French Laundry Pasta and Momofuku Milk Bar Cookies

I eat well, most days, better than you.  But I still love you :)

Let’s state an example…

I felt the need to produce some French Laundry Pasta (BT Dubs, somebody has my French Laundry Cookbook, and I will curse you if you don’t bring it back to me).  GIMME MY DAMN BOOK BACK!!!!

Luckily, Mr. Mills forced my brain to memorize the pasta recipe back in culinary school… and you can find it on the interwebs for reference.   The most suckiest part of this recipe is kneading dough for 20 minutes, which WILL kick your ass, unless, you happen to be awesome and happen to have a SAMMIC chamber Vacuum Sealer in your basement.  Oh,  I happen to have one of those badass things.  Sir Alton Brown (and his writers of amazing knowledge) taught me that one session of vacuum sealing in my sucker would replace the 20 minutes of kneading.  I didn’t believe him.  When I put this recently mixed dough into the chamber, I watched this dough transform into a massive puff, then all of a sudden, condensed like I kneaded it forever.  I suggest all people who want to make fresh pasta regularly, go purchase a chamber vacuum sealer,  your upper body will thank you for this expense (or gift from spanish dudes).  Fresh Pasta is the Shiznit!

So, pasta is resting in its vacuum sealed satchel in the fridge and Wifey and I get to work on a Momofuku double recipe cookie.  First, we have to make a Cornflake Crunch from the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook   This is basically a pile of cornflakes, tossed with sugar, some substance of milk in powder forms, salt, and an ass-load of butter, baked until delicious.  Ho-Kay, now we pile this crunch stuff into a mixer with all the other cookie goodness, including marshmellows, and mini choco chips, and made some Momofukin good ass cookies!  The lady served us up with shots of Milk…  next time, cereal milk. 

Oh, yeah, I made fresh pasta!  I done cooked this stuff up with some sautéed u-15 prawns and peas in cream sauce with pecorino.  Nommers. 

If you want to come to my house and eat, you’re welcome over… but the cover charge varies depending on how much you may or may not annoy us. 



Roasted Spanish Mackerel

So my local grocery store has these beautiful Spanish Mackerel right now and I thought I would pick some up and play with them.  They are sold whole, are bluish silver, with yellow spots on their sides.  They are usually pretty cheap, I was trapped in Winter Storm 2012 and had my mom deliver me a whole fish for me to hack up an make for dindin.  If you ask your fishmonger nicely, they will gut and clean them for you.  If you ask even nicer, they may filet them for you if you are too much of a sucker to filet it yourself.  Moms grabbed this delicious fish from Central Market

If you want to make this delicious fish like I did, go get yourself:

- 1 whole Spanish mackerel, will feed 2

- some panko breadcrumbs, which you should already have in your damn pantry

- a few spoons of capers

- parsley

- (I put some pepadew peppers in the mix too, which are spicy and sweet and you can find em at the olive bar at central market or Whole Paycheck, I mean Whole Foods)

- a lemon

Ho-Kay, lets make this fish…

- filet each side of this fish if you didn’t wuss out and have the monger filet it for you.  Use fish tweesers to remove the pin-bones that run up the head side third of the flesh. Lay each filet onto a plate over a little bit of olive oil

- in a food processer, buzz the capers, pepadews, and parsley and dump into a mixing bowl

- zest the lemon and add the zest to the breading mix

- add some panko, drizzle with olive oil, and mix the breading with a fork

- spoon the breading on to each filet and pat it down onto the fish

- I used this flat plancha that sits in my oven but you can use a large skillet if you have one

- heat the oven to 400, with your plancha or skillet preheating in it, and once preheated, lay the filet onto the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. 

- done…  eat it. 

- I served this with tomatoes that I halved and drizzled with olive oil and salt and somewhat dried by cooking in a 200 degree oven for 12 hours

- also served it with the squash (that I don’t freaking know the name of) that I cut and tossed in oil, salt pepper, and sugar, and roasted for about 15 minutes

New Year, Back to Work, Back to Portland; Aviary, Beaker & Flask, Sizzle Pie, Country Cat

2012 has arrived, my long Holiday vacation is over and I must work again.  After a couple days in Chicago to kick off the years plans, I’m back in Portland to stuff food products into my face. 

