Dinner with the Chef @ Piccola Italia

Disclaimer: The camera battery died. Damn!

We hit up the most awesome Piccola Italia in Ocean, New Jersey for a "Dining with the Chef" culinary demonstration of using mushrooms, one of my favorite ingredients. A cool experience, with a large communal dining room and the chef up front showing us how to prepare all the food we were eating. I liked the idea of being able to ask questions of the chef as he was talking and cooking, and I'm proud to say that my questions (differences between white/black truffle oil, the best way to save mushroom stems and prep mushroom stock at home) were a little more insightful. Whatever - let's talk about the food.

First Course:  Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel, Truffle Butter, Pears
I'm not the biggest fan of working with phyllo, but I'd do it just for this recipe.  Sauteed "wild" mushrooms (a misnomer since all mushrooms are cultivated these days) mixed in with some goat cheese (and cream cheese for body), then encased in the phyllo and roasted.  Truffle butter provided awesome flavor, and some diced ripe pear was a nice foil.  We drank some 2007 Carmel Road Monterey Pinot Noir.  Delicious.

Second Course:  Cream of Porcini Soup
I love mushroom soup.  Absolutely freaking love it.  This was even more amazing than my normal recipe for mushroom soup.  This is where I was able to sneak in my question about making my own mushroom stock, because I think that it just makes the final dish that much better (you may very well see some for the upcoming Meatless Monday), so now I'm saving all my mushroom stems.  Porcini powder?  Buying it as soon as possible.  I also need to pick up some white truffle oil as well.  The end result was a dish that I was sponging every last bit of soup up with bread - my plate was clean, literally.

Third Course:  Fresh Perciatelli with Crab, Chanterelles, Roasted Corn and Shaved Truffles
I've paired seafood with corn and truffles in the past, but I would not have thought to add mushrooms to the mix.  My shortsightedness - this was absolutely ridiculous in flavor.  The truffles didn't add too much to the flavor, but the aroma really kicked the dish up to a whole new level.  I don't particularly like corn that much (I know, I'm a bad Jersey kid), but this is the 2nd dish in the last few weeks that has had corn as a component that I've really enjoyed.  I'm going to add it to my list of veggies to find ways to like.

Fourth Course:  Foie Gras French Toast with Truffle Zabaglione (FTW!)
They should've just called this "Decadence on a Plate".  A chanterelle-foie mousse piped into a brioche block, then soaked in eggs/rum/cinnamon/awesome and fried up?  Then topped with a Madiera and truffle oil-laced zabaglione?  Holy crap.  It was everything I was hoping for (and more) when I read it on the menu.  Plus, we had a tasting of a ridiculously super-sweet Hungarian dessert wine called Tokaji (or Tokay, in English).  Really strong honey flavors in the nose, carried through the the taste, along with a lingering nuttiness.  The only way this would be able to be consumed is with a super-rich dish like the foie gras french toast, as it cut through all the flavor nicely.

I find it funny how my own job as a teacher affects my life outside of the job.  Every time Brian started talking, all I wanted to do was shush everyone so we could give our attention to the 'teacher' in the room.  Every time I had a question, I had such a hard time just yelling it out, I found myself raising my hand at one point, waiting to be called on.  Silly me.

Props to Chef Brian and to manager (and our friend!) Andrew for a phenomenal evening!  There's a beer event going on in October (natch), but something tells me that Steph and I will be back before then.  If you live in the area, you should go eat there too!

Meatless Monday!

Szechuan Tofu Triangles with Triple Pepper Sauce

Recipe courtesy of The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

Talking with a few people and reading some stuff online has influenced me to try to make a change in the meals I eat during the week.  My college friend Heather, at Running Leaner and Greener, as embarked on a mission called Simple Changes September - little things to do to improve ones health and eco-friendliness.  Now, I'm not an environmentalist by any stretch, but I do my small part here and there (reusable Sigg water bottles and lunch bags, reusable grocery bags, not driving an SUV, etc).  I asked myself - what little change can I do?  My answer?  Meatless Mondays.

Not so little of a change!.  Pretty much everyone who knows me knows there's not much more I enjoy than cooking and eating meat of all kinds.  Really, if I wasn't meant to eat animals, then I wouldn't be genetically predisposed to thinking that they are so damn tasty.  I'm especially partial to all things pork, pig being the magical animal that practically every part is edible.  Even though Steph and I eat a good share of chicken and seafood, there's not much better to me than a delicious pork chop or rib-eye.

