Recipe Revisited: Seared Spring Salmon with Melted Leeks and Herbed Beurre Blanc

This is a recipe I've made (and loved) before, but I had to post again because it was even more mind-blowing this time with three small changes.  I don't like to make many alterations to Thomas Keller's recipes, because he's pretty much always right... but I feel like my leeks turned out better (and infinitely easier) by switching up the technique a little.  The recipe for this amazing dish is here, and I highly recommend trying it out next time you get your hands on some beautiful salmon...

Cookbook Adventures: Mission Street Food (Updated)

Mission Street Food is another one of those books that I couldn't wait to get my hands on, but then didn't manage to play with until now...  

Now that I've tried a few recipes, I think it may be a while before I break it out again... Everything was sort of in that "good... but not as great as I'd hoped..." category.

I love the philosophy of the book, and I love the ideas behind the recipes, but it may end up being one of those books that I turn to more for inspiration than for guidance...

Cookbook Adventures: Another Take on 48-Hour Short Ribs

I had such a delicious experience with her awesome zucchini dumplings, I went right back to Susan Feniger's Street Food to try another dish. 

The inspiration for trying (and modifying) Korean-Glazed Short Ribs with Sesame and Asian Pear was the abundance of Asian pears hanging from the tree in my back yard. 

Maybe it was because the marinade reminded me of the marinade for Momofuku's 48-hour short ribs, maybe it was just because after cooking short ribs sous vide I would never cook them any other way, but I ended up straying pretty far from the recipe when it came to the cooking of the ribs...  Whatever the reason, the results were totally awesome...

Cookbook Adventures: Amazing Zucchini Dumplings

While pondering what to do with some extra zucchini from my mom's garden, I stumbled across a Cook the Book post over at Eatocracy with pictures of some insanely delicious-looking dumplings.  I knew the moment I saw that picture that I was going to have to make them myself as soon as possible..

 

My brother was laughing at me because I was explaining that I almost never cook vegetarian...  I told him I was planning to make these dumplings, and I said, "Ooh.  Those are vegetarian!  I'm serving them with pork..."  Subtract the pork from the equation, though, and they'd be a really impressive vegetarian appetizer...

Chicken Makhani and Other Yumminess

Prompted by another pound of beautiful green beans in my last produce delivery and by a desire to try some new recipes, those beans led to my cooking an Indian(-inspired) feast...

Chicken Makhani, Saag, Dal, and Green Beans with Coconut Spice...  (Plus homemade Naan, of course...)

Cookbook Adventures: Momofuku Ramen

A little over a year and a half after buying the book, I finally got around to making the dish I knew I had to make: Last night, I finally made Momofuku Ramen for dinner (fresh alkaline noodles and all).

Cookbook Adventures: Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

So, here's the thing: I've had this cookbook for years, but on the back flap is a photo of the author. Every time I see that photo, I think to myself "Um... I don't think this is going to turn out well..."In spite of this (understandable, yeah?) trepidation, I tried his Caesar Salad recipe a few weeks back with Mindy and it rocked, so I decided to forge ahead and try another recipe that sounded great to me: Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
It's a bit on the rustic-looking side, but it's so delicious that I don't really care. I'll admit to not following his recipe 100% (I mean... look at him! Plus, I have a sous vide obsession...), but this dish was fantastic and I will definitely make it many many many more times.

Cookbook Adventures: Marrow Beans with Merguez, Pistachios, and Honey

When I got my heirloom bean cookbook, the first recipe that jumped out at me was Marrow Beans with Merguez, Pistachios, and Honey. I had some homemade Merguez in the freezer and all of the ingredients sounded like my kind of thing...... but in the end (and this is something I almost never say) there seemed to be too much going on. I thought my homemade Merguez tasted fantastic, but everything else seemed to detract from it...

Cookbook "Adventures": Salmon and Wasabi Ravioli with Kaffir Lime Cream

I have to be honest that this isn't much of an "adventure," since I've been making this recipe for almost a decade... but it is from a book by an author who was one of my very favorites when I first started cooking: Donna Hay. As soon as I read this recipe title, my reaction was "Well, obviously I'm going to have to make that..."

Everyday Yumminess: Perfect Ricotta

So, I am about to blow your mind by telling you how to make the world's easiest, most delicious fresh ricotta... while spending a total of about 5 minutes in the kitchen. Best. Recipe. Ever.