The visit begins with an invitation to have a home cooked meal  made for me by the WillisSchwab’s.  Check this out… if you don’t have enough space in your tiny kitchen for all kinds of cooking toys, then make more kitchen!  Dinners ready and its time for some cous cous, snapper, and a tapenade-ey sort of salsa topping made of green olives, shallots, garlic, tomato, capers, almonds, parsley, and preserved lemon.  Cheesy crostini tops it all off, Thanks doods!

Now I’m off to Beaker and Flask.  After becoming friends with Chef Ben Bettinger, I was aware that the staff were just returning from their company retreat.  If you have ever worked in a restaurant that has a company retreat, you would know how it feels to come back to work.  The staff was on the top of their game…   We started off with the special sandwich, I mean side of veg, I mean… I dunno where the hell the damn dish fits into a menu, but its good.   Its their evening special of soft scrambled egg with grana padano broth, crostini, and just a bit ‘o truffles.  Next we had the Fried Chicken Livers with Radicchio Salad, Brussels Sprouts, and Roasted Squash.  Mmmmmm, Thymus Gland!  On to the Rabbit Roulade with Blood Sausage and a crepe filled with chantrelles.   Thanks Beaker Gang, now go take a nap!

If for some reason you need some pizza really late at night, you can hit up Sizzle Pie, the new spot just appeared right on Burnside.  Be prepared for some freaking ROCK music while you wait for your pie.  “So you want some PIZZA???  You want your pizza with ROOOOOCCKK???”   

  After a fire shut the doors of Aviary, they have re-opened with an addition of a bar, and again sporting reclaimed wood and other decorative stuffs from the church that used to reside here.  The menu is basically no-holds barred small plates and run by 3 co-chefs who’s focus is to use local, seasonal, and exciting combinations.  We ordered greater than or equal to 85% of their menu.  (I must apologize for not using some pictures, and the quality of some that are used because the photographer sucked at taking pictures=me)  Our meal started with Kushi Oysters with a spicy horseradish ice.  Next our table was covered with a ridiculously delicious Fried Chicken Skin Salad with Watermelon, Oxtail Croquettes, and a bowl of spiced Duck Leg in Broth with a slow poached egg.  I would like to bathe in this bowl.  Continue to stuff face with extremely tender Octopus Salad with Chickpea Fries.  Oh my Gatos, this Pig Ear dish with coconut rice was SOOOOOO good!!  Hidden under the salad, I was surprised by the Chinese sausage, Lap Cheong, which I grew up eating in my family’s fried rice in Hawaii.  Then a beautifully braised Short-rib, with Farro, pickles, and pomegranate melts into my belly.  Lastly, the Four Cup Chicken, which is apparently, chicken cooked in equal parts/one cup of each: soy, sesame oil, some sort of Asian wine, and something else that tastes good.  We didn’t leave any food on any plates.

We have wanted to return to Country Cat to get our serious pig eating on and we finally are on our way.    Let’s kick this meal off with a pile of crispy pig ears, piled atop a wedge of fried scrapple.  These delicious little nuggets of piggy-listeners were so crunchy on the outside, and gelatinously tender on the inside, all on top of fried pig face-meat.  We ate them.  The Whole Hog is a plate of a massive Pork Chop, a slice of pancetta style rolled pork belly, pulled pork shoulder, head cheese, and I think I’m missing a piece of pork, but you get the picture.  Country Cat Fried Chicken, fried in Pork Tallow is goldenly delicious.  We also had a large side of Grits topped with a pool of butter, and a side of greens.  We ate it all.  Chef Adam Sappington hooked us up with a trio of desserts and cookies!  Thanks Adam!

Fun Stuff Portland!  Im going home!



3 Part Recipe; Mornay Sauce, Mac n Cheese, Croque Monsieur

This recipe was originally written for good buddy Wheeler but i have had a few people reach out requesting the recipe so im putting it out here for ya!  Remember, if you guys want me to share something... hit me up!