Why make a change?  As silly as it sounds, it all comes back to being a teacher, the need to model positive behaviors and make good choices as an example to my students.  Being a public school teacher, I see firsthand the problems faced overweight children, the extreme eating habits (by both the grossly overweight and underweight) and the generally poor choices that my students make when it comes to food.  I can use this choice for a Meatless Monday to live healthier myself, and so in the end I can talk to my students how small changes in their own lives can benefit not only themselves, but others as well.  (Wow, I'm such a cheeseball.)

Lastly, I'm looking at this as a challenge to myself.  While my palate has grown by leaps and bounds as I've gotten older, I'm still very picky when it comes to my vegetables, and there are plenty of veggies out there that I still don't eat.  Doing the Meatless Monday is going to give me incentive and an avenue to try new recipes and find dishes in which I'll be able to (hopefully) learn to like some of those elusive veggies.  Currently, I think eggplant is at the top of my list.

So tonight, I made sauteed tofu triangles, stir fried with onions, peppers, and a nice sauce of honey, soy and garlic.  I've got to tell you - damn tasty!  Everything worked well, and I was satisfied with the texture of the extra-firm tofu, which held up in the cooking.  I'd definitely make this one again, although I'd cut the tofu into cubes and cut the peppers into uniform chunks as well, as opposed to strips and triangles.  Steph and I are off to a good start!

Next week, I'm thinking it's almost autumn, so that means it's time for the fungi to shine.  However, anyone out there have any real tasty meatless recipes they can share?  If something catches my eye, I'll definitely make it!

Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breast Tacos

No pictures tonight, kids.  Apologies in advance.

Here's the recipe, and I followed it pretty faithfully where I could.  The only subs I made was I used Mexican-style hot chili powder vs. ancho chile powder (here's a nice post about the difference), and I used less cumin to compensate.

As I was prepping dinner, I was not happy with some of the individual components of the dish.  The poblanos, while prepped easily, came out tasting horrendously bitter, so I didn't use them.  The guacamole, usually something I prepare well and enjoy, was a bit too citrusy for my tastes.  The slaw was tasty, but had too much mayonnaise than my standard cole slaw recipe.  The only thing I was really happy about was the spice rub for the chicken, which was a clever combination of chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Honestly, Stephanie and I were prepared wanted really wanted to dislike this dish, simply because of the guy who came up with it (I've made my dislike of Bobby Flay very clear).  But let me tell you something.  This recipe was awesome.


Like every dish that ends up being delicious, it was the perfect balance of sweet/spicy, warm/cool and soft/crunchy.  I'd have stopped to take pictures, but it wasn't really photogenic, having chicken, guac, coleslaw and onions jammed and folded into a tortilla.  Absolutely delicious, and highly recommended.

Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Breast

Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Breast

Grilled Tomato Jam, Herbed Yogurt, Grilled Naan

 Recipe courtesy of Food Network

Had an amazing inservice today with Will Richardson, pretty much the guru of online social interaction with the aim of improving education.  Hearing him speak about the power of the Internet, the goal to have students talk to strangers online, and how people of common interest can get together to exchange information in groups and improve themselves...well, it was really inspiring.  Trust me when I tell you, if you are in any way in the education field, you will want to check out his blog.  I'm buying what he's selling, and I'm not just talking about his book (which I've read, and is awesome).

What does it have to do with food?  Nothing really, but I did get to sneak in my blog address during our discussion.  Inspired by Will, I've got a little map on the right side of the blog now.  I want to add more dots to my map!

I was looking for some clever ways of using some defrosted chicken breasts, and this seemed to fit the bill, despite the fact that Steph prefers another recipe for tandoori I make more often.  The spice paste was rather pungent, and I used a tenth of the cayenne that the recipe called for, and the tomato jam had a nice sweetness from the balsamic vinegar.  Even though I used cilantro and mint in the yogurt (two of Steph's least favorite herbs) it was still refreshing and cooled the heat from the spice paste nicely.  I was a big fan of this dish - lots of flavors coming together nicely.  The only change I'd make (and you should too!) is to halve the spice paste recipe - for 3 chicken breasts, it is far too much.

