Beef with Bleu Cheese Grits and asparagus two ways.

I thought up this recipe from a few ideas, techniques and flavors I'm familiar with and from watching cooking shows.  I saw a competitor on Chopped make Blue Cheese grits and thought that would be great with Beef.  I came up with the shaved asparagus salad from watching Tiffany in season 5 or 6 cure asparagus in water.  Tom Colicchio said it wasn't flavorful so I thought why not cure it in an acidulated ice bath so it would bring a really lemony quality to a rich dish.

Ingredients to Serve 2
2 ounces blue cheese
1 Bundle of asparagus
12-16 ounces of steak
2-3 Lemons
Parmesan
Grape Tomatoes
Grits
Chicken Stock
Oil and butter

1) Season the cherry tomatoes and on half of the asparagus with olive oil salt and pepper and then roast at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes, until tomatoes are ready to burst in your mouth.  Season tomatoes and put them in freezer or fridge to chill. (Depending on how fast you plan to work.) Set asparagus aside.
2) Squeeze the juice of two lemons and add about one part water to one part lemon juice.  Add ice and then shave the other half of the asparagus into the acidulated ice bath.  Put in fridge.
3) Season steak with salt, black pepper and cayenne.  Let warm to room temperature.
4) Grate Parmesan. 
5) Boil one cup water and one cup chicken stock to a rolling boil and reduce to low heat.  Slowly stir in one half cup of grits. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally. 
6)While grits are cooking, get your pan smoking hot for steak.  Add canola oil and cook steak to desired temperature (medium rare unless you're a heathen:-) 
7)  Drain shaved asparagus combine with cherry tomatoes, season to taste.. 
8) Remove the asparagus from oven.  It should cook 12-16 minutes, again depending on how you like it cooked.  Season it with lemon juice, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Slice on a bias into three sections.
9) Rest steak. Remove grits from heat, add blue cheese, salt and black pepper to grits. They should be loose but not watery, run across the plate like a good risotto.
10) Put it on the plate.  I like the grits in the middle fanned into a little circle, the sliced steak on top and the asparagus preparations on opposite sides of the meat.

I like the contrast of temperatures with the cool acidic salad and the creamy rich grits.  Beef and Blue cheese go well together, Tomatoes and Blue cheese are a classic, asparagus and beef are also a classic pairing.  Cook time is probably about 30-45 minutes.

Salmon en Papillote

This sounds French and fancy but its the easiest recipe in the world, whether you call it en papillote, en cartoccio or just steamed in a paper bag the prep to finish time for a couple or few servings is under 20 minutes and it uses only a few basic ingredients.  We borrowed it from Julia Child.

Shallots
Butter
Tomato
Parsley
Salmon
Lemon

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2.  Finely mince the shallot, chop the parsley and tomatoes.  Mix and season well with salt and pepper. 

3.  Season the salmon well.  Place about one pat of butter per 6oz piece of salmon on top of the fish.

4. Place the fish in a paper bag, surround it with the tomato mixture, covering some of the fish.  Roll up the end of the bag until its tight sealed but still "puffy" (so the fish can steam)

5.  Place the bag in the oven for 10-12 minutes depending on what temperature you like.

6.  Remove from oven, break open the bag, squeeze lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. 

Note:  This dish has a lot of very mild, healthy flavors and really benefits from good assertive seasoning.  Don't skip the salt, pepper and especially lemon juice on the finish.

