How to grill inside

A dear friend of mine asked for some ways to "grill" without a grill. I am going to give you a few tips and ideas for "grilling" inside.

First, you will want to invest in a cast iron grill pan - an investment that you will not regret. You can get a pretty good cast iron pan for $35. They are great for quick recipes, but don't really achieve that smokey taste people love.

You may hear people say to "season" your cast iron but what does that mean? You don't ever want to use soap on your cast iron, you simply use 1 TBS of salt (not the real fine stuff but the gritty kind) and scrub/work it into the cast iron. Works like a charm. Depending on how bad it is, you may want to use a steal wool. If you just bought a cast iron pan, simply coat with oil and place upside down in a 325 degree oven, use tinfoil or pan to catch the drippings.

So now that you have your grill pan, you can either get it piping hot on the stove top and grill as usual or you can rediscover your broiler. Think of your broiler as an upside-down grill. Even though you won't get those pretty grill marks or the smoky flavor you'd get from charcoal, you can get a pretty good char. Set your oven rack about 6 to 10 inches from the broiler and use your grill pan, or a pan with ridges, so that the fat is able to run down. As you are cooking you want to check your food frequently so it doesn't burn. After about 4 to 6 minutes pull your steak, pork chop or lamb (whatever you're cooking up) and flip it, then cook for 4 to 6 more minutes for medium rare. One big problem I see with home cooks is constantly wanting to turn and mess with your food to see if it's done - don't do that! Simply trust the clock, and turn it when it says you should. 

So thirdly, I would suggest using smoked spices. For example, hickory smoked salt - which I love - can be found at whole foods, or even online. It's easy to achieve smokiness with spices, so drizzle your fish or vegetables with chili infused olive oil, or smoked paprika. You could even make your own blend with dried chipotle chilies. If you do use liquid smoke be careful not to get carried away, too much and your food will taste like an ashtray. 

Be sure to throw some garlic and fresh herbs on the grill with whatever you're cooking - you could even infuse olive oil with some smoked salt, herbs and garlic and brush it down as you cook. 

Best of luck, let me know what you've been cooking up! 

To-ma-to, To-mah-to!

My tomato plants are growing so fast and it couldn't be fast enough. I love Spring, gardens, flowers, farmers markets with fresh fruit and vegetables! So vibrant in color it's hard to know where to start - it's all so magical! Tomatoes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors - it's hard not to get excited about them. 

First lets learn a culinary term today - concasse, refers to a tomato that has been peeled, seeded and roughly chopped. 

Get some water boiling and an ice bath ready (this is crucial when it comes to cooking vegetables, you want to be able to plunge your hot vegetables into an ice bath to stop the cooking)

Reasons behind concasse is that sometimes seeds can create a bitter taste and the skin can be tough and not appetizing. I've been that girl that pulls skin from my mouth like a fatty piece of meat, not attractive.

So first score the bottom of your tomato with a small knife in the shape of an X, not too deep. 
Place in boiling water for about 30 seconds (depending on size, but really no more than 30 seconds otherwise mush happens).

Then plunge into ice bath to cool.

The skin should peel off easily at this point. Cut the tomato in half and squeeze the seeds out and roughly chop.

I want to show you how versatile and unique tomatoes can be with some recipe ideas.

Stuffed cherry tomatoes

18 Large cherry tomatoes (try and get a variety of color
1-2 TBS pine nuts
3 TBS EVO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 Zucchini cut 1/4in diced, seeds removed
Garlic crushed
Thyme chopped fine
1 cup basil leaves
Salt and pepper

Concasse your tomatoes, then remove 1/4in from the top after removing the skin.

Scoop out the insides (this might be a little tedious, I suggest using a melon scoop).

Toast pine nuts (I always toast any nut that I cook with because by toasting them you are releasing their natural oils that otherwise you wouldn't. Don't be afraid to get some color on them).

Saute zucchini, garlic and thyme. I suggest using butter here (be creative here, substitute sausage, or nice chunks of sourdough bread). Set aside.