Would I make it again?  Only if I was cooking for myself - I thought it tasted amazing.  However, I got the "good, but not great" from the wife, so this is one that won't necessarily be going into the recipe file.  If anyone else decides to give it a whirl, please let me know!

Top Chef Dinner

Corn Sopes with Char Siu Pork and Pickled Asian Slaw

Since Steph and I are celebrating the return of Top Tattoo...err...Top Chef, I've decided I'm going to do my best to make a dish from the cookbook on Wednesday nights. Yes, I'm a geek. No, you shouldn't be surprised. This recipe is from the 1st season challenge that required the cheftestants to fuse two SF cuisines, in this case Mexican and Chinese. It was originally made by LeeAnn and Stephen, so we were expecting greatness, which we eventually reached. However, if all of the recipes are going to treat me the way this one did, I'm going to abandon this idea real quick.

Unlike real char siu pork, which is made with pork shoulder, this was made with center cut pork loin. I used the same marinade as my recipe, instead of resorting to the bottled stuff (longer in the kitchen, I know, but well worth it). The slaw is cabbage, carrot and jicama, cooked in boiling vinegar-sugar solution, then drained and chilled. I really liked the jicama since it maintained its crunch up until we ate. The green sauce is an avocado cream (avocado, sour cream, chili oil, lime juice).

The corn sopes gave me the most trouble. Could it have been that I didn't use fresh masa harina? Possibly, and maybe my lazy ass should've driven to the Mexican grocery...but it didn't. When I put the sopes into the oil to fry, they literally melted away into a mushy, oily mess. Not pleased at all, especially since I had been planning on eating at 6 and it was pushing 7:15. So I busted out a little Martha and found her recipe for corn cakes. Hence, we ended up eating a Southern-Mexican-Chinese fusion dish.

How did it taste? Pretty damn good. Great textures, lots of flavor, with everything in balance. Definitely a keeper, and definitely how I'm going to use up leftover char siu come wintertime.

Why My Wife and Parents Win

Anyone who's known me for any reasonable length of time knows that I'm pretty apathetic towards my birthday. Don't get me wrong, it's not an age thing - in fact, I am pumped for my 30s and I think they are going to be awesome. Nor is it because my parents never made a big deal about my birthday - my birthday was the night where I got to choose the meal (whether cooked or out) and I always had great parties as a little kid. Here's where my problems lie:

1. My birthday is September 4th, and it's just a downright awful time of the year. Summer is over, and everyone is usually away or chock full of plans for Labor Day Weekend. Also, since I'm in public education (as is my wife and many of our friends) it is a crazy & stressful time as we're all scrambling around getting everything together for the start of the school year. To that end, I'm usually too stressed out to relax and enjoy my birthday with my friends. I used to get really upset by that, but these days I'm usually just worried about other things that I don't need a party/dinner out/get-together/whatever.

2. It's a double-whammy of not really wanting people to buy me gifts, and not really knowing what I'd want when people insist. My theory is this: if I really wanted something, I'd buy it. Simple. Unfortunately, this facet of my personality has driven my parents and Stephanie crazy over the years.

So, why do my Stephanie and my parents win? My mother had made a suggestion for a birthday gift, one that I had blown off due to lack of need and lack of storage space. She seemed surprised, seeing this item is something I've always wanted, and have resigned myself to the fact that I won't buy until we move into a bigger house. However, Steph won when she made a suggestion about clearing out some knick-knacks into storage and giving me room for said present. Needless to say, I'm actually getting excited about getting this present.

Here's the challenge: The only hints I'll give you are that it is something for the kitchen (shocking, right?) and I need a good amount of storage space for it. Can you guess what it is? Steph, Mom, Dad, Rory, Mike & Laurie are prohibited from answering ;)

Top Chef Food Bonanza

Our friends Mike and Laurie, fellow fans of food and Top Chef, had suggested a few weeks ago to get together for the night of the Top Chef Las Vegas premiere and the Top Chef Masters finale, complete with lots of good food and snarky comments about the cheftestants. Having experience with a get-together like this, and the need for pacing and small bites, I planned my contributions accordingly.

Cucumber, Mango, Several Aromatics


This is from the Alinea cookbook, from which I've been dying to try some recipes out. This one has lots of little components (like most Alinea recipes): thinly sliced English cucumber, mango leather (pureed mango & sugar, spread thin and dehydrated), coriander salt & clove salt (salt + ground spices), candied lemon zest, ginger slivers and saffron threads. It also called for juniper berries, which I could not get my hands on, so I just added a few drops of tasty Hendrick's gin. The cucumber takes a 1-minute bath in a vinegar-sugar solution, then gets rolled up with the mango leather, then topped with the aromatics.

