seared lamb chops, parsnip and celery root puree, mint pesto, pomegranate reduction

ingredients:

rack of lamb
parsnips
celery root
parsley
rosemary
mint
lemon
pomegranate seeds
garlic
shallots
dijion mustard
chicken broth
heavy cream
red wine
pomegranate jelly
pure agave
extra virgin olive oil
butter
nutmeg
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  preheat oven to 400 degrees.  french the rack of lamb.  cut into two rib chops.

2.  season meat with kosher salt and black pepper.  rub dijion mustard over lamb and  sprinkle with chopped rosemary.  set aside.

3.  cut the celery root into one inch cubes, cut the parsnips into one inch rounds.  cook until tender in a pot of boiling chicken broth.  when tender, drain out most of the liquid and blend. (using an immersion blender)  stir in a dash of heavy cream, a few pats of butter, and season with salt and light smidge of grated nutmeg.  keep warm.

4.  add roughly chopped parsley, mint leaves, and a garlic clove or two to a bowl with a good amount of extra virgin olive oil.  blend.  season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper, add a squeeze of lemon and some agave for sweetness.  refrigerate.

5.  heat up a flat pan over high heat and sear off the lamb chops.  when browned on all sides, finish the cooking in the oven to desired done-ness.  (I prefer mine rare plus)  make sure to let the lamb rest after removing from oven.

6.  while the lamb is finishing in the oven, lightly saute minced shallots in a medium saucepan.  add in red wine, some pomegranate jelly, and lots of black pepper.  reduce till light syrup-like consistency.  strain, then season with salt to taste and add a bit of agave for sweetness if too tart.  keep warm.

to plate:

put some of the parsnip and celery root puree on a warm white plate.  slice the lamb chop into single ribs and place on the puree. drizzle the lamb with the pomegranate reduction and lightly dallop some of the parsley/mint pesto on the side.  garnish with pomegranate seeds.  serve immediately.

roast chicken, baby carrots, lemon, thyme

ingredients:

whole chicken (preferably organic)
baby carrots
garlic
parsley
lemon
thyme
chicken stock
white wine
extra virgin olive oil
butter
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  preheat oven to 475 degrees.  season chicken cavity with salt and cracked black pepper.  stuff with some lemon wedges, thyme, and garlic cloves.

2.  season the chicken with salt and cracked black pepper on the outside and top with a few dabs of butter.  place in ovenproof dish and set aside.

3.  toss the baby carrots in another ovenproof dish with some extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and cracked black pepper.  add in some chicken stock and a splash of white wine.  sprinkle with thyme leaves and top with a few dabs of butter.

4.  roast chicken and carrots at 475 degrees for 20 minutes then continue roasting at 400 degrees for another 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.

5.  when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees, it's done.  let it rest for 15 minutes under some tinfoil before serving.

to serve:  carve the chicken into 8 serving pieces and drizzle meat with juices from the ovenproof dish.  you can always finish it off with a smidge more of maldon sea salt if desired.  serve the roasted carrots on the side.  garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

giblet ravioli with tomato sauce, arugula, and white truffle oil

yes, yes, i know the word "giblet" sounds funny.  giblet ravioli.  it's good!  this is a great recipe to use up any leftovers from the previous recipe and change it into something different.

ingredients:

liver sauce, reduced so there's no more liquid (see previous recipe)
green pasta sheets (see previous recipe)
egg
garlic
arugula
canned roma tomatoes
1 can marinara sauce
white wine
red chili flakes
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
sugar

1.  roll out a green pasta sheet and brush egg wash over the sheet.  make raviolis by spooning a bit of the liver mixture about an inch and a half apart and top the liver filling with another pasta sheet.  press firmly around the edges and cut raviolis out.  i just used a glass tumbler upside down like a cookie cutter to cut the ravioli.  you're welcome to use a ravioli cutter, pizza cutter, whatever works.  set aside.

2.  in a large pan, heat up the extra virgin olive oil and saute garlic with some red chili flakes.  then add in the remaining chicken liver mixture and saute over high heat for 3 minutes or so.

3.  deglaze the pan with white wine.  stir sauce.

