I love to try new food!
Today I took my family to a small Mexican restaurant in the “downtown” are near the old Pavilion. It is called City Café and I had met the chef at a fundraiser function awhile back. It was a great lunch, ceviche, fresh fruit, gazpacho, marinated cactus salad, braised pork shoulder, pozole, menudo, slow cooked beans with pork, roasted potatoes with chorizo and cheese. Really great stuff
I am also watching for a new Lebanese market to open near my home and the Hard Rock Park, called Habibi’s Market. I will let you know when they open!
I love walking through one of the Asian markets here, the Hong Kong on 8th avenue or the Socastee Market, both have exotic and unfamiliar ingredients to try, as well as things that have become staples in my house.
My point to all this is, get out there, seek out the little places in your town or neighborhood, try new stuff, enjoy food! And when you find something great, pass it along so others can discover it!
Take care and Ciao,
Chef Kurt
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Cooking Wild game
Below if a ramble about my experience with wild game from ask the chefs at Myrtle Beach 911 page. Hope it helps some frustrated hunter!
BigEd,
I was an avid hunter in a former life (or really former location), and hosted annual game dinners where all of my hunting friends cleaned out their freezers and we did a 10 course dinner. I have been trying to get into it more but have trouble finding somewhere to hunt. Anyway, here are my thoughts.
The quality of the game is greatly impacted by how it is handled in the field. This means field dressing game ASAP and cooling down the mat. Bags of ice can be placed in the body cavity of animals to cool down quicker.
Venison works well with marinades, spices and sweet fruit components. I like spice rubs and crusts, sometimes I will buy a pre made or mix one from spices in my cabinet. Chili pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, ground mustard (just a little), ground cloves, paprika, cayenne, etc. work well. Marinade can be as simple as balsamic vinegar, red wine, and soy sauce. I also use prepared marinades if in a hurry. Fruit works well, cherry, blueberries, plum, peach, and apricot. I use prepared jams and jellies, to make a sauce, you can add pan juices, wine, or a little vinegar gives a nice acidic kick.
Turkey needs brine in my opinion. You can find a recipe on my web site, www.chefkurt.com. I like to roast with butter and fresh herbs rubbed into the skin or tucked under, and the cavity stuffed with aromatics cut into large chunks, onion, celery, oranges, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, apples, etc.
Duck is one of the tougher ones because it tastes like what it eats. I have cooked ducks that actually taste la little like fish! I like to brine or soak in milk or buttermilk, both of which will take some of the gaminess out. Roast or grill, braise, or confit the legs for a beautiful duck.
Some other random thoughts;
Bear meat I braised in a spicy tomato broth and served with whit beans
Elk I grilled and served with a blueberry sauce
Caribou I grilled and sliced
Conch I sliced thin, dipped in egg and sautéed very quickly, served with a piccata type sauce
Goose I cut into cutlets, breaded, and pan fried, with served with sauce Robert (veal stock with chopped cornichon, vinegar, and mustard)Squirrel stew!
Quail I stir fried recently with great success, soy peanut sauce. I also braised and picked the meat from the bones and made a creole rice dish with it.
Wild boar can be tricky; I brined then smoked for 8 hours, served with homemade BBQ sauce
Ground meat is always good for chili, burgers, meatballs (try soaking the crumbs in milk for a moister meatball), lasagna, etc.
Hope this helps, and I would take any meat you want to pass along, even squirrel! Or any hunting location or club tips.
Ciao,Chef Kurt
BigEd,
I was an avid hunter in a former life (or really former location), and hosted annual game dinners where all of my hunting friends cleaned out their freezers and we did a 10 course dinner. I have been trying to get into it more but have trouble finding somewhere to hunt. Anyway, here are my thoughts.
The quality of the game is greatly impacted by how it is handled in the field. This means field dressing game ASAP and cooling down the mat. Bags of ice can be placed in the body cavity of animals to cool down quicker.
Venison works well with marinades, spices and sweet fruit components. I like spice rubs and crusts, sometimes I will buy a pre made or mix one from spices in my cabinet. Chili pepper, onion powder, cumin, garlic, ground mustard (just a little), ground cloves, paprika, cayenne, etc. work well. Marinade can be as simple as balsamic vinegar, red wine, and soy sauce. I also use prepared marinades if in a hurry. Fruit works well, cherry, blueberries, plum, peach, and apricot. I use prepared jams and jellies, to make a sauce, you can add pan juices, wine, or a little vinegar gives a nice acidic kick.