Chemistry & Cookbook Adventures: Shrimp Mosaic with Avocado-Melon Salsa

As I've mentioned, I'm playing with meat glue these days, but I can't really explain why I made this dish. I had some shrimp. I had some meat glue. I read a recipe in Ideas in Food where you glue a bunch of shrimp together. Seemed like the universe really wanted me to try it. Who am I to blow against the wind?

Chemistry Adventures: Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Celery Root Cream

This isn't much of a post, I suppose. I made an awesome celery root cream the other day while learning how to perfectly cook scallops. I also made my first-ever home-cured bacon, using meat glue for the first time in the process. The only natural next step was to glue some bacon to some scallops, cook to perfection, then serve with that sauce...

Cookbook & Chemistry Adventures: Homemade Fresh Bacon

I ordered some transglutaminase (aka Meat Glue) a few weeks back, and started to play with it recently. My first experiment with meat glue was the most boring thing you can imagine: gluing two pieces of meat together to make one (bigger) piece of meat. Nonetheless, it was kind of awesome, and prompted me to make my first ever batch of home-cured bacon.

Mmmm... Scallops...

I have long maintained that scallops are my favorite "luxury" food item. (Lobster runs a close second, but it's so affordable and easy to find around here that I am spoiled enough to not really think of it as a "luxury" item anymore... Yay, New England!) I grew up on frozen scallops from Costco and thought I loved scallops then. My first fresh diver scallop (from the mussels lady at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market, sold fresh in the shell) made me realize what a fool I'd been. Since that day, I've been obsessed with high-quality dry-packed diver scallops... and I finally found a great way to always have them on hand and the perfect way to cook them.

Chemistry Adventures: Make-Ahead Eggs Benedict

As I've probably mentioned countless times before, a well-made Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite meals... Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner... Any time of day is a good time for Eggs Benedict. The drawback of making this dish is all of the work that has to be done last-minute. The eggs must be perfectly poached. The hollandaise must be made and carefully kept warm (without breaking the sauce and ruining everything...). It's a hassle, and usually leaves the kitchen a mess from all of the last-minute chaos. I thought this was a necessary evil, until I was flipping through one of my new favorite cookbooks and discovered that there is, in fact, a better way...

Cookbook Adventures: Corned Beef Brisket

My plan this weekend was a (mostly) from-scratch Reuben. (Next time I will make my own sauerkraut, too...) The key ingredient here (other than the rye bread) was the corned beef. I had picked up a nice hunk of brisket at Blood Farm when I was out there with Stanley getting ingredients for the world's greatest hamburgers, so all that was left was to find the perfect recipe.

Cookbook Adventures: Fresh-Baked Rye Bread

A key component in my plan to make Reubens this weekend was a nice fresh loaf of rye bread without any (evil) caraway seeds in it... I realized a few months ago that rye bread isn't my enemy, only caraway seeds are. Turns out rye bread can be absolutely delicious... Who knew?

Year-End List: My Eleven Favorite Things I Cooked in 2010

It's that time of year when list-making seems like the thing to do, so I figured I'd join the fun. This was my first year doing the ol' Cookbook Adventure thing, and I've been really pleased with the number of totally awesome recipes I discovered in my cookbook collection. Some were extraordinarily time-consuming, others were more straightforward. Some were gorgeous on the plate, others were relatively rustic. Below are my Top Eleven, all of which made me smile and long to be eating them again when I looked back at the posts. (I'm going to defy convention and start with my very favorite, rather than building suspense by counting down from 11...)

1. Peas and Carrots (Thomas Keller, The French Laundry Cookbook)
Thomas Keller's "Peas and Carrots" was an easy pick for this Best of 2010 list since it's absolutely my favorite thing I've ever cooked in my life. I still get a little weak in the knees remembering that ginger-carrot emulsion. There are no words for the awesomeness of this dish. It was perfection.


2. Pork Columbo with Roti (Norman Van Aken, New World Kitchen)
Were it not for the brilliance of Peas and Carrots, this dish could easily have been on top of my list. It's one of the more rustic-looking dishes on the list, but that's really the perfect presentation for comfort food like this. As I mentioned in the original post, I had no idea what to expect from this dish before I made it, but after one bite I knew it was exactly what I'd been craving my entire life... I'm going to have to make another batch of this one very very soon.


