Basic Meat and Potatoes

Meat and Potatoes is something you just can't get enough of, and when done right, can be an example of simple perfection.

When I pick out a steak, I usually look for a pretty thick cut, with even marbling and a uniform shape.  Usually I like the New York cuts since I think they have more flavor, but this time I couldn't resist the Ribeye.  I cook most of my thick meats in the same fashion, a hard sear and finished in the oven.

An important tip to remember when cooking large cuts of meat is that you have to leave them out a bit before you're ready to cook them (20-30 minutes).  This ensures that the center of your meat is as close to room temperature and allows for even cooking.  Often you take meat out of the refrigerator and you get a cooked outside, and a cold center.  This helps prevent uneven cooking.

Season generously with salt and pepper (in general more seasoning is better on this thick cut)

So I sear the outside of the meat for about 2 minutes on each side, on a medium-high heat until you get a thick crust.  This makes for great texture and flavor.  It's important to sear evenly (which I didn't do this time, oops!) which means you have to spend the time to patiently sear both sides, instead of searing one side better than the other.  Throw the steak, in your oven safe pan into a 400F oven, for 13-14 minutes for a steak that's about 1.5-2 inches thick.  Pull the steak from the oven, and let the steak REST on a board (generally about 1/3 the time that you cooked for)....very important when you have large cuts to let the meat rest to let all the juices redistribute.

I make a pan gravy with the bits from the pan I seared the steak in (watch out for the handle of the pan to be extremely hot when making gravy).  Start with a medium heat and saute some shallots in the pan drippings until softened.   Add a few knobs of butter and equal parts flour to make a roux, and let this cook for a minute or so to cook out the flour taste.  Add beef broth and cream and bring to a boil while stirring.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

Accompany with a side of mashed potatoes (finished through a ricer of course) that is seasoned with Parmesan Reggiano, salt and pepper, and some cream or milk.  Add chives as a garnish and you're set.

A crusty steak and creamy potatoes is one dinner you can keep coming back to, since there can be so many wonderful variations on this, but basic is always a winner when done right.  Master the basics, and you're well on your way to greatness.

-E-

Braised Lamb Shank

There's something magical that happens when you braise....your eyes become enormous, your nose tingles with the steam escaping from the pot....and you behold the hours where stubbornly tough meat transforms to delicate fork tender goodness....this is braising!

I was shopping around Berkeley Bowl (an organic market in Berkeley), and feasted my eyes on Lamb Shanks.  I do not eat lamb very often, since at regular markets its astronomically priced for the amount of actual meat you get, but today was another day.  Whenever you can get meat on the bone, it is well worth it.  The bone and meat are symbiotic so it is only natural that meat with a bone is uber flavorful!

Simple preparation is used here....basic searing of the meat, accompanied with developing some aromatics as base flavors, is the way to tackle this daunting task.  A few hours later, you're left with fall off the bone tender meat...succulent in the best ways, and feeling a little cheap that it's gone before you could really enjoy it.

Pair this with some whole pearl onions that were cooked in the braising liquid, and a silky smooth mash infused with cream and Parmesan cheese, and you have a great meal with a certain bit of shock and awe.

Say you made this, and deny you have leftovers!  Be greedy for yourself and your loved ones, because you'll make many friends with this dish...

-E-

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-