The Fretz Kitchen

 General  No Responses »
Jan 312005
 

Last week I taped another nine shows as the host of The Fretz Kitchen. For those who may not know, The Fretz Kitchen is a half hour cable cooking show that features some of the nation’s top chefs preparing a dish of their choice. I had the pleasure of working with several excellent regional chefs.

I always have fun with Alison Barshak, chef/owner of Alison at Blue Bell in Blue Bell, PA. Alison came on board and made Truffled Smoked Salmon Tartare in 3 different preparations. I have since stocked my pantry with black truffle oil and smoked salmon, and will now be able to impress company (what company?) at the drop of a hat.

Dominique Filoni, recently of Savona (where he earned the distinction of Food and Wine’s Best New Chef of the Year for 2004) opened his new restaurant, Bianca about three months ago in Bryn Mawr, PA. He warmed everyone’s heart and stomach with his Wild Striped Bass and Fork Mashed Fingerling Potatoes in Bouillabaisse Broth with Manilla Clams and Mussels. After a snow storm like the one we recently had on the East Coast, this dish was a welcome repast.

Despite the terrible weather that hit Boston, David Blessing of Boston’s Four Seasons and Gabriel Frasca of Spire both made it to Philadelphia to bring us some Atlantic shellfish. Chef Blessing prepared Maine Crab and Lobster Ravioli with Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime and Thai Basil Shellfish Broth. Gabriel Fasca gave us his version of a New England Clam Bake.

I was very excited about working with Sylvia Weinstock of Sylvia Weinstock Cakes in New York City. Sylvia is used to making cakes for celebrities like Donald Trump (although she did not make it, a copy of one of her designs was replicated for his most recent wedding), Cindy Lauper, and Michael Douglas. Last week, however, she spent half an hour with lil’ ol’ me, teaching me how to make flowers out of sugar dough. That was quite an opportunity, and one that I won’t forget anytime soon. She even sent me home with sugar dough so that I could get some practice. Apparently I need it!

I had a delicious dish of Elysian Fields Lamb Loin with Beets, Iced Spinach, Black-Eyed Peas and Truffle Balsamic Vinaigrette, made by Chef Richard Hamilton of the Spiced Pear at the Chanler Hotel in Newport, RI. Iced spinach is spinach that has been harvested after the first frost, resulting in an increased sugar content - in the same way that leaving grapes on the vine until after the first frost increases their sugar content.

British born chef, Christopher Brooks from Blantyre in Lennox, MA introduced me to a beautiful sheeps’ milk cheese. It came in the form of a quenelle (made cleverly with one hot spoon) on a Warm Cured Duck Salad with Buttered Lettuce, Baby Greens Bluemoon Shrooms and Spiced Focaccia. Have I mentioned that after the chefs prepare the food, I am the first to taste it? It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.

The Fretz Kitchen is all about professional chefs showing us tips and techniques in the kitchen, and chef Craig Shelton from The Ryland Inn in Whitehouse, NJ showed us his way to cook a dry aged cote de boeuf. Instead of cooking at a relatively high temperature, Chef Shelton sears the meat in a cast iron pan and then lowers the heat, and with the pan away from the heat, finishes the steak by constantly basting it with boiling butter. With a piece of meat that expensive (he let us know that his wholesale cost of one fillet was about $20), it would be a crime to mistreat it, and Chef Shelton’s finished product was certainly tender and delicious.

Finally, I was also allowed to indulge in one of my alltime favourite ingredients with Executive Chef Rocco Lugine from Miel Patisserie in Cherry Hill, NJ. Together we made a Chocolate Mousse Cake with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache, Chocolate Mousse and Crème Anglaise. Can there be too much of a good thing? In this instance, I don’t think so.

The Fretz Kitchen reaches over 8 million viewers across the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Check your local listings to see if it is available in your area. You won’t get to taste the food, but in my privileged postion as host, I’ll vouch for it all. It was a delicious experience for me and hopefully will be an entertaining one for you.

Adventures in Cooking

 General  2 Responses »
Jan 272005
 

Last Thursday, I taught two classes on Braising at Adventures in Cooking in Wayne, New Jersey. The weather cooperated perfectly by snowing the night before - our first real snowfall this year before the weather went too far a few days later. It set the mood by being cold enough outside to warrant wanting to stay indoors to cook, and what better way to do so than to use winter’s favourite cooking technique - braising. To any students who might be reading, thank you for coming. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. For others interested in what we made, read below.

Slow Braised Orange Short Ribs
Moroccan Braised Chicken with Olives and Wild Mushrooms
Braised Leeks Au Gratin
Cinnamon Cider Braised Apples on Puff Pastry with Caramel Sauce

My next class at Adventures in Cooking will be on May 3rd and will be on the dishes of Trinidad and Tobago. Come join me!

Slow Braised Orange Short Ribs

 Recipes  No Responses »
Jan 272005
 

I decided that I was tired of the same old braised meat dish and wanted to brighten it up a little. So, I chose to braise these short ribs in orange juice instead of the traditional red wine and beef stock option. A little white wine at the beginning helps to dissolve all those alcohol-soluble flavours and deepens the dish. Be sure to garnish these with the suggested orange zest - it really ties everything together.

