a recipe so good, you just may have to laminate it...

I've always been a pretty big fan of puff pastry (well-made, all-butter puff pastry).  It's a very versatile dough to have around, it freezes exceptionally well, and there is no proofing involved, so you can pretty much just prepare it however you like, and when you are ready to bake, it is also.  However, the problem(s) with puff pastry, are finding one that actually tastes what puff pastry is meant to taste like (hard to find here in the midwest), and if you actually manage to accomplish that, not spending a ridiculous amount on it.  the mainstream brand you will probably come across most often is pepperidge farm, and I'm sorry to say that it not only sucks, but uses a lot of margarine, not butter.

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching PBS, and stumbled across an episode of julia (please, please, please, click here and watch this!), where Michel Richard and she were making puff pastry. the old school way. all butter. all the time. it was a revelation. it seemed so easy, it was exactly what I had been looking for. so, in true latestDish fashion, here we go (I could jut assume you all watched that video link, but just in case...)

After you have combined your flour and salt with the water (in your food processor) and made a rough dough (the dough ball will clean the sides of your processor), knead it a few times (on a floured surface), and slash the top like this so the dough will be easier to roll out and work with.

cover it with a damp kitchen towel and move on to making your butter block. lay a large piece of plastic wrap down on your work surface and line up the sticks of butter(straight out of the fridge, very cold) so they are close together.  make sure that your plastic piece is big enough, the butter is going to spread out quite a bit. And please, people, use real butter.  don't even try to use margarine or anything of the sort. butter is real. real is good for you, in moderation.

Had a rough day? Stressed out? well, lucky you! this is the part where you get to smash the butter together with a blunt object (hooray!). all joking aside, you really have to lay in to this stuff.  don't be afraid to commit and connect here. picture your arch nemesis, or the DMV, or the cable company. Whatever foe you choose, just remember to follow through, don't want any damaged countertops here. you want to end up with a uniform rectangle here, like below. you shouldn't be able to see any gaps in the lineup where the butter was touching.

now, roll out your dough into a sort of rounded square shape.  this dough is great because it has fairly low gluten formation, and rolls out like a champ.  really fun stuff to work with.  you can see that I left it thicker in the middle, because that is where my butter will rest, and the edges of the dough will be folded over the butter, making it thicker on the edges. It also sort of acts as a little insurance so that the dough won't rip in that area.

lay your butter in the middle of the dough and then fold the edges over the butter completely sealing the butter square and leaving you with a uniform rectangle.

flour your work surface and the dough again, and roll out into a long, vertical rectangle, like below.  I don't have an exact measurement for you guys here, but I would say that it is prob close to 24 inches or so ( basically the width of my counter top). once that is done, use a pastry brush to brush off excess flour, and fold like a business letter. (this process is known as lamination.  it is used in several doughs and that is what gives us all the buttery, flaky, layers of goodness.  We do this at work with the croissant doughs also).  We are going to do this a total of 6 times.

bring the bottom third up to the middle

and then fold the top down to meet the edge of the bottom third

you should have a nice square at this point.  even if it is a bit wonky, you can use a pastry knife or your hand or whatever to kind of square it back up (it just makes for easier rolling as you go). Rotate the dough so that the seam is running vertically, and repeat this process one more time, and then wrap in a damp towel, and set in the fridge for 30 min to harden the butter. (this step is crucial! do not skip it, or your dough will not turn out.) After the 30 minutes are up, roll out and fold again two more times and then back in the fridge for another 30 minutes. then, after those 30 minutes have passed, repeat the two turns one more time.  It sounds like a lot of work but trust me, it's not.  it takes maybe 4 minutes to do each two turn process.  do some house work during the fridge rests or exercise, or whatever.  It's basically like making a soup or stew or something that you occasionally have to check on and should be no reason to deter you from trying this excellent recipe.

this is just a pic of me brushing off the extra flour, to enable maximum rollage.

this is my dough after the second rest and fold process.  I still have one more fridge rest to go and two more turns (or folds, if you prefer) to make but I made indentions to show how many times I had rolled out and folded it up to this point.

this is a just a shot to show how much this dough puffs up after baking.  It was probably rolled out a little thicker than a pie crust would be.

this is a shot of the inside of that same trial piece.  I can only tell you that it is the most flaky, buttery, piece of goodness that you will ever eat.