To say that this was bursting with flavor is an understatement. When we ate it, we immediately got the tang from the vinegar, followed up by the cool and sweet, but then the aromatics did their thing, and it was amazing that each flavor kicked in distinctly and individually. It really was a wake-up to our taste buds, and an absolutely delicious bite. I'd make them again for sure.

Jicama Slaw

I'd only had jicama a few times before, and I was let down by those dishes. However, this dish provided a nice crunch and a tangy dressing. I liked the addition of the apples, but I still am not a fan of carrots. I'd make this as a side dish for BBQ.

Italian Meatballs with Sweet-Sour Sauce

Mike had found a recipe that had an interesting twist - along with the standard ingredients (meat, parsley, bread crumbs) this recipe contained minced olives. Steph and I are both pretty strong in our dislike for olives (not for a lack of trying, either) but I was not put off by them in this dish at all. I tried the meatball before saucing, and the olive contributed a subtle saltiness and flavor that really rounded out the flavor of the meat. With the sweet-sour sauce (which was good on its own but 10x better with the meat), this was a great course.

Oysters: Raw, then Deep-Fried with Lemon Cream, Tomato, Capers and Bacon

Wegmans loses again because they would not shuck my oysters, nor did they know when the oysters arrived at the store. However, a call to Wooley's allowed me to pick up a dozen oysters delivered that morning, and shucked 5 minutes before I arrived. Win. I only needed 8 for the fried oysters, so we were able to each devour one raw, much to Stephanie's delight. Mike and Laurie had never eaten a raw oyster before, and we were more than happy to open their eyes to this gastronomic delight. They all had a squeeze of lemon, and Mike added a little hot sauce to his at my suggestion. Note: there are only 3 oysters in the picture above because I got greedy and impatient and scarfed mine down almost immediately.

These oysters were deep-fried (not as crispy as I'd like - I blame the batter) then topped with a salad of tomatoes, capers and shallot, and some crumbled bacon. Again, lots of ingredients working together here: briny oyster, tangy lemon cream, smoky oyster - all added up to a delicious bite that exploded with flavor in the mouth. I'd make these again, but (oddly enough) I would not use as much bacon, as the flavor was a bit overwhelming at times.

Lamb "Lollipops" with Saffron Rice


Seared in the pan, then smeared with Dijon and coated with bread crumbs, rosemary and garlic (both from Mike's garden) then roasted to a perfect medium-rare. This preparation, while simple, provided lamb that was ideally cooked, and full of flavor. I've never really cooked lamb like this before, but I'm inspired to try seeing how easy the process was, and especially if it comes out this good when I make it!

Scallop, Potato-Chive Cake, Corn-Truffle Pudding

This was probably the tastiest thing I ate all night, and one of the easiest, too! The potato cake is nothing more than a fancy potato latke formed with a ring mold, then fried up crisp. The scallop is pan-seared until crusty on both sides & about "medium-rare". The sauce was 2 ears worth of juiced corn kernels, heated until thickened, then spiked with some black truffle butter. Sweet, crispy, earthy - great combination of flavors and textures. Did I mention this was also super-easy to make?

Dry Caramel

For whatever reason, I don't have pictures of the result of this Alinea recipe. Essentially, it's a liquid caramel base that gets dried out by mixing it with tapioca maltodextrin, which is a fat stabilizer. What results is small pellets of dry caramel that reliquify in your mouth. These were served in shot glasses with a little bit of salt. A familiar flavor, served in a unique and playful manner that is as surprising as it is tasty.

Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter Molten Cakes

By the time we got to this course, it was SO late and both Steph and Laurie were fighting off a food coma. However, I was able to convince them to devour this last course. Unfortunately, I did not know where Steph's camera was, so I was not able to snap a picture of this. However, I really do believe that this is one of the best things I've ever baked, and I'm not much of a baker. The batter was very fudge-like, with a big scoop of peanut butter ganache in the middle that melted down in the oven. Served with vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream.

By the time we were all said and done, it was 10:30 and we were stuffed! This first Matassa-Rosenwald collaboration was a great success, and we can't wait until the next one to try out some new recipes.