Tonight at Chez Bart: Salmon Steaks with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Goodness it has been a while since I blogged. There are many reasons for the lapse, including taking on a new job in a new city (which means moving - yuck!). Also, I think the format of my posts were too long, which made writing them more of a chore than a joy. Thus, I am going to toy with a new format for this cooking post. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Tonight I decided to check out this recipe from the January 2012 issue of Bon Appétit. It seemed like the perfect winter fish dish: spicy, hearty, and rustic. I paired it with steam green beans, and a nice rice pilaf. So tasty!

Shop till you drop: This dish calls for Sunflower oil, but many other oils can be substituted. I would stick with those that are not full bodied - i.e. olive oil - as you do not want to disturb the balance of flavors between the sauce and the fish. I used avocado oil, which has a high flashpoint - making it great for the sear portion of this recipe - and is still very healthy. Corn or canola oil would work well too.

The dish calls for bone-in salmon steaks, and while you could use boneless, I would opt against it. Just like with beef short-ribs, or bone-in pork chops, the bones lend quite a bit of flavor. Just pick them out... it's not too hard!

As for the spice mill, you can also get by with a mortar and pestle, or coffee grinder. If you decided on the coffee grinder, just make sure to clean any coffee out.

Tips & tricks: I would tackle this dish into three steps: 1. make the garlic paste, 2. sear the fish, and 3. make the sauce and cook the fish in it. For the garlic paste, you can make it ahead of time and store in the fridge. The longer it chills, the better the flavors will meld. 3 - 24hrs is a suitable window. 

Another key thing to think about is the temperature differential between searing the fish, and cooking the sauce/fish. Because you sear the fish over medium-high heat, but cook the sauce/fish over medium fish, make sure you use a separate burner or allow the pan to cool a bit. This way you do not burn the garlic paste with a super-hot skillet.

The result? Another solid dish from Bon Appétit, with great depth of flavor. The caraway and cinnamon lends earthy notes, which is complimented with the freshness of the cilantro and lemon. The salmon seals the deal by adding buttery notes from its natural oils, while the cayenne and paprika make it zesty and fun. Definitely will be adding this to my repertoire!

Salmon Steaks with Spicy Tomato Sauce - Bon Appétit - January 2012 

Tonight at Chez Bart: Short Ribs Braised in Red Wine

Short ribs are one of my favorite cuts of meat. They are versatile, easy to cook with; and when braised slowly over low heat, yield tender and delicious results. Short ribs are prominent in both Italian and French cooking, and if you attend any restaurant worth a Michelin star, they serve them. My guess is the influence of wine in French and Italian gastronomy. 


Red wine is a perfect base for braising liquid, and it's not surprising that Barolo and Bordeaux - two of the most influential red wines in the world - are used by the world's top chefs to braise their short ribs. Their full bodied nature is perfect for braising, because as the cooking liquid evaporates over the meat, it leaves even further concentrated flavors. I have been told that Mario Batali, for his Oso Bucco, has used Barolos priced in the hundreds of dollars.


This recipe, which I found in an issue of Gourmet Italian Kitchen, looked amazing for all those reasons I mentioned above: slow cooked short ribs in a Barolo braising liquid. Let's see how it compares with Giada's recipe that I have made numerous times in the past!


*Note: I checked Gourmet Italian Kitchen's website, and it looks like this recipe is not fully in the public domain yet. Thus, I will not give exact quantities of ingredients. Sorry!!!


Store Notes: This recipe calls for Barolo wine. At first I considered it, but then after talking with the manager at my wine shop, I settled on a bottle of Vietti Nebbiolo Perbacco 2007. The manager assured me that it would be an excellent full bodied wine for braising, and at $23.99, was ten dollars cheaper that the cheapest Barolo. 

The other pricey part of this dish is the short ribs, not because they are an expensive cut of meat, but because you need to buy over 4 pounds of them! Since I have never made this recipe before, I figured I wouldn't deviate from the prescribed amount. Besides, I do not mind left-overs one bit!

4 1/2 pounds of beef bone-in short ribs!

Other items that you will need are as follows:

• Pancetta
• Fresh Thyme sprigs
• Fresh Rosemary sprigs
• Garlic
• Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Can of diced tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Water

For equipment, you will need a large dutch oven.