Then combine basil, pine nuts, and EVO in a blender (maybe add some Parmesan cheese here).

Toss with your zucchini mix, season with salt and pepper, and fill your tomatoes, then set aside.

Tomato Dressing

3 Heirloom tomatoes chopped 
2 TBS EVO
1Tsp cornstarch mixed with a dash of water (the consistency should be like half 'n' half, you just made a Slurry).
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and pepper

Cook for one hour in a double broiler allowing the tomatoes to break down, then strain, saving the pulp.

Bring the tomato juice to a simmer and thicken with your slurry. Then puree with the tomato pulp, salt and pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. Maybe throw in some fresh basil or honey if you want it sweet - this is a great dressing base to play with flavors you like. If it's still chunky, you may want to strain it again. Chill.

So here you can build an epic tomato salad.

I would pick up some:
Arugula
Heirloom tomatoes
Ricotta salata (or a nice Parmesan)
Sherry vinaigrette/EVO
If you can find some micro basil it adds such  nice finishing touch.

Slice your heirloom tomatoes to a nice thickness, season with salt and pepper. I suggest letting them drain on paper towels so that they don't bleed all over your plate. 

Dress your tomatoes  and arugula with oil and vinegar (maybe some shallots and garlic and fresh herbs).

Arrange on a platter or plate top with your stuffed tomatoes, arugula, dressing, and cheese. Enjoy this lovely fresh vibrant salad, great for appetizers too!

The possibilities are endless - tomato pie, homemade salsa, bruschetta, or just simply toss them on the grill and enjoy. Come back and we will discuss Gazpacho!

Happy Spring! What is your favorite fruit or vegetable?

Cooking with Wine the DOs and DONTs

Cooking with wine is a great way of adding flavor that chicken stock or other liquids can't achieve. People have tons of opinions on this matter - some I agree with, others I don't. But like I always say, it's about preference and knowing your ingredients, it's the same with wine.

First, what is the difference between cooking sherry and sherry?

So, sherry is a fortified wine. Just think for a minute how much sherry could enhance a simple soup, stew or sautéed dish. Not only is it a wine, but it's fortified with whiskey or brandy. Just like wine there are different variations to sherry, I will just discuss two that I recommend for cooking with. If this is something that interests you, you will discover the vast differences and variations, and how this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Amontillado wine has a salty taste, tends to be a little nuttier, and goes well with cheese and fresh greens, like arugula and spiced nuts. I think it tends to go better with lighter meats, like chicken or duck. 

Oloroso is more on the spicy side, full bodied and aromatic lending itself to go well with strong bold dishes, like braised beef and a pungent blue cheese.

Cooking sherry appeals to the woman who doesn't want to spend $10-20 dollars (depending on the type of sherry) and is attracted to being able to screw the lid back on and it keep for seemingly forever (or until next time). If you aren't going to drink sherry and your sole purpose is for cooking, then by all means buy a bottle of real sherry and keep it the fridge, the added alcohol will help keep your sherry longer than most people think. The flavor won't be optimal but its better than buying cooking sherry.

The reasons I don't like "cooking sherry" is that is it just not comparable. Its flavor profile can change your dish for the worse. Cooking sherry is a thin, cheap, watered down wine that has food coloring and salt added to extend the shelf life.

What kind of wine is best for cooking?

You will hear people say, "Don't cook with wine that you wouldn't want to drink." I don't think this is necessarily true - now don"t misinterpret that as a suggestion to buy a $3.99 bottle of wine and think it will taste good in your dish.

You will also hear them say, "Don't cook with old wine." I don't think that is necessarily true either. OF COURSE newly opened wine would be better for freshness of your dish but dont throw away wine that isn't good to drink, simply cork it and refrigerate to keep longer. Plus, after cooking that acidic, "old" taste will be so subtle you won't even notice. 

I'll be honest, I think boxed wine it the best bang for your buck for cooking, you don"t have to fret over tannins and acidity (too much) and you aren't worried about it going bad as quickly as a bottle would. 

