Chez Christine

NYC, Jean-Georges

Why do weekends in NYC always go by so quickly?  Granted, they are always fun: food, friends, frenetic energy.  But each trip always reminds me of a college cram session, where you try to condense as much as possible in a short amount of time, rarely retaining it long-term.

Two weekends ago was no different.  Arrive Thursday night, wish a beloved friend a happy birthday, go to bed at 2AM.  Wake up the next day to see another friend and have a negligible pastry, then hurry  to Columbus Circle for a 2:30 lunch reservation at Jean-Georges, which in my mind, is the best lunch deal for fine dining there is in NYC.

Now before I get into the juicy details about the food and service, here's how the rest of Friday flew past: a leisurely stroll back to the apartment, then down to the West Village for a meal at Blue Ribbon Bakery: fried chicken, brussels sprouts with bacon, fine bread, watercress and endive salad with blue cheese.  Not too shabby for what I called "first dinner."

Then it was onto The Tasting Room in the East Village for a few glasses of wine.  This place is hands-down my favorite wine bar in the city.  Dark, candlelit, interesting small plates for nibbling, brick walls, and a bartender who was knowledgeable, friendly, and so down-to-earth she had us all cheering for a woman in the bar who had just quit her job.  Fun times.

After The Tasting Room, I zipped back to the West Village for a late night "second dinner" at The Spotted Pig.  I think all second dinners have to have bacon and fries.  And they didn't disappoint us with their burger, gnudi, bacon wrapped dates and prunes, salad with fried duck egg and bacon.  I LOVE PIG.  Oh, and the bottle of sparkling rosé and prosecco didn't hurt either.

Rolling back home and falling into bed at 4AM is so unlike me, yet that's exactly what we did.  I think it took me a few days to recover and has confirmed how un-NYC I am.

We hit The Smith for brunch the next day (recommended) and Shake Shack for, what else, a shake and a burger.  Overall, it was an eating weekend for the books.  The first day back in Boston, my body was telling me that I had eaten too much, and it wasn't until I had a bowl of tomato soup with quinoa and tons and tons of vegetables that it relaxed and relished the much-needed nutrients and vitamins.

I was lazy with the food shots, so all I have are photos of our lunch at Jean-Georges, such a steal at $28 for two courses.  We were tucked into a booth and sat side-by-side, likening the experience to dinner theater.  Except for one small misstep with stringy white asparagus (which the sommelier apologized for), the service was excellent, from the hosts to the man who de-crumbed our table with a little manual crumb vacuum.  Enjoy!

   
The riveting light fixture and the gorgeous table arrangement.

Foie Gras Brulée, Dried Sour Cherries,
Candied Pistachios, White Port Gelée
(my favorite dish that day)

Peekytoe Crab Fritters, Honeycrisp Apples, Pink Peppercorn Vinaigrette

Crispy Artic Char, Miso Pommes Purée, Apple-Jalapeno Jus

Parmesan Crusted Confit Leg of Chicken,
White Asparagus, Basil & Lemon Butter

Citrus Dessert: Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake, Meyer Lemon Curd, Halva Powder,
Kaffir Lime Infused Jicama Noodles, Tangerine, Limoncello Granité

Chocolate, Vanilla, Lemon Poppy Seed Macarons
Bonus Desserts, the best kind!

Chocolate, Lemon, and Vanilla Marshmallows from the Marshmallow CART. 
Snipped to order.  No joke.

Vanilla, Honey, Bergamont, and one chocolate we can't remember. 
All delicious.

Bon Appétit!

Why I *Heart* San Francisco

SF Ferry Building, Dec 2007

Bon Appétit!

Salade d'Hiver

The idea of a winter salad can be kind of a joke.  It usually ends up being warm and heavy, with little to no raw vegetables- mainly cooked root vegetables tossed with lentils or other dull-colored vegetables with little texture and zip.

My new concoction of a Roasted Beet, Endive, & Grapefruit Salad, however, was a fresh and vibrant way to have salad in winter, utilizing seasonal ingredients but still managing to be light and quite healthy.  It combines a riot of flavors: sweet, bitter, salty, tart, not to mention crunchy, creamy, and juicy textures.  I had a lot of fun trying to plate it in an interesting way, one where the beet ends up on the plate first because they stain everything and, heaven forbid, you plate it last and something goes wrong and beet juices get everywhere!

I would recommend cooking the beets a day ahead, that way they have a chance to cool and be much easier to handle.  Besides, the big ones also take about 2 hours to cook, so you really don't want to start roasting them when dinner's on the horizon.

