I Died and Went to School

Last week we made chocolate souffles with creme anglaise. I was in heaven the entire baking process. I think I reached super heaven standing over the double broiler smelling and watching the dark chocolate melt into a decadent silky pool.
The creme anglaise was divine enough to drink from a glass. What? It would be the same thing as eating peanut butter or Nutella (which I guarantee Taber is doing at this moment) straight from the jar. Right? I was able to resist drinking the creme anglaise straight up. Thank goodness, because I would not have been able to stop at one sip so there would not have been any left for the souffle. It tasted amazing poured over the warm chocolate souffle.
We replaced refined white sugar with maple crystals, which (in my opinion) intensifies the rich flavor of this dessert. Maple crystals are a great sweetening agent to use in baking. Much better for you than refined white sugar.

Love Hate Relationship

In preparation for my cook tech test on Thursday I spent several hours dicing onions on Wednesday night. Half of the time they corporated with me (which is when I loved them) and half the time they did not (which is when I hated them). After completing my 8th onion I was unsure if I was crying because my dices were not all uniform (1/4th inch by 1/4th inch) or if it was from an onion enzyme wafted up my nose. I still don't know. What I did know is that I needed to find something to do with all these sliced and diced onions. Their versatility left me with too many options. Roast, saute, caramelize, on a tart, in a soup,in a chutney...the possibilities were endless.
After much contemplation I decided on an onion soup. The hate I was feeling towards onions subsided after a bowl this soup.
I caramelized my onions for this recipe. If you do not have time or the patience to do this, you don't have to. BUT I highly recommend that you find the patience to do so. It is worth it.
Onions are naturally sweet, when you slowly cook onions over an extended period of time, the natural sugars in the onions caramelize, resulting in an intense and wonderful flavorful.

FRENCH ONION SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbs coconut oil or butter
- 4 large Spanish onions, sliced thin
-6 cups Sweet Root Vegetable Stock
- 6 tablespoons shoyu
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- sea salt
- black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
- Melt the coconut oil (or butter) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
-Add the slice onions, stir to coat the onions thoroughly with butter.
-Cook until the onions are reduced and syrupy, stirring frequently, 30 to 35 minutes.
-Adjust heat to ensure that onions are caramelizing, not burning.
- Stir in the stock, shoyu, parsley, thyme and bay leaf, scraping the pot bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits and bring to a simmer.
-Simmer for 20 minutes, to blend the flavors.
-Remove and discard the herbs (parsley, thyme and bay leaf).
-Stir in the mirin and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
recipe by: Jenny Matthau

CHEESE TOASTS (optional)
INGREDIENTS:
-1 whole wheat baguette, cut on the bias into 3/4″ thick slices (1 slice per bowl)
-Gruyere Cheese
DIRECTIONS:
-Turn broiler on high
-Set oven-safe bowls on a baking sheet.
-Fill each dish with soup. Top each with a baguette slice and cover with a single layer of Gruyere Cheese.
-Broil until well browned and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
-Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

After finishing a bowl of this soup I was thankful for my cook tech test. Without it I would not have had a fridge full of sliced onions and therefor would not have made this soup.

Wish List

One of the many items on my wish list is to have a large farmhouse kitchen table with two side benches (like the picture above but in a rustic dark wood). On top of the table I would put a basket of my new favorite apples, the Crispin. The name says it all. I discovered these apples at Whole Foods yesterday. I am a self titled apple connoisseur and give these apples the highest rating possible. The only challenge would be keeping the apples around long enough to keep the basket full. I have already had two today, and it is only 3pm.

Funny Looks

On the subway today I noticed a man staring at me with an apprehensive look on his face. He would look down at my feet and then up at my face. After repeating this a few times I got worried that maybe I was not dressed properly or had forgotten to take my apron off. After doing a once over and confirming that I was dressed appropriately I saw what was causing him concern. The tip of my Chefs knife was peaking out of my bag. Somewhere between walking from school to the subway my knife case had slipped off to expose the top inch of the knife. I quickly reached down and put the cover back on. Not because I was fearful he would call security on me, but because I did not want to damage my knife. My knife pack, which carries all my knifes and tools, is the size of a violin case and a hassle to lug home. So I usually just take home my chefs knife with its small cover, which is not enough protection for it.
If only that man knew that hiding under my knife was a Tupperware filled with seared ahi tuna with an herb crust and a ginger scallion dipping sauce. I guarantee he would have smiled at me (rather than scowl) in hopes of getting a bite.

