Catch Up 12-22-10

The number 1 New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight, whether it is true or not consumers equate salads with healthier eating.  Often we get drug into the sameness of salads and forget about all the little things we can do to make a salad a great experience.  In the winter we forget to quickly how many great ingredients we can still use to make stunning salads.  Let’s take a quick look at a few different salads and dressings that you might be able to use to make some stunning salads for the New Year.  Play around with these salads to find what works in best for you.  Try not to bring in an extra item for one salad, if you don’t currently use blood oranges, then substitute regular oranges.  A big part of controlling cost is cross utilizing what you have, and getting the most out of every dollar spent.

Citrus Salad

This salad is refreshing year round, but with navel oranges and clementines hitting the peak in December this salad is especially good.  The meringue pecans are good enough to make a meal out of alone, so be sure you make extras.  This is a really basic salad that you can easily add to with what you have in stock, long on red onions throw them in, long on cucumber, that works too.     

·         3 cups fresh lolla rossa lettuce

·         1/2 cup fresh orange sections

·         1/2 cup fresh grapefruit sections

·         Seeds from one pomegranate

·         Parmessan shards

·         1/3 cup Meringue pecans

Meringue Pecans

• 2 egg whites at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 11/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/3 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 pound pecan
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 275.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add salt and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. In a separate bowl, pour vanilla extract over brown sugar and cinnamon. Then add sugar mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, to egg white mixture, beating on high speed to form a strong, shiny meringue (about 10 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in pecan halves until well coated.
Meanwhile, melt butter on a baking sheet in the oven (3 to 5 minutes). Be careful not to let butter brown. Gently tip baking sheet so that butter coats bottom of pan.
Using a rubber spatula, spread nuts over butter, without stirring, to form an even layer without deflating meringue.
Bake nuts for 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir nuts with a spatula so that nuts at center of pan move to outer rim and those at edges move closer to center. Bake nuts for 15 minutes longer and stir again. Continue baking another 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until nuts are separated, have absorbed butter, and are beautifully browned but not dark brown.
Immediately turn nuts out on a counter lined with a long sheet of aluminum foil. Spread them on foil and allow cooling completely. Store in a tightly covered container, the nuts will keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup champagne or champagne vinegar

2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
2/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Place all ingredients, except the oil, in the bowl of a food processor.  While the processor is running slowly add the oil. 

Spinach salad

In the summer you see a version of this salad all over the place.  Here we take the dried strawberries to substitute for fresh, you could also use other dried fruits, craisins, cherries, blueberries, etc… I included a white balsamic vinaigrette recipe; you can use dark balsamic if that is what you have on hand.  If you would like to add some bacon it would be a great addition to the salad. 

3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach

½ cup Dried Strawberries

Balsamic Vinaigrette-recipe follows

1/3 cup Sliced Smoked Almonds

½ cup Red onion Rings-Personally I like to thinly slice them and fry them very quickly tossed in equal parts corn starch and flour.

Fried goat cheese-Recipe Follows

Fried Goat Cheese

• 6 oz package goat cheese
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1cup panko bread crumbs-seasoned with salt and pepper
• vegetable oil-for frying
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Slice the goat cheese into ½ inch coins and place in the freezer, while you prepare remaining ingredients.  Keeping the cheese as cold as possible will be what determines if you fry cheese or make a cheesy mess in the bottom of your fryer.
2. Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a pan, to about 325°.
3. Roll frozen goat cheese coins in the flour, then egg, and finally breadcrumbs.
4. Fry in oil until golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined plate and re-season.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

·         1/2  cup  olive oil

·         1/4  cup  white balsamic vinegar

·         1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

·         tablespoon  honey

·         teaspoons lemon juice

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl or in a food processor.

Asparagus salad with Orange Fennel Vinaigrette

I have been making some version of this salad for more than five years; I change around some ingredients just about every time I make it.  If you don’t want to take the time to grill the asparagus it works just fine with blanched, just be sure not to overcook the asparagus.

·         ½ bunch Asparagus blanched, lightly grilled

·         1 Fried egg

·         ½ cup Homemade Croutons

·         1/3 cup cerignola olives

·         1 ounce Serrano or prosciutto ham-thinly sliced

·         ½ each blood orange section

·         Small bunch watercress

·         Orange and Fennel Vinaigrette-Recipe Follows

To plate the salad, lay the asparagus in the middle of serving platter, top with the fried egg, (you could top this part with a béarnaise sauce then complete the remainder of the salad.  Drizzle the asparagus with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place slices of Serrano, olives, and croutons around the plate.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the whole thing garnish with some blood orange sections.  Toss the watercress in a bowl with a small amount of the vinaigrette and place on top, serve.