Prep Notes: Ahead of time, chop the onions, carrots, and celery. Mince the garlic, and cube the pancetta. As for the short ribs, rub salt and pepper on all sides of the short ribs.

To reduce the wine for the braising liquid, pour the entire bottle of wine into a 3 quart sauce pan. Heat until boiling, and let boil until only 1 cup is left. Set aside for later.

Wine being reduced!

Cook Notes: Heat the dutch oven on medium-high. Use enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot, and once the oil shimmers, add the short ribs in batches. Cook the short ribs for a minute on each side, removing after both sides have been browned. 

Once all the ribs are browned, set them aside and remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the dutch oven. Add the pancetta, and cook until the edges are starting to get brown. Next, add the onions, and cook until they just begin to caramelize. Add the minced garlic, and cook for a minute or two; then add the celery, carrots,  and herb sprigs. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring every now and then.

Pancetta being rendered; there is nothing better than
using fat from pancetta to add a whole new dimension
of flavors to one's cooking. You can use less oil too!

Add the diced tomatoes, and stir so everything is well mixed. Add back the short ribs to the dutch oven, and then pour the reduced wine and 2 cups of water over top of the ribs. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then cover and place in a 325 degree oven for 2-2.5 hours.

Ribs, with the vegetables below, and the braising liquid
poured over top

Remove the dutch oven from the oven, and skim off any excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Now, if you wish to reduce the sauce a bit, carefully remove the short ribs and heat the sauce until to simmers. Once the sauce is at a desired consistency, return the short ribs to the pot. Plate the short ribs over pasta tossed in butter and fresh minced parsley.

Tasting Notes: The completely falls off the bone as I transport a short rib to my plate. The meat is incredibly tender and moist. The onions, carrots, celery & garlic provide zesty notes - sweetness from the carrots and onions balanced with the flavors of the garlic and celery. The pancetta lends salty notes to further round out the palette.

Dinner is served!

And the pièce de résistance was the bold notes lent by the red wine reduction in the braising liquid. The truly expand the dimension of flavors in this dish; the earthy notes of the vegetables, and buttery-salty notes of the pancetta/short ribs mingle with the big fruit - currant & blackberry - of the wine to truly offer a gustatory odyssey. Outstanding!


Libation Notes: This dish should be accompanied by a wine with equal to or greater body than what was used for the braising liquid. I would definitely recommend the Nebbiolo I used for the cooking, but if the occasion were special enough (date, dinner party, etc.), I could easily see myself buying a nice $40 - $60 BaroloMeritage. 


Overall: An excellent dish, definitely worthy of another go-around. Personally, I prefer Giada's recipe to this one, but that is akin to saying that I prefer Chateau Margaux to Chateau Haut-Brion. Both are excellent; I just think I prefer the composition of the braising liquid in Giada's recipe better. 


That being said, if I were to make this recipe again I would do the following:

• Substitute the water for beef broth
• Decrease the short ribs from 4 1/2 pounds to 2 1/2 pounds

If you were in the mood for more of a pasta-esque meal, I would recommend shredding the meat once you remove the pot from the oven.

All in all, a solid meal worthy of making again.

Last Night at Chez Bart: Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Many of my regular followers know that I love authentic Italian food. This is partly due to my culinary odyssey in Tuscany last September/October. It's also due to the fact that I loathe 95% of what restaurants call Italian food. For some pathetic reason, Italian has become synonymous with alfredo at practically all but the most authentic restaurants. And its not even good alfredo, rather a cream-based soup thickened by starch that tastes, quite frankly, like shit. The net result is that whenever I crave Italian food, I usually just make it at home. 

Another Italian culinary casualty that I often see in American restaurants is the classic dish Pasta alla Carbonara. While Italian tradition dictates that egg and cheese are the only ingredients for the sauce, denizens the world over have sadly added a lot of cream to the recipe - thereby ruining it's delicate balance of flavors and textures. Chicken and vegetables are also commonly added, further deviating form the original Italian design. I think this is primarily done because in Italy, pasta is an appetizer, while in other parts of the world it is seen as a main course (and thus chefs feel they need to make it more hearty).

So you all can see when I found this little gem in an issue of La Cucina Italiana, I was excited to try it out! The recipe is compliments of Paolo Parisi, who is a legendary farmer in Tuscany (his farm is located just south of Pisa). He was one of the first farmers to raise and breed from near-extinction the Cinta Senese pig, and his eggs are highly prized by top restaurants throughout Italy (the free range chickens are fed a combination of whatever they can forage, and a grain/goat's milk mixture!). 

