Friday, April 13, 2012

My Sous Chef

AKA "The Monster" AKA "Punk" AKA "Beans"
She is a bona fide machine of destruction with an Italian paci. If I am cooking during waking hours, she is there at my knees insisting for a seat on the counter.  Where she provides such services as stirring, flipping on/off switches, pinches of salt, and, of course, taste testing. 
But you have to watch her, because she will take artistic license with your food.
Her real name is Charlie Mae.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Sautéed Aparagus Ribbons

This is one of earliest news letters. If you're not signed up, you should be.
I hope you Enjoy it!

Asparagus spring up out of the ground almost overnight, and it's the farmer's job to snip them off promptly.  If the shoot is allowed too much time the tip will open up, leading to bitterness, and the stem can become fibrous, mandating annoying peeling and sometimes flossing.

When buying aspargus, look for tightly closed tips, taught surface area and a sturdy trunk.  Most importantly, the stem of the shoot should look freshly cut.  If you see, dry withered ends move on, ideally you'll find something more like this:

As with many vegetables, asparagus are best consumed as close  to the time of purchase as possible.  If you know you won't get to them for a couple of days, you should treat them like flowers. Give the stems a short trim and place them upright in a vessel with a little water,  store them in the fridge. 

To prep asparagus for cooking, usually you cut off the ends.  As a reference of where to cut, pull a spear from a quasi uniform bunch of asparagus.  Hold it at either end and bend until it snaps.  It will break close to the place where you should cut it.  You can then cut the whole bunch in one swoop.  For bigger asparagus you may still want to peel a little of the outside skin down toward the cut end, but that won't be an issue with this recipe:

Asparagus Ribbons with Lemon Caper Butter
1  Bunch  asparagus
1  tbsp    capers, chopped*
2  tbsps   white wine,
1  tbsp    butter
Juice of one lemon


1.  Holding the asparagus by the head, use a vegetable peeler to peel until there’s nothing left for a ribbon-like effect.  Nip off the head (half the big ones lengthwise) and set aside.

2.  Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. First drop in the asparagus tips and sauté until just cooked through (3-4 min), then add the ribbons, capers, and wine, stirring continuously until just softened. (1-2min.)

3. Finish with the butter, the lemon juice, and salt to taste. But be sure to taste, because the capers can be quite salty.








Thursday, April 5, 2012

Back at It!

It has been a little while now,  and I'm about to get back to bloggin'.  Everything is good and great in my world. 
Moving forward, you might notice a few changes . . . such as.   I expect to talk a little more about my private life, something I avoided a lot before. 
My entries will shift a little towards the food I cook professionally. 
And finally, I won't be posting nearly as much as I have in the past.  I will have to get to it when I can. 
Thank you everyone for your continued support. 
Keep the cooking questions coming.
advice@grillachef.com

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Instant Read Thermometer


If you don't own one, you should.
I'm often asked how to tell when a steak is done, as if there is a spell or incantation I might recite. 
The truest, albeit smart-ass, answer is to take its temperature. It's the secret to knowing when your steak, or anything your cooking, is ready.
What you need to know is that they aren't always calibrated.  To calibrate it, fill a cup with ice water and stir it well with your thermometer.  It should read 32˚F. If it doesn't, there is a nut/bolt behind the face. Rotate it the appropriate direction until the needle points to 32˚F.
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