Just for Fun

While I'm waiting...

on pictures of the Boston trip from my sister-in-law, I thought I'd post some food related pictures from a few years ago. When we went to France in 2003, we stayed in an apartment on Place de la Victoire in St. Germain-En-Laye, a medieval (and very chic) town just west of Paris. It afforded me the luxury of being able to shop in the markets and cook chez nous. Here are some pictures from that tiny kitchen. The pastries were purchased in one of the several shops tout pres.

Pasta with fresh artichoke, mushrooms, haricots verts and bulb onions sauteed in beurre d'Isigny.

Poire cannelle
Apricot Tart

Apple Tart

In the Spring of 2006 we found ourselves in the same apartment for a week long taste of Paris after spending an equal amount of time visiting the coast of Normandy. So, three years later, here are potatoes being sauteed in butter. We enjoyed them with a chilled Cotes du Vivarais.

Checking out the pommes de terre and tomates. This market was in Place de la Victoire, right below our windows.Finally, two tarts to end this post. We had these in a cafe just outside Versaille.

Kalua Pork

kalua pork preparations

In a few days, I'm flying to Boston to cater a party for my brother's family. Part of the celebrations are for his 10th wedding anniversary. My brother and his wife were married in Hawaii; therefore, we've adopted a Hawaiian inspired theme. Part of the menu includes kalua pork, a dish traditionally made by wrapping pig in banana leaves, stuffing it with hot lava rocks and cooking it in a wood fired pit, nearly buried. No, it's not kahlua, that's something else. The result is smokey and tender. Here is my method for accomplishing very similar results. I bought Niman Ranch pork shoulder, a tad over seven pounds. In this first picture, I've got it on my grill with a hard wood fire. The pork is not directly over the coals. I shut the lid and smoked the beast for a few hours, until the fire was out and the winter evening chilled it enough to bring in.

Below is pictured an essential ingredient, Hawaiian pink salt. Yum. This is a great finishing salt. On the second day, I seasoned the pork shoulder liberally with this salt. The next step is to wrap the pork in banana leaves, a necessity that took me down to our Chinatown. Back home with the banana leaves.

Here's the pork wrapped in the fragrant leaves and secured with twine. Next comes the slow cooking.

So, to finish the kalua pork, I've put it in an enamelled, cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid, French cookware, Coussance, great stuff. I added some smokey pork jus that I had in the freezer (left over, expressed from other versions of smoked, pulled pork). It's in a 300 degree oven, and will stay there for more than three hours, until it becomes falling-off-the-bone tender. I'll shred this, reseason it and voila! When I get it to Boston, this will become tiny sandwiches on mini, soft buns.

Lee Anne Wong Dinner

It was my great privileged to work for Patricia Mowen-Ziegler again this year. It's a case of when she calls, I jump. So one rainy late October day found me out at the CVI again, reporting to rock-n-roll superstar chef wonder-woman Lee Anne Wong. Wow, she's something. I had a fabulous time. The food was beautiful and delicious. Patricia made sure I was able to sample most of the wines. First I'll run down the menu, then I post some pictures (I didn't get a shot each plate, alas).

(many hors d'oeuvres)

~Domaine Carneros by Tattinger, Napa Valley, 2003~

(amuse bouche)

Egg Florantine with Buttermilk-Chive Biscuit & Crispy Prosciutto

Yellowtail Nicoise Tartare with Lemon Confit & Fingerling Potato

~Dagueneau, "Pur Sang", Sauvignon Blac, Loire, 2005~

Deconstructed Chowder with Shellfish, Milk & Thyme Emulsion

Steamed Black Cod with Smoked Onion Broth & Bok Choy

~Etienne Sauzet, Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Chardonnay, Burgundy, 1999 (Magnum)~

"Duck & Celery" with Grape Salad & Sherry Vinaigrette

~Echezeaux, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Pinot Noir, Burgundy, 1991 (Double Magnum)~

Slow Poached Pork Tenderloin with Fennel & Buttermilk Emulsion

~Domaine du Pegau, Chateauneuf de Pape, Rhone, 1995 (Methusela)~

Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb with Olive Farro Salad & Cucumber Yogurt

~Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1995~

Bleu d'Auvergne Soup with Roasted Beets & Candied Walnuts

~Fonseca Vintage Port, Portugal, 1997 (Magnum)~

Chocolate Ganache with Billionaire's Bacon & Sour Cream Ice Cream

the gougere

starters lee anne cooks pot stickers

maggie plates a starter

the amuse bouche

mise en place for the deconstructed chowder

tuna tartare

the dining room

the black cod

pork in the thermo-circulator

pork two-ways

lee anne, patricia and me

What Restaurant?

shifting gears

It's easy enough to say that 2008 held many changes for the US. It's also been a year of dramatic change and development for me personally. Those two facts directly result in news relevant to this blog. In light of the downward-spiralling economy and a tug in a different professional direction, I have returned the money raised and withdrawn the financing for a restaurant. I would like to thank the many people who gave me great encouragement and support. And I can tell you that were the economy different than it is, I would be in a much different place. Do all things happen for a reason? Perhaps. What remains true is that life tends to hold answers no matter what fortunes or misfortunes befall us. My new direction is not yet completely shaped, although I hope to have news of that in the Spring. What I will tell you is that it should allow me to enjoy a much more diverse life of activity (I have many interests), the likes of which I have not been able to enjoy since leaving Ithaca more than seven years ago. The time has come, the Walrus said...

