Great article from a great blog! It covers some of the biggest foodie and gastro trends this year; Eater, the growing acceptance of foie, Obama’s nutrition bill, food trucks, Sustainability and my personal favorite the South Park Creme Fraiche episode!
Cheers!
The FOOD YEAR in Review | Ramblings of a Hungry Artist.
Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche with Homemade Corn Chips
Fresh Shrimp and Bay Scallops
Cucumber, Yellow Pepper, White Onion, Cilantro, Orange and Lime Juice
Fresh Tomato Juice and Jalapeno
Combine all ingredients in bowl and allow the acidity from the
lime and orange juice to cook the shrimp and scallops
Dill & Chive Cream Cheese
Thinly Sliced Red Onion
Caper Berries
Nova Lox
Cheers!
Saddle Peak Lodge
419 Cold Canyon Rd, Calabasas, CA 91302
Tucked away in beautiful Calabasas, Saddle Peak Lodge will feel like an
exciting and delicious vacation. At Saddle Peak diners are able to
indulge on fresh wild game paired with masterful culinary techniques
and methods. The decor is that of an upscale hunting lodge that is
truly unique, and will transcend any preconceived notion you have. The fare is
seasonal and local, only produce that is fresh and in season are
used, as well as game that is raised naturally. This combination makes for the
most delicious and unique dishes. Start your culinary adventure
with a bright Farmers Market Salad, or the Seared Foie Gras with
organic apples, brioche and duck gastrique. For entrees, they offer a
stunning Trio of New Zealand Lamb, Chilean Sea Bass with Miso Sake
Glaze, New Zealand Elk with Celery Root and even the Chef’s Wild Game
Trio. Saddle Peak elevates your dining experience by using
ingredients right from the ground!
A succulent juicy local New York Strip topped with Bleu Cheese and Chive Butter that is literally exploding with flavor! Horseradish potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to the rich and tender steak with bleu; with enough horseradish to provide a good strong bite that is balanced out by the decadent butter. This dish is the perfect at home steakhouse meal, the only thing missing is a good strong Gin Martini and a fine cigar!
What ya need:
16 oz New York Strip
Russet Potato, quartered
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
4 tblsp salted butter
chives, minced
2 1/2 tbls horseradish
canola or veg oil
s and p
Heres what ya do:
1. Allow steak to come to room tempature.
2. While steak is coming up top temp boil potato in salted water until fork tender, 30-40 minutes.
3. Make Bleu Cheese and Chive Butter, allow butter to soften and mix with crumbled bleu and 3-4 sprigs of minced chive. This can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time and frozen to allow the flavors to meld. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to use
4. Season steak with s and p and brush with oil. Grill on a hot grill for about 5 min per side for med rare or 6 min for medium. Cooking the steak any more will result in tough and chewy meat that is unpleasant to eat.
5. Remove steak from grill and immediately top with bleu cheese and chive butter. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
6. When potatoes are done boiling drain water and add 2 tblsp butter, horseradish and a dash of cream. Mash to incorporate.
Bon Appetit!
Juicy, tender and succulent, my braised oxtails are the best! Braised in red wine with a dash of cinnamon to balance out the flavor this dish if full bodied and a great kicked up comfort dish. The celery root puree adds a very bright and aromatic aspect to the plate and is the perfect accompaniment to the braised Mirepoix.
I love lamb chops, they have a very tender natural rich flavor. Roasting them with salt, pepper and olive oil brings out the delicious natural flavor of the lamb and allows the juices to stay in the chops and keep them moist. The risotto is a very rich and creamy accompaniment to the lamb chops and adds some good flavor and body to this dish.
Heres what you need:
2 lamb chops, per person
1 box arborio rice
1 shallot
garlic
3 tbls butter
fresh grated parmesan
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup cream
juice of 1 lemon
thyme
salt and pepper
olive oil
Heres what ya do:
1. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Let the lamb chops come to room temp.
