First it was Christopher Walken trying to horn in on my act, now I’ve got Paul McCartney doing cooking videos online! It would be very easy to make fun of this mashed potato video Paul made…so I will. As I watched, I started writing down all the mistakes, wrong information, and bad techniques I was witnessing so I could rip him in this post. But, there were just too many, so I stopped, and just enjoyed it for what it was; A shameless plug for his wife’s cookbook. Wow, she should really have reconsidered her marketing strategy. Paul, while one of the most talented musicians ever, should never be allowed in a kitchen again.
So, instead of me recapping all the ridiculous moments, why don’t you just watch and post a comment as to what were your favorite bits. Here are a few moments I really enjoyed to get you started… the oven mitt puppet show, the “organic” salt reference (when did they start using pesticides on salt?), and the seven times he almost slices his fingers off trying to peel and chop that onion. Hey, Jude, get this guy some Band-Aids!
Just in case you actually want to see how to make perfect mashed potatoes, I’ve included my mashed potato video recipe below. Enjoy!
Well, it happened again! I get an email asking for a red wine sauce. I reply please check the site, I’ve already posted one. They reply, oh no you didn’t. I check site and realize…oops, I never posted this clip. Excusez-moi. As usual, the standard “this is an old clip” disclaimer applies.
We all learned about the French Revolution in school. You remember, “let them eat cake,” and all that stuff. Anyway, there was another French Revolution that started in the 70’s and it had to do with French Cuisine. It was called “Nouvelle” cuisine which is simply French for "new cuisine." This style was a reaction to the classic “Haute” cuisine (meaning "high cooking"). It focused on lighter and more delicate dishes, without heavy flour-based sauces. One of the darlings of this new style was a simple butter sauce called a “beurre blanc” which was a reduction of white wine and vinegar, finished with whole butter. These lighter sauces became all the rage.
The version I’m showing today is the red wine version of the classic beurre blanc. I usually force you to get the procedure by watching the clip (multiple times, I suspect), but just this one time I’ll give you a brief procedure below, so the sauce doesn’t “break” or separate.
Ingredients: A couple of nice steaks 1 minced shallot 1/2 stick butter (2oz)1/4 cup wine vinegar 1/2 cup red wine salt and pepper to taste
1. Remove steaks from pan and turn off heat. 2. Add shallots with 2 tsp of the butter. 3. On low heat, sauté shallots until lightly browned. 4. Deglaze with vinegar, cook until almost evaporated. 5. Add wine and cook on med-high heat until reduced by half. 6. Turn off heat and whisk in butter, adjust for salt and pepper.
As many of you know, I’ve been threatening lately that I might have to “get a real job” to help support this site while it continues its steady climb up the blog food chain. Of course a real job would mean less time to spend filming and, long story short, more pirated Simpson’s clips instead of delicious new video recipes. Well, that hasn’t happened yet (alright, everyone take a couple seconds and look at the donation button on the sidebar…OK, back to the post), but I have been given a great opportunity to spread my ‘food wishes’ to a larger audience.
Last week I was named “Associate Food Editor” of SFWeekly.com's daily culture website All Shook Down. I will be sharing posts, photos, and videos from this blog, as well as covering other online foodie news. I’d like to thank the SFWeekly and Village Voice Media for this great opportunity.
For those of you not familiar with the SFWeekly, it’s a great alternative newspaper in San Francisco, and required reading for anyone that wants to know what’s really going on around town. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship. Hey, does this mean I can now get media credentials for the Press Box at the ball game? I really should do a story on those garlic fries. I’ll have to check on that.
Yes, maybe it is. You saw a quick “raw” version of this pictured in the Dolores Park picnic post a few days ago. This is the “gourmet” version served on toasted walnut bread and made even more delicious with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. In this video recipe you’ll see why I am nominating this for “best summer hors d’oeuvre ever.”
Here’s my case. You don’t have to turn on the oven. You get to use up those amazingly sweet, middle of summer peaches. Anything served on toasted walnut bread is great. The combination of the sweet fruit, the nutty, crisp bread, the creamy, tangy cheese; all brought together with a drizzle of olive oil and a light sprinkling of black pepper and flaky kosher salt is perfection. You just have to try it and then you can be the judge.
They are also very easy to eat in two quick bites, without making a mess, which makes them ideal for that summer patio party. Another advantage is that they can sit out for a while without deteriorating. Now, if you are turned off by the idea of putting salt and black pepper on peaches, you have to get over it. You are missing out on an incredible combination of flavors. Besides, this video recipe is just a warm up for the upcoming Watermelon and Feta salad. Enjoy!