4.  add the marinara to the sauce and then using your hands, crush the roma tomatoes and add to the sauce.  let the sauce simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.  season to taste with salt, cracked black pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

5.  cook raviolis in a large pot of salted boiling water.  meanwhile, fold the arugula into the tomato sauce.

to plate:  carefully place some ravioli in the center of a white plate.  top raviolis with some of the tomato sauce and drizzle with white truffle oil.  top with some parmesan cheese if desired.  serve immediately.

the picture above shows the ravioli cut so you can see the filling.

green lagane in chicken liver sauce

ingredients:

for green lagane (wide noodles):

3 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs
3/4 - 1 cup blanched spinach

for sauce:

chicken giblets (livers, hearts, gizzards - use more liver)
pancetta
dried porcini mushrooms
white chantrelle mushrooms
carrot
onion
garlic
parsley
bay leaf
tomato paste
white wine
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  pulse the blanched spinach in a food processor until super fine.

2.  add the spinach into five beaten eggs.  mix well.

3.  mound the flour with a well in the middle on a clean, flat surface. slowly begin to incorporate the spinach/egg mixture into the well and then knead for 10-15 minutes.  wrap the dough in saran wrap and rest for half an hour or so.

4.  slice the chantrelles and soak the porcini mushrooms in some hot water.  when porcini mushrooms have reconstituted, finely chop them up and set aside.  save the porcini liquid.

5.  chop the chicken giblets.  dice the pancetta.

6.  in a large dutch oven, heat up some extra virgin olive oil over medium low heat.  cook the pancetta slowly to render its fat.  meanwhile, finely chop up the carrot, onion, and garlic.

7.  after the pancetta has rendered its fat, throw in the chopped carrots, porcini mushrooms, onions, garlic, and bay leaf.  season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  saute for 3 minutes.

8.  stir in some tomato paste, the porcini mushroom liquid, and white wine.  bring to a boil then turn heat to medium low and simmer for 40 minutes.  season to taste.

9.  while chicken liver sauce is simmering, heat up some extra virgin olive oil over high heat to sear the chantrelle mushrooms.  season with salt and cracked pepper to taste and then set aside for garnish.

10.  using a pasta machine, roll out green pasta dough to thin sheets.  fold the sheets as you would a cinnamon roll and then slice into flat, wide noodles.  lightly toss with flour to prevent sticking.  cook the lagane in salted boiling water.

11.  after a minute or two, transfer al-dente lagane into the liver sauce to finish cooking.

to plate:  pile some lagane onto a plate.  top with additional chicken liver sauce and garnish with the caramelized chantrelles and parsley.  serve immediately.

optional: you can top the pasta with shaved parmesan or pecorino romano.  both work.

gnocchi with braised lamb shank

ingredients:

red wine braised lamb shanks (see recipe July 4th posting)

1 lb russet potatoes 

3 egg yolks

flour

parmesan

kosher salt

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  prepare the braised lamb shanks.

2.  bake the russet potatoes on a baking tray lined with kosher salt.  when potatoes baked, scoop out the insides.  grate potatoes either using a potato ricer and any grater will do.

3.  add the egg yolks, parmesan, sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste to the grated potatoes. mix well.  slowly incorporate some flour into the potato mixture using a folding method until the potato "dough" hold well together without sticking to your hands. 

4.  roll out the potato dough and make gnocchi.  (you can look it up on youtube if you need a visual.) 

5.  heat up a large pot of salted boiling water.  while the water is heating, remove lamb shanks from the sauce and reduce the red wine sauce further to a thick gravy consistency.  shred off the lamb meat with tongs and return to the sauce. 

6.  cook the gnocchi for about 1-2 minutes until they float to the top.  drain gnocchi and lightly toss in the lamb sauce.  garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.  

quinoa vegetable soup

ingredients:

beef marrow bones
pork bones
chicken bones
veal stock
chicken broth
kale
yukon gold potato
yellow onion
garlic
carrots
celery ribs
baby portabello mushrooms
corn
roma tomatoes
tomato paste
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
red chili flake (optional)

directions:

1.  boil all the soup bones with veal stock and water.  lightly season with salt and black pepper.

2.  cook the quinoa in the rice cooker the same way you would cook rice.  use chicken broth instead of water.

3.  prepare your mise en place.  chop the garlic, onions, carrots, celery ribs, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, and kale.  cut the kernels off the corn and dice the potatoes into chunks.