Please note that the recipe does not offer specific quantities of ingredients. While I tried my best to determine the correct amounts, more refining still needs to be done.

Store Notes: The recipe calls for the following:

• Guanciale; in this case, I used Pancetta because I have no idea whether my butcher can even get guanciale!
• Fresh Eggs, and I mean fresh! No longer than 3 days from when purchased.
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• Fresh Marjoram
• Garlic
• Lemon for zesting
• Pasta, either spaghetti or linguine
• Olive oil

Prep Notes: Prep is incredibly important for this dish, because the pasta has to be perfectly cooked at the time it is added to the sauce. If the sauce is not prepared ahead of time, the result will be overcooked pasta!

In a large bowl, grate equal parts of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-reggiano (I did 1/3 cup each; grate more so you can tinker with the amount later if necessary). Next mince 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tablespoons of marjoram. Using a microplane, zest one lemon. Cube up the pancetta into small cubes, and set aside for sautéing.

In a large pot, bring heavily salted water to a boil, and in a sauté pan, heat up enough olive oil to coat the pan.

Cooking Notes: Once the water is boiling, place the pasta in the pot, and the pancetta into the sauté pan. The goal is to brown the edges of the pancetta, so stir occasionally. Next, in a small bowl, crack open 4 eggs and discard the shells. Give the eggs a quick whisk so that the yokes are broken up. 

After 7 minutes, the pasta should be close to done. Test it, and if it is al dente, remove from the stove. Save 1 cup of the pasta liquid, and then drain the rest through a colander. Working fast, shake the colander to remove any excess water, and then pour the hot pasta into the large bowl with the cheese/marjoram/garlic/etc. I emphasize hot because it really has to be hot. One cannot waste time from  when the pasta is removed to when it is poured into the bowl with the other ingredients. The reason for this is because next you are going to pour the eggs into the pasta, and the pasta's heat is going to cook the eggs!

So pour the eggs, the pancetta (including the cooking oil), and half the kept pasta water into the bowl. Toss the pasta so that it is well mixed. At this point, check the consistency of the sauce, and add more pasta water or cheese until the desired consistency has been achieved. Also, more marjoram, garlic, or lemon zest can be added to taste. To serve, plate the pasta, drizzle with olive oil and crack some fresh pepper over top. Buon appetito!

  

Tasting Notes: This dish is a veritable gut bomb, and thus perfectly suitable as an appetizer for a more protein-centric main course, because quite frankly you just wouldn't want to eat a huge bowl of this stuff. The eggs and cheese give it incredible richness, yet in a subtle manner compared with the cream/starch-laden globalized alfredo and carbonara sauces.

The pancetta compliments the cheese/egg by providing salty notes, while the marjoram and garlic provide further complexity with their zesty herb notes. The lemon zest rounds it out with sweet, citrus notes. A simple dish with complex flavors. Delish!

Libation Notes: While this dish is rich and complex, it's flavors are not overly strong to the palette. Thus, I would not recommend a bold wine with lots of fruit - you would just overpower the pasta and lose its incredible complexity. Ergo, I would recommend a nice, dry white Italian wine. A pinot grigio, or sauvignon blanc, would go quite well with this dish.

Overall: This is a gem of a dish, with a wide range of flavors, yet an overall simplistic preparation. I could easily see myself whipping this dish up as a starter, while my short ribs are braising. I will definitely make this one again, and continue to tinker with the quantities of ingredients, so expect future updates. Ciao!

Last Night at Chez Bart: Meatballs with Pappardelle

*Note: my camera battery died while cooking, so I don't have any pictures =[

Following up my previous post, I decided last night that I was going to cook this dish from Tom Keller's ad Hoc at Home cookbook: Meatballs with Pappardelle. This dish just begged me to make it. Beef/pork/veal meatballs topped with oven roasted tomato sauce, and paired with fresh pappardelle tossed with butter, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Delish!