Ingredients: fresh peaches (make sure you are buying “free-stone” peaches!) mozzarella fresca walnut bread olive oil kosher salt black pepper
When people hear I’m a Chef (or at least that I play one on the internet), they always ask the same two questions. What kind of food do you cook? And, who’s your favorite TV Chef? The first question’s one I can never answer, since I cook everything I can get my hands on. I never understand that first question, and usually give some smart-ass response like, “edible foods” or “the kind you buy at the market.” The second question is easy; Alton Brown. His sense of humor, his entertaining delivery, and his scientific (yet simple) approach to food is what really makes me such a big fan. Besides, his jokes and puns are almost as bad as mine!
Here is a short, and I think inspirational, interview he did on the Big Idea recently. It’s an interesting look behind the man and his show, Good Eats. Enjoy.
The first culinary fade I can personally remember, was the “blackened” craze of the early eighties. Led by Paul Prudhomme, one of the country’s first “celebrity” Chefs, it seemed like everyone was coating every thing in Cajun spices and cooking it in white-hot cast iron pans until black. Now, this was a really delicious method IF done correctly, at very high heat, in a professional kitchen (which has powerful exhaust fans to remove the cloud of smoke that’s invariably produced).
The problem was that everyone was trying to do blackened fish, pork, chicken, and steak at home and the results varied greatly. The smart home cooks did this outside on the BBQ and made out OK. Many however tried to simulate this “looks great on TV” dish in the kitchen and the sounds of smoke alarms rang out across the land. If fact, I have a conspiracy theory that Chef Prudhomme was “on the take” from the Smoke Alarm companies. Of course, I can’t prove any of this.
This Chili-Rubbed Pork Chop video recipe is a kinder, gentler version of the “blackened” cooking technique. We start on high heat, but cook the chops on medium, and then finish the cooking by wrapping the chops in foil. This produces a very moist chop, as the meat has time to “rest” as it finishes cooking. Also, when you unwrap the boneless chops, there will be several tablespoons of the most wonderful natural juice (or Jus for our French friends). Almost any spice mix will work with this technique so take this method and make it your own. It was a great combination with the Sweet Corn, Shiitake Mushroom and Arugula Sauté recipe we already posted. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 boneless center-cut pork chops (about 7oz each, about 1 1/2 inch thick) 1 1/2 tbl vegetable oil salt to taste Spice Rub: 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp all spice 2 tsp paprika 2 tsp ancho chili powder cayenne to taste (optional)
"Cuisine Spontané" is just a fancy French term for wandering around a market, without any preconceived plans, grabbing whatever looks enticing, and then heading back to the kitchen to create a meal in a sort of culinary stream of consciousness. It’s a really fun way to cook. By the way, I’m sure there are a few soccer moms out there reading this right now thinking, “wow, I do that like 5 times a week…so that’s what it’s called!” And you thought you were just rushing through the grocery store throwing things in the basket.
For my wife Michele and I, this "Cuisine Spontané" approach was applied quite deliciously to a recent picnic lunch we enjoyed in beautiful Dolores Park. It ended up being a two-course meal. The elements were picked up on 24th Street in Noe Valley, on the same walk I wrote about in the Farmers Market post.
The first course was spicy chicken served in heart of romaine lettuce cups with fresh cilantro. We bought a pint container of some wonderful stewed chicken at a small Taqueria. It was falling-apart-tender and cooked with onions and peppers in a light, but fiery, tomato and chili sauce. This location also served as the source for our plastic silverware, napkins, and a small plastic cup of chopped fresh cilantro.
We finished this two-course meal with some ‘fresh out of the oven’ walnut bread, topped with creamy Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana (Italian Buffalo Mozzarella cheese) and slices of perfectly ripe peaches from Farmer's Market. The sweet, juicy, golden peach with the snow-white, slightly tangy cheese, on the dense, nutty bread was truly amazing.
It would have been a great picnic lunch without the view, but eating with the San Francisco skyline as our backdrop just made everything taste that much better.
First it was Christopher Walken trying to horn in on my act, now I’ve got Paul McCartney doing cooking videos online! It would be very easy to make fun of this mashed potato video Paul made…so I will. As I watched, I started writing down all the mistakes, wrong information, and bad techniques I was witnessing so I could rip him in this post. But, there were just too many, so I stopped, and just enjoyed it for what it was; A shameless plug for his wife’s cookbook. Wow, she should really have reconsidered her marketing strategy. Paul, while one of the most talented musicians ever, should never be allowed in a kitchen again.
