foodie nyc

Ribeye, Broccoli Stem Puree, Roasted Hazelnuts

I had used broccoli florets to make a side salad recently and had a bunch of broccoli stems sitting around.  What to do with them? I peeled the tough outer layer with a vegetable peeler and boiled them in salted water for about 5 minutes until soft and tender. I then placed them directly into the food processor with a knob of butter, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice for a few minutes. I then had a pale green, creamy puree with a subtle, earthy taste of broccoli.  It was a great base for seared ribeye and crunchy roasted hazelnuts.

Black Trumpet, Potato, Yam Gratin

The technique of making a gratin is a simple one to master.   In the winter months, the thought of a bubbling, rich gratin with a crusty layer crowning the top makes me happy.

While I enjoy cheesy, creamy gratins, I tend to gravitate toward gratins simmered in rich, simply flavored stocks.

Over the holidays, I made a few renditions of a potato, yam and black trumpet mushroom gratin.  In one version, I thinly sliced disks of peeled yukon gold potatoes and yams and lined  them into layers in a baking dish.  Each layer was seasoned with salt, pepper and a few ladles of a black trumpet mushroom infused stock.

Other than slicing the yams and potatoes, the only other preparation is in creating the stock. Slice 1/4 lb of mushrooms (black trumpets are a very flavorful variety and a personal favorite) and saute in butter.  Let them simmer in about 5 cups of stock (along with some whole rosemary) for about 15 minutes on low heat.  The stock will now be fully flavored with earthy mushrooms.  On one occasion, I whisked in about 1/4 stick of butter to finish the stock.  On another, I whisked in about 1/4 cups of soft tallegio cheese and a touch of cream.   Both were excellent, but the tallegio version was phenomenal.

The stock is ladled to cover each layer of potatoes and yams that you can stand to slice.  I used a  mandolin on one occasion and therefore made my task simpler.  But I also used a knife in one instance and was able to get through the prep in about 15 or 20 minutes.  It's important to get your slices thin and as even in thickness as possible.  Each layer of yam and potato is seasoned, dotted with mushrooms and just barely covered in the stock.  Let this bake in a 350 oven for about 40-45 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and tender.  Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and broil until golden. 

I've served this gratin with my favorite crusted pork recipe, as a side to whole red snapper and smoked paprika dusted lamb chops (above).

As you can see in this lamb dish, I was able to use a few tablespoons of the liquid remaining in the gratin as an added sauce bonus.

2006 Best and Worst Food Shows

I’ve spent a lot of time analyzing the current state of food TV and not much has changed since my  2005 Best and Worst list. Unfortunately, this is due to the complete mismanagement at the Food Network, which has hit record lows in programming quality. The Food Network continues to suck, PBS is still humming along but needs a few new shows and Bravo has thankfully created one of the best food shows in recent memory. Last year’s list was by far my most popular post in the history of this tiny site, so I hope this creates a new forum for those of you who like to commiserate over such dorkiness.

Thanks But No Thanks

Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee

I’ll go out on a limb here and say that this is worst food show ever created and produced for air. Yes, pervs, I understand that she has large boobs and they are intriguing in the semi-homemade sense, but I’m not going to go into boob analysis on this site. But please, people. There’s no hotness here. And since her food makes me want to puke, 2005 led me to dedicate hours of my life devoted toward expressing my utter distaste for everything Sandra Lee. What I find more interesting is how this crap is still on the air. Who watches this show and likes it? Seriously. I need to know. I need to find you, Sandra Lee lovers, and understand what makes you tick. I will devote precious FoodieNYC real estate to let you wax on about your semi homemade fantasies like pre-packaged mashed potatoes and the joys of creating NASCAR themed tablescapes. Since Food Network is completely out of touch with its viewers and all current food trends, I predict 2007 will lead to a 10 year Semi Homemade contract extension.

Unwrapped

I don’t even consider this a show. It’s more like an infomercial. I’d rather watch that dude Chef Tony sell me a Pasta Express. The few times I have attempted to watch this show has led me to lose multiple IQ points. In addition, I have woken from my Unwrapped brain coma drooling, wearing goggles and covered in whipped cream like the kids in Mark Summers last successful show, Double Dare. Unwrapped is a great show because not only can I learn about the process of making Dum Dum lollipops for exciting party conversation, but my brain will be guaranteed to turn into one as well.

Paula's Party

Food Network is trying to turn Paula Deen into the next Emeril. I bet you she scores well in focus groups with people who still think there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. You don’t believe me? I predict more of the mass commercialization of The Butter Queen in 2007. I can see it now.  Paula Deen Crisco sponsorships, Paula Deen Butter Injections products available at Walmart, the Paula Deen Transfat line.  This will then lead to a rise in the depression rate in North East and West Coast regions of the U.S., followed by increased cholesterol levels for the rest of the country. Good times ahead, Y’ALL!!! Now go get some chugging butter ready for the Paul Deen marathon coming soon to prime time!

The Next Food Network "Star"

How ironic. You compete on a reality show that is second rate to Top Chef. You are then anointed a second rate food competition winner. You win the chance to become the Food Network Star, which gives you the chance to embarrass yourself in front of your family by creating a program that is book ended by Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee and The Secret Life Of. You get to be judged by Sandra Lee herself during the competition, who gives you points on food preparation because she’s clearly aced that aspect of her life. I would try out for this show and intentionally attempt to lose.