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Moroccan Braised Chicken with Olives and Wild Mushrooms

 Recipes  2 Responses »
Jan 272005
 

The only thing Moroccan about this dish is the spice blend used. I doubt you’d be able to find green olives and shiitake mushrooms in any other “Moroccan” stew! Also, a true Moroccan braise would use preserved lemons rather than the fresh lemons found here. Still, this was a favourite of the morning class at Adventures in Cooking.

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This is Cereal Business

 Personal Stories  No Responses »
Jan 182005
 

When I was a kid, my father used to tease my brother by putting a large glass mixing bowl in his place setting at breakfast. The implication was that my brother needed a bowl this large for his cereal each day. He was quite right – my brother did eat an enormous amount of cereal, but no more, I expect, than any other teenage boy. I don’t think this has changed for teenage boys, not that I have much experience in the matter. I am not a teenage boy myself, nor do I spend a lot of time with teenage boys. Still, I have experienced the feeling of being defenseless in a kitchen, unprepared for the ambush of two teenagers with unbelievably insatiable appetites.

I personally tend to shop for only one or two days’ worth of food at a time. Deciding what to make for a meal is always my biggest hurdle when it’s time to eat, and the notion of having to decide what I will make for several days in the future is unfathomable. How could I know what I might feel like having for dinner two or three nights from now? I have tested the concept of buying foods that will keep me prepared to make a variety of things, but if I follow that course of action when cooking for one or two, I find that I end up throwing most of my perishable inventory away. So, I survive by living in a city with two grocery stores very close by and shopping every day or two for the few things I need or want. Consequently, when invaded by teenagers with an uncontrollable and relentless need to eat, I am unprepared. “Hi kids, what can I get for you? A piece of cheese? Some mustard? How about a little tonic? Vodka?” Luckily, this doesn’t happen too often.

I don’t remember having such an appetite myself when I was growing up, but rarely do we have an accurate self image, especially at a young age. I do remember, however, that I could never have eaten as much cereal as my brother did then. I didn’t even particularly like cereal as a kid. There was something terribly dull about it. My mother was a wonder in the mornings, and almost always prepared a hot breakfast for my father while she made packed lunches for my brother and me. Sometimes I was included in the hot breakfast, but often I was relegated to cereal. I think as a result, cereal became the fall back, the second choice, the boobie prize.

I’m older now, however, and find myself really enjoying cereal, even craving it in the mornings. I’ve never been one for sugary cereals. My mother never bought sugary cereals – perhaps that’s another reason why cereals were not an award-winning breakfast for me as a child. I now choose to eat healthy cereals to give me a good start to the day, making Mum proud. Raisin Bran has actually become a favourite choice rather than a punishment, and I have been exploring all the different brands. You’d be surprised at how different these cereals of the same name can be, from the packaging (raisins in separate pouches) to the color of the bran flakes. Kellogg’s version is definitely a contender for first place, but I’m not sure if that’s due to childhood reminiscing or true taste. Trader Joe’s rendition has definitely won a blue raisin in my cereal competition, and General Mill’s Total is a solid fall back option.

I’m not the only one discovering (or re-discovering) a love of cereal. I’m not saying that cereal has ever really fallen out of favour, for as long as I can remember, there’s been an entire aisle of the grocery store devoted to the different options. Rarely, if ever, however, has cereal been an option in the foodservice world, except in those little cereal boxes on a cafeteria line. Rarely, until now that is.

One of the most interesting and “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” foodservice concepts of the past year has to be Cereality, a new but growing chain of Cereal Bars and Cafés. These restaurants serve cereal. You can go there and get two scoops of cereal, selecting from 33 different options, one of 34 topping of your choice and then load it up with milk (skim, 2%, whole or even soy), all for $2.95. You can keep it healthy and go for warm oatmeal with fruit, or seek revenge on your health-conscious mothers and request the flavour crystals, pop rocks or malted milk balls as toppings. Cereality has expanded their menu to include smoothies (with a hint of cereal), baked goods and parfaits, but plain old cereal is their bread and butter, so to speak. There are only two such cafés currently in existence, both of which are cleverly located near their main target market - college campuses – one in Tempe, Arizona and the other in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

With the understanding that American youth can eat a lot of cereal and that variety is the spice of life, I would imagine that Cereality has found a true market. I’m no college student, but I am intrigued and am planning on having breakfast out tomorrow morning. I just wonder if I’ll be served in one of their cardboard take out boxes, or if they can provide a large glass mixing bowl.

This just in…

 Ingredients, Personal Stories  3 Responses »
Jan 172005
 

My parents have just returned home from a holiday in Egypt, and upon their return my father, diligent reporter on all things food, has come back with news on Sorrel. It seems that Sorrel is THE drink in Egypt. Apparently it is an Egyptian beverage of daily consumption all across the country. Indeed, it has been so for years. Sorrel leaves, in fact, were even used by the Pharoahs to provide a red pigment to decorate their tombs.