  

                                      

I wanted to make a sweet treat with some of the dough, so I decided to try my hand at making palmiers.  I wasn't sure how to make them so I just did a quick search and this is the first thing that came up. Might not be the best video, but I did like the technique of brushing the pastry with water and then dipping it in sugar. made a nice caramel crunch.

this is another pic of an apple tart that I made at thanksgiving with the same dough. ridiculously easy.  It was from a martha stewart recipe.  

Basically, the whole point of this post is to encourage you guys to make this dough. Yeah, it seems like it is a little daunting at first, but just break it down step by step and it is not bad at all.  really easy actually.  It's really nice to have something in your kitchen repertoire that can be used for everything from a crust for a tart to a flaky little dessert. Being a good cook is all about versatility, and I can't think of many things that could be more versatile than this. give this process a try and I promise that you will never go back to the mass produced versions.

Puff pastry dough (ala Michel Richard) (once again, it would be in your best interest to watch the video link above!)

1 pound pastry flour (however, I took julia's advice and used 4 oz. cake flour, 12 oz. All Purpose Flour, because that is what I had on hand)

1.5 tsps salt

1.25 cups water.

combine all this in food processor and pulse to make a rough, dough ball.

you will also need 1 pound butter.

for steps and process, follow the pics and directions above.

Good Luck! and happy holidays, hope you make this dough and enjoy it as much as I have:)

DISH recommends: Video.pbs.org.  I love pbs.  I recently got the pbs app for ipad and it is so cool.  it downloads all the shows from the week and you can sort through and pick whatever you want to watch. i don't have cable so its a really cool way for mames and I to get our pbs on. however, this website is pretty cool too. I wasn't sure I'd be able to locate that video of Michel and Julia, but a quick search led me to this site.  looks like the same deal (lots of julia vids here).  check it.

in true thanksgiving style...

ok, first of all, I apologize.  As per usual, there has been a pretty giant gap in postings, but I have been extremely bizz...For a while there, we were a baker short at work and so that was eating up a lot of time. then, I had a test to study for/take, so that I may advance in my job, and then it was thanksgiving (which is one of our busiest baking days of the year (I was baking at a 500F oven for about 12 hours straight,  but, in true pilgrim form, we made it through.  To add to the list, my wonderful ladyfriend in crime, contracted mono and was seriously toast for a solid month.  

speaking of mames, check out this turkey finger puppet she made. pretty cute, huh? We invited a bunch of indians (holla!) over for thanksgiving (very pilgrim-ey, indeed), along with some other close friends who couldn't (like us) make it home to be with their families. We had such a blast and everyone was so hungry that we forgot to snap pics of the people and food, so these are just a few of the table that amy took in advance.

my wife can set a mean table.

so, on top of these plates we really did have food. we took the napkins and wheat off, of course, and enjoyed some autumnal fare.  Actually, I did something quite out of the norm this year and braised my turkey.  I bought a small one (10 lbs) and cut it up and braised it in a dutch oven with a little fat tire ale, some chicken stock and root veg.  I made the gravy the same way I always do (check out the roast beef post for info), and it turned out really great. It's going to be hard for me to ever roast a turkey again, given how juicy and tender the turkey turned out.  the skin even got crispy because of some dutch oven magic! 

this is the aftermath.  hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving and hope you all have a great holiday season.  I am planning to do quite an extensive scratch puff pastry post here in the next few days so please check it out and give the recipe a try. it is a really handy dough to have on hand and is so much better than anything that you can pick up in the stores, I assure you.  if you love, buttery, flaky, pastry, you will have to give this one a go.

psst: need some help finding the right gift for those on your list?  Of course you do!  then check out this great gift guide and spend, spend, spend away!

Co-operation, makes it happen...

I wrote a guest post for the nebraska coffee association. Check it out here

for british eyes only...

around christmas time last year I made my first prime rib. ever. and while it was glorious, it was pretty darn expensive (expect to pay anywhere from $10 per pound on up to ridiculous $$ per pound if you get the prime rated stuff).  Lately, I had been craving some roast beef like it was nobody's business.  However, since I can't just go rib-roasting it up all the time, I needed to find an alternative cut to satisfy my beef needs.