One point I would like to make with regards to this dish, is that it necessitates 2 sub-recipes: oven roasted tomato sauce and homemade bread crumbs. Though tonight I followed the letter of the recipe, and made the sauce and breadcrumbs from scratch, I don't think I would do it every time. I believe a canned tomato sauce (either pre-seasoned or crushed canned tomatoes with whatever herb blend you prefer) can easily fit the bill. Progresso breadcrumbs can also work as well for making the meatballs.

I guess what I am saying is that one can make this dish as fancy and complex as he or she wants. It's up to you!

Prep Notes: From an ingredients standpoint, there are a few things in which you will need to obtain specifically for this dish. The meatballs require ground beef, pork, and veal; so if your butcher does not normally stock ground pork or veal, you might need to call ahead. From a vegetable standpoint, fennel (anise) and leeks are required, as well as a ton of onion and garlic. Also, in order to make the sachet for the sauce, you will need cheese cloth and butcher's twine.

From an equipment standpoint, if you are going to make the sauce from scratch, you will need a food processor. To cook the meatballs, you will need a cooling rack and a sturdy baking sheet (that doesn't warp at higher temps).

Cooking Notes: Ahead of time, you can make the breadcrumbs. Just remove the crust off a loaf of bread, break it up into small pieces, and then place on a cookie sheet to bake. Remove from the oven once to toss and redistribute. Once the crumbs are nice and crispy, remove and store in an airtight container.

Also ahead of time, you can make the sauce. In a small dutch oven, place the fennel, leeks, and onion with some oil. Roast them in the oven until a nice caramelization occurs, stirring ever so often. Then, add in some red wine vinegar and brown sugar and place back into the oven until the liquid incorporates. Make sure you stir often. Finally, add in the tomatoes and the sachet, and place back into the oven for 90 minutes, stirring every 30. Remove, and let cool to room temperature, before storing.

And now for the meatballs. In a sauté pan, sauté onion and garlic until nice and soft. Then, in a large bowl, add the various ground meats, onion/garlic mixture, egg, breadcrumbs, and parsley. Mix to incorporate the various ingredients, and then seperate into a dozen or so meatballs.

Next, cut the mozarella into as many pieces as you have meatballs. Press into each meatball to create a little well, and place a piece of mozarella into that well. Work the meatballs in order to cover the cheese, and to make it nice and round. To cook, place a drying rack over a cookie sheet, and place the meatballs on the drying rack. This is to allow the fat to drip from the meat. Finally, place the meatballs into a 450 degree oven for 15 or so minutes.

Remove the meatballs, and allow them to rest for a 10 minutes or so. Cover with the sauce, and serve with a side of noodles. Bon appetit!

Tasting Notes: The great thing about this dish is that it takes some classical Italian-American staples: pasta and meatballs; and really ups the ante. The meatballs have various falvors, from the buttery notes of the ground chuck, to the savory notes of the pork and creamy notes of the veal. The onion and garlic offer savory notes, while the breadcrumbs provide a nice crunchy texture. And then you have the pièce de résistance: with every bite, one is greated with the warm, goey, creamy goodness of the mozarella. Things don't get much better than that!

The creamy-buttery goodness of the meatballs are perfectly counterbalanced with the bold roasted vegetable flavors from the tomato sauce. The fennel really gives it a savory kick, while the carmelized onions offer both sweet and tangy notes. Being prepared in the oven, it is nothing like I have ever had before, and is well worth the effort and time.

And finally, you have the noodles. They are prepared in a super-simple fashion: tossed with parsley, lemon, and butter. It is the simplicity that pairs it so well with the the complexity of the other components on the plate.

Libation Notes: This dish really deserves a full bodied wine; something that can really go tow to tow with the roasty notes of the sauce. Given this is Italian, I am immediately thinking of a nice Barolo, Barbaresco, or Brunello. Something bold, not too dry, and with a good amount of fruit.

Overall: Definitely hit a home run with this one. Lots of different flavors and textures here. And you can even dial down the "home made" elements in order to accomodate your schedule. Another winner to add to my repertoire.

The Happenings at Chez Bart

So today one of my objectives was to purchase a new cookbook for the Chez Bart library. Lately, I have been either grabbing recipes from Food Network, or using ones from my two Italian cookbooks by Giada de Laurentiis. I probably spent over an hour perusing the cookbooks at my local Barnes & Noble. In fact, it is really the only reason why I go to brick and mortar bookstores. It is very nice being able to actually look at the recipes, thereby making a judgement whether there are enough to satisfy the price of the book.