There were a few other "situations" that were more unsound than my shiny knife revealing itself. Like the man in a black hat, black hooded sweatshirt (hood on), pants down to his ankles, and a beat up suit case with what looked like a baseball bat coming out of it. Or the man who was blowing his nose and discarding his dirty Kleenex by throwing it on the ground of the train.

HERB CRUSTED SEARED AHI TUNA
recipe by: Daniel Mattos
INGREDIENTS:
-1/4th cup coriander seeds
-1/4th cup cumin seeds
-1 teaspoon chili powder
-4 tablespoons olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste
-4- 5 oz portions of ahi tuna cut into 1 1/2 inch rectangles
-2 tablespoons canola oil
-cilantro for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
-Grind coriander and cumin in spice grinder
-Mix ground coriander and cumin with chili powder, salt, pepper, and oil. Add enough oil until it becomes a paste.
-using a pastry brush, cover all four sides of the tuna with the paste. Leaving the 2 ends uncoated.
-Heat a large case iron skille, add oil.
-Once oil is heated sear tuna on each side for 30 seconds.
-Remove tuna from pan.
-Slice into 1/2 inch squares.

GINGER SCALLION DIPPING SAUCE
-1/4 cup Rice vinegar
-1 Scallion, minced
-4 Tablespoons shoyu
-1 Garlic clove; minced
-1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
-1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
-1/2 teaspoon Minced ginger root
DIRECTIONS:
-Combine all ingredients.

Close to Home

Last Sunday I headed out to Park Avenue for some people watching, coffee drinking, and studying. Park Avenue is a great place to people watch. It is where New Yorkers drop two months rent on the newest Chanel purse, a mortgage payment on a pair of shoes, and an entire year salary on sparkly new earrings. I find pleasure in watching the zoo of shoppers hustle from store to store. I got lucky and snagged a seat by the window at a coffee shop called Seattle Cafe. My intentions of studying were overruled by my wandering eye. I spent more time staring at the shoppers than studying.

In a brief moment of taking my eyes off the street, I saw a tragic footwear mishap. The man next to me was wearing socks with flip-flops. Not just any pair of socks...they had individual pockets for each toe (like a glove). I did not know this was socially acceptable beyond the border of Washington state. Maybe he thought he was literally in Seattle and not just a cafe by the same name.

The combination of sitting in Seattle Cafe and sitting next to a sock and flip-flop wearing man, made me feel a little closer to home. It was a good feeling.

Butchered

Yesterday we learned how to butcher a chicken. At first I was a bit sissified, but after the first chop I left that behind. Living in a country that is very dependent on Industrial Providers to supply us with meat, and just about everything else we eat, it felt very empowering to butcher my own chicken.

We used Range Free Organic Chicken. If you want real chicken I advise you to buy Range Free Organic as well. I understand that it is more expensive, but your health is worth it. Conventional chickens come from crowded animal factories, also known as large confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).We eat what the animal eats. Most animals are still allowed to eat meat from their own species. Chicken carcasses can be rendered and fed back to chickens. Unless rendered chicken carcass is appealing to you, don't buy conventional chicken. Conventionally farmed chickens are often pumped full of chemicals and antibiotics to keep them healthy in cramped quarters. They’re also bred to have heavy, large breasts, which can make it hard for them to walk (if they were allowed to walk). The chickens are packed so tightly into wire cages that they are never allowed to walk or see the light of day.The dignity in which conventional chickens live is heart breaking. The meat industry in this country is money hungry and has lost sight on the appropriate way to raise animals. Current standards are a detriment to both the your life and the animals. Words like “natural” and “eco-friendly” don’t mean much of anything. Look for a USDA organic label on the package. If you stuck with me throughout that entire paragraph I appreciate it. Once I get going on the meat industry topic it is hard to stop.