Turkey needs brine in my opinion. You can find a recipe on my web site, www.chefkurt.com. I like to roast with butter and fresh herbs rubbed into the skin or tucked under, and the cavity stuffed with aromatics cut into large chunks, onion, celery, oranges, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, apples, etc.
Duck is one of the tougher ones because it tastes like what it eats. I have cooked ducks that actually taste la little like fish! I like to brine or soak in milk or buttermilk, both of which will take some of the gaminess out. Roast or grill, braise, or confit the legs for a beautiful duck.
Some other random thoughts;
Bear meat I braised in a spicy tomato broth and served with whit beans
Elk I grilled and served with a blueberry sauce
Caribou I grilled and sliced
Conch I sliced thin, dipped in egg and sautéed very quickly, served with a piccata type sauce
Goose I cut into cutlets, breaded, and pan fried, with served with sauce Robert (veal stock with chopped cornichon, vinegar, and mustard)Squirrel stew!
Quail I stir fried recently with great success, soy peanut sauce. I also braised and picked the meat from the bones and made a creole rice dish with it.
Wild boar can be tricky; I brined then smoked for 8 hours, served with homemade BBQ sauce
Ground meat is always good for chili, burgers, meatballs (try soaking the crumbs in milk for a moister meatball), lasagna, etc.
Hope this helps, and I would take any meat you want to pass along, even squirrel! Or any hunting location or club tips.
Ciao,Chef Kurt
Monday, January 7, 2008
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everybody. A few of my resolutions;
Learn – I resolve to learn as much as I can about new products and techniques that I come across this year. The more knowledge, the better we can use what we have learned.
Think – I resolve to think about my actions in an environmentally friendly realm. I will strive to recycle, buy locally, support sustainability, control use of water and gas as much as possible
Smile – I resolve to celebrate the joy that life brings daily and to keep things in perspective.
Be Healthy – I resolve to eat well, which to me does not mean no fat or butter, but does mean cooking fresh, honest food and eating a variety of foods including lots of fresh local vegetables and fruits. I resolve to exercise, take walks, and live well.
Cook Well – I resolve to be thoughtful and exact in everything I cook and teach others to cook, striving to be the best I can be every day.
Hope all your resolutions help you to be a better person, and that you achieve everything you set out to achieve. Have a great year!
Learn – I resolve to learn as much as I can about new products and techniques that I come across this year. The more knowledge, the better we can use what we have learned.
Think – I resolve to think about my actions in an environmentally friendly realm. I will strive to recycle, buy locally, support sustainability, control use of water and gas as much as possible
Smile – I resolve to celebrate the joy that life brings daily and to keep things in perspective.
Be Healthy – I resolve to eat well, which to me does not mean no fat or butter, but does mean cooking fresh, honest food and eating a variety of foods including lots of fresh local vegetables and fruits. I resolve to exercise, take walks, and live well.
Cook Well – I resolve to be thoughtful and exact in everything I cook and teach others to cook, striving to be the best I can be every day.
Hope all your resolutions help you to be a better person, and that you achieve everything you set out to achieve. Have a great year!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Latke tips
This is from the Arizona Republic, good info, it's how I make them (except I shape by hand)
Avoid discoloration
This is one dish where doing the prep work the night before can ruin the meal. When peeled potatoes are exposed to air, "oxidation turns the potatoes gray," says Don Odiorne, vice president of food service at the Idaho Potato Commission.So get everything else ready (line up your equipment and prep your other ingredients) before you start peeling, slicing and shredding the potatoes.Onions can help block oxidation by coating some of the potato cells, Odiorne said. That's why some cooks alternate adding potatoes and onion to the mixture rather than doing all the potatoes first.
Get the water out
"Potatoes are typically 80 percent water and 20 percent solids or starch," according to Odiorne.To avoid soggy latkes, take the potato-onion mixture a handful at a time and literally squeeze the water out, the way you would wring out a wet washcloth. Sure, you could get fancy with a strainer and a cheesecloth. But squeezing them in your fist works just fine.Then add the eggs, flour and salt.