3. Perfect Carnitas (Modified from Bruce Aidell, Complete Book of Pork)
Amazing carnitas are the main thing I missed when I moved away from access to high-quality trashy Mexican food. After I made this version at home, I knew I could happily live in New England forever despite the absence of restaurants serving one of my favorite foods. The perfect refried beans and Mexican rice from Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico and homemade corn tortillas, pico de gallo, and guac turned these carnitas into a perfect Carnitas Plate. So very good... It ain't fancy, but it's what I love.


4. Ridiculously Awesome Lobster Burgers (Michel Richard, Happy in the Kitchen)
I love lobster, as do all good-hearted people, and this was a really cool way to eat it. I love the playfulness of Michel Richard's recipes, and every component of this dish was a bit of a revelation. Love.


5. Amazing Gyros (Michael Psilakis, How to Roast a Lamb)
This is probably the ugliest dish on this list, but is also one of the tastiest. I am a huge fan of gyros but had never tried to make them at home until I found the recipe in Michael Psilakis's awesome book. Every component was good, but the combination was mind-blowingly delicious. Well worth the effort.


6. Brazilian Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Rojo and Cebollas Fritas (Norman Van Aken, New World Kitchen)
From one of the ugliest to one of the prettiest. This dish was super-easy and super-awesome. The flavor profiles were gorgeous together, and it ended up looking fairly impressive on the plate, too. Topping the steak with fried onions topped with melted Manchego was a genius move. Awesome.


7. Sautéed Atlantic Salmon with Leeks and Beurre Blanc (Thomas Keller, Bouchon)
This is a dish that I thought was too unimpressive to serve to guests... until I made it as a "low-key" dinner for my mom when she came to visit. Turns out that the herbed Beurre Blanc will rock your world, and those damn melted leeks (which Keller insists you make by discarding 3/4 of every leek) are the prefect complement. As always, Mr. Keller knows what he's talking about.


8. Momofuku Pork Buns (David Chang, Momofuku)
These were a favorite for me not only because they were so delicious but because they turned out just like I'd hoped. I was quite proud of myself for making the perfect little steamed bread pockets and the perfectly cooked pork belly. Yay!


9. English Muffins with Bay Leaf Butter (David Chang, Momofuku)
This is another one that is a favorite in part because I was feeling so impressed with myself by the time I finished making these. Sure, they were the best English muffins I've every had... and, sure, the Bay Leaf Butter was insane... but they were also really fun to make. As my kitchen filled with the amazing smell of (Amish) butter while the muffins cooked on a griddle, I knew these were a great idea...


10. Perfect Burgers (Thomas Keller, Ad Hoc at Home)
A perfect burger is a beautiful thing, and I've never tasted one more perfect than the burger that results from Thomas Keller's recipe. With a freshly ground patty made from a combination of brisket, sirloin, and chuck, this thing taught me how moist and flavorful a burger could truly be. I will never make burgers another way again.


11. 48-Hour Short Ribs (David Chang, Momofuku)
This was the recipe that convinced me once and for all of the brilliance of sous vide cooking. These short ribs are cooked for 48 hours until perfectly tender, but at a low enough temperature that the flesh remains medium-rare throughout. Brilliant.


So, that's the list. Thomas Keller and David Chang led the pack with 3 recipes each, and Norman Van Aken was a surprise, coming in next with 2 recipes. (I only made two recipes from New World Kitchen this year, but both were on this list because they were that good...) Can't wait to see what comes out of my kitchen (and my cookbooks) in the new year...

Sunday Cookbook Adventures: Michael Psilakis's Chicken Souvlaki

Food cravings can be a funny thing. I'm pretty sure I'd never had souvlaki before last night (since gyros are typically on the menu at places that make good souvlaki, and I always go the gyro route...), but as I was planning meals last week I had a deep, inexplicable craving for chicken souvlaki. I knew immediately which cookbook to turn to, and the finished product was just as advertised in Michael Psilakis's recipe: "Messy and great."

Cookbook Adventures: World's Greatest Hamburgers

Stanley is staying with me for a few weeks, and I thought it was a great opportunity to make a recipe that's been calling to me for a while: Thomas Keller's perfect hamburgers from the Ad Hoc at Home Cookbook.