Back to the butchered chicken...
Each student was set free to create any chicken dish they desired. Some roasted, poached, pan-fried, deep fried, sauteed, or braised. Not one chicken was the same. I sauteed mind and made a peanut sauce to go with it. Not too exciting, but it turned out well.

SAUTEED CHICKEN WITH PEANUT SAUCE

*The sauce also goes well on baked or poached chicken.

CHICKEN INGREDIENTS:
-2 chicken breast
-sea salt
-pepper
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-olive or canola oil

DIRECTIONS:
-Measure 1/2 cup of flour in bowl, set aside.
-Cut each breast into four equal parts(for bigger pieces cut into 2 or leave whole)
- Place a piece of plastic wrap on working surface. Place one chicken piece in center of plastic wrap. Cover top of chicken with plastic wrap
-Gently pound the breast thin
-Season chicken with salt and pepper (salt on both sides, pepper on one side)
-Heat a large skillet pan on medium heat.
-Add 2 Tablespoons of oil
-One at a time, dredge the chicken in flour. Shaking off any excess.
-Add to hot pan. Cook chicken until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Arrange chicken on platter; tent with foil.

PEANUT SAUCE
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 Tablespoon unrefined sesame oil (or canola oil)
-5 Tablespoons peanut butter
-1 Tablespoon maple syrup
-1 Tablespoon shoyu
-toasted sesame oil, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
-Saute garlic and spices in oil.
-In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, maple syrup and shoyu, mix well.
-Slowly add water to desired consistency
-Season with sesame oil.

One student fried their chicken in coconut oil. Instead of using traditional buttermilk as a coating they used Almond Milk. It tasted like it came straight out of Paula Dean's cookbook. Delicious.

For the past 8 years my four best friends and I have gone to Palm Springs for spring break. Two out of five of us are teachers, which gives us an excuse to go on spring break even though we are no longer students. My move to New York threw a wrench in our yearly trip. Being the best friends they are, they gave up a week of lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun in Palm Springs for a week in New York with me. It was so great to have them here. We walked a lot, went to the Statue of Liberty, walked some more, ate at good restaurants, and shopped. It was so great to have them here. I am incredibly fortunate to have them in my life. Insert sappy music here

The first night they were here we met up with Jenny, our friend from college, and her boyfriend. We ate at Agua Dulce, a swanky Pan-Latin restaurant in Hells Kitchen. We started the meal off with a trio of homemade guacamole. One was a mango/habanero, one a bacon/tomato, and the last a jalapeno/red onion. The mango/habanero won my vote and is what I scooped onto a majority of my chips. The bacon guacamole I could have passed on. The best part of homemade guacamole is the buttery, nutty, and richness of the avocado. The bacon over powered all three of these elements. Besides the bacon guacamole, the entire meal tasted fresh right down to the tortilla chips. There is a huge difference in homemade tortilla chips to store bought tortilla chips. I am unable to resist either, but I find homemade to be more flavorsome.

Below is a basic guacamole recipe. Get creative and add mango, onions, peaches, pineapple, peppers... anything you desire ( or need to use). Making your own chips eliminates the unnecessary hydrogenated oils and preservatives that are added to mass produced chips. Plus they taste better.

BASIC GUACAMOLE

INGREDIENTS:
-3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
-1 1/2 Tablespoon lime juice
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
-1/2 medium onion, diced
-2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
-1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
-1 clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:
-Place the peeled and pitted avocado in a large bowl add lime juice, toss to coat.
-Using a fork add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash.
-Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic.

CHILI-LIME TORTILLA CHIPS

-12 6-inch corn tortillas
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:
- Position oven racks in the middle and lower third of oven; preheat to 375°F.
- Coat both sides of each tortilla with olive oil and cut into quarters. Place tortilla wedges in an even layer on 2 large baking sheets. Combine lime juice and chili powder in a small bowl. Brush the mixture on each tortilla wedge and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake the tortillas, switching the baking sheets halfway through, until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.

