Crispy Salmon on Creamed Leeks

Crispy Salmon on a bed of creamed leeks is one of the simplest, yet most divine combinations that you can come up with.  The crispness of the salmon skin, the fattiness and moistness of the fish, paired with the creaminess and umami of the leeks can only mean one thing....YUMMY!

Leeks are one of those ingredients I feel people pass over in the market, because they just don't know what they are, or think they have had them once or twice, but don't like them.  Leeks are amazing....they have a similar taste to a scallion, without having that bitterness.  It's often described to be between an onion and a cucumber, with a great texture that allows this it to be sautéed, fried, or even eaten raw.  Leeks are notorious for being dirty, so I like to dice it down, and place it in a bowl of water, allowing the heavier debris to fall to the bottom, and the leeks to float to the top.  Sauté the leeks down with a diced shallot, and a garlic clove.  Add a sprig of thyme, and your heavy cream.  Reduce it down by half and season.  Voila!

Salmon is a fish that is very forgiving when being cooked, because of its fattiness, it's difficult to actually dry it out...but some people still do.  A tip to getting that crispy skin comes with the prep.  Salt the skin side and let it sit out on your counter for 10-15 minutes.  If you sear your salmon skin without doing this, it often steams quickly, which will give you a soggy top.  The salt will draw out the moisture from the skin, allowing the proper searing to take place on the skin.  Take a sharp knife and scrape the salt and moisture of the skin.  I then put a paper towel on the skin till I'm ready to cook.  Preheat a pan with some oil and butter till wisps of smoke arise, and place skin side down.  Immediately place something like a small pan on top of your salmon fillet.  This pushes the skin onto the pan allowing the moist exposure to the heat.  Do this for about a minute.  Remove pan, and continue to cook salmon on same side for another 2-3 min.  Turn off heat, and flip salmon over.  The residual heat will cook the salmon through while keeping the skin crisp.

Serve immediately and enjoy.

This is a great dish to impress without having to do more than 15 - 20 minutes of work!  Garnish with a pan sauce of the salmon drippings deglazed with butter and lemon juice, drizzle around the plate with some parsley, and you are set.  Ready, set....eat!

-E-

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala is the most definitive Indian dish you can think of, and in my opinion one of the best.  It is the UK's national dish, and you can find it in any food town.  Of course I lack a traditional tandoor, and perhaps the "authentic" flavor one grows up with in an Indian household, but having an Indian girlfriend does help.

Indian food is known for its abundance of spices, and it is this complexity of flavor that people love, but detest learning about.  Tumeric, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, sweet, savory, sour, spicy....the adjectives are never ending....this is what deters many from cooking Indian food at home.  After many months of studying what ingredients go into this dish, watching Indian moms on youtube with their litanies of ingredients and overly zealous self adulations, and a plethora of food shows that show travels to India with a skewed perspective on life, I am still learning what it takes to make this dish right.

Establishing base flavors is essential in Indian cooking, often starting with browned off onions and ginger and garlic paste.  Creating or using your own masala (mixture of spices) is something everybody customizes to their tastes.  Tikka Masala is often defined by its tomato base, and orange cream like consistency.  An actual recipe for this if often hard, since a lot of techniques are simplified visually, since recipes usually do not capture the nuances of the cooking.

After all said and done, Tikka Masala is accompanied with basmati rice, tomatoes on the side, a topping of fresh cilantro, and of course ghee (clarified butter).  One bowl later, and few hundred exclamations of satisfaction, you will have experienced the savory, spicy, tomato creamy goodness of Chicken Tikka Masala.

No need to renew your passport, be adventurous, and try it out at home....and if you fail, just go to your local Indian restaurant and enjoy!

-E-

Croissant Bread Pudding

If you're looking for something sweet, this has to hit the spot.  If you love croissants, and you love a rich custard, then it's safe to say, you're going to love croissant bread pudding!

Low and slow is a great way to create this scrumptious dish, since you want the custard to cook evenly and slowly without drying out, and have the croissants crisp up to unleash their buttery goodness, without burning the tops.