3. Start the risotto. In a medium sized pot melt butter and saute shallots and garlic until translucent. Bring chicken stock to simmer in a separate pot. Add arborio rice to shallots and garlic, toast for 5 minutes until translucent. Add half the warm chicken stock and stir constantly until all the stock has absorbed. Add the rest of stock and repeat. Add white wine and stir until absorbed. Continue this process by adding 1/2 cup warm water at a time for 30 minutes up to an hour, remember to stir constantly. Add cream and simmer for 3 minutes. The risotto should be creamy and loose. Remove from heat and hit the risotto with lemon juice and parmesan. Let rest.
4. Season liberally with s and p and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes per side or until desired temp, let rest 5 minutes.
5. Plate risotto and lay lamb chops on top. Garnish with parmesan and chopped thyme.
Bon Appetit!
These cupcakes are incredibly simple and delicious. Biting into one of these babies tastes just like a delicious piece of french toast. Warm and fluffy cake with a delicious fresh and vibrant creamy frosting.
Heres what ya need:
Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Frosting:
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter
1 orange, zest and juice
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbls cinnamon
Heres what you do:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Mix dry cupcake ingredients in bowl. Add in eggs and mix. Slowly stir in milk to combine.
3. Line muffin tins with liners or grease with cooking spray. Fill muffin cups to the rim with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until nice golden brown and you can insert a toothpick and have it come out clean.
4. Combine cream cheese, butter, orange zest and cinnamon in mixer and beat on low until combined. Slowly add in sugar then orange juice and continue beating on low.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before frosting.
Fluffy and delicious, these muffins are made with fresh fruit and whole wheat flour, the added oats make them healthy and packed with vitamins.
Heres what ya need:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 cup chopped apple
strawberry preserves
2 mashed bananas
Heres what you do:
1. Mix all ingredients except strawberry in bowl until combined.
2. Line muffin cups with liners and fill 1/4 of the way and spoon in a small amount of strawberry preserves, fill rest of the way.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 Minutes.
Thats it, very simple and very delicious.
Cheers!
Feeling a general lack of interest in my standard “Spicy Italian with Peppers and Onions” I decided to mix it up and shift my flavor profile from Italian to Spanish, with a spicy jalepeno chicken sausage, fresh crisp pico de galo, and smooth avocado sour cream. This sandwich is so good with just the right amount of heat and smokey peppery flavors from the jalepeno and cumin flavoring.
Heres what you need:
Spanish style Sausage
3 large vine ripened tomato, diced
1 red onion, med dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, fine dice
cilantro, chopped
2 avocado
sour cream, 1 cup
Sandwich rolls
red wine vinegar
spanish olive oil
s and p
cumin
Heres what you do:
1. Prep all your veggies and combine onion, tomato, jalepeno, half cilantro, cumin, s and p in bowl and toss lightly. Add 1/3 cup red wine vinegar and 1/8 cup olive oil and toss again. Make the avocado sour cream; smash avocados in bowl and add sour cream and pinch of cilantro, salt and pepper, mix well. Let rest and the flavors meddle anywhere from 1 hour to few days.
2. Grill sausages over high heat for 7-9 minutes depending on what type of protein, I used chicken but pork and turkey are great as well.
3. Place sausage in rolls and cut them down the middle to allow the toppings to settle in. Top with pico de galo and squirt of sour cream (you can make a pastry bag by filling a small plastic bag with sour cream and snipping a small piece off the corner to allow for easier topping.)
These muffins are healthy and delicious. Packed with oats and fresh fruit they are the perfect start to your day.
This is one of my favorite burger combinations. The flavors are rich, salty, and powerful. The burger is cooked very simply with only salt and pepper to a nice medium rare, the perfect accompaniment to the smoky bacon and bold pungent bleu cheese. I like to accompany this burger with some nice thick cut steak fries.
Heres what you need:
1/2 lbs 80/20 ground beef
Cave Aged Blue Cheese
3 slices thick cut bacon
Fresh baked burger bun
1 large russet potato
canola oil
mayo
s and p
Heres what you do:
1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice potato into 8 equal size fries. Put in bowl and rinse with water to remove all starch. Dry well. Toss with canola oil salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, until soft.
3. Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crispy, reserve some of the grease.