So here are a few rules i like to follow.

Rule number one: Don't panic and fret over which wine to choose, I promise you'll be fine!

When picking out a red wine to cook with, it's usually safest to go with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, if your recipe calls for a dry red wine, think about what your cooking and the heartiness of it - are you simmering a leg of lamb or sautéing a veal chop? Then you need something with enough body and boldness to pull out the flavors of your meat, so think more along the lines of Petite Syrah. 

A lighter dish like, oh maybe coq au vin, goes well with a chianti. A chianti can range from light to full body, but is usually a dry wine with flavors like tart cherry and is very fruit forward (as a general rule, this isn't ALWAYS true). 

With white wines, I tend to lean more towards Sauvignon Blanc or a buttery Chardonnay. I usually avoid cooking with Reisling because it is sweet, but again if you are poaching pears than maybe you want a sweeter wine.

I hope this gives you more confidence in cooking with wine, and again, like I always say, play around with flavor profiles and you will learn to enjoy picking out a wine to cook with instead of that swelling feeling of anxiety. 

Ask question! Share what you have been cooking this week!

Brussel Sprouts baby

I am a brussel sprout lover and you will be too after these easy recipes. 

Let's jump right in and play around with some different ways to prepare brussel sprouts (oh and we will have non brussel sprout lovers asking how they ever lived without them).

This recipe is so simple and so delicious.

What you will need:
About 1 pound of Brussel sprouts 
(Ok, side note here, please feel the freedom to change the amounts up, with cooking it's not an exact science, if you think it needs more bacon then add more bacon. That is what is so great -you get to explore; just use these measurements as a guideline).

6-8 slices of bacon cut into lardons (remember my trick to toss your bacon in the freezer and then simply cut your bacon into thin strips).

1 Onion

1 Garlic clove chopped 

Butter/ oil for browning 

Salt and pepper 

Start by cleaning your brussel sprouts. Using a pairing knife, trim the root end and then cut the brussel sprouts in half. At this point, the outer layers will easily come off. 

Render your bacon (we talked about this as well in my last post).

Strain off some of the fat, saving for later, but leave a fair amount in the pan. Use your judgement - you may not need to strain off any depending on the bacon you used. 

Remove the rendered bacon from the pan.

I went ahead and posted this short video on how to cut an onion so you can know the different ways - trust me this will change your world in the kitchen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQZtCVkypAo

For this recipe, I like to cut my onion Julianne (thin strips - the first example he showed in the video without the root).

Turn your heat up. Using the same pan you have been using, add some fat to the pan. Add your onion to the bacon grease and don't stir them for a good 5 minutes, then give them a stir.

Turn your heat down, then add your garlic. 
Once the onions are caramelized how you would like them, add them to your bacon.

Now, get the same pan (trust me) really hot. Add your brussel sprouts cut side down if at all possible. The pan should sizzle when you add them. Don't stir - let them get caramelized then flip. You may need to do these in batches. 

Here is where it comes down to you and your preferences. Ff your brussel sprouts are small and you let them sear in the pan long enough you may not need to cook them longer. If they are bigger, you will need to toss them in the oven for a bit to cook them through. Use your best judgment.

Easy, right?

The best part is once you've perfected them, you get to change things up - toss in some fresh lemon juice or vinegar, or bake them with fresh Parmesan cheese, maybe some fresh herbs. 

The second way I like to cook brussel sprouts is to shave them and make into a salad almost. 

For this you will need a mandolin, or a food processor to shave them thin. 

What you need:

2 pounds of brussel sprouts shaved.

Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes.

For the dressing:

1/2 to 1 Tbs minced or grated ginger

1 Shallot minced 

1 Garlic clove minced

1/2 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil 

1/2 cup olive oil 

1 Tbs honey

Heat oil in a saucepan and add your garlic, ginger, and shallot. 
Sauté them without getting a lot of color on them, then add everything except your oil. 
Simmer, then gradually whisk in your oil. 

