Oui, Chef

Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Cranberry Sauce

 

 We are huge fans of Ming Tsai in this household, so when I found his latest cookbook at a deep discount at our local (and sadly, closing) Borders Books, I grabbed it.  The book, Simply Ming One-Pot Meals  is chock full of Ming's trademark East-West recipes that are simple enough to cook on any given weeknight...huzzah.

Plum and Ginger Jam

A couple weeks back my wife bought some lovely looking plums at the farmer's market, they looked so meautiful in their little wooden panier.  Sadly, they didn't taste nearly as good as they looked.  Actually, to be fair, they tasted just fine, it was their texture that was all kinda funky.

Now, I am not a big fan of plums, love prunes, but fresh plums....not so much.  

Not sure why, but plums (with the exception of the Mirabelle's that I fell in love with in France) have never done much for me.  That said, if we've got some nice fresh ones in the fridge I'll be a good little soldier and eat them.

Unless, of course, they have a mealy-nasty texture that makes me want to gag.  If that's the case I'm not touching the buggers.  Not surprisingly, everyone else in the family felt the same way about the poor little fellas, and they sat forlornly in their cute woven basket for about a week before I finally decided that I had to make a project out of them or throw them away.

Momofuku's Fried Chicken

What came first the chicken or the egg?  Well, in this instance I can definitively say the egg came first.  

Yes, it was Chef David Chang's slow poached egg that first made its way into the Oui, Chef kitchen to much acclaim from the whole gang here (and many of you out there that tried it).  We had so much fun with his egg that I've been curious to try one of his other recipes, and what could make more sense after trying his egg, then to give his chicken a whirl.  This recipe comes from his tremendous cookbook Momofuku , which is not just a fab collection of recipes, but a real glimpse behind the scenes to give the reader a sense of what makes Chang tick.

Peyton's "Jean-Georges" Meal

 

Today I lay down my pen (as it were) and camera, and hand over the reigns to Peyton who offered to write this guest post about an awesome meal she cooked just before heading off to summer camp.  All the words and photos are hers, and she hopes very much that you enjoy them. Cheers - Steve

One of my earliest memories about Asian food was trying to use chopsticks. I struggled, and ended up using my fingers instead. Another I have is about going to a wonderful Japanese restaurant and eating at a hibachi table. The chef cooked with huge flames, made onion volcanoes, and tossed eggs into his hat.  But what I remember most was his smile. He was enjoying the show as much as we were. Up until cooking with Steve, I hadn’t even dreamt of cooking Asian food. The techniques seemed so complicated and took years to master. 

Not long ago I was looking through his many, many cookbooks for a recipe for lamb. I went into Jean-Georges Vongerichten's cookbook, Jean-Georges: Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef, and it jumped out at me. No, not the lamb dish that I was looking for, but rather a picture like what you see above. It was of a whole plate of his signature appetizers, and it looked delicious.  Of course, it also looked like an intimidating challenge.  If you knew me personally, then you'd know why I couldn't just turn another page. I had to make it!

Lamb Köfte with Yogurt Sauce and Muhammara

Are your taste buds tired of the same old same old?

Looking to spice up your dinner menu a bit this week?

Good, because this dish is gonna transport you to a brave new culinary world, and will totally rock those bored buds of yours.

I stumbled across this recipe in Bon Appetit some time ago and it immediately caught my eye.  It also made me think of my friend Joumana and her awesome blog, Taste of Beirut, because I couldn't help but think that this was the kind of food she grew up on.....lucky girl.  Sadly, I never got around to making the dish and sort of forgot about it until Joumana recently posted her own recipe for muhammara, a Syrian red pepper sauce.  Hers looked so good that I knew I had to go back and find this recipe and finally give it a try...I am SO GLAD I did.

Radish and Basil Pesto

With summer just around the corner, our attention is drawn to fresh herbs, greens and veggies, and light quick preparations that highlight their goodness.  This little ditty is delicious as a sandwich spread, tossed with whole wheat pasta, as a crudité dip or bruschetta topping, or stirred into some smashed potatoes to make them pop.  Heck...serve a dollop along side a juicy grilled steak, piece of fish, or chicken to add a little blast of summer to your plate.

Roasted Cod Caprese

Given that we live within spitting distance of Cape Cod, you'd think finding a beautiful piece of the fish that lends it's name to this region wouldn't be too difficult a task.  Sadly, most of the cod we see around here, even in the best retail fish markets, doesn't get me very excited these days.  Sob....sob...sniffle...

Smoked-Tea Rubbed Steak with Mango Salsa

 


I'm not a big fan of rules.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some kind of anarchist or anything.  I do believe in the rules that govern a civil society, and I'm not by any stretch a bad boy that flaunts our society's rules, or think myself above the consequences of breaking them.  

It's food rules that I have a problem with.

Merguez Frites - Charcutepalooza #5

"THE POWER AND THE GLORY: ANIMAL FAT, SALT, AND THE PIG COME TOGETHER IN ONE OF THE OLDEST, DIVINE-YET-HUMBLE CULINARY CREATIONS KNOWN TO HUMANKIND".........

So begins Chapter 4 of Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn's fabulous book, "Charcuterie", and to this, all I can say is.....amen, brothers.  Never before has the beauty that is sausage been described more accurately and succinctly than Michael does here......I get goosebumps every time I read these words.

As you may have already guessed, the challenge this month laid down by the High-Mistresses of Charcutepalooza, Mrs. Wheelbarrow (Cathy), and The Yummy Mummy (Kim), was to craft homemade sausage.  In doing so, we were to add to our growing list of experiences in all things charcuterie. So far we've hot smoked, brined, and salt cured, and for this month (at least for me), we're breaking out the power tools for a little "grinding and stuffing".....hallelujah!

Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Cranberry-Raspberry Sauce

Muppet and I pulled this dessert together about a week ago in honor of some international guests we had visiting.  We had the pleasure of hosting three Chinese college students who had won a negotiation competition in China that my wife has been involved with.  Part of their "winnings" was a trip to the US to further study our legal-mediation system, and for a bit of good old fashioned tourista time.

They stayed with a host family in Boston for a bit, where they attended a Celtics "WIN" at the garden, and joined us for a visit to the MFA and saw the newly installed Dale Chihuly exhibit, which was quite fabulous.  Then they came to stay with us on the South Shore where they were able to visit the Plymouth Plantation, and the Cape Cod National Seashore among other things.