3.  remove the bones from the stock.  add in all the vegetables except for the kale.  season with salt, black pepper, and some tomato paste.  (chili flake optional if you like spice)

4.  remove the meat from the pork and beef bones, especially the tendons attached to the beef bones.  chop up the meat and add it into the vegetable soup.  discard the chicken bones.

5.  cook the soup until all the ingredients have time to develop flavor.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.  cook the kale for a minute or two in the soup before serving.

to plate:

1.  put some quinoa in the bottom of a bowl.  ladle soup over quinoa and finish with a few grinds of black pepper.  serve immediately.

cognac mushroom spaghetti

ingredients:

crimini mushrooms

yellow onion

garlic

parsley

thyme

dark veal stock

heavy cream

sour cream
hennessy cognac

extra virgin olive oil

thin spaghetti

kosher salt

cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  boil enough salted water to cook the spaghetti. 

2.  prepare your mise en place.  slice the onion and crimini mushrooms.  finely mince the garlic and chop the parsley.

3.  heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a medium flat saucepan.  caramelize the mushrooms in batches. do not crowd the pan.  after mushrooms are caramelized, add in the onions, some garlic, and some fresh thyme.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.

4.  after onions are translucent, remove the pan from the stove and deglaze with hennessy. (3-5 shots or enough to cover the bottom of the pan)  then put the pan back on the flame and continue cooking till the alcohol has cooked out.

5.  add the veal stock and heavy cream to the mushrooms.  season with salt and black pepper to taste.

6.  when the pasta is al dente, drain, and toss in the sauce.  finish cooking the pasta in the cognac cream sauce and top with chopped parsley.  serve immediately.  you can add a dallop of sour cream on top if desired.  (not shown in picture)

chicken katsu udon

ingredients:

chicken katsu (see recipe in previous post)
dried wakame
thick seaweed
bonito flakes
shiitake mushroom
carrots
spinach
corn
scallions
soy sauce (or udon soup base)
hon dashi
mirin
canola oil

directions:

1.  prepare the udon broth by boiling thick seaweed chunks and bontio flakes with water.  add some soy sauce, mirin, and hon dashi.  throw in some carrots and shiitake mushrooms and keep warm.

2.  prepare your mise en place. blanch the spinach and set aside.  cut the corn from the cob and lightly saute in some canola oil. set aside.  (you can throw the corn cobs into the udon broth to give it more flavor if you like)  slice the scallions and reconstitute the dried wakame in water.

3.  in a separate pot, cook udon noodles and place into bowls.  do not wash the cooked udon in cold water.  top the hot udon with some spinach, corn, and wakame.  ladle piping hot udon broth into bowl.  be sure to get some carrots on shiitakes in the bowl as well.  top with chicken katsu, garnish with scallions, and serve immediately.

garlic chicken katsu, grilled spring onions

ingredients:

chicken thigh meat
spring onions
chives
lemon
egg
flour
panko
kosher salt
maldon sea salt (the flaky kind)
freshly cracked black pepper
garlic powder
canola oil
tonkatsu sauce (optional)

directions:

1.  prepare three trays.  one with egg wash (by beating an egg with some water), one with flour, and one with panko.  season panko with salt and cracked black pepper.

2.  de-bone the chicken thigh meat and remove the skin.  lay flat and season both sides with salt, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper.  dredge chicken in a light coating of flour, then give it a bath in the egg wash, and lastly coat with panko.

3.  add enough canola oil to a heated flat pan so that bottom is completely covered.  pan-fry chicken pieces until both sides are golden and crispy.  set on a rack (as shown) to drain excess oil.  finish with sprinkle of maldon sea salt.  note: I don't recommend draining the chicken on a paper towel, as bottom gets soggy.

4.  slice the spring onions into quarters.  heat up a grill pan and grill spring onions over medium heat until nicely caramelized and slightly charred.

to plate:

1.  garnish chicken katsu with chives and plate grilled spring onions next to it. serve with a lemon wedge on the side and tonkatsu sauce.

spicy hamachi tartare, nori sheets

ingredients:

hamachi (belly cut works best with this preparation)
orange tobiko
quail egg
miracle whip
mayonnaise
siracha hot sauce
lemon ponzu
crushed garlic
chives
sliced cucumber (optional)
nori sheets
shichimi
fine sea salt

directions:

1.  finely chop hamachi and refrigerate.
2.  in a bowl, mix equal portions of miracle whip and mayo together. then fold in shichimi, siracha hot sauce, crushed garlic, salt, and chives.  the spicy mayo should be orange-ish.
3.  gently stir the spicy mayo mixture into the hamachi, little by little, to taste.

to plate:

1.  put some of the spicy hamachi tartare into a bowl.  garnish with sliced cucumbers all around.  top with a bed of chopped chives, then some orange tobiko, and finally top with quail egg.  (yolk only) gently spoon some lemon ponzu around the tartare.  serve with nori sheets and extra shichimi on the side.

razor clam linguini, white wine butter sauce

ingredients:

razor clams in tin

baby razor clams in tin

anchovy fillets in olive oil

yellow onion

garlic

red chili flake

lemon

parsley

white wine

butter

olive oil

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

linguini pasta

directions:

1.  in a large pot, boil water for pasta. add a handful of kosher salt.

2.  heat up a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan. meanwhile, julienne onion, finely mince garlic, chop parsley, and set aside. when oil is hot, saute onions and red chili flakes with a few anchovy fillets until the anchovy is broken down. (taste your anchovy first, if it's super salty, don't add as many. I got mine from Spain, they are not as salty, with a deep nutty flavor, so I used about 5 fillets to one onion.)  

3.  when onions are translucent, add in minced garlic, and saute for one minute.  

4.  then add the razor clams with the clam juice, butter, and white wine.  cook until alcohol from wine has evaporated. 

5.  using tongs, toss al dente linguini into the pan with the clams and sauce, and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.  season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt if needed.  squeeze some lemon, garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

red wine braised lamb shank, gremolata, risotto milanese

there are three components to this dish.  I will give separate ingredient lists and directions for each.

I. red wine braised lambshanks

ingredients:

lamb shanks
bottle of red - I use 2-buck-chuck from traders
carrots
yellow onion
can of plum tomatoes
tomato paste
garlic
rosemary
beef stock
olive oil
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
rock sugar

directions:

1.  season lamb shanks liberally with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  heat up olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot and sear the lamb off till brown on all sides.  remove shanks and set aside.
2.  add sliced carrots and chopped onions into the pot and cook for a bit, then add in some minced garlic and deglaze with a bottle of red wine. bring to a boil and return lamb shanks into red wine mixture. throw in a few sprigs of rosemary and a tablespoon or so of tomato paste.
3.  using only the tomatoes from the can (no juice/sauce), crush them with your hands before adding them to the pot along with beef stock till the shanks are just covered with liquid.
4.  cook over medium heat, covered, until lamb is fork tender and about to fall off the bone.  season with a small cube of white rock sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.  add a splash of red wine before serving to give it another layer of flavor.

II. gremolata

ingredients:

lemon zest
garlic, minced
parsley, chopped
rosemary, minced
cracked sea salt
cracked black pepper

directions:

1. combine lemon zest, garlic, parsley, and rosemary into a small bowl.  season with cracked sea salt and black pepper.  set aside to top the lamb shanks.

III. risotto milanese

ingredients:

alborio rice
white wine
yellow onion
chicken stock
saffron threads
olive oil
parmesan cheese
parsley chiffonade

directions:

1.  heat up chicken stock in a pot.  steep the saffron threads in the hot stock.
2.  heat up olive oil in a pan.  saute chopped onions till translucent and add in rice.  saute rice for a bit then add in a ladle full of stock and cook. keep adding ladle fulls of stock as the rice cooks.  very important to stir as you go.
3.  when risotto is cooked through, and still al dente, fold in grated parmesan and garnish with parsley. should be nice and creamy, but still being able to taste the texture of the alborio rice.


to plate:

1.  put some risotto on a plate.  place a lamb shank off to the side and spoon sauce around it.  garnish lamb with gremolata.  serve immediately.

at home japanese tapas…

the next seven recipes will be very different ideas for sushi at home.  these are simple, super yummy, and will definitely impress whoever you’re making them for.   none of the usual boring california rolls or spicy tunas here. (not that they aren’t good or anything hehe)

PS.  have a blow torch handy…

japanese tapas: wagyu beef nigiri, grilled maitake mushroom

ingredients:

wagyu beef- buy the super marbled
sushi rice- see recipe in "sujiki, uni, sushi rice" post
maitake mushrooms
meyer lemon
scallions
shabu shabu sauce
ponzu
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

tools:

blowtorch

directions:

1.  drizzle maitake mushrooms with olive oil, toss with salt and cracked black pepper.  place on grill. you
want it to be slightly charred for a nice smoky flavor.

