STUDIOKITCHEN

New Rule #57

I applaud creativity and the drive to look at everything in a different way but there are some things that should just not be "effed" with.

I went to a restaurant recently and a situation I have encountered multiple times happened again except with a bit more humor. I ordered some french fries and asked for ketchup. Fries were delivered and as I proceeded to eat I noticed my "ketchup" was actually more like a sweet marinara sauce. I called the server over and asked completely politely "do you have ketchup", she responded and said that is our "house made ketchup". I said politely "this is not ketchup, do you have HEINZ ketchup". The response was "we do not serve commercial condiments here". I actually chuckled "everybody serves ketchup" as I was thinking you also serve tap water to anyone who does not buy bottled water and Olive Oil and Vinegar are "commercial condiments".

Here is my point and feel free to disagree.

There are certain food experiences that are shaped by taste memories, there is no clearer taste memory in America than ketchup and it is probably the only thing that no one is ever going to make better. The notion that ketchup is also not refined enough for some establishments is absurd. Dijon mustard is a "commercial condiment" everywhere even in France. Mostarda di cremona is a "commercial condiment" everywhere in Italy, Nam Pla is a commercial condiment in Vietnam and Thailand. Restaurants sometime seek a perception of creativity by trying to fix the perfectly fine but just end up fighting with flavor memories. The ONLY people who have ever successfully made a product that trumped an American flavor memory are the Japanese.

Hellmans, the taste and texture is what we all agree to be mayonnaise. Unfortunately KEWPIE Japanese mayo is the best mayo ever.

If people wanted sweet marinara sauce with french fries, they would go to the Olive Garden.

Thus new rule #57 izzzzzzz

Don't screw around with ketchup, just serve Heinz and put your energy into the potatoes.

Hiramasa

Hiramasa . Burdock . Vidalia Onion

Madai

Madai . Limoncello . Green Coriander . Wasabi

Uni

Uni . Pickled Daikon . Cucumber Vinaigrette

Unagi

Unagi . Foie Gras . Kinome . Tangerine

Scallop

 

Scallop . Poha . Eggplant . Matsutake

Po-ha

Flat Rice Crust

Tai

Plating and tasting to verify flavors.

This kind of food is difficult because it relies on supreme freshness and subtlety.

The fish should still be the showcase of the dish.

Madai

 

I am very happy with my new Japanese overlords, they get me the best fish EVER.

The sparkling smell of the ocean.

Tasting Fish

After a few hours of particular surgery, brining and freezer firming, I put together a few quick flavors to see how well my sashimi knowledge is progressing. this is a belly of Hiramasa with white Shoyu, Yuzu juice, Beni tade, sorrento lemon oil and some red kosho.

Absurdly silky and delicious. The beauty of Japanese inspired dinners is that there is very little to cook, sadly it is easily double the prep time as everything needs to be subjected to precise steps.

 

Besides the actual fish what I am most excited about is the collar, those of you who have had a properly made Hamachi kama at a Japanese Restaurant already understand. It is perhaps the most lucious piece of a fish you will eat. I saved my Hiramasa kamas for charcoal grilling misoyaki style. Yum.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2009

Fried Turkey

Caramelized Eggplant-Caper-Raisin Puree

Parsley Root . Cumin

Turnip-Vanilla

Cranberry . Star Anise Jam

Braised Sunchoke-Chestnut Stew

Mushroom French Toast

Buffalo Turkey Wing

Turkey Sausage Stuffed Shisito Pepper

The Importance of Primitive Tools

Extraction by pulverization is perhaps the oldest broadly used technique in gastronomy since the dawn of time or whenever primitive man figured out that technique actually made a difference either due to flavor or efficiency. We are all familiar with the mortar Vs blender pesto conversation, those of us with more nuanced perception can taste the difference as obviously as walking into a high speed train. It is even more evident in the preparation of Thai curry pastes when you have to separately pound shallots, garlic, galanga, lemongrass etc. The sharks tooth Wasabi root grater is a classic, while I am not sure how far back it actually dates, it makes speedy work of the root and does an excellent job with regular horseradish as well.

 

While wasabi root should probably not be gratuitously grated ahead, in moments when timing decrees you need to do so, versions done on a microplane did start to taste metallic after a while. Even the finest microplane makes a shred as opposed to a paste. Another useful addition to the battery of tools.

A New Aesthetic

The Endless Search For Ingredients

Possibly the most time consuming activity in contemporary cookery is the search for ingredients. Unfortunately I do not believe in substitutions, either we make the dish with the backbone of it's native flavors or make something else. Japanese ingredients in particular have a sourcing level of "pain in the ass-ery" far above and beyond other cuisines. Thankfully a few well placed phone calls to the other side of the nation delivered the goods overnight with one stop shopping.

Pretend you are opening boxes with anticipation and see what I see.

I was quite happy.

The links for Kinome, Beni tade and Mitsuba are active and can be clicked for more info.

You should probably know what Yuzu and Uni are.

 

 

BENI TADE

 

KINOME

 

UNI

 

MITSUBA

 

YUZU

New Rule #56

New Rule #56

Break Some Rules.

New rule #56 is inspired by the vitriol that resulted from New Rule #55.

I previously made the logical conclusion that deep fried potatoes laced with old bay and mayonnaise should not be called "crab fries" since there was actually no crab involved.

Fast forward to tommorow.