Let’s Make Mornay Sauce.  Mornay Sauce is a cheesy milk based sauce that we can turn into home-made Mac n Cheese, or Croque Monsieur (pronounced “croak messieeuur”), the sandwiches we made at Epcot France.

Here is what we need to make this stuff: 

-          ½ gallon milk

-          1 stick of butter

-          ½ cup of flour

-          Salt

-          Pepper

-          A little bit of grated nutmeg (don’t waste your damn time measuring it, just a few grates of fresh, or shakes of jarred)

-          A bunch of grated cheese (I usually grate up a bunch of different stuff, like cheddar, mozzarella, swiss… whatever you want to put in it.  Try not to buy the already grated stuff cause the bastards put a bunch of cornstarch and crap in it).  Grate more than you think you need, cause we need some to make other food..

Let’s Make this Sauce

-          Bring the milk to a boil in a pot (watch it, once it comes to a boil, you have to turn the heat down immediately or it will boil all over your stove)

-          While the milk is heating up, in another pan (non-stick is ideal) heat up the stick of butter until it all melts

-          Once it all melts, add the flour to the butter and stir it with a wooden or plastic spoon and it will turn into a paste

-          Turn the heat down to low and keep stirring it for like 5 minutes.  DON’T LET IT BURN  (You Just Made Roux)

-          Once the milk comes to a boil, dump all the Roux into the milk and whisk it right away and turn the heat down to medium

-          Keep stirring the milk and it will soon thicken up, turn the heat down to low

-          add your salt and pepper and nutmeg and stir it in

-          Turn the heat off and start stirring in a handful of cheese at a time until it looks like cheesy, gooey, cheese sauce

You have officially made 3 recipes from Classic French Cooking:

1)    Bechamel, the milk based mother sauce that can be transformed into numerous sauces

2)   Mornay, by adding cheesy goodness to the Bechamel Mother Sauce, you made Mornay

3)   Roux, the traditional method of thickening many sauces in French Cooking, you can use this to thicken gravies and stews

 Home-Made Mac n Cheese

Okay, you just made the Mornay Sauce, which is THE sauce for making real Mac N Cheese

Here’s What Else You Need to Make the Mac N Cheese:

-          A bag of pasta: bowtie, macaroni, rigatoni, squiggly tubes of noodle… whatever, as long as its not long spaghetti like stuff

-          More grated cheese, or maybe you have more from when I told you to grate more…

-          Some bread crumbs (I usually have Panko in the house, don’t buy that progresso crap, they putt all kinds of stuff you and your kids don’t need to eat)

-          A baking dish

Lets’ make some Mac N Cheese

-          Cook the noodles however the bag says to

-          Turn your oven on to 350

-          Drain them and dump them into your baking dish

-          Dump in like ¾ of the sauce and stir it a bit

-          Stir in some of your grated cheese

-          Pour the rest of your sauce on the top

-          Mix some of your breadcrumbs and grated cheese together and sprinkle it all over the top of your dish

-          Bake it at 350 degrees for about 20-35 minutes, until it gets as golden brown as you want it

You just made Home-made Mac n Cheese

Croque Monsieur

So we made Mornay Sauce.  Lets turn the sauce into golden brown delicious sandwiches…

Here’s What Else You Need To Make the Croque’s

-          Bread, 2 slices for every Sammy you’re going to make

-          Sliced Ham

-          Sliced Cheese, Gruyere is the traditional, but Swiss works fine

-          More grated cheese, or maybe you have more from when I told you to grate more...

-          If you want to turn the Croque Monsieur into a Croque Madame… which I almost always choose to do, then you need an egg for every sammy you are going to make

Lets Make Some Croque’s

-          Turn the oven on to 350

-          Spray a little pan spray or smear a little butter on to a baking sheet

-          Put half of your bread slices on the pan

-          Lay the ham and cheese onto the bread

-          Top the sammy’s with the rest of the bread

-          Now you are going to put a ladle of sauce on each Sammy and smear it around so it covers all the bread

-          Sprinkle shredded cheese on the top of all the sandwiches (you don’t want to load them up with cheese, just a bit more to top it off

-          Bake at 350 until they turn golden brown, about 8-12 minutes

-          I cut each sandwich diagonally and slap ‘em on a plate

-          If you want to make the Madame, just top each Sammy with a fried egg

Eat



Holiday Season with Eliana

Well if you pay any attention to my blog, you have noticed that I checked out for a while.  I have been lucky enough to have a few weeks off during the Christmas and New Year holidays and even more lucky to have Eliana here with me for the whole time.  For the most part, I left the laptop in its bag and focused on spending time with my family instead of my computer.  So… Here is what has been going in our mouth-holes and bellies!!