Toss your brussels in the dressing and garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, and maybe cilantro, if you like. 

Let me know how those turn out and which one is the bigger hit! 

Youtube. (2012, April 26). How to Chop an Onion with Jamie Oliver. [video file] retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+cut+an+onion

Coq Au Vin

Hello out there. 

I think today we should talk about foods that you probably cook everyday, and maybe add some twists to them or perhaps answer questions that you didn't even know you had. 

Chicken. The most versatile protein.  

First learning how to fabricate (or break down) a chicken is vital and will serve you well. I find it cost effective and a better yield if I buy a whole chicken and fabricate it myself. Watch this fantastic video on breaking down a chicken and just try it. Trust me.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEJSHRSJCn8

Feel better? Great, now let's cook it. We are going to make Coq Au Vin, chicken in red wine with onions, mushrooms and bacon. A classic French chicken dish.

What you will need:
Serves 4 to 6 people

4 to 6 oz bacon 

2Tbs butter

2.5  to 3 pounds cut up frying chicken (this means all those pieces you fabricated yourself, the drum, thigh and breast)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup cognac

3 cups full bodied red wine (Burgundy, cotes du rhone or even a chianti) 

1 to 2 cups chicken or beef or chicken broth (remember we made this a few blogs ago - it's starting to build on each other!)

1/2 Tbs tomato paste

2 garlic cloves smashed (turn your knife sideways and literally smash the garlic, it releases the juices without having to chop it)

1/4 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

First start by cutting your bacon into lardons. To make it easier, throw your bacon in the freezer for a few minutes. A lardon is basically thin strips of bacon, usually 1/4 inches across and 1 inch in length.  

Get your casserole pan (or stock pot) hot, then add your bacon (if you used lean bacon you may find you need to add some butter).

** Here is a tip for cooking bacon: you want a hot pan before you add the bacon, then turn your heat down low. You might see recipes that say render the bacon, basically meaning we want to extract all the fat out so we are left with crispy bacon (Don't get impatient and try to turn the heat up; trust me just let it roll).

Remove the bacon and set aside. You may notice little bits of bacon on the bottom, don't worry that is flavor we want, you only need about 2 to 3 TBS fat in your pan and medium heat.

Dry your chicken really well (water and grease are enemies and if your chicken is wet it won't get crispy) Salt and pepper really well.

Brown the chicken in your prepared pan.

Return the bacon. Cook together about 10 minutes turning the chicken only once to give it a good sear.

Pour the cognac in, you need to light the cognac with a flame. Shake the pan back and forth till the flame goes out. 

Add the wine. Then add just enough stock to cover the chicken, add the tomato paste being sure to stir it and dissolve it, add the smashed garlic and thyme and bay leaf. 

Cover and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when cut. (Braising, like we discussed earlier - yay, don't you love seeing it all come together!) .

Remove the chicken. 

Simmer your sauce, skimming off the fat. Then turn up heat to a rolling boil and reduce to about 2.5 to 3 cups of liquid. Remove bay leaf. 

Ok, now, this is huge and you will use this (and you'll hear me refer to a roux a lot). 

What you need to make a roux:
3 Tbs flour
2 Tbs butter

Melt the butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the flour to  make a paste (Tada - you just made a roux! It can be used to thicken just about anything).

Whisk our roux into the reduced sauce, keep the pan with your sauce on the heat while you whisk in your roux.

**The sauce should at this point coat the back of a spoon, if you run your finger through it, it will keep the line and not run together.
Wallah you now have a sauce!

I'm going to pair my Coq Au Vin with mashed potatoes, cipollini onions and asparagus.

Boil your potatoes in SALTED water. 

** You want to start your potatoes in cold water 

Have you ever made mashed potatoes and them have that gluey texture? Well here are few reasons why that might happen, i have noticed that if you let your potatoes cool before whipping they get gluey. Also how you whip them, by hand is the absolute best (it incorporates air into the potatoes), or a ricer, which i find just as good.