2.  make sushi rice into nigiri.  you can always look at youtube to leanr how to make nigiri. practice makes
perfect. top nigiri with slices of the marbled wagyu.

3.  thinly slice scallion tips and meyer lemon for garnish. mix half parts shabu shabu sauce and ponzu together.

4.  torch the top of the beef until the top is slightly charred but still a bit rare underneath.  season with fine sea
salt and garnish with scallions.

5.  plating: place grilled maitake mushrooms on the side of a white plate. garnish mushrooms with a slice of
meyer lemon. place wagyu nigiri next to mushrooms and top beef with shabu/ponzu sauce. serve
immediately.

japanese tapas: trio of tartare: tuna, salmon, hamachi

there are three components to this dish.  I will give separate directions for each.

I. tuna tartare

ingredients:

sashimi grade tuna

scallions (white part only)

wakame salad

orange tobiko

sesame oil

rice crackers

fine sea salt

directions:

1.  mince up scallions and wakame salad.

2.  finely chop tuna

3.  mix tuna, scallions, wakame salad, orange tobiko, a light dash of sesame oil, and salt to taste. garnish with rice crackers

II. salmon tartare

ingredients:

sashimi grade salmon

Japanese cucumber

ponzu

orange tobiko

chives

directions:

1.  brunoise the Japanese cucumbers. 

2.  finely chop salmon

3.  mix salmon with the cucumbers and tobiko.  add a dash of ponzu to taste and garnish with snipped chives.

III. hamachi tartare

ingredients: 

sashimi grade hamachi

scallions (green part only)

orange tobiko

lemon ponzu

nori

fine sea salt

1.  slice scallions.

2.  finely chop hamachi

3.  mix hamachi with scallions and tobiko. add a dash of ponzu to taste and fine sea salt.  garnish with nori.

japanese tapas: ika noodles, caviar, uni, uzura

ingredients:

ika noodles - squid noodles, can be bought at japanese grocery stores
caviar - sevruga pictured above
orange tobiko
uni
sujiki
uzura - quail egg
kaiware
meyer lemon
ponzu
wasabi

directions:

1.  in a bowl, mix ika noodles, black tobiko, ponzu, wasabi, kaiware leaves, and meyer lemon juice together.

2.  plating: place a mound of the ika noodle on a white plate.  off to the side put a quail egg yolk in the egg
shell and meyer lemon wedge.  garnish the ika noodles with a bit of fresh uni, orange tobiko, and sujiki.
serve immediately.

japanese tapas: salmon belly, caviar, white truffle oil

ingredients:

sashimi grade salmon belly
caviar - sevruga pictured above
japanese cucumber
kaiware
chives
ponzu
white truffle oil

directions:

1.  slice japanese cucumber super thin.

2.  slice salmon belly into 1/2 cm thick slices.

3.  plating: place salmon belly on a white plate. top each piece with a slice of cucumber and top cucumber
with a nice dab of caviar. spoon ponzu around salmon pieces and drizzle with white truffle oil.  garnish
with chives and kaiware.  serve immediately.

japanese tapas: tuna cubes, wakame salad, japanese cucumber, meyer lemon

ingredients:

sashimi grade tuna
japanese cucumber
wakame salad - seaweed salad
orange tobiko
fine sea salt
meyer lemon
shichimi - japanese style chili powder

directions:

1. slice tuna into cubes about 2 cm x 2cm

2. thinly slice japanese cucumber into rounds

3. slice meyer lemon into thin wedges

4. plating:  put a bed of wakame salad in the middle of a white plate. place cucumber rounds around the
wakame. put tuna cubes on top of cucumber- season with fine seal salt, and top with more cucumber rounds. garnish with orange tobiko, a sprinkle of shichimi for some kick, and a lemon wedge.

japanese tapas: miragai sashimi, meyer lemon, tobiko

sometimes the best ingredients need nothing at all to enjoy to the fullest.

ingredients:

miragai- geoduck clam
meyer lemon
orange tobiko
fine sea salt

directions:

1.  slice meyer lemon into thin slices.

2.  carefully slice miragai horizontally into thin sashimi pieces.