Chicken Week Part 2: Arugula Salad with Pesto Dressing

This dish literally flies together.  Just about as fast as you can fry off some chicken tenders, you can cook this dish.  And it grows on you.  (We have a great quick burrito recipe that reminds me of this one for the same reasons) We buy a lot of grape tomatoes.  They are sweet, you can pop them in your mouth for a snack, they roast well and burst when you eat them and they fit well into a lot of different recipes.  The first time I had the salad I thought it was just ok... But then I thought about how healthy it is, how it takes one of the humblest, cheapest cuts of meat, the boneless chicken tender and utilizes it perfectly.  And I love Pesto, such a wonderful salty herbaceous flavor.  Its a healthy dish and for our purposes with Chicken Week, it shows the versatility of chicken because unlike the bone in thighs which are sultry and indulgent but take a long time to braise in order to serve a large table, this dish is light, fast can literally be brought together in 20 minutes or less.  It makes sense for one person for a lunch portion just as well as a light dinner when you're feeling a little rotund.   Plus its a very pretty plate.   You don't have an hour to cook every night but you don't have to sacrifice the integrity of your dish.

8 chicken tenders
Olive oil
salt and pepper
6c Baby Arugula
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2c fresh mozzerella, cubed
lemon juice from a fresh lemon
3 tbsp chicken broth
1/2 c pesto
4 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Toss tenders in a bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.  Let rest from 1 hour. 
Heat large skillet and then add 2 tbsp olive oil. When pan is hot, add the chicken.  Sear on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and rest.
Meanwhile combine the pesto, chicken broth, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse a few times til combined.
Put the fresh arugula in a bowl and toss with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice. Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, pine nuts, chicken and drizzle with the pesto.

The salad in the picture shows three tenders.  That is because Matt is a human garbage disposal and can eat more than any human on earth :)

Chicken Week Part 1~ Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

I've been working a lot lately and our sense of culinary adventure at home has been suffering... Sure I whipped up some shrimp and grits the other day, pretty tasty even though the grits were way too firm.  But overall, its been a steady diet of crackers, chips and whatever else we can grab to sustain ourselves (and fatten ourselves up) So Jessica woke up this morning and headed out to the neighborhood grocery where apparently, there was a big sale on chicken.  She returned with a whole chicken, chicken thighs and chicken tenders (not pre-breaded processed crap, just the cuts of chicken called the tender).  Chicken has to be one of the most versatile proteins there is. Just thinking about all the different cuts and things you can do with this humble, inexpensive ingredient gets my creative juices flowing and makes me hungry.  Hence the theme for our new blog series was born, Chicken Week.

I've mentioned before that my brother and his wife just had a child and for those of us with kids we all know what that is like.  You can read a book about how to be a parent but only being one will truly enlighten you as to how completely, albeit wonderfully, overwhelming it is.  So we decided to make them dinner at their place.  Autumn, the new baby is having some digestive issues and Liza has decided to stay off all dairy items.  Luckily chicken is her favorite protein so we set out to plan a menu that accommodated her tastes.  Fortunately one of Jessica's signature dishes, Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs fit the bill perfectly.  We served it with spaghetti in a classic bordelaise sauce and green beans with bacon.  It was a very comforting family style but intensely flavorful and balanced plate of food.  Recipes for all three components, courtesy of Jessica, are below.  This should serve a family of 4.

Before I start on the recipes, I would like to add that overall, chicken is usually not my protein of choice.  That is because too often when someone uses it in a dish they take off the two parts that give chicken its flavor, the bone and the skin.  Please do not do this... THE BONES AND SKIN ARE WHAT GIVE CHICKEN FLAVOR!!!

Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

10 bone in , skin on chicken thighs
     cayenne pepper
1/4c olive oil
2 heads(YES, the WHOLE head) of garlic smashed
3 lemons, quartered
1c dry white wine

Season both sides of room temperature chicken with salt, pepper and cayenne.
Heat a very large, oven safe pan over very high heat.  I like to use my huge cast iron Le Creuset for this.  Whatever pan you use it must have a lid.  After the pan is hot, add the olive oil.  Heat the oil until very hot.  Add the chicken, skin side down and cook approximately 5 minutes per side, until seared.  Add all of the garlic and cook for one minute.  Add the wine and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemons.  Cover and place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  At the end of the hour, remove the lid and baste the chicken with the juices and return to oven for 30 more minutes, basting every 10 minutes.