So there I was, flipping through cookbooks by many different authors. I spent considerable time leafing through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa line of cookbooks; just to name a few. In the end, I settled on Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home. 

I found ad Hoc to be the best fit for Chez Bart. It provided not just excellent - not to mention realistic (more on that later) - recipes, but also has sections devoted to teaching culinary techniques and skills. The recipes are also realistic for someone like me: 26 year old single male living in a decent-at-best apartment equipped with crap appliances and lame Cuisinart cookware. 

Thus, I don't want a cookbook whose recipes feature relatively hard to find ingredients, employ very sophisticated cooking and preparation techniques; and I don't want every end product to be something so fancy that I have to start dishing out Michelin stars to my apartment door. Usually, these are the "Restaurant" Cookbooks: Keller's French Laundry & Bouchon, Mario Battali's Babbo, Michael Chiarello's Bottega; and are full of recipes that require truffles and squid in its own ink. No thanks.

Contrast this with Ad Hoc: the first recipe I flipped to was crab cakes. There is a recipe for Beef Stroganoff. Hamburgers! There are also pages on how to properly deep fry, trussing and cutting a chicken, proper cooking utensils, etc. It just seemed so perfect!

So get ready for a few new dishes down the pike here at Chez Bart!

Last Night at Chez Bart: Grilled Salmon Sandwiches

The last two nights have been spent clearing out the 'fridge of all the leftovers from my previous weekend culinary odyssey. Today, with a clean fridge, I fretted about trying to think of what I wanted to make. Knowing I would probably have to work late, it had to be snappy. And since I hate bad food, it had to sound good. Finally - after much perusing - I settled on this little gem: Barefoot Contessa's Grilled Salmon Sandwiches.


Store Notes: The salmon will cost you a penny; I spent $30 on the 2lbs that I bought. I am not going to lie though: it was beautiful salmon. Otherwise, make sure you remember to pick up the capers, white wine vinegar, and Mesclun mix. Holiday Market didn't have the Mesclun, so I just went with baby romaine. Also, the sauce calls for 3/4 of a cup of fresh dill, which is a ton of dill. When I made this, I bought a package and it wasn't enough!


For gadgets, a food processor makes preparing the sauce much easier.

Ingredients of the sauce about to
get processed

Prep Notes: One can make the sauce well in advance. Just place all the prescribed ingredients into the food processor and flick the switch. You might have to stop it once or twice and, using a spatula, force the sauce that collects on the sides of the bowl down so it can be mixed. Once the sauce is well-mixed, add the capers and pulse a few times. Voi la! Now either place in the 'fridge for use later, or set aside.

Finished sauce, ready for the sandwiches!

Pre-heat the grill so it is nice and hot, or in my case, heat up a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Cook Notes: Baste one side of the salmon with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, then baste and season the other side. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes. Once the salmon is cooked almost all the way through, remove from the grill and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Salmon on the grill

To serve, cut the bun in half. Layer some of the greens on the bottom, while spreading a generous portion of the sauce on the top half of the bun. Place the fillet on top of the greens, and you are good to go!
 

Tasting Notes: This is a simple, yet elegant Salmon preparation. One essentially has a triumvirate of flavors: the bitterness of the greens, savoriness of the salmon, and the sweetness of the sauce; that compliments itself beautifully on one's palette. The salt and pepper really brings out the buttery flesh of the salmon, while the dill and scallions in the sauce adds some savory notes. Also, the white wine vinegar not only adds some zest to the sauce, but cuts the heaviness of the mayonnaise as well.

Libation Notes:  This dish is really meant for the summer time, so a nice cold lager would go very nice. Hofbräu München Original, Spaten Premium Lager, Löwenbräu Original, Weihenstephaner Original Bayrisch Mild, Augistiner Bräu Lagerbier Hell, and Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Helles are all good choices.

Finished product: Grilled Salmon Sandwiches. Yummi!

Overall: This was just the meal I needed. Quick, easy, and tons of flavor. I am going to keep this one on my short list for the warmer summer days ahead!

Last Night at Chez Bart: Scallops Provençal, with Beer-battered Asparagus and Garlic Aioli

Scallops Provençal. I actually have had my eye on this Barefoot Contessa recipe for a while - ever since I started to grow tired of Italian cooking. I am not well versed in French cooking - heck, I have considered investing in Julia Child's Art of French Cooking to expand my repertoire for a while now - so when I saw this simple, yet elegant dish, I knew I had to make it. 