Orange and Fennel Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons (packed) grated orange peel
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh fennel frond
• 2 teaspoons toasted fennel seeds
  
  Whisk orange juice, shallots, parsley, orange peel, dijon, and honey in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil, then fennel fronds

Iceberg Salad

This salad allows you to take a summer flavor and concentrate the flavor down so you get the intensity generally you can only find in the summer months.  A nice riff from the classic wedge salad this salad has more intense flavors, while still being well balanced. 

·         Oven roasted tomatoes-Recipe Follows

·         Bacon Lardons

·         Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing-Recipe Follows

·         Iceberg lettuce

·         Croutons

·         Extra Virgin Olive oil

·         Reduced Balsamic vinegar

·         Salt and pepper 

Wash and cut the lettuce in thirds, removing the core as you go.  Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.  To plate, place the lettuce on a serving platter and sprinkle the tomatoes and croutons around, then place the lardons on top of the lettuce.  Ladle a small amount of the dressing over the lettuce.  Re-season with salt and pepper.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Cherry, grape or small Roma tomatoes
Whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Thyme

Preheat oven to 225°F. Halve each cherry or grape tomato crosswise, or Roma tomato lengthwise and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet along with the cloves of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to make the tomatoes glisten. Sprinkle herbs on, salt and pepper, though go easily on these because the finished product will be so flavorful you’ll need very little to help it along.

Bake the tomatoes in the oven for about three hours. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside–this could take more or less time depending on the size of your tomatoes.

Either use them right away or let them cool, cover them with some extra olive oil and keep them in the fridge, for up to two months if they are completely covered in oil.

Blue Cheese Ranch Dressing

·         1 cup mayo

·         1 cup crumbled blue cheese

·         ½ cup yogurt

·         ½ cup sour cream

·         ¼ cup buttermilk

·         1 tspn sherry vinegar

·         ½ tspn onion powder

·         1 tspn garlic powder

·         1 tspn fresh chopped dill frond

·         2 tspn fresh chopped chives

·         1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

Catch Up 12-20-10

Last week we looked at trends that may affect the restaurant themselves, menus, food purchases, etc… This week I looked at hot foods for the next couple of years.  When I was the executive chef for a local catering company we generally wrote menus a year before we were cooking them, so we had to stay on track of what was going to be popular the next year.  It’s always a big guessing game, trying to predict consumers desires can be really rough.  These are just some foods I expect to be hot this next year.

French fries

There seems to be a growing interest in quality French fries, and not everyone is looking to cut their own.  Often customers may just be looking for a seasoning blend to set themselves apart from others, or bringing back disco fries, topped with gravy and high quality cheeses.  Others may make homemade sauces to go along with their fries.  Upscaling fries with truffles or even lobster meat just might be hitting your local restaurant or pub.

Disco Fry Recipe

• 4-80 count Norkotah potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• One 8-ounce package cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup aged provolone cheese, grated (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 cup smoked cheddar cheese

1.      Preheat the oven to 450°. Slice the potatoes lengthwise 1/3 inch thick, then stack and thinly slice to shape into french fries. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange the potatoes in an even layer on a parchment-paper-lined rimmed baking sheet, reserving the bowl; season with salt and pepper. Bake until deep golden, about 35 minutes.

2.      Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to the reserved bowl. Add the butter and onion to the pan and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 3 minutes; lower the heat to medium-low and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock and cooked mushrooms and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

3.      Sprinkle two-thirds of the cheese on top of the fries and return to the oven to melt, about 1 minute; reheat the mushroom gravy, if needed. Using a metal spatula, transfer half of the fries to a platter and spoon half of the gravy on top, then repeat with the remaining fries and gravy; sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Place back in the oven until all the cheese and gravy is bubbly.

  

Hot chocolate

Homemade hot chocolate is quickly becoming all the rage in restaurants.  The great thing about hot chocolate is no matter what type of restaurant you are making hot chocolate is very easy and has a very nice profit margin.

Hot Chocolate Recipe

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 oz chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Dash salt

• Garnish: whipped cream, cinnamon sticks

Whisk milk, brown sugar, and whipping cream in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; add cocoa powder, chocolate, and cinnamon; whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour hot chocolate into 6 demitasse cups. Garnish each with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.