Now, according to my father, the Sorrel in Egypt differs somewhat from the West Indian version that we were accustomed to when I was growing up. In Egypt, the drink is stronger and less sweet and is called Karkady in Arabic. The label reads “Hibiscus” in English. After performing an Internet search on “karkady”, you can actually find a lot of information on “hibiscus tea” - moreso than when trying to research “sorrel”. It turns out that Sorrel or Karkady is popular in many African nations, especially Egypt and the Sudan, but also in Germany and Mexico, as well as the West Indies. Learn more about it here.

How can a drink (or food for that matter) remain localized in today’s world? With the current excitement that surrounds food in America, where we can’t get enough of “new and exciting” and everyone is trying to know a little more about food than his or her neighbour, how is it that this drink hasn’t yet been introduced to our market? Perhaps it’s just a matter of time. True, Karkady can be tart, which might not appeal to the North American palate, but we could always opt for the sweeter West Indian version, Sorrel.

For the time being, Egypt will remain ahead of the United States in the Sorrel department. These days you can find jugs of Sorrel on the breakfast buffet tables in good hotels, with “help-yourself” glasses! (I wonder how often my valiant reporter helped himself?) It’s also obtainable wherever “street food” is available.

“Denys Laurence, reporting from Aswan.” … No wonder Dad enjoyed Egypt so much!

Cooking the Enemy

 Personal Stories, Techniques  2 Responses »
Jan 082005
 

Most of the time, when I reminisce about the food of my childhood, I think about the meals I loved, the meals my mother would make on special occasions. Lately, however, I’ve been thinking a lot about Pelau. I always hated Pelau!

Now, it’s clear that I come from a family that loves food and loves to eat. I was lucky as a kid to have a mother who started from scratch every night, was a wonderful cook, and made fantastic meals. When I hear stories from friends who had the same set of meals every week, I can’t even imagine it. My mother did repeat meals, but not regularly. Had she never repeated Pelau, I would have been fine with that.

Pelau is a West Indian dish - my mother calls it simply “Stewed Chicken with Rice”. It’s an easy and inexpensive dish to make, so it’s no surprise that it appeared quite regularly in my childhood. What distinguishes this particular “stewed chicken with rice” from any other “stewed chicken with rice” is that the chicken is initially browned in a caramel. This gives the chicken and rice a dark colour and a sweet flavour. My mother always put onions in with the chicken and rice. Though it is traditional to add pigeon peas at the end of the cooking process, I don’t remember my mother doing that.

I don’t really recall why I had such distaste for Pelau. Perhaps it is because there were so few things that I didn’t like to devour (still my own personal curse to this day). I can distinctly remember coming eagerly to the dinner table when called, only to hit the bottom of the stairs and smell…..Pelau. My heart would sink. “Why, oh why? Why me? Why did Mum make that again?” Of course, I would eat it, but as little as possible. I am not the type of cook who tried to replicate my mother’s cooking when I left home. Had I been, however, I would not have made Pelau. I haven’t eaten it for years - about 17 years.

So why reminisce about Pelau? Strange, but it has been nagging at me for a while. I decided that it was time to try Pelau again, to reclaim the dish as an adult, perhaps figure out why I didn’t like it, or maybe find that now that I’m older, I do like it or at least find it edible. I went to the source of childhood dinnertime torment and asked my mother for the recipe.

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Pelau

 Recipes  8 Responses »
Jan 082005
 

Here’s my finished version of Pelau, adapted from my mother and Auntie Grace’s recipes. After looking at other recipes on the Internet, it seems that many cooks add coconut milk to their Pelau, but neither my mother nor Auntie Grace did this. I’ve given some options for additional ingredients that they did use, however.

Pelau (Stewed Chicken with Rice)

Ingredients:
1 chicken (3 - 3.5 lbs), cut up into 8 pieces
2 onions, cut into wedges
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Marinade:
2 bunches green onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 habanero pepper, seeds removed OR 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds included
the juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
freshly ground black pepper
salt

2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
3 1/2 cups water
2 cups rice (Uncle Ben’s converted rice, not instant, and definitely NOT Jasmine!)

Optional Ingredients:
1 can pigeon peas
1 green bell pepper
1 whole Habanero pepper

Directions:
1. Make the marinade by combining the green onions, 4 garlic cloves, dried thyme, habanero or jalapeno pepper and lime juice in a blender. Purée until smooth and bright green. Marinate chicken pieces in this West Indian Green Seasoning along with the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, onion wedges and crushed garlic cloves. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and sugar and let the sugar brown, stirring and watching carefully. Don’t let the sugar burn, but let it acquire a nice brown colour. Lift the chicken from the marinade and carefully add it to the pan. This will spit a fair amount and the sugar may seize up, but it will melt again. Turn the chicken to get it evenly brown all over.
3. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside. Add the left over marinade, ketchup and oregano to the pan and stir well. Simmer for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Add the rice and stir well. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and reduce the heat to keep the liquid at a very slow simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is tender.
4. Optional ingredients: The pigeon peas may be added to the mixture for the last ten minutes of cooking if desired. Also, a whole Habanero pepper may be added just before cooking the rice for added heat, but be careful not to break it open. Sometimes my mother added a chopped green pepper ten minutes before the dish is finished too.

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