Archive for January, 2010
Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Here’s a quick, easy recipe for the chicken parmesan I made last night. I’ve made this (and the simple sauce) enough times that I usually just eyeball everything and adjust to taste, but I’ll give you the basic proportions to make 4 chicken cutlets and the requisite sauce (serves 4).
Italian Comfort Food
Rosemary Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe
The other night as I was cooking venison stew I was thinking about ways to incorporate rosemary into the dessert, which was going to be stewed cherries over ice cream. Chopped rosemary in a dessert doesn’t quite do it, so I decided to try infusing rosemary into a simple syrup. The result was very aromatic and very sweet, which was exactly what I was going for. Since I had a lot of this syrup, and I like an Old Fashioned every now and then, the obvious next step was to incorporate it into the cocktail:
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Recipe after the jump…
Deer Hunting and a Venison Stew Recipe
Tonight I am making a pot of venison stew. As I write this the apartment is filled with the meaty, earthy, smoky (not as in “on fire”, I promise) vapors that make up the aroma of a hearty venison stew. The glass of Cabernet that I am drinking as I write is also an ingredient in the dish; the cherry and black pepper notes within should compliment the stew, if all turns out as planned. Right now I am waiting for the potatoes to cook down and begin to impart some body and thickness to the stew itself, so in the meantime let’s chat a bit about venison, deer in general, and knowing more about from whence your meat comes.
Venison stew, crusty bread. Winter comfort.
Special Eggs: A Breakfast Tradition
In my family we have a breakfast tradition that stretches back to my great grandfather on my Father’s side, called Special Eggs. I remember this as being my favorite breakfast growing up, and it is a family tradition to always make it on Christmas morning when we are all together. I make it quite often on weekends because it is the perfect Saturday morning comfort food, and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. It’s simple, yet complicated and exacting in the timing and execution if you want to get it right, and more importantly, hot, especially for multiple people. You will need eggs, Thomas’ English Muffins, Land ‘o Lakes American cheese, and bacon (preferably Boar’s Head). This is how we traditionally make it. Feel free, of course, to substitute your favorite brands. But in our house on Christmas there is no substitute. The only concession that has been made in the past few years is to substitute my home smoked bacon for the Boar’s Head, which definitely alters the flavor profile, but I think it’s a good change.
Special eggs, cooked to perfection.
Momofuku Fried Chicken, Bok Choy, XO Sauce, and Frog Legs
On Saturday, after the shopping trip to Chinatown, work began on a Momofuku
The Momofuku Bible
Chinatown
This weekend I took a trip down to Chinatown to wander around, enjoy the atmosphere, and pick up ingredients for dinner. The array of goods that are available in such a small area is mind-boggling, and a little overwhelming, especially when all of the signs are in Chinese and you have no idea what half of these things are.
Dried Scallops
The dried seafood store was one of the more interesting places that we visited. I’d been there before, but I didn’t have any reason to buy anything, and I wouldn’t have known what to do with it if I had bought anything. This time, however, I had a recipe from the Momofuku cookbook that called for dried scallops and shrimp, so I was prepared.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
For breakfast today I realized that I had the ingredients for a quiche on hand, so I made one:
The Best Steak Sandwich, Ever.
Ok, I know that’s hyperbole. But I make this sandwich the way I like it, without compromise, and I think it’s the best steak sandwich ever. I think that my friends who have eaten it will mostly agree. You can try it and judge for yourself, but I don’t know what else I could do to it to possibly make it more delicious.
Blood Orange Granita Cocktail
I’ve had a batch of blood orange granita sitting in the freezer since I made it as a dessert for a dinner party last week. It is very easy to make, and it makes a delicious cocktail that looks like it is more work than it is:
Mix 1/3 cup of powdered sugar and 2 T of dark rum into 3 cups of blood orange juice (or any orange juice) in a shallow baking dish. Once the sugar dissolves, put the dish in the freezer, and break up the chunks of ice every hour or so until you get a nice, light, shaved-ice consistency.
I figured that this dessert lends itself perfectly to a cocktail, as a topper:
Jamaican Curried Goat and Coco Bread
The other day at Fairway I was perusing the meat aisle, as I usually do, looking for interesting cuts of meat to experiment with. Past the beef shanks, sandwiched right between the lamb and the veal, was a package of goat meat; the first I had ever seen at Fairway. Obviously I had to buy it and give it a shot. Also, before you skip to the next post, let me say that the marinade that goes into making this dish would be DELICIOUS with beef, lamb, or chicken, so don’t pass it up just because I used goat. Also let me remind everyone how many people (probably including yourself) eat goat cheese regularly without a second thought:
That's some good lookin' goat