Dining at La Locanda di Pietracupa

La Locanda di Pietracupa

Six months later, I am finally getting around to loading pictures from this fabulous ristorante. Perched on the higher ground of San Donato, their dining patio looks west across a valley of olive groves. Somewhere, not far beyond this valley, lies another, Val d'Elsa, the medieval hilltop town of Barbarino, and the rustic tranquility of La Torre di Ponzano, our refuge for one week. We enjoyed the food and service so much that we dined here twice!

Here is my view from our second visit, May 26th, 2008. The picture at the top of this blog shows me (D's view) from the same visit.

The pictures that follow are my best shots from both visits. Hope you enjoy!

Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Always sampling the local specialties.

Tomato Soup

Fava Beans and Salami in a fold of crispy Parmesan. Notice the tiny favas are not peeled.

Artichoke Flan. Outstanding!

House made Spaghetti with Squash Blossoms and shaved Truffles. Even Better!!!

Lamb Ravioli with Pea Broth

Risotto

Frito Misto

Recent Press, Internet Style (or Beer Recipes for the Holidays)

beer ice cream, anyone?

Ivan Sheehan (Associate Editor of Food & Dining, Northern Ohio Live) sent me an email last month asking for some beer recipes or pairings for two holiday menus: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Keeping in mind that Great Lakes Brewing Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary, I had to oblige using their absolutely fantastic product. They brew, hands down, my favorite malted hops, bar none. While the micro brew market has blessedly burgeoned and I have tried only a fraction of what's available, I have yet to find a brewery that outshines GLBC. No, I have no affiliation with them. I just LOVE their beer. And, I confess, I consume quite a bit of it. Now, of course, I could not leave well enough alone with this. It's too easy to have simply paired beer with courses. I had to cook with the beer. This is the kind of fun challenge that chefs love. You can click here to read some recipes. For those of you who don't "click" that far, here are the menu items.

THANKSGIVING MENU:
First Course: *Pumpkin-Dortmunder Chowder
Second Course: *Roasted Turkey Breast and Sausages Brined with Commodore Perry IPA
Third Course: Baked Apples with Burning River Caramel Sauce

CHRISTMAS MENU
First Course: *White Ale Lobster and Cod a la Nage
Second Course: *Porter-Lacquered Lamb with Eggplant and Roasted Shallots
Third Course: *Spiced Christmas Ale Ice Cream

June Photo Shoot

playing with food

You may remember that I was interviewed for an article in Cleveland Business Connects magazine. The article (July 2008) pondered the current state and future of molecular gastronomy in Cleveland. With the clear caveat that I don't practice much molecular gastronomy, I agreed to be interviewed and photographed. Ryan Divita shot the food and a few pictures of me for the magazine. Here are some of the results.

The first two are of me, designing the plates in my friend's kitchen (thanks, Doug!).

These next images do, in fact, represent some of the cuisine I like to practice. The first plate does include some "transformations" of product: carrot into both a cube state and a powder, beet into ravioli and foam. The beets for the ravioli were cooked in the bag method discussed in posts below. I filled the ravioli with goat cheese. For the record, I generally do not like to put food on the rim of plates. I'm not sure what possessed me to put the stripe of carrot powder across the edge like that. It looks cool, I guess, but it's not something I would do in a restaurant.

The language of love and food are often intermingled. We hear chef's refer to food as sexy. I don't often see plate design as a fundamentally sexy endeavor. The actual experience of eating, however, can be another matter entirely. Yet I have to admit, I find the following photograph sexy--the spoon and foam suggesting movement and touch, also the color and suggested textures.

The second item I prepared for the photo shoot was a terrine of sous-vide white asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, garnished with mushroom crumbs and red wine mignonette. This dish is not strictly vegetarian. I used gelatin to bind the terrine. However, I have stepped away from the notion that meat must be the focus of a well centered dish, a practice I would like to continue should I ever get a restaurant together!

Lastly, here's one from a series Ryan shot in my friends dining room. I wanted to shoot a bunch that were a tad more playful, not so serious. This one is neither too goofy nor too serious.