Shape your patties right
To shape the latkes and keep them from falling apart, use a large, long-handled oval metal spoon to shape your patties, cupping each patty with the top of your hand. They will have a slightly rounded dome.Then gently slide the patty off the spoon into the pan of sizzling oil, and gently pat down with the back of the spoon to flatten the oval pancakes into circles. Each latke will be about the size of your palm.Don't crowd them. This cools the oil (resulting in oily latkes) and makes it hard to get the spatula in the pan.
Go golden, not greasy
There's nothing more disgusting than a grease sponge pretending to be a latke. But if you cook them right, latkes come out golden-brown without being oily.Before you put the patties in the pan, the oil should be hot enough so that a drop of water bounces or a shred of potato sizzles. If the oil is smoking, it's too hot.Cooks differ on how much oil to use. Some say a few tablespoons; others say the oil should be 3/4-inch deep in the pan. If you use too little oil, the latkes will stick. Use too much and the latkes will soak up the oil.Bottom line: There should be enough oil to reach the halfway point up the side of each latke - between 1/4-inch and 1/3-inch deep in the pan.Opinions also vary on the type of oil. Odiorne says canola is a popular choice because of its heart-healthy properties. It also is less expensive than peanut or olive oil, and it can handle higher temperatures than olive.
Knowing when to flip
Latkes need about four minutes per side (sometimes less on the second side). You'll see them browning at the edges, and when the bottom crust is formed, the spatula should slide under them easily. If you peek and they're not golden, leave them another minute or two before flipping.But keeping latkes crispy also depends on what happens after they leave the pan.Of course, you'll set them on paper towels to drain the oil. But if you put a layer of newspaper underneath the paper towels, the oil has somewhere to go when it seeps through the paper towel.And if you're expecting a crowd for your Hanukkah party, you may not want to serve the latkes until you have a dozen or two ready, or until most of the guests arrive. But how do you make sure the early batches don't get cold and soggy?Easy. After blotting the latkes on paper towels for a minute or two, transfer them to baking sheets in a 300-degree oven. The oven time will crisp the edges even more while keeping the insides soft and hot. And that's the ultimate in latke perfection.
Avoid discoloration
This is one dish where doing the prep work the night before can ruin the meal. When peeled potatoes are exposed to air, "oxidation turns the potatoes gray," says Don Odiorne, vice president of food service at the Idaho Potato Commission.So get everything else ready (line up your equipment and prep your other ingredients) before you start peeling, slicing and shredding the potatoes.Onions can help block oxidation by coating some of the potato cells, Odiorne said. That's why some cooks alternate adding potatoes and onion to the mixture rather than doing all the potatoes first.
Get the water out
"Potatoes are typically 80 percent water and 20 percent solids or starch," according to Odiorne.To avoid soggy latkes, take the potato-onion mixture a handful at a time and literally squeeze the water out, the way you would wring out a wet washcloth. Sure, you could get fancy with a strainer and a cheesecloth. But squeezing them in your fist works just fine.Then add the eggs, flour and salt.
Shape your patties right
To shape the latkes and keep them from falling apart, use a large, long-handled oval metal spoon to shape your patties, cupping each patty with the top of your hand. They will have a slightly rounded dome.Then gently slide the patty off the spoon into the pan of sizzling oil, and gently pat down with the back of the spoon to flatten the oval pancakes into circles. Each latke will be about the size of your palm.Don't crowd them. This cools the oil (resulting in oily latkes) and makes it hard to get the spatula in the pan.
Go golden, not greasy
There's nothing more disgusting than a grease sponge pretending to be a latke. But if you cook them right, latkes come out golden-brown without being oily.Before you put the patties in the pan, the oil should be hot enough so that a drop of water bounces or a shred of potato sizzles. If the oil is smoking, it's too hot.Cooks differ on how much oil to use. Some say a few tablespoons; others say the oil should be 3/4-inch deep in the pan. If you use too little oil, the latkes will stick. Use too much and the latkes will soak up the oil.Bottom line: There should be enough oil to reach the halfway point up the side of each latke - between 1/4-inch and 1/3-inch deep in the pan.Opinions also vary on the type of oil. Odiorne says canola is a popular choice because of its heart-healthy properties. It also is less expensive than peanut or olive oil, and it can handle higher temperatures than olive.