Where Oh Where has My Little Mind Gone...

My brain decided to stay in bed today and did not give me the memo. My first alarm did not go off (thank goodness for alarm #2), I forgot my side towels, I asked a few silly questions, I almost steamed the wakimi instead of stemming it, I was seconds away from using the wrong mushrooms in my miso soup, my matchstick carrots looked more like odd sized crayons,and my cooking partner and I forgot to strain the Bonito flakes out of the miso. I belonged in the culinary preschool class today.
You may be questioning if carrots cut like odd sized crayons are really a reason to stress. The answer is "yes". I have a knife skills test a week from Wednesday. We are given a list of items to cut and tested on how well we cut them. The chef instructor has a ruler and will measure our cuts to be sure they are precise. Example: a small dice is 1/4th inch x 1/4th inch. If the item cut is any more or any less, we will be marked off. We are not allowed to use rulers. Considering that I practically hid my "matchstick" carrots from the chef today, I have a lot of practicing to do. I see a date with my knife, cutting board, and a bag of carrots in my near future. Maybe I will even light a candle.
On a high note, the dishes we created in class today were finger licking good and a great distraction from my absent mind.
We made our own sushi, a coconut lime custard, coffee custard with chili maple pecans, and a mixed salad with black sesame carrot dressing. If there had been any custard left over I would be eating it right now. Unfortunately the class polished it off and I came home empty handed.
I was also able to finish my night by watching "Dancing With the Stars" at the gym. Watching Kate Gosslin attempt to dance is a great way to feel better about yourself. If you are having a bad day watch her dance the tango. Who knew trashy reality television could be free therapy.
I am setting 3 alarms tonight and looking forward to leaving my apartment with my mind intact.

Represent

The Natural Gourmet teaches its students more than just how to cook. Not only is it the leader in teaching health-supportive cooking, but it also educates us on the relationship between food and health. "The Institute was founded on the principle that what we eat significantly affects our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Each individual reacts differently to food and so will thrive on a unique diet. There is no one perfect food or dietary regimen that works for everyone. With these principles in mind, The Natural Gourmet has created a framework for healthy food selection based on specific criteria for high quality ingredients, concepts of eastern/western nutrition and a variety of dietary paradigms."

Criteria for food selection:
1.Whole
2.Fresh
3.Seasonal
4.In harmony with tradition
5.Balanced
6.No GMO (genetically modified)

This criteria allows us to utilize the food and its flavor to its fullest potential. This does not mean we are not able to eat foods that don't meet the criteria. It is meant to guide us in our food selection. There will be times that I crave a bag of M&Ms, and I won't get kicked out of school for eating the unnaturally colorful balls of chocolate.

I thought I would post a picture of me in my uniform...go ahead and laugh. I laugh at myself every time I put it on.

Trucks Galore

New York is a city about convenience. Every city block has at least one deli cafe, a starbucks, and a drug store mixed among swanky restaurants and boutiques. The convenience is not only limited to the interior of buildings. You can buy nuts, coffee, hot dogs, pastries, wraps,fruit, and kebabs from vendors scattered along the street. My all time favorite convenient food related invention is the trucks. If you can eat it there is a truck for it. Taco truck, cupcake truck, coffee truck, sweets trucks, waffles truck, schnitzel truck, ice cream truck, dumplings truck, bistro truck. I am in love with these trucks. In the presence of them I warp into a crazy tourist and start snapping photos. I belong in a floral button down, khaki shorts, and teva sandals with a map in hand. I would like my own truck, but I don't know what kind of truck that would be. Maybe a cupcake truck, but there is already one of those. Maybe a soup truck, but how would one walk and eat soup at the same time. Defeats the purpose of getting food on the go. The cuisine I would sell out of a truck will come to me one day before my time in New York is over.
Since I don't know what kind of truck I would have, I will create recipe for another truck. I am going to guess Taber would want to drive a teriyaki truck, so I will create the signature teriyaki sauce for his truck.

