Brussels Sprouts in Garlic/Lime/Bacon/Parmigiano Reggiano

Had dinner at The Owl in Grass Valley recently.  I ordered a side dish of Brussel Spouts with Lime, Parmesan cheese, and Truffle Salt.  I modified their recipe to exclude the expensive Truffle Salt and to include Bacon and Parmigiano Reggiano.   I made it for 2016 Christmas dinner at my brother and sister-in-laws house.   Let me know if you try it.  The important part is to limit the number of sprouts you fry at one time.   Make sure they are loose and not packed into the fryer.  If you pack them, they will not get crispy.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1-1/2 lbs (680 g) Brussels sprouts – rinsed, patted dry, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
• 6 slices of bacon, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
• 1 large garlic clove – skinned and crushed (use a microplane grater)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• Savory salt such as Fleur De Sel
• Canola oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste as garnish

Procedure

• Fry up the bacon until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and disgard bacon grease
• Place the garlic, salt, cayenne, lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended and set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in deep fryer or large saute pan to 375°F (190°C).   Pour enough oil to reach 1-1/2” up the sides of the pan.  To insure that the sprouts are crispy when fried, you should not crowd them in the frier.  Do small batches (about ¾ pound).   Place the brussels sprouts in the oil.  Immediately cover the pan to prevent the hot oil from splattering on you or your counter top (the Brussels have a very high moisture content and intense splattering will occur during the first minute of cooking). 
• Fry the brussels sprouts for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels and quickly blot them with more paper towels.  
• Place the brussels in a large bowl.  Drizzle with the garlic-lime dressing and toss until well coated.
• Toss in the bacon bits and stir to incorporate.
• Incorporate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
• Sprinkle with Savory salt such as Fleur De Sel and serve piping hot.

Bobby Flay - New York Brunch

These recipes come from Bobby Flay's "Brunch with Bobby" TV show.  I have not tried them yet, but will at first chance.  Enjoy.

Tequila Cured Salmon With Pickled Red Onions and 
Herber Goat Creme Cheese Spread

Ingredients - Cured Salmon

• One 2-pound Salmon fitted, skin on
• 2 TB Coriander seeds
• 2 TB Yellow Mustard seed
• 1 TB Cumin seeds
• 1 TB pureed canned Chipoltle in Adobo
• Zest of 3 Limes, grated
• ½ Cup finely chopped fresh Cilantro
• 2 Cups Kosher salt
• 2 Cups Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Cups Tequila

Ingredients - Pickled Red Onions

• 1 Cup Red wine vinegar
• ¼ Cup Fresh Lime juice
• 3 TB granulated Sugar
• 1 TB Kosher Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• ¼ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
• ¼ Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
• 1 Medium Red onion, halved and thinkly sliced.

Ingredients - Herbed Goat Cream Cheese

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 2 TB milk
• Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
• ½ Cup thinkly sliced scallions
• ¼ Cup finely chopped Fresh Dill

Procedure - Salmon

• On top of a layer of aluminum foil and plastic wrap (enough to make a pouch), put the Salmon on the baking sheet skin-side down.  Pat the top dry with paper towels.  Combine the Coriander, Mustard and Cumin seeds in a small sauce pan over low heat and roast, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Remove, let cool slightly and coarsely grind in a coffee grinder.
• Spread the Chipoltle over the top of the Salmon fillet.  Sprinkle the ground spices, lime zest and Cilantro over the Salmon and press into the flesh.  Combine the salt and brown sugar in a bowl, drizzle with the Tequila and then spread evenly over the Salmon.  Tightly wrap the Salmon in the pastic wrap and aluminum foil.  Place another baking sheet on top and weigh down with bricks wrapped in foil.  Refregerate for 48 hours.
• Remove the Salmon from the refrigerator and scrape off the curing ingredients.  When cured, the fish should have a raw appearance and a firm but not hard texture.   Slice the Salmon against the grain paper thin and serve with accompaniments of choice.    

Procedure - Pickled Red Onions

• Combine the vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, Coriander seeds, Mustard seeds, and Peppercorns in a small saucepan over high heat.  Cook until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Put the onions in a medium bowl, pour the vinegar mixture over the toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours before serving. 

Procedure - Herbed Goat Cream Cheese

• Combine the cream cheese, goat cheese, milk and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor and process until smooth and fluffy.  Scape into bowl and fold in the scallions and dill. 