Eliana shows off that she can finish her whole salad. Its amazing what she will eat when there is dessert lurking in the kitchen. 

Christmas eve at Apo Lulu’s house and only in our house, does our appetizer spread include sushi… and even more interesting, hot dog sushi!  Typical Apo Lulu Style, we have an array of desserts.  This dessert made a trek across the country thanks to Auntie Betty and Uncle Mike, a Holiday Cheesecake from Juniors Cheesecake. 

Christmas Day begins with Apo Lulu’s Fried Rice.  All of us had three bowls!  Mom sure knows how to spoil us.  For Christmas dinner, I don’t have to work too hard, but I make this puff pastry boule that oozes molten mozzarella, gruyere, and spinach.   A few people have hit me up for the recipe for this… I don’t use recipes, but for you… click this magical different colored font, and it will appear on your interweb machine. I also banged out the roasted beet salad with olive oil, crème fraiche, roasted beets, mint, thyme, lemon zest, shaved radishes, shredded carrots,  goat cheese, and expensive salts. 

After Christmas, I took Eliana to get her J-Lo hairdo done at Gene Juarez, much thanks to Charlie for hooking it up!!!  To get some food in belly after this, we strolled next door to Lot No. 3, for some crostini with goat cheese, apples, candied pecans, and balsamic glaze.  Also some Mac n Cheese.  Eliana was so excited because Robb, chef of Heavy Restaurant Group (all the Purple restaurants) came out to hang for a few minutes.  Thanks for hooking it up Robb!!

We are off to Sun Cove for New Years Eve Weekend and much thanks to the Dreyer’s for moving Schnitzel-fest up a couple days so we could be a part of it.  They pounded a pile of meat, I helped bread it, then somehow I had a few beverages and forgot to take pictures of the delicious finished products of schnitzel, spaetzle, and cucumber salad…. But it was hella bombers.  spaetzle was so good, i immediately bought a spatzle maker on amazon.com

We spent some of the day playing at Rio Vista Winery, while eliana roasted marshmellows outside and ate smore's.

On New Years Eve, I got off easy and by request, I made the Cheesy Boule and Beet Salad… again.  But I also added a load of Boneless Short-Ribs, that I sous vide for 30 hours, and directed my former boss/present buddy to do the searing and wine reduction.  Eliana and Amber made Cake Pops, and K-Dub dropped her ho-hos on our presentation. (I also stole this picture from her).

Holidays are over and its time for some Daddy-Daughter time.  After a few hours of working up a hunger by fighting screaming children in American Girl, we head to Indigo Kitchen and Ale House where Eliana indulged in some Crawfish Cakes, and a pile of Prawns.

Holy crap this is a long post….

Okay, Eliana is begging to make us Chicken Pot Pie, and I don’t mind having someone cook for me, so she gets on it.  If you want to see the whole process of Eliana cooking it in the past, click this magical button again.  

Well, its Eliana’s last night with us, so I decide to take my two ladies to Tablas Woodstone Taverna in Mill Creek.  We are stoked when we walk in to find that there is a Spanish guitarist playing and singing for us during our dinner.  Eliana gets to gnaw on her favorite lamb chops in attempt to persuade her loose front tooth out of her face.  Like a good girl, she eats her veggies, on a butternut squash and arugula pizza. We all dig in on a massive “Surf Tabla” of mussels, clams, croquettes, fish, papas, chorizo, bacon wrapped shrimp, Calamari, and salad.  Maiya and Eliana always save room for dessert!

I hope you were able to hang on and read all the way down here…

Awesome family time and great times with friends.  Thanks to all my peeps for making the holidays so much fun!