Eh.

Everyday Italian

Look. I do not rip Giada on this site. Last year, I refused to put her into the worst category due to her breakthrough cleavage demonstrations and her cutting edge cleavage techniques. But listen people. I have been studying Everyday Italian and there is a marked reduction in cleav love recently. This could be a career killer for Giada, so I will again make my cleav styling skills available to her as needed. By the way, I guarantee her Giada goes on Tour show will die a cruel, unremarkable, boring death like Food Nation, Alton Hits the Road, and Molto Runs Around the Midwest. I’m not sure why, but it may be because we’ve all seen this concept and it SUCKS!

Ace of Cakes

I would never intentionally make time in my life to watch Ace of Cakes, but it is a pretty decent show. Mr. Ace is pretty creative and his business seems to hinge on a semi-stoned dude holding onto a flamingo cake in the back seat of a shady van. I like the rando characters who work there. If this show were on Bravo, the character development would be a lot edgier and would probably be a lot funnier. Hey Ace, go pimp yourself to a cable channel that cares, dude.

Barefoot Contessa

Her cooking is honest and seems pretty tasty. But the fake scenarios continue to nauseate and will seemingly become less tolerable as time goes on. Barefoot needs to put some shit kicking shoes on and get a new show concept before her lameness starts to overwhelm her cooking.

Best of a Bad Lot

Top Chef

Top Chef is the best food show on TV right now, hands down. Wanna know why? Food geeks, general food lovers and even apathetic food people all love it. Even better, I think it’s just hitting its stride right now. The characters are rich without being annoyingly overdeveloped, the challenges are honest and interesting, the production values are high, the host is smoking hot, Colicchio does a nice job and guest cheffy judges add spice to each show. I would say this is the best food show on TV right now and the best since Iron Chef proper launched in the U.S. in the late 90’s. Don’t believe me? Try and think of one. Bourdain? I could listen to those arguments. Iron Chef America? I ‘d say a notch below.

Throwdown with Bobby Flay

I suspect some of you will torch me for this, but I like Bobby Flay’s Throwdown. Again, I do not know when it airs and would never think about dropping plans to see it, but I like the concept and I enjoy seeing some of the characters he competes against do their thing,. The military guy who grills steak? Loved his story. The crazy woman who was obsessed with creating the best brunch in the South? She freaked me out but in a good way. This show is solely reliant on the guest talent, but when it’s right, the show is pretty entertaining.

Iron Chef America

I continue to like (not love) this show. I have nothing more to add to my previous Iron Chef American analysis, volume I and II, other than reiterating that 1) Kevin Brauche needs to get canned and 2) if Morimoto does not compete, we should get another Iron Chef on there to break up the continuous Batali/Flay battles.

Lydia

A+ continues. Apparently she has a new show in development, which I have heard takes her out of the kitchen. Can anyone confirm this? Be scared, people.

In Conclusion

I have been watching food tv shows for about 10 years now, and other than 2005, this was one of the worst food TV years I can ever remember.  2007 looks relatively unpromising at this point, but you never know. Cross your fingers.

Caramelized Cauliflower, Cauliflower Puree, Currants, Crispy Yuca Chips

I've had a few requests for the caramelized cauliflower dish I mentioned in my post How (Not) To Throw a Chateauneuf Party.  Since I'm a people pleaser, I'll share the details for a tasty, inexpensive dish I made as a small appetizer to start a meal.

I've been loving caramelized cauliflower ever since having it as an antipasti a few years ago at Lupa.   The charred, crispy exterior adds a lot of flavor to the otherwise bland veggie.  But as there was a whole half a head of cauliflower left over, I decided to make a creamy, rich cauliflower puree to further enhance the caramelized beauties.  As I remember raisins adding a welcomed, sweet note to cauliflower, I went with a sprinkle of currants as a garnish.  As an optional addition you may want to consider, I thought another textural accent would be nice, so I thinly sliced, fried and laid the yuca over the cauliflower as another garnish.  My full recipe follows.

Cravings: Momofuku's Pork Buns

While I generally think that all of the hype around Momofuku Noodle Bar is well deserved, I have only begun to understand it's true beauty.  At it's core, Momofuku is a kick-ass casual neighborhood restaurant.  I've recently moved a few blocks from Momofuku and can tell you first hand that the charm of this restaurant is being able to pop in spontaneously, sometimes during odd hours of the day, to slurp down a $12 bowl of porky noodle goodness or better yet, have a few of the pork buns for $8. 

I love these pork buns.  Slices of what I presume to be pork belly have a slightly crispy exterior, yet are layered with soft, flavorful pork meat and a thin layer of fat that adds a flavorful richness and gently reminds you not to eat too many. These luscious slices of pork are offset by a crunchy, gently pickled cucumber, a soft bun, a few sliced scallions and a sweet soy -like sauce.  I like to dose my pork bun with the sriracha they have on the table for an extra kick.

Cocoa Pasta, Braised Short Ribs

Those of you who love to braise as much as I do know that braising is a minimal labor, high reward technique that requires something special served with it.  On this day, it was a homemade pasta.  After being inspired by a chocolate pasta at Falai served with braised short ribs and olives, I decided I need to experiment with this dish at home.  Here's how I made it....