Tell me what you think if you end up trying it, I was quite proud of my little creation!

---

Roasted Beet, Endive, & Grapefruit Salad
Serves 4

2 large beets, about 6-8 oz. each
4 Belgian endives
1 small grapefruit
1/4 cup crumbled sheep's milk feta cheese
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Roast beets: Trim any leaves but keep top and base intact.  Place beets in a small pan with a half inch of water.  Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 F until a knife inserted into the beet slips in and out easily, about 1.5-2.5 hours, depending on the size of the beet.  Wrap beet up in foil and let cool, or refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Segment grapefruit: Trim the top and bottom off the grapefruit to create flat sides.  With one flat side down on the cutting board, use large knife to cut away all the rind from grapefruit.  Using a sharp thin knife, make cuts next to each side of the strips of pith (do this over a bowl to catch any dripping juice).  Segments of grapefruit should come out, remove any seeds and any clinging pith.  Squeeze the remaining center of the grapefruit to release any remaining juice.  Cut grapefruit segments into bite-sized pieces and keep with juice.  Taste grapefruit, and if too sour or bitter, add a pinch of sugar.
   
3. Belgian endives: Rinse and cut thinly (to resemble cabbage in coleslaw).  As you get closer to the base of the endives, the centers will be solid circles.  Discard, or if you like, cut thinly.  Place endive in a bowl and toss with 2 Tablespoons of the reserved grapefruit juice and a dash of olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Peel and rinse off beets.  Slice into 1/8-1/4" thick slices, depending on your preference (I used a mandoline).
5. To plate: place slices of beet in an overlapping circle, about 5 circles per plate.  Mound the cut endives in the center of the beets and top with pieces of grapefruit.  Sprinkle feta cheese over the plate and drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

Bon Appétit!

Enormous

Yes, that is a carrot.  One carrot to be precise.

Yes, that is a bottle of wine.  A normal-sized bottle of wine to be exact.

The carrot weighed 1 pound, 6 ounces.  Carrots on steroids scare me.  How could they possibly taste good?  When I cut it open, it was woody, extremely tough and barely orange inside.

*sigh*  I can't wait for spring.

Hopefully being in California this weekend will inject some spring energy into me.  If not, I'm sure going to Bakesale Betty's, The Berkeley Bowl, and my other favorite haunts in Oakland and Berkeley will.   Not to mention trying to pull off another all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab feed fundraiser.  700 pounds of crab anyone?

Bon Appétit!

Braise, Braise, Braise

Braising.  A much-lauded technique that always seems to please the palate.  "It's simple, anyone can do it" is the common adage that chefs and cooks tell amateurs.

But is it really that easy?  How do you know if you've seared the meat properly, if it's cooked tender enough but not mushy, if your sauce has enough body and flavor?

The general concept of braising meat is easy: sear some meat, add some liquid, and let time (lots of it) do the hard work of cooking for you.  Yet the simple steps do require experience to master properly.

I've braised things for a few years now.  Not regularly, but enough that I rarely use measurements and recipes.  But I just finished the book Heat  by Bill Buford, which chronicles life in Mario Batali's kitchens, and a concept that struck me was how Batali says that restaurant cooks try their best to push a pan's limits: to get things darker, browner, more flavorful.  Home cooks, afraid of spatter, grease, and mess, rarely take the plunge.

A few weeks ago, I tasted Sake Braised Short Ribs and had fallen in love with them.  They were a nice change from traditional short ribs that are braised in red wine: the sauce was lighter, sweeter and had a slight spicy finish.  Given the freezing temperatures to hit Boston this weekend, they were an automatic addition to my dinner menu.  But with the concept I had been mulling about fresh in my mind, I was determined to get my meat well-seared, as dark as I could get them.

My short ribs were marinated overnight in a mix of lemongrass, ginger, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.  I dutifully heated up the giant Le Creuset Dutch oven and let my oil get to almost the smoking point.  In when the first rib and within 15 seconds, it started to burn.  More specifically, the lemongrass and ginger started to burn.

Here's a basic concept that I learned the hard way in cooking school: burned pan = burned flavor = ruined dish.  So what could I do?  I yanked the ribs out and realized I had to scrape off the marinade.  The pan also had to be cleaned out.  The routine started again: oil, hot pan, and sizzle, the meat seared.  And seared well.  It also took a bit of wiggling the pan around since the burner isn't quite level to make sure that the oil covered the bottom and the pan didn't scorch.