Start with making the custard, which includes whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and some vanilla extract.  Rip up with your hands the croissants, and place them in the ramekin (they can be a few days old, since this will help the custard absorb the custard better).  Fill ramekins about 3/4 of the way up, and allow croissant to absorb the custard for at least 10 minutes.  Top off the ramekins again with the extra filling, and cover with aluminum foil.  Place ramekins into a pan and use the water bath method, pouring boiling water half way up the level of the ramekins.  Bake in preheated 350F oven covered for 25-30 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 30 minutes till custard has set and tops are crunchy.

In the end you will be left with a buttery and crunchy croissant topping, with a rich, but not overly sweet custard, that will give you not only a satisfying dessert, but an experience that will change your perception of bread pudding!  Make a few extra for yourself, because you can, and you will be thanking me later!

-E-

Sip of California

So I bought a cheesecloth yesterday, and was inspired to make something using this nifty fabric.  For those who don't know what a cheesecloth is, it is a gauze-like cloth used primarily to separate the curd from whey when making cheeses, but also used to strain sauces and stocks, make tofu, and even to bundle herbs....basically to separate liquids from pulp

Since it was Jessica's birthday, we ended up going to Half Moon Bay, a quaint beach town tucked away between SF and Santa Cruz.  With gorgeous scenery, you can't help but be inspired to cook some CA inspired cuisine.

I decided to make Scallops!  So using the cheese cloth, I decided to make TOMATO WATER.  Quickly described, tomato water is the liquid left from strained pureed tomatoes.  I decided to integrate more flavors that could play an ancillary role to the wonderful tomato.  I added a shallot, some garlic, and of course the basic salt and pepper.  Using a decent amount of salt I believe is crucial in making this tomato water since the salt will help draw the liquids from the "not so ripe" tomatoes.  I blended everything together, and poured the tomato pulp into the cheesecloth over a large strainer and bowl.  Let this drain for at least 30 minutes, and you're left with the essence of tomato, and its flavorings, almost like a consommé.

For some garnishes, and sticking with a California themed dish, I decided to use some fresh corn off the cob, sautéed on high heat with oil, salt and pepper.  To finish I added finely minced garlic, and fresh lemon zest for a twist!  I also added a brunoise (small dice) of cucumbers marinated in white wine vinegar, and some thinly sliced avocado on the base.  All of these flavors:  corn, garlic, lemon, cucumbers, avocado, are great bold flavors of CA cuisine.

I then added some well seared scallops to top the dish off.  You get a certain meatiness from the scallops, rich fatness from the avocado, sweetness from the corn, and crunchiness from the cucumber....separate they are great ingredients, but together they are California.  When combined with a small "sip" of chilled tomato water, you have the perfect "sip" of California.  I'm eager to share this for people, since I think this could be something special!

-E-

"Bacon and Eggs"

So being an avid pork fan, I decided to make a classic pairing...Bacon and Eggs...of course with a twist!

For the Bacon component, I braised a thick piece of pork belly, to where the meat is fork tender, and the fat melts away (FYI, Pork Belly is where butchers cut bacon from).  A fat, succulent piece of pork belly is one of these "no-no" dishes you have to say yes to once in a while.  I started by creating the base for my flavors starting with sliced onions, garlic, and a 2 bay leaves for my aromatics.  To flavor the actual belly in the braise, I used some Chinese five spice, star anise, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and of course some water.  If you want an actual breakdown of the quantities and techniques, message me!  Two and a half hours later, you're left with heaven on a plate....a small bite of pure decadence that leaves that insatiable appetite appeased....

And what do you eat with bacon...EGGS of course.  The egg component is a simple poached egg, on top of a bed of rice.

The sauce for this dish is actually a reduction of the brazing liquid, which was reduced by half...the sauce is sweet, savory, earthy umami with a touch of tang.  Perfection is a word that fits this description.

A wonderful twist on the mundane...."Bacon and Eggs"

-E-