Knowing when to flip
Latkes need about four minutes per side (sometimes less on the second side). You'll see them browning at the edges, and when the bottom crust is formed, the spatula should slide under them easily. If you peek and they're not golden, leave them another minute or two before flipping.But keeping latkes crispy also depends on what happens after they leave the pan.Of course, you'll set them on paper towels to drain the oil. But if you put a layer of newspaper underneath the paper towels, the oil has somewhere to go when it seeps through the paper towel.And if you're expecting a crowd for your Hanukkah party, you may not want to serve the latkes until you have a dozen or two ready, or until most of the guests arrive. But how do you make sure the early batches don't get cold and soggy?Easy. After blotting the latkes on paper towels for a minute or two, transfer them to baking sheets in a 300-degree oven. The oven time will crisp the edges even more while keeping the insides soft and hot. And that's the ultimate in latke perfection.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Thanksgiving Turkey Tips
Turkey time! Of course, roasting a turkey, especially a fresh or heritage breed, is a wonderful thing any time of year. That being said, next week is definitely the big week!
A few tips, no rocket science here, just good cooking principles for a great bird.
Thaw properly. This is a safety as well as quality issue. Thaw in refrigerator whenever possible but plan ahead, this may take up to three days for a large bird. If you need to do it quicker, you can thaw under running cold water but the turkey needs to be covered with water. A sink or large bucket works.
Brine. Brining imparts flavor and results in a juicier finished product. Brining should happen overnight for a turkey, absolutely keep it cold. If you have a refrigerator large enough, perfect. Otherwise, a cooler will work if you can put in ice packs wrapped in plastic, or use ice as part of the brine. Add to the brine whatever flavors you want to impart to the bird. Herbs, citrus, fruit, chipotle peppers, garlic, etc. can be added to the brine and punch up that flavor. Here is a basic recipe
For the brine: 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon water1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 1 gallon iced water
Bring 1 gallon water to a boil, add sugar, salt, and spices, stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and stir in ice water to cool down. Brine turkey overnight (8-12 hours). Rinse and pat dry before roasting.
Stuffing. I like to keep the dressing on the side. To flavor the turkey and keep moist, I stuff the body cavity with aromatics, usually fresh herbs from the garden, apples cut up, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, black peppercorns all mixed together. This will not be eaten, so no peeling and it doesn’t have to be pretty. Big chunks are OK.
Cooking. You can cover the wing and leg tips if you like with foil, I usually don’t bother. I do baste, though. Every 20 minutes or so, use a spoon and spoon the pan drippings over the turkey. Sometimes early on there is not enough fat to do this, I throw in a chunk of butter to get it started.
Rest. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving, on the stovetop or counter is fine, just tent with foil to keep warm. This will allow the juices to equalize in the meat, so they don’t all flow out when you cut into it.
That’s the basics, I hope everyone has a great and safe Thanksgiving.
Ciao,
Kurt
A few tips, no rocket science here, just good cooking principles for a great bird.
Thaw properly. This is a safety as well as quality issue. Thaw in refrigerator whenever possible but plan ahead, this may take up to three days for a large bird. If you need to do it quicker, you can thaw under running cold water but the turkey needs to be covered with water. A sink or large bucket works.
Brine. Brining imparts flavor and results in a juicier finished product. Brining should happen overnight for a turkey, absolutely keep it cold. If you have a refrigerator large enough, perfect. Otherwise, a cooler will work if you can put in ice packs wrapped in plastic, or use ice as part of the brine. Add to the brine whatever flavors you want to impart to the bird. Herbs, citrus, fruit, chipotle peppers, garlic, etc. can be added to the brine and punch up that flavor. Here is a basic recipe
For the brine: 1 cup kosher salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 gallon water1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries 1 gallon iced water
Bring 1 gallon water to a boil, add sugar, salt, and spices, stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and stir in ice water to cool down. Brine turkey overnight (8-12 hours). Rinse and pat dry before roasting.
Stuffing. I like to keep the dressing on the side. To flavor the turkey and keep moist, I stuff the body cavity with aromatics, usually fresh herbs from the garden, apples cut up, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, black peppercorns all mixed together. This will not be eaten, so no peeling and it doesn’t have to be pretty. Big chunks are OK.
Cooking. You can cover the wing and leg tips if you like with foil, I usually don’t bother. I do baste, though. Every 20 minutes or so, use a spoon and spoon the pan drippings over the turkey. Sometimes early on there is not enough fat to do this, I throw in a chunk of butter to get it started.
Rest. Let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving, on the stovetop or counter is fine, just tent with foil to keep warm. This will allow the juices to equalize in the meat, so they don’t all flow out when you cut into it.