4. Form meat into a nice patty thats about 3/4 inch thick. Season on both sides with salt and cracked black pepper.
5. Heat same skillet you used to cook bacon over medium high heat with a touch of reserved bacon grease. Cook burger patty for about 4 minutes being sure not press down on it. Flip it and top with bleu cheese and bacon slices, cook for another 4-5 minutes for a nice medium temp. Remove from pan and let rest 5 minutes.
6. Toast burger bun in pan with bacon and burger drippings. Remove fries from oven and hit immediately with salt. Smear a little mayo on the bottom bun to keep the juice from making the bun soggy when you eat it. Serve it up with some nice mustard and ketchup and even a garlic aioli to dip the fries.
Cheers!
In lieu of my guest blogging with Wisconsin Cheese Talk I have been brainstorming various cheeses and my favorite ways to eat them. Their are so many different types of cheese out there and it was very hard to narrow it down but I did. I tried to pick a wide variety of cheeses, from the type of milk they are made from to the aging process and style. Smoked, melted, topped, and even itself, cheese is delicious and one of my favorite things to enjoy. With so many different types of cheese of artisanal varieties and so many different manufacturers with an even greater multitude of ingredients, blends and techniques the world of cheese is extraordinary and limitless. These should get you started on that lifelong quest of experiencing different and exotic cheese in all it’s forms.
5. 3 Year Cave Aged Bleu Cheese
4. Smoked Gouda
Poutine with Smoked Gouda and Homemade Gravy
3. Buffalo Mozzarella
Caprese Bites with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
2. Brie
Baked Brie with Crostini and Olive and Anchovy Tapenade
-RECIPE COMING SOON-
1. Goat Cheese
Bruschetta with Arugula, Pancetta, and Goat Cheese
A very wonderful and bright dish. The chimichurri sauce carries tangy vibrant flavors that make the lean and tender skirt steak melt in your mouth. The fingerling potatoes are roasted very simply with cracked pepper and sea salt and lime zest then coated with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil while they are hot; they are really great to balance out the spice of the red pepper in the chimichurri. This is a really wonderful meal to enjoy outside next to the barbeque with a nice cool beer 
Heres what ya need:
1 – 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak
fingerling potatoes
parsley
1 red onion, medium dice
lemon
2 clove garlic, minced
red wine vinegar
olive oil
s and p
red pepper flake
Heres what you do:
1. Make the Chimichurri sauce in a big batch, enough to marinate the steak and enough to have at least a cup or so to sauce right before serving. In a mixing bowl combine red onion, chopped parsley, garlic, and red pepper flake. Pour over 1 cup red wine vinegar and 3/4 cup olive oil and mix well. Marinate steak anywhere from a couple hours to overnight.
2. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Wash potatoes and dry well. Toss with olive oil seal salt and crack pepper and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, under fork tender.
4. Fire up grill or cast iron pan and get it smoking hot. Grill marinated steak 3 minutes per side with the lid closed to get a nice hot pink center. Skirt steak is best served medium rare. Cooking it too long causes it to get tough and not fun to eat. Let the steak rest, do not cut into it, it can rest for 5-30 minutes before slicing. Be sure to slice against the grain to get a nice clean and tender cut.
5. Pull the potatoes from the oven and hit them with some salt and a squeeze of half a lemon. Hit em with a touch of olive oil and some chopped parsley and they are good to go!
Cheers!
I stumbled upon this exquisitely written article about one foodies travels through San Sebastian Spain. She encounters some of the neighborhood favorite dishes and local lifestyle on a Pinxtos Crawl, which is a Pub Crawl of sorts where the crawlers hop from bar to bar enjoying strong libations, nibbling on Pinxtos, and socializing with with townies and travelers.
One of my favorites is the large freshly grown local mushrooms from Bar Ganbara. All shapes and sizes, these must have been a genuine delicacy. Another one that was quitye intriguing to me and even inspired me to try to replicate a version in my own kitchen was the Anchovie and Foie Gras Crostini from Txepetxa. I could only imagine how rich and deliciously fresh that tasted; now if only I could create something similar!
Well enjoy the wonderful food and the wonderful writing The Pleasure Monger brings in this engaging and literarily whimsical piece.
San Sebastián – The Land of Promiscuous Eating « The Pleasure Monger.