Green Beans With Bacon

2lbs fresh whole green beans, ends trimmed
1/2lb bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.  Add the green beans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice and cold water.  This is called "shocking" and will help the beans maintain their vibrant green color.
Meanwhile add the bacon pieces to a large, cold skillet.  Cook over medium low heat until browned and cooked through.  Add the green beans, salt and pepper and toss for a couple of minutes, until the green beans are crisp tender.

Spaghetti With Bordelaise Sauce

1/4c olive oil
1/4c chopped green onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp of assorted dried italian herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme
salt and pepper
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c chopped parsley
1c fresh grated parm

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain.
In a medium sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and green onions and cook,  until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add the wine, herbs, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the butter and parsley and cook for 2  more minutes.
Return the drained pasta to the pan Add the sauce and toss well to coat. Sprinkle well with the Parmesan.

Perilla

The following review is of Perilla, Harold Dieterle's restaurant in New York City.  Harold was the inaugural winner of Top Chef.  This review is from September 11, 2009.

I will say first off that the meal, while very good, was not as good as I was expecting.

We arrived at 6:10pm for our 6 o'clock reservation and only 2 tables were seated. We were seated in a very small 2 top in the corner of a long row of 2 tops. While ordinarily this would not be an issue(I understand New York space costs) it is an issue while I am 6 months pregnant.
Our server while very attractive, was the caliber of server that I would expect to find at an Applebees. She spent a great deal of her time up at the bar socializing with the other waitstaff. Her answer for most questions about the food was "it is very good". Bleh. I frequently ask servers for their opinions and favorites because they are around the food the most and receive the most feedback and I expect an honest answer but she obviously did not feel as if that was part of her job description.
So we started with the duck meatballs of course. Very good. Nice presentation. Loved the quail egg. We also had a special appetizer "for 2". It was a housemade soft burrata with heirloom tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar and oil. This was by far the best bite of food that I had all evening. I was unsure if the cheese was pasteurized(almost positive that it was not) but I could not help myself. I wanted to order it again for my entree and I wish that I had.
Instead, I ordered the duck and Matt ordered the 3 little piggies. Although our server asked me if medium rare was ok and I said that it was, my duck was medium. When our server decided to tear herself away from her social hour to check on us, I informed her of this and she asked if I would like it recooked. She did not apologize or offer anything while I was waiting.
I had a few bites of the 3 little piggies entree while I waited. Matt described the dish as an appetizer, entree and dessert all on one plate. The pork belly wrapped in pastry(appetizer) was very good. The pate on toast(dessert) was sweet and easily the best third of the dish. The pork tenderloin, while I did not taste it, Matt described it as bland and boring and served on a bed of undercooked, bland lentils.
When the duck finally arrived at the table it was cooked correctly but was not as well seasoned as the bite of the previous duck dish. The purple yams were dry and bland.
For dessert, we ordered the vanilla scented doughnuts with peppermint refresher. While it was good, I did not feel a desire to fight over the extra 3rd doughnut that I normally would.
Overall, a good but slightly disappointing meal. I would go back and order different entrees and hopefully have a different server.

We felt very rushed to place our orders. We were hoping for a leisurely dinner and certainly did not get that. The restaurant did not fill up the entire time that we were there so there was no pressure to turn over the tables. 

Heirloom Tomato Salad, French Onion Soup and Figs with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Honey Port Drizzle