But what to make it with? Most of the commenters at Food Network recommend rice with this, and I agree that would be tasty. For some reason, I felt the need to up the ante and do something more elaborate. In the end, I came across this Guy Fieri recipe for Beer-battered Asparagus with Garlic Aioli, precisely because I love asparagus, and have always wanted to make garlic aioli. 


The two dishes don't seem like a logical pair, and quite frankly I probably would not make them together again. Still, it's a Sunday evening and I am in the mood for a little culinary adventure before the grind of the work weeks begins!


Store Notes: The pound of scallops required can really set one back, especially if you are like me, and opt for the huge sea scallops. The ones I purchased from Holiday Market were roughly $20. Totally worth it. Also, you will need a good dry white cooking wine. I recommend the Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc. It has a nice crisp, dry, fruity profile that at $7.99/bottle, is perfect for cooking. Otherwise, for the scallops, make sure you have plenty of unsalted butter. This is French cooking, after all!


For the asparagus, one item that you probably will not have in your kitchen already is the 2 cups of buttermilk used to soak the asparagus. I ended up just buying the smallest carton available, which was just enough to cover a bunch of asparagus. For the beer in the beer batter, Guy recommends a full bodied beer like an IPA. I used New Holland Brewing Co.'s Mad Hatter, but the more commonly found Sierra Nevada Pale Ale would also work as well. And finally, in order to fry the asparagus, you need oil. Lots of oil. Don't be like me, and buy the smaller bottle thinking this might be the only time you fry something this year. Since this recipe calls for 4 cups of oil, get the bigger bottle. Trust me.


In the kitchen gadget department, there are a couple of things that will be nice when making these dishes. A microplane will allow you to zest a lemon with zero effort, and a food processor will make processing the aioli a breeze! A hand mixer is also necessary in order to beat the egg whites for the beer-batter. Finally, a good thermometer will ensure that the oil is precisely at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If the oil is too cool, the batter will fall away from the asparagus and you will not get a good fry. If the oil is too hot, then you will overcook the asparagus - possibly even burn it it!


Prep Notes: 12-24 hours before cooking, soak the asparagus in the buttermilk. Then 1 hour before cooking, prepare the aioli in the food processor. Essentially just dump all the listed ingredients into the food processor, process, and place in the fridge to chill.


To prep the scallops, follow Ina's directions vis-a-vis sea vs bay scallops. Next, season liberally with salt and pepper. Then, pour some all-purpose flour onto a clean plate, and dredge the scallops until they are nicely coated. Finally, dice up the shallots, and mince the garlic and flat-leaf parsley. Of course for the shallots, I rocked out my VeggieChop. I love this thing!


To prep the asparagus, first remove the asparagus from the buttermilk onto a clean tray - do not rinse! Next, separate two eggs (between the white and yoke) and place in separate large bowls. In the bowl with the yokes, add in the rest of the batter ingredients (cornmeal, all-purpose flower, beer, etc.) and mix thoroughly. In the bowl with the egg whites, use a hand mixer to beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Then, pour the whites into the batter, and fold with a spatula. Finally, pour the 4 cups of peanut oil into a deep frying pan, and pre-heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.


Cook Notes: Given that we are going to be running two pans - a sauté and a deep fry - cooking will be a constant back and forth between the asparagus and the scallops. The key will obviously be not to overcook both. If you find this daunting, cook the scallops first, then tackle the asparagus. The reason being, fried foods always taste better straight from the fryer, while the scallops can easily be placed on a serving tray and covered in foil to keep warm. That being said, I will try to provide a narrative in which one could do both at the same time.

Frying the first batch of asparagus

First, melt half the butter in your sauté pan over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating up, and the butter is slowly starting to melt, dredge the first few spears of asparagus, and place into the oil. The asparagus should take 3 minutes to cook, and you should flip them half way, so keep that in mind while you tend to your scallops.

Scallops just added; 1lb is a lot!

Once the butter is melted, place the scallops in the butter, and drop the heat to medium. Now you should be taking the first batch of asparagus out (place on a paper covered tray and season with sea salt), dredge the next batch of asparagus, and again place in the oil. By this time (approx. 3-4 minutes elapsed), the scallops should be nicely brown on one side, so flip. 