TERIYAKI TRUCK SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup water
-2 cloves garlic, mashed
-1 tablespoons ginger juice*
-4 Tablespoons shoyu
-6 Tablespoons barley malt
-pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
-Combine all ingredients.
-Process in blender until smooth.
-Reduce over medium heat until sauce is syrupy.
-Enjoy with any veggies, meat,rice, or teriyaki noodles.

*To make ginger juice: grate fresh ginger. Place grated ginger in a cheese cloth. Wrap ginger in the cloth and squeeze over bowl. Discard the cheese cloth.

I Love Coffee

I love coffee. Both the smell and taste are crucial to my mornings. What I don't like is the price of coffee. New York Starbucks charges $1 more than Seattle Starbucks. Shouldn't it be more expensive in the city of origin? Apparently Mr. Starbucks New York thinks otherwise. Six months ago spending $2 on coffee (a day) got booted out of Tabers and my daily routine and was replaced with brewing our own morning coffee. Because of this, it has been hard to justify buying overpriced coffee everyday. BUT because I have to be awake in class to learn, coffee is essential to my performance in school. Now when I see change on the ground I do not hesitate to bend over, pick it up, and add it to me coffee fun. I am not joking...I seriously picked up a quarter on the ground the other day.
The other night I was telling my mom, Steve, and Taber about the large quantity of money starbucks takes, I mean steals, from me weekly. Less than one week later I received a very pretty plastic card in the mail. Steve sent me a very generous Starbucks gift card. I am now able to start my day in peace knowing I can buy a coffee without cutting into my tuition/living expenses. Very good things come in small packages from Dads with big hearts.
In honor of Steve, I am posting a recipe for Pasta Carbonara. It is one of his favorite dishes I prepare.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

INGREDIENTS:
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-6 ounces pancetta, diced
-Salt to taste
-1 pound dried spaghetti
-3 large eggs, beaten
-2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
-2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
-Freshly ground black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
-In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over moderate heat, add the pancetta, and fry till lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
-Bring a large kettle of salted water to a rolling boil, add the spaghetti, return to the boil, and cook till al dente, about 10 minutes.
-While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the eggs, half the cheese, and pepper. Set aside.
-Drain the pasta, add back to cooking pot.
-Add the pancetta to the pasta, toss.
-Pour the egg and cheese mixture into the pasta with 2 large forks till the eggs are completely incorporated and coat the spaghetti. (The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs.) Add the remaining cheeses, toss again till well incorporated, taste for salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

On my way to the subway in the morning I usually pass a large hurd of high school students making their way to school. It is quite entertaining to catch tidbits of their conversations. "Oh my gosh Johnny is such a jerk". "Have you been asked to prom". "Dude, look at my new head phones". Halfway to the subway yesterday I noticed that I had yet to dodge a high school girl wearing skinny jeans, uggs, and texting while gabbing away to her friend. After a brief moment of panic that I had taken a wrong turn it occurred to me that they were on spring break. This is where my brain went from point A to point Z in sixty seconds...
Once I hear "spring break" I imagined myself laying on the beach, reading a mindless magazine, with a coconut drink in hand (complete with a frilly umbrella). Next thing I know I am physically at the subway stop but mentally I am still in the tropics eating coconut roasted shrimp. Roasted coconut shrimp? Sometime between the word spring break and the subway stop I visualized an entire day of spring break, including what I would eat for dinner, on the patio of our ocean front hotel suite.

Although I would prefer to be in the tropics cooking Coconut Roasted Shrimp, I will settle for cooking it in my closet size NYC kitchen. Regardless of if I am sitting at my table or on a patio over looking the ocean, this recipe makes me do a happy dance.

COCONUT ROASTED SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS:
-2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
-6 TB shredded coconut
-Pinch of cayenne
-Kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
-16 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

-Set a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F.
-Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil.

-In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, coconut, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add shrimp and toss. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until pink, about 7 – 8 minutes.
NOTE: For a crispy all around texture, roast shrimp on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet. It will allow the air to circulate the entire shrimp, crisping the bottom as well as the top.