and serve with rabbit chop.



Cream of Broccoli with Shaved Parmesan

Cream of Broccoli

My chef instructor's recipe used for our practical exam. It's delicious.

3 oz onions, sliced
1.75 oz butter, weighed
1.25 oz flour, weighed
2.5 cups chicken stock
3 oz heavy cream
10 oz broccoli florets
Sachet d'epices (thyme, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorn)
Salt and pepper

Melt butter, add onions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook onions until translucent with no color. Add flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes. Add a cup of stock at a time and mix until roux is thoroughly incorporated. Tie sachet d'epices to the side of th pot and add cream to stock mixture. Let cream base come to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes until thickened. Cook broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes until the florets turn an intense green. Remove from hot water and shock in an ice bath. Drain water and have it ready for the soup base. Remove sachet d'epices when the soup has thickened. Puree the cream stock in a blender until a smooth puree forms. Combine 2 cups of cream base and cooked broccoli and puree until no chunks remain. Serve in a warmed bowl with bite-sized pieces of cooked broccoli.



Pappardelle with Classic Tomato Sauce



Mac n Cheese



Pan Seared Chicken Breast in White Wine Sauce



Might I add that I love this idea of “sharing” at ICE—it means the pastry and baking ladies pass on over the pretty treats for dessert. Win.

I've cooked a number...

of delicious meals this past week (if I may say so myself). Thanks to culinary school, I'm bringing back expensive pounds of fresh cut meats and produce that we prepare in class. Two weeks ago was a fantastic seven days of fish. This week is all sorts of hearty meats.

On the menu as of late: Pan-Seared Duck with Curried Peach Glaze, Shrimp Bisque, Rosemary Butter Filet Mignon, Sesame Encrusted Curry Scallops, Cajun Shrimp, NY Strip Steak in Tomato Sauce, Affogato, Veggie Chip Encrusted Chicken, Roasted Pepper Linguine, Skirt Steak Fajitas with Spicy Sour Cream, Avocado-Corn Salsa, and Roasted Peppers, and Homemade Sesame Ice Cream.

By far the best of this week's running was the NY Strip and Affogato, but the Fajita Dinner came in close. So, two sets of dinner recipes this time! You can debate with me that fat tastes great on meat, but I stick to a lean diet especially when cooking at home.

Because I butchered my own meats, I spent sweat soaking hours patiently trimming off every last piece of fat I could find on this slab of beef. Season it, grill it, and pan sear it, and there's no reason you won't get a juicy medium-rare steak.

Think Vietnamese drip coffee for my affogato. I didn't slow drip the coffee grinds, but my little stove top espresso maker brews some mean coffee. Pour half a shot of it over my condensed milk ice cream, and you'll be fighting for the last drop. I've somehow stumbled upon a super simple ice cream because I'm too lazy to make real ice cream slash don't own an ice cream machine. But thank goodness I did. I am tempted to toy around with many flavors using condensed milk as my base in the future. It somehow becomes the creamiest thing ever. It's so BAD but so, so GOOD.




NY Strip in Tomato Sauce

2 NY Strip Steaks
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 clove shallots, minced
¼ cup onion, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup water
½ tsp oregano

Season the steaks with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Heat grill and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill steaks for 5 minutes until nice grill marks form on both sides. In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add garlic, shallots and onions. Once fragrant, reduce heat and let onions caramelize. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and oregano. Stir to combine and slowly add in water a bit at a time. Let sauce simmer on low until everything is well combined. Move steaks into tomato sauce and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer sauce and steak into a plate. Garnish with parsley.

Condensed Milk Ice Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 14 ounce can condensed milk

Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add in vanilla and continue beating until a light whipped cream forms. Gradually pour in condensed milk and keep beating until mixture thickens to a nice cream. Put in the freezer for at least four hours. Serve with half a shot of hot espresso.

Steak...medium rare.

Skirt Steak Fajitas

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin

1 pound flank steak, trimmed

1 package tortillas

In a resealable plastic bag, combine lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, seasoning, spices, and steak. Seal and toss the bag around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Warm oven to 150 degrees F and place tortillas inside. Preheat grill and spray with non-stick spray. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a cutting surface and allow steak to stand for 5 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices or chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, roasted red peppers, avocado-corn salsa, green onions, and sour cream.

Avocado-Corn Salsa

1 Hass avocado, diced

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup tomato, diced

1/2 cup corn

1/4 cup onion, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and Pepper

In a bowl, toss the avocado, tomato, and corn with lemon juice. Mix in onion, jalapeno, and cilantro before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Ice Cream unadorned.

Beignets > Donuts

My adorable taste testers/guests!

I promise...