Potato Pancakes with Chunky Granny Smith Applesauce and Cinnamon Creme Fraiche

Ingredients - Pancakes

• 1 small onionm, peeled
• 1 large baking potato (about 1 pound), peeled
• ¼ Cup All-purpose flour
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ¼ Teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Pinch of baking power
• Canola oil, for frying

Ingredients - Applesauce

• 3 to 6 TB granulated sugar (depending upon how sweet you want)
• ½ Teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into large dice pieces

Ingredients - Cinnamon Creme Fraiche

• 1 Cup Creame Fraiche
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Procedure - Pancakes

• On a box grater, coarsely shred the onion and potato.  Transfer to a colander or wrap in cheesecloth sling, and squeeze as dry as possible.  Let stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze dry again.  Put the onion-potato mixture in a large bowl, add the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, and egg, and gently fold to combine.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 TB oil until shimmering.  Drop heaping TB of the onion-potato mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of the spoon.  
• Cook the pancakes over moderately high heat until the edges are golden, 1-½ to 2 minutes.  Flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute.  Drain on paper towel.

Procedure - Applesauce and Creme Fraiche

• To a large pot, combine 1 Cup water, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and apples.  Bring to boil over medium heat and cook until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.  Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed.   Coarsely mash into a chunky consistency.  Let cool before serving.
• Whisk together the creme fraiche and cinnamon, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Miso Brussels Sprouts

You know me an Brussels Sprouts!  I found this recipe while watching "Unique Eats" on the Cooking Channel.  It is from Pubbelly in Miami, Florida.  I had to alter the quantifies of some of the ingredients as the recipe was developed for restaurant demands.  I hope my edits still work as the recipe sounds perfectly tasty.

Ingredients

Miso Sauce

• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Mirin
• 1 Cup Sake
• 2 Cups Miso Paste

Brussel Sprouts

• Vegetable Oil, for deep-frying, plus 1 Tablespoon
• 15 Brussels Sprouts, halved
• 1 Slice Bacon, diced
• 1 clove Garlic
• Sea Salt for sprinkling

Procedures

• For Miso sauce: mix together the sugar, mirin and sake in a bowl.  Gradually add the miso paste, a little at a time, mixing everything together well.  Set the bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water and cook for two hours, stirring frequently. 
• For the Brussel sprouts: heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a deep-sided skillet to 350 degrees F.  Fry the spoints until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablesppon of vegetable oil in a saute pan.  Add the bacon and garlic and cook until the bacon turns golden.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of the miso paste, add the fried Brussels Sprouts and toss well.  Sprinkly with sea salt and serve. 

Korean BBQ Marinade

The basics for a great Koren BBQ marinade.
I found this in the August 2016 issue of GQ magazine.
It comes from David Chang as part of his BBQ Short Rib recipe.
Enjoy and be sure to try.

Ingredients

• ½ Cup Soy Sauce
• ¼ Cup Water
• ⅓ Cup Brown Sugar
• ½ Cup Apple Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 Teaspoon course Black Pepper
• 1 Medium Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 Bunch Scallions, roughly chopped
• 6 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 Small chunk of Ginger, peeled and minced

Procedure

• Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for a minium of 1 hour

Spicy Crab Salad on Avocado Halves

Ingredients

• 1 pint Crab meat
• 1/4 cup Mayo
• 1 TB Asian chili sauce such as Sambal
• 2 TB chopped fresh Parsley
• Juice of ½ Lime
• 3 sticks of chopped Celery
• Pinch of Salt and 2 pinches of Pepper to taste
• In frig. for at least 2 hours before using. 
• 4 Avocados halved, pitted, extracted as whole half pieces.

Procedure

• Make Crab mixture and chill
• Plate Avocado halves
• Scope Crab mixture on top of Avocados

John's Chicken Piccata

I love Chicken Piccata. Mary Ann has cooked it for years.  Recently, I have been cooking it for the Bel Marin Keys Men's Club and the Bel Marin Keys Women's Club.  My recipe is a slight departure from Mary Ann's.  I have provided mine below.  The recipe is general.  You can decide the amounts of ingredients depending upon the amount of folks and the amount of chicken you planning on serving.  One final note, given that my sauce includes chicken demi-glace, you will find that it is darker than the standard piccata sauce.  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• Chicken Breasts (I scallopini each breast long-ways into three pieces.  
• Chicken Broth
• Flour enough to cover all of the pieces of chicken
• Salt and Pepper
• Paprika
• Butter
• Vegetable Oil (when required when cooking large amounts of chicken).
• Capers
• Lemons
• Chicken Demi-glace from William Sonoma