So tonight was my night to make dinner.  I really struggled with what to make because I hate the in between season time.  I love summer foods, tomatoes, light pastas, avocados, light and refreshing whereas fall and winter foods are heavy and meat based.
We went to Whole Foods last night(GREAT GROUPON, btw!) and of course, my eyes landed on the
heirloom tomatoes.  Knowing that this will probably be the last time that I get my fix this year, I scooped them up along with some Stilton and made the best salad in all of the world!  I also decided to go a little fall-ish with French Onion Soup. I wanted to veer away from the traditional Gruyere so I went with a french Gruyere called Comte.  It has the same nuttiness as Swiss Gruyere but it a bit sweeter.  As is standard for me, I perused several different recipes and picked and chose what I liked from each one.  I used a Cabernet for a little something different but when I make this again, I will not be adding the wine.  I felt like the wine flavor overpowered the sweet caramelized onions.  To finish, I went with a non traditional dessert.  I LOVE cheese plates.  If cakes did not exist, cheese would be my dessert of choice every night. These goat cheese stuffed figs,while good on their own, would be better as part of a grand cheese plate. Ahhhhhh, next time.

Here is the recipe for the French Onion Soup


4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds sweet onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 quarts beef stock
thyme
1 loaf Italian bread, sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3c Gruyere, grated.

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy casserole. Add the onions and bay leaves, cover and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply browned, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Add water as necessary if the onions dry out.
2. Add the flour to the onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, another 2 minutes. Add the beef stock and thyme and simmer over  low heat for about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp.  Preheat the broiler. Ladle the hot soup into oven safe bowls. Top with the toast and scatter the cheese on top.  Broil for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Matt's Note: This was a really good light menu. The nice thing about eating it was that a)It was delicious and even though it was better than you could expect at even a good restaurant, it was inevitably much cheaper having been made by my wife Jessica. But b) It was something different (except for the tomato salad which was exquisite) than what we're used to eating. The techniques Jessica did, we saw the upside and down side. Like for example we have leftover soup and when we serve it tomorrow there will be 3x as much cheese on my crouton:-) Secondly the figs in their own right were delicious but eating an entire plate was totally monotone. If we served them with some salty ham like a nice Serrano, and a couple different heady or spicy cheeses then along with the port syrup it would really be a dynamic five star cheese plate...

Glazed Salmon with Spinach, Potato Crisps and Orange, Hoisin Reduction

I like wild caught salmon better than farm raised generally.  Maybe its the inner pretentious jackass in me or maybe it just tastes better.  For me the general rule with salmon is the redder the better.  For that reason Sockeye salmon tends to be my favorite and Coho salmon is my second.  The fish in this picture is Coho salmon.  It's my take on Asian flavors which are traditional with salmon, but its definitely not a purely Asian dish,

Ingredients
Salmon (skin on or off if you prefer)
Ginger
Spinach
Orange (about one orange per serving or you could substitute orange juice)
Hoisin (you could substitute soy)
honey 
Small potatoes

1.  Cut potatoes in small thin rounds.  Think like 2 to 3x the width of a typical potato chip.
2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat pan on.  Add a good amount of oil.  Fry potatoes on medium high heat, browning them on both sides.   I season the potatoes up right in the pan. Dry off and put on sheet pan with very very little oil.  Bake until slightly crispy around 10 minutes. 
3.  Reduce 3 parts fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, one table spoon Hoisin and one tablespoon honey on medium heat.  You don't need salt in this sauce, the hoisin should act as the salt.
4.  Heat pan to medium heat.  Add oil.  Place seasoned salmon skin side down glazing the top side with the sauce as you cook.  About 5-6 minutes on the skin side.  Flip fish over cook for 1-2 minutes on flesh side.  Remove from heat.
5,  Start out sweating finely minced ginger in butter on medium heat.  When ginger starts to caramelize add spinach cook for about two minutes. 
6.  Plate spinach first then potatoes around it, then finish with salmon on top of spinach and additional sauce. 

The sauce should be a little sweet which riffs nicely with some of the salty components going on.  Its pretty quick to prepare this dish, about 20-25 minutes start to finish.  I'm thinking of adding a little creamy silky potato puree underneath the tower next time I make this one.  I think it would potentially make a good dish great.  This dish is really textural as is but just writing about it makes me want to add that component to the plate next time.  I think I will and I'll let you all know if it was worth it!  For the time being, let me know if you try this one at home.