On the whole, the british aren't really known for their food, but one thing that they know how to do  is roast a beef treat.  I discovered that while they do love their rib roasts, they are also fond of top round roasts. this seemed more my speed.  so I headed to the store to see what I could find and EUREKA!! top round roast spotted, not to mention EUREKA EUREKA!! 9 dollars. that's about 5 times less coin than a rib roast of the same weight.  While I was excited at this bargain, I was also pretty skeptical.  Was this going to taste good at all, I mean you get what you pay for right?  I was scared that without all of the intra-muscular fat and marbling that I was going to be feasting on something closer to resembling hydrated jerky than basking in the beef nirvana of my dreams.

But I figured that at this point 9 bucks was 9 bucks.  that was the beauty of this whole experiment.  It wasn't like I had coughed up 50+ clams for this thing, so I dove right in.  I basically went about this like I do for any roasty treats,  Veg-pile (you can call it whatever you like.  how about veg-bed, or veg-rack, or you could even call it a veg-table...ahem...), salt and peps, some herbage, throw on the well seasoned meat (always, ALWAYS, fat-side up). and roast away.  Cooked to med-rare, thinly sliced, and smothered with gravy goodness, this was fantastic!  It was the roast beef I had been looking for.  while it was much leaner than the rib roast I had made earlier, it was equally delicious, just in a different way. It was a bit chewier, but in the best way possible. I like to think of it as the beef just taking the long way home.  

Psst...Do you like gravy? If your answer is no, then you can leave this blog right now and never come back!!!...Still here?  I thought so. ok, I have a trick I use for gravy every time. remember that veg pile we rested the meat on? of course you do.  It looked so pretty before, but now it kinda looks like  complete annihilation...that's just fine.  it's probably swimming in beef fat. and needs to be drained of about 90 percent of that.  I drained my beef fat into a pot, added about a spoonful of flour and made a quick roux, and then added stock to the pan of veg, and smashed it up. put the roasting pan with the veg over your burners on high heat, add the roux and add some booze (wine, ale, sherry, port, whatever) or more stock , and then whisk and mix it all up together, scraping up the tasties from the bottom. lower heat and let it reduce to your liking and then pour through a strainer.  Now that's a gravy you can be proud of! 

A proper Bloke's Roast Beef (adapted from jamie oliver, he's british, I kind of figured it was a safe play)
preheat oven to 475 (do this now, it's important that your oven is crazy hot at the get go)
for veg pile:

2 onions rough chop

2 carrots ""

2 celery stalks ""

couple turnips or parsnips ""

garlic cloves (to your liking, you can use the whole head if you want), left whole

olive oil

salt and pepper

1 handful Simon and Garfunkel (parsley, sage, you get the rest...)

for herb paste:

6 good sized sprigs rosemary

4 sprigs sage

4 sprigs thyme

4-5 cloves garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper

the rest:(or in this case, the roast)

3-4 pound top round roast

In a good sized roasting pan or a large skillet,  add the chopped veg and herbs.  season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. toss well and set aside.
to make the herb paste, mince all the herbs and garlic together and add a couple healthy pinches of salt and pepper.  add to a a bowl and drizzle in some oil.  just enough to make it paste like, not swimming. rub this on the meat and then (I know sounds like a lot) salt and pepper the meat again, but don't go overboard. place meat on top of veg stand and either let hang out in the fridge until you are ready to roast, or go for it at this moment (this VERY moment!!!!).  put pan in oven (in middle rack) and lower heat to 400F.  if you are using a dig-thermometer (like the one i linked up there) make sure to put it in before you put the beef in the oven, it's sort of crucial to your cause (never again...) if you don't have one, don't sweat it, you can get it close by roasting around one hour for medium.  If you want med-rare, just take it out around 10-15 min. earlier. and so on. baste the beef around the halfway mark and if the veggies are starting to dry out, you can add a splash of water to the pan to prevent burnage. once roasted to your desired doneness, take the pan out of the oven and let the roast rest on a cutting board (at least 15 minsok. this is normal. pour this stuff into your gravy.  you thriftster, you...
serve with roast veggies (not posting a recipe, but what you can do here is par-boil some root veg and then toss them with oil and salt and peps and when you pull the roast out, put these in and then turn the oven to 450 to finish them off and get some color. should be done around the time everything else is).
or mashed tates. or just serve them with your favorite sides.