Procedure

• Scallopini cut the chicken breasts into three pieces, slicing long-ways to create flatter pieces.
• Add flour, salt, pepper and paprika together for dredging chicken pieces.  I normally add 1 tablespoon of salt, pepper and paprika to 3 cups of flour.
• Dredge chicken pieces in flour and shake off excessive flour.
• Brown chicken in a medium saute pan with butter (and vegetable oil as needed) until both sides are golden brown.
• Remove chicken and set aside
• Add chicken broth to cover all of the chicken being prepared.
• Deglaze saute pan from browned chicken. 
• Add the juice of 1 lemon to the sauce.
• Add 2 tablespoons of Chicken demi-glace as needed to enrich sauce.
• Cook until liquid boils and start to foam.
• Add butter as needed to smooth out sauce.
• Add chicken back into the finished sauce and cook (c0verede) until the internal temperature of the chicken is 150 degrees.
• Add capers and cook until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.
• Serve

Sole Meunière

I am not a big fan of French Cuisine.   Primarily because, I am not a fan of braised protein or any beef or pork protein that is cooked over 130 degrees. While I understand the French Cuisine covers other types of cooking methods, I need to be cautious about which French recipes I eat.  All that said, one of the most iconic French dishes is Sole Meunière.  Jeff Mauro, the co-host of The Kitchen cooked his Sole Meunière recipe. Jeff’s version follows the classic recipes of French cooks.  So, here is his recipe, which is a perfect example of this most delicious dish.  Bon Appetit.

Ingredients

• ¼ Cup All-Purpose Butter
• 4 TB Clarified butter
• Four 2 to 2-½ ounce skinless, bonelss Sole Fillets, preferably petrale sole
• Kosher Salt and Pepper
• 3 TB unsalted European-style butter
• 1 TB Capers
• Jiuce of ½ Lemon
• 2 Teaspoons minced Parsley

Procedure

• In a small bowl, soak the capers in cold water for 45 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• Season the sole fillets with salt and pepper.  In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Dredge the fillets in flour and shake off any excess; transfer to a platter.
• In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons (TB) of the "clarified butter" (clarified butter is butter that has been melted and the milk solids skimmed off the top) over moderately high heat.  Add the sole fillets to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden grown on both sides, about 4 minutes total.  Transfer to a serving platter.  Repeat with the remaining clarified butter and sole fillets.
• Add the eropean Butter and Capers to the skillet and cook over moderately heat until lightly browned and fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the lemon juice and cook over moderately high heat until reduced to 2 TB, about 1 minute.  
• Add half of the parsley.  Pour the warm sauce over the sole and garnish with the remaining parsley.  
• Serve immediately.

Josh Capon Recipes for Steak Side Dishes

Here are two side dishes from the recipes of Josh Capon, executive chef and partner behind Lure Fishbar, B&B Winepub and El Toro Blanco in New York City.  Enjoy.

Fondant Potatoes
Ingredients

• 4 Potatoes
• Kosher Salt and Pepper
• Canola or Olive Oil, for searing the potatoes
• About 4 cups of Vegetable, Chicken or Beef stock
• 2 stickes of Butter
• 8 cloves of Garlic
• 4 sprigs fresh Rosemary
• 4 sprigs fresh Sage
• 4 sprigs fresh Thyme
• Sea salt, for serving
• Chopped Chives, for garnish

Procedure

• Peel and cut the potatoes into the size and shape of a soap dish, Season with salt and pepper.
• Set a saucepan over medium-high heat and add some oil.  Sear the potatoes in the hot pan on both sides until golden grown.  Add the stock until it just covers the potatoes, then add the butter, garlic, sage, rosemary and thyme.
• Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are golden and gender, 30-40 minutes.  Hold in the cooking liquid until ready to serve, the longer they hold the better.  But, keep them warm in a very low oven or on top of the stove covered.
• Slice potatoes on a bias and serve sprinkled with a little sea salt and chopped chives. 

