chadzilla

some food & wine pic's

No matter what feelings anyone has about the SoBe Food & Wine Festival, it cannot be argued that it brings a lot of attention to the city of Miami for a few days.  The roster of official and unofficial related events keeps growing.  For an event that is 9 years old, its magnitude is quite impressive.  So, is any attention good attention?  Although there were some fantastic food-related happenings, a great majority of it is Food Network driven, and you frequently see people like Rachel Ray, Giada, Tyler, and P. Deen referred to as 'chefs.'  There is definitely a lot of fluff on the schedule... special made for TV cheezy fluff.

So, to parade some of that fluff before you I am sharing the photos of one of our cooks from Venesuela, Gino.  He spent the Sunday at the event apparently seeking out everyone with a well-known name attached.  I'm also appreciative to have some pictures to share since my camera is dead.  I guess it wasn't too difficult for the event organizers to persuade these northern-based chefs and personas to fly down and enjoy the great weather and sunshine and walk on the beach for a couple of days.

Here's some Duff to go with your fluff.  At least he wore a LedZep shirt.

Gino with the man himself, Wylie Dufresne finally getting some sun.

The best thing about Top Chef (or the only good thing)...

 

Gino with Cat.

Gino with Bobby.

Govind Armstrong from Table 8.

Thanks, Gino... but next year, you're working.

borrow a cup of carrageenan?

Things have really changed in the industry when another chef calls you on the phone and asks if he can come over and borrow a little carrageenan.  It makes me feel good to be a chef in this era.  After learning the benefits of hydrocolloids in fine cuisine, I feel like I was only cooking 'half-way' before.

I have started equating it to the movie industry (specifically special effects).  There was a time when movies had to 'suggest' action through good storytelling and well-conceived camera angles.  With computer animation and digital effects, anything can be translated to the screen and the imagination is not as necessary.  This is almost 'expected' when we watch a movie today.  In the same sense, we have come to a time in cuisine where we can technically yield any texture and ingredients and flavors can take up any form that the chef desires.  In the case of food, however, our imaginations are only beginning to get pushed.  Truly, anything is possible now if you know how to control water content and manipulate texture.  I don't understand how any chef can not be inspired by that possibility.

Side note:  My camera is for all practical purposes... dead.  It wasn't a great camera, but I carried it in my pocket everyday for almost 2 years.  That's a lot of abuse for an electonic device.  This puts me momentarily behind on photo shooting.  My blog will be words only until I can get another one.  It's unfortunate because I was trying to aquire a decent digital camcorder for video purposes... but it's even more difficult now that I have to throw money on a new camera instead.  I have debated about getting a 'better' camera that can actually take quality photos, but concluded that it isn't the best thing for me.  Part of the reason my blog and it's photos exist is because I have a camera small enough to actually carry in my pocket all day without getting aggravated.  If I had to set-up a shooting table and break out a nice camera everytime I wanted a photo, I would never get any pictures to post.  I need to be able to 'whip it out' and 'do the deed' on a moments notice... I'm talking about photos here, people. So, most probably I will buy another 'pocket' camera (or somehow find the warranty papers on my current camera) and my blog will continue to be the culinary version of the Blair Witch Project... low budget and sporadic occasionally giving the viewer a screaming headache while making no sense at all.  Hopefully, I will also find a way to bring videos into the 'big picture.'

octo-pie

Usually things don't get posted until after they happen, but this is a preview.  Also my camera display decided to quit working midday, so excuse the off-center shot below (no time to cut or crop).

We decided what to make for the South Beach Food & Wine Festival just a few days ago... Octo-Pie.  Aside from the obvious corny word-play, the 'pie' consists of grilled baby octopus, parmesan cracker crust, yellow tomato curd, whipped artichoke topping, and olive streusel.  It's a one-bite deal.

In our thoughts of using a unique protein, we ended up with a unique composition as well.  We will be serving this dish at the Grand Tasting Event on the beach all day today.  If you are there, come and see us and say hi.  Our sign will read either Trump International or Neomi's.  The F & W is usually a slam house event packed with a crowded house all day.  We're hoping for great weather 'cause food and sand and water don't mix well.  Eggbeater called this a 'Sweeney Todd' dish and I like that macabre description... especially in contrast to the fresh mediterranean flavors of the components.  If there was a competition for a Tim Burton-inspired dish, this could be in the running.