Potatoes can be categorized in two ways, "waxy" and "mealy". Mealy potatoes (russets) have a higher concentration of starch, so they tend to be more dense. We boil then in cold water first because when they are cooked the cells swell and separate from one another, which creates that fluffy texture in mash and baked potatoes. 
Interesting fact, the French use Waxy potatoes for their mash, and they beat them first alone then with butter by hand until they pull from sides. I find that over-beating can also cause gluiness, so I suggest to new cooks to do it the "american" way or through a ricer.

For your cippolini onions, get a pan smoking hot and add some butter and oil, then add your onions with some fresh herbs and salt pepper. After you have seared, then toss them in a hot oven (375 degrees) and cook for about 10 minutes until tender, tossing occasionally. 

Ill discuss Asparagus later when I talk about some great spring side dishes. So come back!

Happy Cooking. 

** Typically means a tip or pay close attention. 


Youtube. (2009, February 21). Gordon Ramsey:How to part a chicken. [video file] retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEJSHRSJCn8

McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking the Science and Lore of the KItchen: New York, NY: Scribner, 2004.

Don't get discouraged.

Lets talk about stock. Making your own stock is easy, and cheaper than buying in the boxes. You can make a semi big batch and freeze it. Stocks are a great thing to have on hand to help you layer on flavor into any dish, not to mention soup. Making a well prepared stock  is a good foundation for anything you wanna make down the road.

First a white stock, the basic stock. Start saving scraps during the week, like onions, celery, carrots. If you've made chicken, save the bones, you can even freeze them. Place your bones in a large pot and cover with COLD water then add your vegetables -leeks onions or anything you want, that is what is so great about stock. Then as its cooking the impurities will rise to the top it will looks like foam, skim it off. You want your stock to stay clear, thats the trick to a great stock. you dont want it to be cloudy. 

Add a bouquet garni to your stock, you remember what that is, fresh herbs, parsley stems, bay leak, peppercorns, tied in cheesecloth. After about 2-3 hours your stock should be done. Think about the process with me for a minute, we have basically just made a reduction, where we have reduced the liquid with all these flavorful ingredients. 

Strain your sauce. If you dont have a fine mesh strainer, line your strainer with a cheesecloth, you may need to strain it twice. 

So now lets talk about a brown stock. With brown stock we brown the bones and mirepoix before adding liquid. I like to use beef, lamb, or veal bones, you dont typically use chicken for a brown stock. 

Roast your bones in a single layer in an oven set at 425 degrees., get the bones nice and dark. Then brush your bones with tomato paste and turn the oven down to 350 degrees and cook for 5 more minutes, careful not to burn the tomato. 

In a stockpot cover your bones with water impurities will rise, just keep skimming, keep your stock at a simmer. While that is coming to a simmer get you roasting pan hot again and roast your mirepoix, scraping up that yumminess on the bottom of the pan. Don't be afraid here, your vegetables will be really dark and caramelized. Add them to your stock.

Return your pan BACK (yes for the third time) to the heat and deglaze with red wine, water, stock whatever flavor you wanna add. Add the liquid to the stockpot as well. Add your bouquet garni and simmer for hours, upwards of 4-5. Strain, same as above. 

Again, I'm giving you the tools, now i wanna see you experiment with vegetable stock and fish stock and different liquids.

Be sure to post questions and concerns you have. Happy Cooking.  

Back to the basics: Braising

I have been doing some thinking, and i want to sort of redirect this blog back to the basics of cooking. Its hard for me as a trained chef to step back and realize that not everyone knows what foie gras is, or a white stock over a brown stock or what tomato concassee is. Ive been feeling like i dont know what to put on here, because i didn't know where to start. Well i think i figured it out and i want to start back at the basics of cooking, and by the end you will be mastering things you never knew like, tomato concassee.