Popcorn

Popcorn has slowly been showing up on menus for the past couple of years, but this might just be the year that chefs start to play with popcorn.  Popcorn can be used in sweet or savory applications.  From sweet popcorn balls or truffled popcorn garnish on a salad it has some great potential to bring the needed crunch to any meal.

Truffle Popcorn

• 1/2 cup popcorn
• 2 tablespoons unflavored oil-like canola or grapeseed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2-3 teaspoons white truffle oil
• Truffle salt
• Celery salt
• 1 stem rosemary chopped
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1.    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few kernels and cover. When they pop, add the rest of the kernels and cover. Shake the pot over the heat and cook until the popping stops, about 3 or 4 minutes. Pour the popcorn into a large bowl.

2. In a small skillet, combine the butter, truffle oil, and rosemary and slowly heat until butter is melted. Drizzle over the popcorn and season with truffle salt, and celery salt, and toss with cheese.

Hummus

It’s no secret that hummus has been growing in popularity.  The new rage will be flavored hummus, items like sweet potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, black beans, will all begin making its way into hummus. 

Sweet Potato Hummus

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 can (19.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon parmesan or feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 garlic clove, chopped
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

1. Set a steamer basket in a large pot. Fill with enough water to come just below basket; bring to a boil. Add potatoes; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.
2. Combine chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, cheese, and garlic in the food processor. Puree, about 1 minute; thin with water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and let cool; refrigerate, in an airtight container, up to 1 week. 

Tacos

Tacos have never been unpopular, but they have really started to make a move into more fine dining sectors.  As the growth of mobile taco trucks has proved people love tacos, and chefs from Mom and Pop diners to 5-star haute cuisine restaurant will be taking advantage of this.  The best thing about the simple taco is just that it is so simple and yet people are happy to pay top dollar for well crafted food.

BBQ Shrimp Tacos

·         1/2	tbsp. vegetable oil
·         16	Each peeled and deveined 21-25 shrimp
	Salt to taste
	Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
·         1	cup onions, diced
·         1	cup spicy barbeque sauce-like Sweet Baby Ray’s
·         1/2	cup jalapeno jack cheese, grated
·         4	6" flour tortillas, cooked and warmed
·         1/3	cup grated cotija cheese
·         1/3	cup toasted sesame seeds
·         2	fresh Serrano chilies (optional)
·         4	sprigs fresh cilantro Pickled red onions 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick  1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns  1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds ¼ teaspoon coriander seed  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano  2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved  1/4 teaspoon salt  1/3 cup red wine vinegar Blanch the onion slices in boiling salted water for 45 seconds, then drain and place in a medium-size bowl. Coarsely grind the peppercorns, coriander, and cumin in a spice grinder, and add to the onions. Add the remaining ingredients, plus enough water to barely cover.  Stir well and let stand for several hours until the onions turn bright pink.

Place oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shrimp to hot pan and season with salt and pepper and sauté for one minute until shrimp turns red. Add onions and sauté for two minutes or until translucent. Stir in barbeque sauce, bring to a boil and quickly remove pan from heat. Add pepper-jack cheese and stir to combine until cheese has melted into mixture.
Place a warm tortilla in the middle of a warm serving plate. Spoon equal portions of shrimp mixture into the middle of each tortilla; roll each tortilla into a cylinder with the seam side down. Then sprinkle with cotija cheese and toasted sesame seeds and garnish with fresh Serrano chilies, pickled red onions, and sprigs of cilantro.

Grits

Chefs are beginning to realize what many in the South have known for years: Grits are good!!!  Grits have a great ability to not only taste pretty good on their own, but they easily take on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with, and they are cheap.  All of this adds up to an item that is real treat for cooks to work with.  I have seen grit bars at events like the mashed potato bars, or risotto bars of years past, and people just go nuts over them.  Be sure and get to know whether your customer will accept quick grits, or wants the longer cooking, but textural superior stone ground.

Andouille Grits

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces andouille sausage or hot links, cut into small cubes
• ½ large yellow onion, small dice
• 31/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 ½ cup whole milk
• 1 cup stone ground grits
• 1 cup cheddar cheese

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onions, sauté until andouille is brown and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add stock and milk and bring to boil. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thick, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons butter, and cheese. Season grits to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Other Hot Foods:

Anything Sustainabile look for this to become the new green, local in the next few years.  Still unaware of it , check out books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Food Inc.

Asian appetizers-spring rolls, tempura, egg rolls

House pickled items

Specialty/Gourmet sandwiches

Inexpensive/Underused cuts of meat-beef cheek, brisket, skirt, flank, hanging steak

Artisan cheeses