Lots of smoke and oil spattering later, the ribs were caramelized and dark.  Darker than I've ever seared them. It was a proud moment.  In went the rest of the marinade, sake, homemade veal stock, and a few spices.

Yes, I had to clean up quite a bit of greasy spatter everywhere.  Yes, a few droplets of hot oil hit my hand and face.  But was it worth it?  You betcha.  These short ribs had intense flavor because the fond and the browning that developed really gave the sauce and braising liquid depth of flavor, flavor that no number of spices could give.

So how much are you willing to risk for amazing food?  Are you willing to push the limits and learn something like I did today?  It's tests like these that show if the kitchen rules the cook (ie. splatter is not allowed) or if the cook rules the kitchen.

 

---

Sake Braised Short Ribs
Serves 4-6

1 stalk lemongrass
one 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red chile flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 pounds bone-in short ribs
1/2 cup sake
zest of one lime
1 Tablespoon ground star anise or 1 whole star anise
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 quart veal stock or low-salt beef broth
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Trim away and discard the root and the top few inches of the lemongrass stalk so that you end up with just the bulbous part.  Remove any brittle leaves and then chop finely with a sharp chef's knife.
2. In a small bowl, combine the lemongrass, ginger, chile flakes, salt and pepper.  Rub all over the short ribs, cover and marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove the meat from the fridge about 1/2 hour before cooking.
3. Preheat oven to 275 F if you are going to braise for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, 200 F if you are going to braise for 5-6 hours (preferred).
4. Heat the oil in a large braising pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Scrape the rub off the ribs and reserve with the rest of the rub in the dish.  Sear the short ribs in batches, adding more oil as needed, until well-browned on all sides.  Do not let the bottom of the pan burn, but get the meat as uniformly dark and brown as possible.  Transfer the ribs to a plate as they're done.  Blot the extra oil from the bottom of the pan with a paper towel.
5. Add the sake and cook, scraping up the browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan, until reduced by half.  Add the stock, leftover rub, lime zest, brown sugar, and star anise. Add the ribs back to the pot and enough water (if necessary) to just cover the ribs.  Bring to a boil, then cover the pot with a tight fitting lid or foil and place in oven.
6. Cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours at 275 F or 5-6 hours (or even overnight!) at 200 F, or until the ribs are fork-tender but not falling apart.
7. Remove the ribs from the pot to a dish and cover with foil to keep warm.  Strain the cooking liquid into a large saucepan.  Let the liquid cool and remove any fat from the surface.  Bring the liquid to a rapid simmer, and cook until the volume is reduced by at least half and the liquid thickens a bit.  Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, adding additional chile flakes if you would like it spicier.  (For a fancier presentation, take the cooled meat and remove the bones.  Trim the cartilage that is between the meat and the bone.  Trim of any excess fat and cut the meat into serving-sized pieces (about 3-4 inches).)
8. Gently reheat the meat in the sauce and serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Bon Appétit!

Roast Duck Anyone?

Why I Love Chinatown

Bon Appétit!

Brussel Sprouts

Sometimes a reputation can ruin something before you've even tried it yourself.  Brussel sprouts were that way with me.  Chinese cuisine doesn't contain brussel sprouts, and the school cafeteria didn't serve it, so I didn't ever have to eat any.  All I knew were that they were hated by kids and adults universally, one of those vegetables that were supposedly nutritious but unfortunately not delicious.

Oh how wrong I was.  Brussel sprouts are not only delicious, they are surprisingly quick to prepare.  However, I do agree that brussel sprouts incorrectly cooked are terrible: sulfurous, mushy, or crunchy and bitter. 

I've finally fallen in love with brussel sprouts after figuring out the best way to prepare them: roasted, with smoky salty lardons or a touch of honey.  The outer layers of the sprouts get crispy, almost like little chips, while the inside has a deep caramelized flavor that is earthy and slightly sweet.  Plus, you also don't lose any of the nutrients like you will if you boil them.

After a little bit of experimenting, here are some super-simple ways to prepare these cute little green cabbages.  As a tip, you want to make sure they're tender all the way through but not mushy, so the tip of a paring knife inserted in the thick core of the sprout should come out easily.  Preheating the pan ensures that they get a blast of heat that will help them caramelize and crisp up.

Since I never measure anything when cooking them, here is an approximation of the amounts of ingredients I use (my Cook's Illustrated friends would be horrified!).  The method is much more important anyway!