Flip the asparagus in the pan, then add the other half of butter. While that is melting, remove the asparagus from the oil, season with salt, dredge the next batch, and place again in the oil. Next, add the shallots, garlic and parsley to the scallops and sauté for 2 minutes. While that is sautéing, flip the asparagus once, then a minute or so later again remove from the oil. Finally, add the wine and make sure you deglaze the pan.

Scallops are just about done. Notice how the wine has
interacted with the flour dredging and butter to produce
a nice sauce.

If you have more asparagus, continue to add the final spears while you plate the scallops.


Bon appetit!

Tasting Notes: First the scallops: they are really quite extraordinary. You have buttery notes complimenting the naturally sweet taste of the scallops, accentuated by the rich flavors of shallot and garlic. Amazingly, the dry fruit of the wine keeps the richness of the butter and scallops in check, while the parsley provides savory notes. Outstanding!

Turning to the asparagus, you have a dichotomy between the hot fried goodness of the asparagus, and the cool garlic bonanza that is the aioli. The beer and cayenne pepper provide nice body to the breading, while the cornmeal gives it a nice crunch. Because asparagus has such a pronounced flavor, you don't lose it at all; instead the breading and sea salt compliments it nicely. The cool aioli then provides a nice foil to both the beer-batter and the asparagus. The net result is many different flavors, and an incredibly happy palette.

Libation Notes:  For this dish, I would suggest a drier white wine. A Sauvignon Blanc, or Chenin Blanc, would do nicely, as they would not over-power the fish with big fruit. For this, I would stay away from such from the Marlborough appellation of New Zealand (one of my favorites fro Sauvignon Blancs btw), and stick to a French or Californian appellation.

Overall: This meal was fantastic. As you can see from the pictures, I also served it with Garlic Cheddar Biscuits. I will definitely be making these scallops again; they just have the right flavor profile that makes French cuisine so worth the caloric intake. As for the asparagus, I would make it again, though not with the scallops. The would be great as an appetizer, or side for a larger meal. I also think I would find a way to spice up the batter a bit more. While the cayenne pepper did add some heat, I think it could use a bit more.

Plated. Scallops, asparagus with aioli and biscuits!
Yummi!!!

All in all, another great meal! 

Last Night at Chez Bart: Steak with Guinness Barbeque Sauce

This is not a new dish in my repertoire; it's actually one I have made before a few years back. It was given to me by my mother, who learned it when she and a bunch of her gal-pals went down to Canyon Ranch for a week. She had served the sauce over beef tenderloin, and was very impressed.

The first time I tried it out was a month or so after, when I tried to impress two of my lovely gal friends with my culinary acumen. I am not sure if it worked; they said they liked it, but they could have just been being nice. ;o) Anyways, I liked it, so I kind of kept this recipe within my repertoire. Now fast forward to today. When discussing dinner options before heading to the bar, my good friend said she was craving steak, so this recipe came to mind. Voi la!

Store Notes: The sauce itself takes nothing fancy to make. Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup diced red onions
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups Guinness beer
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

An area where one has substantial latitude is the choice of beer for this sauce. Last night, I swapped out the Guinness for Bells Porter, but one could use any quality stout or porter. If I made this again, I would probably use Murphy's Irish Stout, one of my favorite beers from my trip to Ireland over Spring Break 2006.


Now this makes the sauce, which is meant to be served over something. This is where you will find the cost of the dish to vary considerably. I served this yesterday over Delmonico steaks, which are in the upper third of steak cuts. One could cut down the cost by selecting a cheaper cut of beef: sirloin, NY Strip, etc. Of course you can also increase the cost by selecting a better cut; if I made this for a girlfriend, I would most definitely up the ante and buy tenderloin (i.e. fillet Mignon).

Now one doesn't have to use beef for this sauce. In reality, any kind of meat preparation that utilizes a barbeque sauce is applicable. Brush it over grilled chicken, beef or pork ribs, and pork tenderloin will all work.

Prep Notes: To prep the sauce, dice the red onion and mince the garlic. For the onion, I used my newly purchased VeggiChop. It diced it with ease, saving me tons of time. All one has to do is slice the onion up, then throw it in the VeggiChop. Pull the cord a few times, and BAM! Diced onion.