I have been cooking, but my time between work, class, and culinary school is limited for the gym and sleep. However, I've made many a meal since the start of culinary training. At the end of class, it's like a pirate loot session where we rummage through the piles of fresh produce to bring home. I am the ultimate trash collector taking back anything my double brown bag could possibly carry. In fact, I want anything and everything, so my chef instructor is constantly asking me to pack goodies to go. WIN.

In the past few weeks, the menu consisted of: Black Glutinous Rice Porridge, Curried Cream of Carrot, Sea Bass en Papillote, Seared Sesame Tuna Steak, Vegetable Baked Flounder, Coconut Mochi, Broiled Mackerel with Fennel Mayo, Rosemary Foccacia, and Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream. Who knew bread bakeries didn't open on Labor Day. I should've known, but it gave me an excuse to make my own foccacia and use up my fresh rosemary! I prepared a few dipping sauces to go with the foccacia and a farewell to summer ice cream with sweet peach topping.



Four dips: Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Sautee; Roasted Red Peppers with Parsley, Shallots, and Garlic; Fennel Mayo with Chili Powder; Stewed Tomatoes with Shallots and Oregano



A slice of foccacia decorated in olive oil, coarse sea salt, and fresh rosemary.



Up close and personal.



Mmm...



Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream with Peach Jam Topping

Rosemary Foccacia

1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp instant yeast
Dried Rosemary
Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt

Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan. Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for until dough forms. Scoop the batter into the greased pan. Cover the pan and let the dough rise at room temperature for an hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Press the dough outwards and poke the dough all over with your fingers. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle salt and rosemary. Bake the bread till for about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and wait 5 minutes before serving. (Adapted from King Arthur Flour).

Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 cup half and half
8 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

Let cream cheese come to room temperature. Combine all ingredients and beat with an electric mixer making sure there are no clumps. Let mixture whip until airy. Freeze for at least four hours.

Cooking for one...

on a drowsy Tuesday night can still be simple, creative, and delicious. I've always been quite an advocate of baked anything (usually something sugary that satisfies my sweet tooth), but for once, I used to oven for something savory--an Asian style baked egg. This particular baked egg is much healthier because it cuts out the fattening cheeses (sorry) and relies on bonito fish stock and soy sauce to give it nice flavor.



Fresh from the oven, ya?



An aerial shot.



I love gooey yolks.

Japanese Baked Egg

1/2 teaspoon Japanese Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Bonito Fish Stock
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Salmon fukikake
1 Tbsp panko crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix spice, stock, garlic, and soy sauce with spinach and mushrooms. Grease a small baking dish with non-stick spray. Evenly fill bottom of the dish with vegetable mixture. Crack eggs over top of vegetables and sprinkle with panko crumbs. Place dish on a baking sheet in the middle of the rack and bake for about 12 minutes. Top with fukikake and serve.

And it's devoured...

Up until this summer...

I've always mistakenly written-off Japanese food as mediocre and mundane (I was so wrong). However, my recent trip to Japan has shed a wonderfully positive light on Japanese culture, food, and society. It's intricacies and delicacies are so unique down to the details. Not only have I gone out of my way to search for authentic Japanese treats (Cafe Zest, Kyotofu, Minamoto Kitchoan) in New York City, but I've trekked a new path in the kitchen aiming to make some sweet treats of my own.

Given the amount of time I have after work, class, and yoga, it's become difficult finding time to experiment in my little, stainless steel laboratory. But, sweating buckets in bikram yoga amplifies my growing hunger for Japanese tea sweets. I like to keep things simple, so these recipes for Milk Chocolate Tofu Pudding and Adzuki Bean Mochi are easy, quick, and perfect for the working person.

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

1 container of soft silken tofu
1 cup of milk chocolate chips
2 tsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the chocolate in a double boiler till completely melted. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract till smooth. Beat the silken tofu with an electric mixer to a smooth paste and stir it into the chocolate mixture. Chill and top with sesame seeds before serving.

*I like using honey because it gives it a nice, fragrant note and sweet aftertaste.

Okay, so I didn't have time to make my own red bean paste. But, this canned one is my favorite kind. It's in a sweet paste form but not completely mashed giving it some texture and chew.



The wrapping of my filling.



The skin of my mochi is stretched way thin, so you can see the filling tucked just inside.



An innard shot of a sliced mochi.



And, one last look!

Adzuki Bean Mochi

1 cup mochiko rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 can adzuki paste for filling
Sesame seeds

In a glass bowl, combine flour and sugar. Stir to mix well. Then add in the water and stir until a paste forms. Cover with a plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove and stir well. Flour the working surface with rice flour very generously making sure your hands are well floured too. Use a wooden spoon to drop the ball of rice flour dough on the surface and quickly cover it with starch. Divide into 8 or 10 pieces. Wrap the adzuki paste inside and cover with more flour. Shape into balls and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top. Place in refrigerator before serving.

How great would this be with a cup of hot tea and the city's night scape?