---

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Lardons or Honey
Serves 2-3

You can use a roasting pan, cookie sheet, or ovensafe skillet.  Just make sure it is heavy-duty one.

1/2 pound brussel sprouts of uniform size
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

2 slices of thick cut bacon, cut into lardon pieces
-or-
1 Tablespoon honey

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place your pan into the oven to heat up.
2. Trim off any stems from brussel sprouts.  Cut each one in half, or if large, into quarters.
3. In a medium bowl, toss sprouts with oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Carefully remove hot pan out of oven.  Place brussel sprouts, cut-side down, onto pan.  Sprinkle lardons, if using, around sprouts.
4. Roast for 20-30 minutes, checking for doneness after 20 minutes.  Sprouts are done when a paring knife inserted into the thicker core section comes out easily.
5. If using honey, remove cooked brussel sprouts from the oven and transfer to a bowl.  Drizzle honey over and toss to coat.

Bon Appétit!

Cookiegram Chaos

I've never worked in a commercial bakery and, after last week, I never will.

H is part of a "tasting" club in grad school, and it's a fun group who love to eat, cook, and talk about food.  Each year, they have a cookie contest for charity, complete with friendly rivalry, lots of butter and sugar, and goofy prizes.  This year, I naively suggested they add an additional activity to spread some holiday cheer: cookiegrams.

The concept of cookiegrams are based on candygrams, where people write little notes to each other.  These notes are attached to candy canes and then get delivered to the recipients, who end up with a nice little surprise.  So instead of candy canes, we decided to go with 2 homemade cookies.  The money students paid for the cookiegrams would get donated to a local charity,  Kids Can Cook, an awesome non-profit in the Boston area.  (Please support them if you are looking for a place to give to this year!)

I wasn't sure how many orders we'd receive, so I asked my workplace if we could make the cookies there when the kitchens weren't being used.  They generously agreed and I estimated that it would take us maybe 1-1/2 hours to get the cookies made.

Well, the orders rolled in. 150 orders, in fact.  That meant we would have to make at least 300 cookies and package them up.  After a little math, we scaled my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe and decided we'd make 9 batches to be safe.

H's hand is in here for scale, but I just noticed he has big hands.
For a better idea, check out 2" cookie dough ball on the bottom right.

H and I used the giant commercial mixer and were able to get all 9 batches in there at once.  Putting the dough together only took about 1/2 hour of measuring and mixing.

Then came the difficult part: baking and cooling.  We had two convection ovens to use, each with 3 racks.  Twelve cookies on each pan meant we could bake 72 cookies at once.  Since each batch took about 12 minutes to bake, it was just enough time to scoop out the next 72 cookies onto baking sheets.

As each batch came out, we cooled them on tall speed racks and threw the next one in.  We were incredibly fortunate to have as many baking sheets and cooling racks as we needed, but I had forgotten just got hot the classrooms got when the ovens are on.  While the cookies kept getting baked, they didn't seem to cool off quickly.

Then I had the bright idea of moving them off the pans onto the cool stainless steel tables.  It helped a little but the chocolate chips on the tops of the cookies still didn't seem to set and not smear for awhile.

All in all, it took us about 3-1/2 hours before we had them all baked, cooled, and placed into storage bags.  I was exhausted, hot, and tired of scooping at that point.

But it was worth it- we ended up making 450 cookies.  That's a whole lotta cookies.

Here's my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe in case you ever want to do your own marathon baking day.  Just remember that we had oodles of space, baking sheets, cooling racks, and tables to use!  I can't even imagine making this scale at home with a regular oven.

For my recipe, I blend some of the oatmeal to make a denser cookie, but leave some of it whole to still retain that great oatmeal texture.  The cookies also freeze well, and I always have a Ziploc bag of frozen cookie dough balls to pop into the oven whenever I have a cookie craving.

Happy baking!

---

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes ~30-36 cookies

Freezing notes: place formed balls of dough on a baking sheet.  They can be fairly close together but do not let them touch.  Freeze until solid and place in Ziploc bags.  Do not thaw before baking, and add an additional 1-2 minutes to baking time.