Sour Cream and Onion Hash Browns

Ingredients

• 1 TB canola oil
• 2 White onions, thinkly slices
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 8 Idaho potatoes, peeled and shredded
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chopped scallions

Procedure

• Special equipment: individual-size- cast-iron pans.
• Heat a skillet over medium hear and add teh canola oil. Add the onions, season with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, season the potatoes with salt and pepper and let sie for 5 minutes.  Drain out the excess moisture.
• Set individual cast-iron pans over medium heat until very hot.  Add some olive oil to each pan and a handful of potatoes (very lightly packed).  Cook until golden grown and crispy, about 5 minutes.  Flip and add more oil if necessary.  Cook until golden brown on a second side and cooked through.  Repeat with the remaining potatoes. 
• Top each hash brown with some caramelized onions and abd a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions. 

Some Ideas from the April 2016 Edition of Bon Appétit

DB Brassierie Recipe For Wedge Salad
Ingredients

• 1 Cup Walnuts
• 4 Slices Bacon
• 8 ox. Blue Cheese, crumbled, divided
• ½ Cup Crème Fraîche or Sour Cream
• ½ Cup Mayonnaise
• 5 Teaspoons Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 head Icebery Lettuce, cut crosswise into four 1" thick slices
• 2 Celery Stalks, thinkly splced
• 1 pint Cherry Tomatores, quartereed
• 1 TB finely chopped Tarragon

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 350, toast walnuts tossing once until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, coarsely chop
• Cook bacon until brown and crisp 8-10 minutes total.  transfer to towel to drain, cumble.
• Place half of Blue Cheese in a medium heatproof bowl andmicrowave on medium until melted, about 1 minute.
• Add creme fraiche, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice and not souce to blue cheese, whiskk until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste, chill until coldm at least 30 minutes.
• Place 1 slice of icebery lettuce on each plate, and spoon about ¼ cup dressing over each piece.  Top with walnuts, bacon celery,  tomatoes, tarragon, and remaining blue cheese.

Brown Butter-Fried Onion Rings
Ingredients

• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 1 Cup Flour
• Salt and Pepper to taste mixed into flour
• 1 Large Red Onion sliced into ¼ inch thick rings
• 1 Stick unsalted Butter

Procedure

• Place buttermilk in a medium bowl.
• Place flour in another bowl, season with salt and pepper
• Working in batches, toss onion rings in flour, brench into buttermilk and retoss in flour.
• Heat half stick of butter in a large skillet and cook until brown and foaming.
• Put half the onion rings in the skillet and cook until golden brown, drain on paper towel.
• Add remaining butter and cook remaining rings.
• Serve

Bourbon-Brown Sugar Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins

Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King, is one of the hosts on "The Kitchen".  They had a big game appetizer show on the other day.   The following recipe from Jeff sounds absolutely great.  I cannot wait until I have the opportunity to try it.  I wanted to post it just in case anyone was interested in doing them too. 


Ingredients

• 
4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One 16.5-ounce can baked beans with bourbon and brown sugar, such as Bush's Best Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 scallions (white and pale green parts), sliced, dark green tops sliced and reserved for garnish
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, diced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 avocado, diced
• One 10-ounce tube Mexican chorizo




Procedure

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roast the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet until soft when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Slice each potato lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Brush the empty potato skins with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Return the skins to the baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the sweet potato flesh with the beans, cumin, chile powder, scallions and jalapenos. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the skins from the oven and fill each with some of the bean mixture. Fit a baking sheet with a wire rack, transfer the filled potato skins to the rack and bake for another 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend together the sour cream, lime juice and avocado until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off the fat.
• Top the potato skins with warm, crispy chorizo, avocado drizzle and sliced scallion tops.

Prime Rib Another Way

We had dinner with friends last night at Lil McCarthy's house.   Among the guests was Nick Petrakis.  Nick shared his recipe for Prime Rib.  I will be using it the next time I do a Prime Rib dinner.   I'll let you know how it works.  Here is his way of doing this great meal.

Ingredients

• Prime Rib with bone cut and tied.  Nike says it does not matter what the size of the prime rib is.  The cooking directions are the same.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Procedure

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees
• Put prime rib in baking pan, bone side down.
• Put prime rib in oven and cook for 1 hour
• Turn oven off and let prime rib remain in oven for three hours (DO NOT OPEN OVEN FOR ANY REASON).
• Before serving, turn oven back on at 375 degrees (DO NOT PRE_HEAT OVEN).
• Cook for 20 minutes.
• Pull out Prime rib, cut and serve.