I have decided (in a very ill-advised move) to wrap the mid section of king Crab legs (which by the way are far too expensive for these kinds of shenanigans), with a thin sheet of blanched potato and perhaps scant pieces of tarragon and tomato confiture between crab and aforementioned potato blanket.

It will probably be held by kitchen twine and then quickly deep fried to crisp the potato, dusted with old bay seasoning and served with spicy Aji Amarillo mayonnaise.

Sounds like a waste of good crabmeat but at least it will be a "Crab Fry".

I wonder if we can get away with $25 bar snacks the size of a hot dog in these recessionary times.

Feeeeeesh. 12 . 02 . 09

 

There Is Nothing Simple About Simple.

In many ways, the nuances of traditional cookery provide reinforcement for doing things properly and this is why every now and then I devote a day to making a dish from a particular culture to completion. I picked something easy or so I thought.

Ramen Soup.

Real ramen is far from the hangover cures we ate in college, at the end of the day, it required just as much if not more effort than anything I cook. Good broth requires skill, the nuances and textures of all the ingredients. I almost gave up half way through until my kitchen smelled like "Japan".

There was light at the end of the tunnel.

21 ingredients later.

Brilliant bright light of porky goodness called Yakibuta Ramen.

Japanese salted eggs by the way....rock.

 

Marinating Eggs

The Case For Dry Salted Seafood.

As Umami becomes the old-new buzzword and everyone is finally  paying attention to the meaning of the phrase "depth of flavor", in many eastern cuisines salting of seafood plays a prominent role in flavor development without the end results always being seafood dishes.

Dry Scallops.

Dry Squid

Dry Anchovy

Katsuo

I do however find it slightly annoying when people complain about the intrinsic qualities of certain ingredients. Those of us who understand Shio-Ramen find it perplexing when people say it is too salty or slightly fishy. It is

SALT-ramen. Imagine someone saying the sharp cheddar is not good because it is too sharp. The underlying challenge for us cooks is how to use finesse and synergy to bring out a depth of flavor without strong ingredients dominating the dish.

Araucana

Pimenton At The Game Dinner

The complexity of the Rabbit course is a result of the amalgamation of several traditional flavors, smoke, smoked paprika, garlic, rosemary and eggplant among others.

Rabbits front quarters are marinated in olive oil, garlic, shallots, jerez and rosemary for about 12 hrs after being heavily dusted with pimenton agridulce and brown flour. They are subsequently grilled over charcoal and braised in a rabbit stock made from the bones and the marinade.

Braising liquid is composed of roasted bones pressure cooked with marinade and chicken stock for 1 hr. It is strained and reduced, thickened and used both as a basting agent and sauce.

The rabbit is reheated under a salamander till crispy and brown.

A carefully cooked "xiao-long-bao" type dumpling filled with liquid garlic butter and a tender snail presents an interesting counterpoint.

The puree of smoked eggplant adds luxury with a hint of cumin.

Simple cooking, complex flavors.

Feeeeeesh. 12 . 02 . 09

My next Salon dinner is on 12 . 02 . 09 with the full focus of creativity thrown behind creatures of the sea in various forms.

Some will be cooked.

Some will be raw.

Some will be brined.

Some will be cured.

There will be a heavy emphasis on a Japanese influence, in composition, aesthetic and content as it is essentially the cuisine that showcases fish in the best possible light.

8 courses of pristine fruits de mer.

1 dessert.

$120

Mustard -Su-Miso Baked Beans

Ready for the Sauce.

Butterscotch

Miso

ketchup

Worcestershire Sauce

Dry Mustard

S&P

Tabasco

Bean Cooking Liquid

Terrine

It works in theory.

It works in preparation.

It works in execution.

Will people get it.

Will people like it.

Olive and quince just makes it more complicated.

This is tightrope cooking.

Commit or Die.

Braised Rabbit Escabeche.

Pimenton Love.

Tons and I mean TONS of garlic.

Game Dinner 11/19/09

Chestnut Soup . Roast Chinese Duck . Yuzu Poached Niitaka Pear

Foie Gras and Smoked Chocolate Terrine . Cinnamon Toast Crunch . Olive Caramel . Quince

Braised Rabbit "Escabeche" . Snail and Butter Soup Dumpling . Pimenton . Smoked Eggplant

Scottish Wood Pigeon Croquette . Meadow Run Egg . Black Truffle-Madeira Caramel

Wild Boar Belly . Sweet Miso Baked Beans . Komatsuna

Pineapple Scarves . Crispy Orange . Lemon-Brie Sorbet

Smoked Chocolate Financier . Roasted Banana Sorbet . Olive Paper

Salpicon

Where is my soup.

Chutney

Peach Chutney My Way

Peaches

Turbinado Sugar

Golden Raisins

Ginger

Onions

Diced Tomato

Garlic

Cinnamon

Clove

Allspice

Mustard Seed

Peach eau de vie.

Back To Basics

No matter how much effort we put into creativity, people just seem to gravitate to the basics. This should be no reason to retard creativity, it just reminds us why we cook at all. People want tasty food.

People like Porcini Oatmeal maybe because it combines the elements of 4 comfort classics, mushroom soup, oatmeal, risotto and cheese.

Smoked Lentils

Smoked maple Glazed Lentils.

Smoky lentil cooking water is later infused with toasted cumin and Xantanised @  to yield a delicious silky sauce that works with fish and shellfish.

Lentils above are served with Pork or Duck.