3.  plating.  arrange meyer lemon on a plate.  top with miragai sashimi, a light sprinkle of fine sea salt, and
garnish with orange tobiko. serve immediately.

japanese tapas: sujiki, uni, sushi rice

ingredients:

sujiki

uni

short grain sushi rice

kaiware

nori

rice vinegar

mirin

sake

soy sauce

wasabi

fine sugar

fine sea salt

directions:

1.  get the sujiki ready first.  carefully dunk whole lobe of sujiki into warm salted water. carefully separate eggs from the outer membrane.  after eggs are removed, drain off excess water and marinade eggs with sake, soy sauce, and mirin. refrigerate.

2.  for sushi rice, add sugar, a pinch of salt, mirin, and rice vinegar to hot cooked rice.  mix well and allow it to cool.

3.  to plate, place a bit of the sushi rice at the bottom of a bowl.  top with a good portion of the sujiki, a lobe of uni, and garnish with wasabi, kaiware, and nori. 

crab and shrimp vermicelli, roma tomato, roe filled fish balls, thai basil

ingredients:

crab paste in soy bean oil
shrimp paste in soy bean oil
fish balls with roe - you can buy them at ranch 99
eggs
chicken broth
roma tomatoes, cubed
bean sprouts
thai basil
scallions
cilantro
lemon wedges
rice vermicelli
noodles
fine sea salt

directions:

1.  in a big soup pot, heat up chicken broth and cubed tomatoes to a boil.
2.  beat 2-3 eggs in a bowl and add two huge spoonfuls of both the crab and shrimp paste. mix together.
3.  when the chicken broth is boiling, slowly pour in egg/crab/shrimp mixture. after egg mixture comes together and is cooked in the broth, throw in the fish balls and reduce heat to a medium flame. season with salt.
4.  heat up another pot of salted water and cook vermicelli noodles.
5.  prepare side accompaniments. blanch the bean sprouts, cut lemon wedges, pick basil leaves, chope the cilantro, and slice the scallions.
6.  when noodles are cooked, put a moundful in the bottom of a bowl. top with hot soup and garnish with side accompaniments. serve immediately.

 *you can dip with fish balls in hoisin sauce and siracha. it's reallllly good.

caviar canape, potato rosti, crème fraiche, crumbled egg, chive

ingredients:

caviar- sevruga pictured

potatoes

white onion

eggs

panko

crème fraiche

chives

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

directions:

1.  make the potato rosti first.  grate peeled potatoes into a bowl of water.  this prevents browning/ graying of potatoes. strain potatoes and plop the potatoes onto a clean towel.  squeeze out as much of the water as possible then put potatoes back into a bowl.  grate a small white onion, squeeze some of the liquid out, and add to the potatoes.  the potato to onion ratio I used is about 4-5 smallish medium potatoes to onesmall white onion.  add about 3 egg yolks, and season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  mix.  depending on how wet the mixture is, add panko to hold it together for frying.  in a flat pan, heat up olive oil over a medium flame. press the potato mixture into a very flat pancake and fry the potatoes for about 5-8 minutes on each side till gold brown.  drain on paper towels and let it cool.  once cooled, you and use a cookie cutter to cut out individual mini rostis.

2.  prepare the crumbled eggs.  fill a small pot with cold water and place eggs in pot.  set your stove to medium heat and after about two minutes, turn up the heat to medium high.  this prevents the eggs from cracking due to drastic temperature change.  once it begins a rapid boil, set a kitchen timer to five minutes. 

large eggs may need six minutes.  when the timer is up, put eggs in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.  when eggs are cooled, peel and crumble the eggs into small pieces. 

3.  get your mise en place ready. caviar, potato rosti, crumbled egg, crème fraiche, and chives.  dab a bit of crème fraiche on each potato rosti.  top with some crumbled egg, then top with caviar.  garnish with chive. then enjoy with some champagne. 

*this picture is shown with the same ingredients sans the potato rosti.  I used crispbread underneath for these.   

seared foie gras, red onion compote, white peaches, butter brioche

there are three different main components that you have to get ready first for this dish.  I will give directions for each component and then give plating directions.  this is just like how they have it at dankos. mm, mm, mm...