The crust was a cracker recipe baked off in silpat mini muffin molds.  Think parmesan cheez-it and you will come close to what the flavor of it is.

The baby octopus (which came in large-ish for baby) was marinated with preserved meyer lemon, garlic, herbs, and olive oil for one day, then grilled and sliced.

The tomato curd (no picture) was made by removing the skin and outer pulp of some locally grown heirloom yellow tomatoes, blending them, and mildly setting it with a carrageenan blend.  A little added citric acid kept the fresh tartness of the tomato flavor.

The whipped artichoke topping was a puree of artichoke bottoms and stems that were poached in an apple juice/lemon juice blend.  By cooking them this way, we get a much cleaner flavor than 'store-bought' artichokes (obviously) so that the puree has a much milder artichoke taste.  The puree was then whipped by blending in methocel and whipping it in a Hobart mixer.  Here is a picture after blending and before whipping.  When doing this over an ice bath to keep the liquid as cold as possible, the methocel creates a gel that has amazing elasticity for entrapping air bubbles... which allows it to be whipped afterwards.  Both the blending and whipping processes take at least 20 minutes each, so patience!

The last element is the olive steusel which was made by dehydrating some kalamatas, spanish queens, and Boscoli olive salad then grinding them with flour and cutting in whole butter in a food processor.  The 'dough' is then baked off for 15 to 20 minutes and crumbled.  I like the salty olive buttery taste of this, but what I love is the appearance... sort of like the 'landscape-inspired' dishes many of the Spanish chefs are exploring today.

2 solid days of prep condensed into a few photos.  The event sheet calls for 2500 portions of which we did about half of that amount.  The rest of the day we will be rolling out a steamed cake that Fabian has been working on (no pics, unfortunately).

See you there.

wooly pigs

Speaking of pork... we had some incredible mangalitsa and berkshire products arrive yesterday.  They came in 2 brown boxes with Heath Putnam's name taped to it, and pulling out the various goodies felt like Christmas morning with cardboard stockings.  Chef K had established dialogue with Heath a couple of weeks ago in order to secure some mangalitsa for an upcoming event.  I guess it was hard to resist bringing in a sampling of what he had to offer, because we now had a 'spice of life' mix of little packages that peaked my excitement as a true pork lover.  To order some, go here.  Heath's passion for the pigs he raises shows in every conversation and email.  It's easy to shine as a chef when you start with ingredients that are this good... unless you really have a knack for screwing things up.

Unfortunately, most of the 120 pounds of cuts (including some various pork roasts, ribs, pork fat, 3 or 4 large slabs of belly, and a full hindquarter) had to remain in the freezer for now.  We grilled off a couple of the ham steaks to sample.  The fat is the star of this pig.  It's like meat candy.  The flavor just keeps building when left to sit on the tongue for a few minutes, melting slowly in the heat of the mouth.  The only discouraging factor was that some moisture was obviously leaked out in the freezing and thawing process, but the quality was still there.

~fin~

peas, pea tendrils, peanuts

There have been a few impromptu menus lately that we have thrown out this salad (or reasonable facsimiles thereof).  I've grown addicted to the flavor of the fresh locally grown baby pea tendrils that we toss in grilled peanut oil with only salt and pepper.  The simplicity allows the toasty meaty flavor of the oil and freshness of the greens to really shine.

In a shortened menu, we add other elements such as this MyCryo seared torchon (to which we've had various levels of crispy crusted foie success to soggy failure... we think we know why, but that's another story).  MyCryo is a fantastic ingredient and every kitchen should explore its merits.  The makers suggest mixing it with bread crumbs to get a nice crust, but we've had some great results by mixing it with other starches such as corn and tapioca.  No fat is needed in the pan.  The MyCryo (which is made of 100% cocoa butter) melts and instantly fuses with the starch element... good crust.  Getting a crust on foie gras is not easy, so MyCryo is a savior.