Here I am pounding the garlic.
Just don't push too hard, or you
will smash it!

For the garlic, you can either buy garlic already minced, packed in water, or buy a bulb and do it yourself. A trick to peeling garlic is to place the clove, with skin on, on the cutting board. Laying your chef's knife flat over the clove, hammer the knife with the bottom of your clenched had. This should loosen the skin, allowing you to peel with ease. Remember, when mincing small ingredients like garlic, make sure you hold the ingredient with your knuckles, not your fingers! It will save many bandages. 


To prep the stakes, brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt. At this time, one can season to taste. For high-end cuts of meat - like the fillet - only salt is truly necessary. Anything further will just detract from the taste of the meat. For lower cuts, I would recommend a bit of pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, etc. Penzey's makes some really excellent spice blends that I currently use, including Chicago Steak Seasoning and Adobo+Chipotle seasonings. For these Delmonico, I am using the Chicago Steak seasoning blend.

Place the steaks in a ziplock bag, and allow the seasonings to marinate the meat for a few hours in the refrigerator - the longer, the better. Just remember that, before you grill, to pull the steaks out of the fridge so that the meat can slowly be brought back up to room temperature.

Cook Notes: The sauce can be made hours - even days - in advance of the grilling. To make the sauce, I will quote the recipe:

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sweat onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add beer, and reduce by half.

2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until thick. Serve 1/3 cup.

Once the sauce is at a consistency to your liking, remove it from the heat and allow to cool a bit. Then pour into a container for either immediate use, or for refrigeration. It should keep for a few days in the refrigerator, or for even longer if frozen.

The sauce, which has been taken off the burner,
is starting to thicken up.

Since I am cooking the steak on a grill pan (I live in an apartment, so no grill for me!), this will be my frame of reference. This summer, when I am up at the cottage, I will provide the proper narrative for a true grill. Anyways, pre-heat the grill pan to medium-high heat. If you already brushed the meat with oil, you do not have to add any to the pan. If you did not, then I would brush the grill pan with a little vegetable oil. Why vegetable oil? Because it has a higher flash point, and will not degrade over the higher heat required to grill the meat.

After the first flip. Look at those grill marks!

Place the meat on the grill pan, and cook for 5-10 minutes - depending on the thickness of the steak - until a good sear forms. Flip once, and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Remember, ONLY flip ONCE. Flipping multiple times will dry out your steak. Also, DO NOT cut into the meat in order to check for how well done it is. This will allow the juices to escape, thus drying it out. Instead, look at the edges of the meat. Once the pink starts to leave the edges, you know you are close. Otherwise, it is just a matter of feel, which is why chefs at the great steak houses around the world make the kind of money they do. Unlike baking, it is all art and no science.


What I have just provided is for a medium rare steak (in my humble opinion, the only way to cook one). If you like it more well done, cook it longer! Once the steak is cooked to your liking, pull off the heat and let it sit on the plate for 3 - 5 minutes. This will firm up the meat, allowing it to reconstitute the juices within its fibers. It makes it taste better; trust me.

Nice and pink in the center, with plenty of juice; perfectly cooked!

Tasting Notes: The sauce really provides a complex taste profile, You have the sweet from the molasses and brown sugar, spice from the chili flakes, tangyness from the balsamic vinegar, onion and garlic; and nuttiness from the stout. This compliments dry, rather dull meats, like chicken or pork very well. The steak that I prepared was cooked perfectly to a medium rare. The buttery notes of the steak really complemented the array of flavors brought from the sauce. 

Libation Notes:  This is definitely a beer dish. One of the things I like to do is drink the beer that I cook with. In this case, the porter I used for the sauce goes very well with this dish. Its nutty and chocolate notes pair well with the sauce. In reality, any beer would work as long as it is not too hoppy. An over-abundance of hops could really over-power the complex flavors of this dish.

If you really want a wine to serve with this dish, then I would propose a nice malbec or cabernet sauvignon - a wine that again does not over-power the meat with big fruit and lots of tannins. Just recently I had Zolo - a Malbec from Chile - that would be outstanding with this dish.

Plated and ready to be devoured!

Overall: I highly recommend this sauce. It's flavors are complex and varied, thus warranting application on all sorts of meats, from drizzled over fillet to basting slowly cooked pork ribs. Try it; I know you will like it!