That’s the basics, I hope everyone has a great and safe Thanksgiving.
Ciao,
Kurt
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Ah, the pleasures of Fall!
One of my favorite times of year to cook, the flavors are bold and earthy, the textures silky and smooth. Stop by your favorite farmers market and try a few of these.
Exotic or wild mushrooms. Trumpet Royal, Hon Shimeji, Maitake, Shiitake, Porcini, Matsutake, or Chanterelles are wonderful. Sauté, roast, mix in a pasta, make a duxelle, or how about a savory bread pudding?
Braised meats. Lamb shank is a favorite, veal shank (or osso bucco), or any tough cut of meat.
Fruit cobblers or crisps. Wonderful apples are available this time of year, and I have been seeing some great local pears as well. They lend well to savory applications too, braised pork shanks with apple sage demiglace anyone?
Hard squashes. Roast a butternut or acorn squash with butter, bacon, and brown sugar for a simple treat. Squash soup is great, apples and curry make a great addition.
A pot of soup or chili is always a beautiful thing as well.
We'll talk turkey next time, I have to go, the kitchen is calling!
Ciao,
Kurt
Exotic or wild mushrooms. Trumpet Royal, Hon Shimeji, Maitake, Shiitake, Porcini, Matsutake, or Chanterelles are wonderful. Sauté, roast, mix in a pasta, make a duxelle, or how about a savory bread pudding?
Braised meats. Lamb shank is a favorite, veal shank (or osso bucco), or any tough cut of meat.
Fruit cobblers or crisps. Wonderful apples are available this time of year, and I have been seeing some great local pears as well. They lend well to savory applications too, braised pork shanks with apple sage demiglace anyone?
Hard squashes. Roast a butternut or acorn squash with butter, bacon, and brown sugar for a simple treat. Squash soup is great, apples and curry make a great addition.
A pot of soup or chili is always a beautiful thing as well.
We'll talk turkey next time, I have to go, the kitchen is calling!
Ciao,
Kurt
Monday, November 5, 2007
Cooking Heritage Breeds
Hey all, just got back from Celebrity Dairy in Silar City, NC where I was cooking for a Slow Food USA picnic.
I met lots of great people, including Jenny from Slow Food USA, Shane from the area, Brit and Fleming from Celebrity Dairy (the hosts), Angelique from ALBC, and many others. This is a group of very passionate and dedicated folks, and I was honored to work with them.
We cooked some things that I had not worked with before. Buckeye Chicken was a wonderful fowl, reminiscent of fresh pheasant, it had long lean legs, flat breast, and rich color and flavor. We did a simple braise in rich chicken stock to accentuate it's natural flavor profile.
Pineywoods beef was wonderful, grass fed and very full flavored. We made a simple meat loaf from that, and it was marvelous.
Tennessee fainting goat was turned into meatballs with a cream sauce. The meatballs had goats milk and curd mixed in, which produced a tender and very flavorful product.
Black turkey was brined and roasted. the meat was nutty and juicy, much more flavor that supermarket birds.
Finally, we did a crisp with staymen apples, accompanied by goats milk ice cream, simply amazing.
Seek out and try some different meats in your area. Local harvest is a good source, or go to my web site for more links http://www.chefkurt.com/, you will be glad you did! Ciao for now, Kurt
I met lots of great people, including Jenny from Slow Food USA, Shane from the area, Brit and Fleming from Celebrity Dairy (the hosts), Angelique from ALBC, and many others. This is a group of very passionate and dedicated folks, and I was honored to work with them.
We cooked some things that I had not worked with before. Buckeye Chicken was a wonderful fowl, reminiscent of fresh pheasant, it had long lean legs, flat breast, and rich color and flavor. We did a simple braise in rich chicken stock to accentuate it's natural flavor profile.
Pineywoods beef was wonderful, grass fed and very full flavored. We made a simple meat loaf from that, and it was marvelous.
Tennessee fainting goat was turned into meatballs with a cream sauce. The meatballs had goats milk and curd mixed in, which produced a tender and very flavorful product.
Black turkey was brined and roasted. the meat was nutty and juicy, much more flavor that supermarket birds.
Finally, we did a crisp with staymen apples, accompanied by goats milk ice cream, simply amazing.
Seek out and try some different meats in your area. Local harvest is a good source, or go to my web site for more links http://www.chefkurt.com/, you will be glad you did! Ciao for now, Kurt
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