1. red onion compote
2. sauce for the foie gras
3. caramelized white peaches

ingredients:

foie gras- i prefer hudson valley grade A
brioche- i buy boulanger brioche
white peaches
red onions
one small white onion
mache- or any other mild green
thyme
dark veal stock
chicken stock
one bottle of moscato- i used fetzer 2010
brandy
sherry vinegar
balsamic vinegar
butter

agave sweetener

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

directions:

1.  get the red onion compote going.  you will need tons of onions because it cooks down to nothing.  in a

big pot, melt some butter and saute off red onions.  add salt to taste.  add in chicken stock, a hefty splash of  balsamic vinegar, a few sprigs of thyme, and agave sweetener to taste and let it stew, stirring here n there for about 4-5 hours. please note- don't add too much sweetener in the beginning because as it cooks

the flavor gets more concentrated, so I tend to do taste checks and seasoning adjustments towards the end of the cooking process.

2.   sauce for the foie.  in a medium saucepan, cook about a carton of veal stock till it's reduced by half.  that way it will be super dark. if you have good veal stock handy, use that.  add in chopped small white onion, a couple splashes of sherry vinegar, bout half of the fetzer moscato, a couple splashes of brandy, and some agave sweetener to taste.  bring mixture to a full boil and then reduce to a simmer.  simmer away until its reduced by more than half. 

3.  white peaches.  in a heavy flat pan heat up some olive oil.  throw in sliced peaches and cook until carmelized.  deglaze with the fetzer moscato and cook till it's reduced to a glaze.  set aside.

4.  toast brioche.  while brioche is toasting prepare the foie.  i like to score mine, it's supposed to help the fat render out more.  get a heavy bottomed nonstick pan nice and hot. searing hot. near smoking. season the foie gras liberally with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. quickly place the foie into the pan and sear for about five- ten seconds, then remove pan from flame- the residual heat is enough to keep cooking the foie. (you don't want to burn the fat) after about 30 seconds or so, flip over to other side and put pan back on the flame.  you can check for doneness by touching it- it should feel like a soft koniaku or firm jello. let the foie drain on paper towels.  don't be an idiot and keep cooking it on the stove- cuz you will end up with a  pan full of expensive fat or a shriveled, overcooked, foie.  not good. 

plating:

1.  arrange the ingredients however you'd like to.  be creative! if you like mine, place brioche on a white plate. put a bed of the red onion compote in front of the brioche and place seared foie gras on top.  arrange mache leaves under the white peaches off the the side and spoon hot sauce over the foie gras.  serve immediately.

salmon belly amuse bouche, sujiki, fried thai basil, lemongrass oil

ingredients:

sashimi grade salmon belly
sujiki- fresh salmon roe marinaded quickly in sake and soy sauce (or ikura will do)
thai basil
lemongrass stalk
lime ponzu
grapeseed oil
shichimi

directions:

1.  using a mortar and pestle - if you don't have one, use a bowl and the end of a rolling pin - mash up
chopped lemon grass stalk.  marinade lemongrass mashings in grapeseed oil and set aside.

2.  heat up oil in a small saucepan.  fry basil leaves one by one and set aside. careful- the oil really pops when you do this so have an oil mesh screen available.

3.  slice salmon into 1 cm thick slices. strain lemongrass oil.

plating:

1.  get your mise en place ready: salmon, sujiki, fried thai basil, lemongrass oil, lime ponzu, and shichimi.

2.  place salmon on a plate.  top with some sujiki, then top with fried basil leaf.  spoon lime ponzu around
each salmon piece and lightly drizzle lemongrass oil over it. sprinkle with a light dusting of the shichimi
and serve immediately.

rou zhou fan, swan tsai, gai lan

ingredients:

rou zhou- taiwan style minced pork (see recipe below in "tainan dan zhi mien" recipe)
swan tsai- pickled mustard green
garlic
red chili
soy sauce
sugar
gai lan- chinese broccoli
jasmine rice

directions:

1. cook jasmine rice. heat up salted water in a pot for blanching gai lan. trim, shave ends of gai lan.

2.  soak the pickled mustard green in ice water for 2 hours. (without soaking it will be super sour) after
soaking finely mince mustard green.  mince garlic and slice some red chilis.

3.  saute garlic and red chilis in some canola oil, add in minced mustard green, a dash of soy sauce, and
sugar to taste.  set aside.

4.  blanch gai lan, and put on a plate.  add about a bowlful of rice next to the gai lan and spoon
minced pork over rice. garnish with the sauteed mustard green on side.  serve immediately.