This version (from my photo archives), also has pearls of compressed, frozen, and thawed apple.  The apple tastes and feels like poached apple, except that it is never subjected to heat at any time.  Also added are candied toasted peanuts and warm maple vinaigrette.

My focus here is on the peanut flavor trio.  Although pea tendrils have nothing to do with peanuts except for a naming fluke, the combination with grilled peanut oil is great.  I'd also like to reproclaim my love for this oil.  It's definitely something I grab for quite often when we need a plate on the fly.  Since we are using some for an upcoming promotional event, Sid Wainer is going to send us a couple of extra bottles... thanks!

'fait pas ca!' USDA

We have been periodically checking out Heath Putnam's blog and website frequently after ordering some premium pork from Wooly Pigs.  His passion for pork surpasses that of any I've seen in any other human being.  We will be getting a 'taste' of his prized Mangalitsa along with belly of some other breeds to use for the Star Chefs event in a couple of weeks.

Heath's latest post on the guv-ment coming down on the man at a boucherie in St. Martinville, Louisiana really hit home for me... mainly because it pretty much is my roots.  A big memory association for me growing up cajun is the boucherie.  It is such a communal act of tradition for cajuns (one that is not done much anymore, but occasionally symbolically performed).  There is an energy in the air during the entire day process that it is fully memorable for me, even though I was very young.  From the slaughter to the boiling water to the shaving to the skinning to the complete butchering of the animal, the boucherie is very ritualistic bringing the full extended family together.  Every part of the pig is incorporated into something.  My grandpa had cast-iron cauldrons boiling over wood fires to make the gratons and the head cheese.  I remember the taste of that grilled pork and those grillades everytime I eat pork.

Reading the Herald article just saddened me.

fortune cookie #2

Unhappy with your current situation?  Progress lies in your hand, but...

... keep in mind that 'perpetual discontent' makes you a miserable bastard.

the past week pt. II

Busy times and VD (worse than the STD) on top... what a week.  the horrorrrr......

pink peppercorn marshmallow

glueing and rolling wagyu flat iron steak before 'setting' in the walk-in overnight

duck rillette crusted in MyCryo (mixed with starch)... crispy exterior/moist stringy interior (interesting)

pickling rainbow chard stems (for what?  ...we have no idea yet... they were just there)

apple artichoke bottoms... poached sous-vide with apple juice

VD... the expo nightmare that it was, and the look of total frustration

bagging kampachi with white anchovy, preserved meyer lemon, herbs, and olive oil to cook sous-vide

~fin~

fish market

Although we couldn't find a substantial fresh fish market around Miami (the kind that you walk through with many tables of fishermen with live fish and shellfish of all varieties), I did find a lone guy selling nice stuff on the roadside around Key Biscayne.  We watched him slice up fish and fight off the encroaching pelicans.  Bringing home some incredibly fresh yellowtail made the trip and the traffic worth it, even if we didn't get our 'fish market.'  He also had some fresh amberjack roe in the ovary, and I'm still kicking myself for not bringing it home.  Ming and I had been thinking a lot about whole steamed fish and these yellowtails were perfect.  Just a snip off of the tail allowed us to squeeze one of them into the little Sunbeam steamer that I picked up at a thrift store recently for $5.  We also used one of them for soup... there's nothing like fresh fish broth.

one last swim...

covered in ginger and fresh bamboo shoots...

Watch yer toes, crouching pelican!!!

shiso crunch

Nuttin' fancy.  I purchased some perilla seeds from an Asian market a few weeks ago.  We've found that when toasted, they have the perfect 'crunch' texture for adding to salads or folding into tuna tartar or whatever else you deem necessary to have little bursts of crispy pebbles of subtle smooth herbal oil flavor.  We have used toasted coriander seed in the past, but the shiso texture is far superior.

tat-soi and shiso seed salad with ponzu vinaigrette (an easy 'on-the-fly' component).  What's cool is that the shiso seed is so light, you can just throw it onto the coated greens and they stick instantly... allowing each leaf to have little elements of 'crunch.'