1-1/2 cups rolled oats or old-fashioned oatmeal, divided
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still firm
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Adjust oven rack to middle position.
2. Place 1 cup of oats in a blender or food processor and blend until very fine.  Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly after each addition.  Add the vanilla and beat for 15 seconds to blend.
5. Whisk together the flour, processed oats, baking powder, and salt.  With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, blend the dry ingredients into the butter mixutre.  (This will be difficult since the batter is very stiff).
6. Fold in the chocolate chips (save 1/4 cup to top cookies with if desired) and remaining 1/2 cup of oats.
7. Form the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet.  Place extra chocolate chips on top of balls if desired.
8. Bake 14-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned.  The cookies should still feel a bit soft at this point.
9. Remove from the oven and let cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to cooling racks.  Repeat with remaining dough until all the dough is baked.

Bon Appétit!

Stir

(Photo from Stir website)

Being MIA from blogging makes me sad...but I swear I have a good reason, and I can finally reveal it.

I've started working at a wonderful placed called Stir.  Started by Chef Barbara Lynch of No.9 Park fame, it's a working kitchen, a demonstration kitchen, a private kitchen, a cookbook library, and a cookbook retail area all in one.  The best part is sitting there amongst hard-to-find European titles, from Pierre Hérme to Frederic Bau.  Love it, love it, love it.  In fact, if I didn't have work to do, I'd be drooling over them the entire time.  I'll admit though, I do steal a quick peek once in awhile.

Lots of interesting people come through Stir, from professionals to amateur cooks.  The warm, cozy atmosphere invites lingering and browsing, and the classes I've been in are informative, fun, and best of all, delicious.  Sometimes I feel quite spoiled.

Anyway, if you're in the Boston area, come in and say hi.  Would love to meet you!

Stir
102 Waltham Street
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 423-STIR

Bon Appétit!

Of Food and Flying

“Pasta or beef?” Three words that cause stomachs to revolt as the meal cart bangs its way down the aisle on an airplane. Not to mention the fact that flight attendants don’t even try to explain ingredients or preparations for the foil-covered trays being passed out.

A few years ago, the quality of airline food was the main complaint. Noawadays in the era of no-frills flights and cost-cutting strategies of almost all airlines, food isn’t even served. Well, unless you count the overpriced, overprocessed “snack packs.”

If you’re lucky enough to be served meals, a good tip is to search on the airlines’ websites for alternative meals. One healthy option is the “raw” meals, where you only get uncooked fruits and vegetables. Bring along some crackers or bread and you don’t have to worry about not knowing what you’re eating.

While airports are now stocking up on meals that you can carry onto the plane, they aren’t always the most healthy or tasty. Plus, you can hit delays on the way to the airport which might make it hard for you to pick something up in the terminal if you’re sprinting to catch your flight.

I’ve learned to bring snacks and meals along with me on any flight, long or short haul, regardless of whether or not they are serving meals. We’ve all heard horror stories about being stuck on the runway for 6 hours, and the last thing you want to deal with is hunger because the airline is too cheap to carry snacks. Better to be safe than sorry.

The most important thing when flying is to stay hydrated. Pack an empty water bottle on your carry-on and fill it after you pass security. Some airlines are charging for bottled water now, and you never know when the beverage cart will finally find you.

A few good rules of thumb when packing food for a flight. First, nothing smelly! While you might love the scent of dried fish or garlic shrimp, your neighbors won’t. Avoid smelly cheeses, lots of onions or garlic, and most seafood dishes. Second, pack something that can hold safely for awhile. No carpaccios, raw sushi, heavily-mayonnaised sandwiches. Try to get things that can be eaten at room temperature. Third, bring things that are easy to eat. Nothing like trying to eat ribs in a 1’x 2’ space! Pack any utensils you need (plastic is best) or plan to get them at the concession stands in the airport.

The best place to start when putting the meal together is to look in the cupboard or fridge at home. Maybe you have some fixings for a salad or sandwich, maybe you have lots of crackers or bread lying around. Add a few cold cuts or cheeses and you have a nice snacking platter. Avoid soggy sandwiches by putting the condiments and tomatoes in between the slices of meat. Remember that salad dressing has to be packed with your liquids!

Wash fruit and store in disposable plastic containers so that they don’t get squished. Peel and cut fruit into bite-sized pieces to make it easier to eat. Pasta salad is also a fantastic option- healthy and great at room temperature. Nuts are a good filling source of protein.

Don’t forget something sweet. It completes a meal and also gives you something to look forward to on a long flight. I always try to bring a small piece of high-quality chocolate with me as a treat.

Make your neighbors envious as you unpack your darling little meal while they are trying to avoid the grease stains on the bottom of their burger-and-fries bag. Flying these days is difficult enough, don’t let food be another frustration!

Bon Appétit!