Im going to start with the basic techniques of cooking, different methods of cooking different cuts of meat, and the reasoning behind cooking certain cuts of meat certain ways. Braising is a great way to expand your experiences in the kitchen, you will create dishes that fall off your fork from tenderness and your end result is a plate full of integrated flavors that you  never knew you could accomplish.

There are endless possibilities with braising, starting with secondary cuts of meats that are tougher because they have connective tissue that needs to be broken down in order to be tender, like shoulder, ribs, shanks, which can be cheaper. Braising is a combination cooking method, meaning we use dry cooking method, by searing it, and wet cooking method from the liquid we add.

First, we are going to season our meat with salt and pepper **If you are wanting to try boneless short ribs you may need to ask your butcher to cut you a boneless chuck short rib. Then dredge in flour, all while your pan is getting super hot, it may even start smoking THEN add some oil and i like to add a touch of butter. Sear your meat on all sides until you get a nice dark caramelized look, remove from the pan and turn you heat down to medium heat.

**you dont want to use fresh herbs at the beginning stage because they will most likely burn when you sear the meat and second they will lose their vibrant color, so we add them in a bouquet garni, ill explain later, and at the very end when we are finished so they stay fresh and vibrant in color**

Next we add our mirepoix, basically two part onions to one part celery and carrots, rough chopped because we will strain them later so dont waste time in making them look good. Now add the vegetables and some sort of tomato product (tomato are very acidic so they help tenderize the meat and add color) and any other aromatic vegetables to your hot pan, the pan is going to have some brown stuff on the bottom, this is good, its added flavor that will scrape off in to the sauce. Saute until soft and opaque. 

Step three to deglaze the pan with wine or stock (ill be posting on how to make stock) or maybe a beer, at this stage all that yummy goodness will be picked up off the bottom of the pan. Then add enough stock to cover your meat by one to two thirds. Return the meat that you seared to the liquid after it has come to a simmer. Adjust the seasonings, be careful because stock can have a salty flavor so adjust as needed, add bouquet garni.**Cover and place in a hot oven, 350 degrees, and allow to cook for 1.5 to 2 hours (remember to consider how big your cut of meat is, it could take less time or more) Some people cook it at a simmer but i much prefer to throw it in the oven and forget about it. 

**A bouquet garni is simply a bay leaf, fresh parsley and the stems, peppercorns, garlic smashed, really anything you want to add flavor to your dish. The traditional way it to wrap in cheesecloth and tie securely. Nestle this deep into your pot and then at the end simply remove the whole thing. 

It should be fork tender but not break apart, you still want it to hold its shape. When braising, you can obviously serve it that day, but if you serve it the next day you've given those flavors time to mesh together and soak into the meat. 

So now the meat is done and we have this amazing (well it will be) sauce, at this point it doesn't really look like much, strain the liquid, return the liquid to a clean pot, there is going to be a sheen of oil at the top you need to skim it off. either using paper towels, or a spoon. (or if you are using the next day make sure you leave your meat in the strained sauce but the fat will have solidified at the top and you can literally just scoop it off as a hard fat.) 

So now we thicken the sauce with a slurry, cornstarch mixed with water, it should have the consistency of heavy cream, add to your sauce while whisking. Use your best judgment here, if you only have a small amount of sauce consider just reducing it down without adding a slurry. Your sauce should be nape, when you dip a spoon in the sauce you should be able to run your finger across the back of the spoon and the line stay as opposed to running together again.  

Side note: you are probably wondering about vegetables, i like to roast mine separate, but you can add your to the process with about 30 minutes left in the cooking process, you dont want to add them at the beginning because they cook so much faster than meat. So these vegetables can be anything, carrots, potaoes, parsnips, rutabaga, i encourage you to see whats in season and try it. Cut them into bite size pieces that will be pretty but functional. 

Spoon your vegetables on the plate then meat and top with plenty of sauce and garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy and experiment with lots of different cuts of meat, try to braise fish and experiment with different liquids for your sauce. Once you get the process of braising down you can start to have fun and try new and different things, using the same technique you learned here. 

Send me your braising ideas, i would love to see what you come up with!