DISH recommends: all-clad lasagna pan. this pan says it's for lasagna, but so far has met all of my roasting needs. and it's way cheaper than their roasting pans and only like an inch smaller.  check it.
ps--like the new look?  hope so.  mames gave me a much needed make-over.  hope to actually get organized around here...

sea change...or...we have a MCwinner!!!

I've always considered myself to be on the busy side. I like to do things, whether it be cooking, exercise, home projects, whatever. but lately...well, lately I had been pushing it to the limit. much of my time has been eaten up at work by learning how to operate/figuring out how to implement this, and testing and experimenting with this (links to John's blog, should check it out and become a follower, very informative, cutting edge stuff.) so yeah, you get it, I needed a break. sooooooo, mames and I decided that on the spur of the moment we would head out west to california. specifically, Santa Catalina Island (a tiny island 26 miles off the coast). we had such a good time, it was definitely rejuvenating. I think that a lot is to be said for little vacations. You can take more of them during the year, and it is just enough to get you out of the craziness of everyday life. we were gone for four days, and I felt like we maximized our time out there. the crazy succulent pic is from a plant called a "red hot poker". We rented bikes the first day we were there and rode up to the botanical gardens and checked out all the cactus (still not going to say it, marth...) and such. was pretty beautiful. other pic is of us at the top of the observatory/memorial thing (I'm a naturally shady person). all in all, it was a great time...but the food sucked. it wasn't just bad, it was flavorless. we're crediting it to the fact that the majority of the inhabitants were geezers. seriously, it should have been fabulous. The seafood was excellent quality, just under-seasoned, or not seasoned at all. that was the only bummer.

ok, foodstuff: I have been experimenting with my pressure cooker a lot lately. The last pic is potato leek soup that I made in about 15 minutes. yeah, you read that right. I can't believe it took me this long to get one. i love it. for someone who doesn't have a lot of time, it has been a lifesaver. you'd have to pry it out of my dead lifeless hands. for the soups I have made the method has been pretty much the same. saute aromatics and seasoning, add veggies, liquid, whatever, and then cover, lock, bring to pressure (there's a little knob that pops up), and then cook for about 10 minutes. ridiculous. I haven't cooked meat with it yet, but I'm sure that it will happen soon.

you didn't think i forgot about the giveaway did you???? well, of course I didn't...not entirely. like I said, super bizz at work and then took a little vacation, and also have been doing a three week experiment on cold brew coffee, but that's another post entirely. anyway, the winner of the giveaway is...Martha!! Marth and I used to be partners in baking crime. she has been at the bakery for a long time and has since gone on to bake at the omaha location. it's your lucky day.

use them well.

for those of you non-winners, an even bigger giveaway is still in the works, stay tuned.

also, I apologize for the lack of bloggage lately. like I said, I have been working on a guest post for a different site that I want to be really concise. hope to be back to norm soon.

DISH recommends: taking a minication!!! go somewhere, anywhere!! take a plane, take a car, doggone it man, take a bus if you must, just get out of your home city for a few days. sometimes a break is all you need to get things back in order and focus. plus, you can take 3 or 4 of these a year instead of 1 long trip. bonussssss.......

I know you came here for the equinox, but how about a giveaway instead?!?!?

My ladyfriend had asked me the other day if I was excited that autumn was here. I thought about it for a minute and then replied that I wasn't any more excited than I would be for the other seasons because I kind of like them all. I was momentarily happy with my zen-like answer (even if it did turn out to be a bald-faced lie). As much fun as it is to see your neighborhood covered in a frosty blanket, and to then see that blanket turn into all sorts of flora/fauna, and then to bask in all it's glory with icy cold drinks and bathing suits, it all pales in comparison to the season when everything dies, we dress up like monsters, eat lots of candy, and wear sweatshirts (Kirstie Alley, I'm talking to you baby!...or wait, maybe I'm talking about you...). I mean come on people, it's not even close!!! I'm sorry I ever doubted you autumn...

Anyway, the dishes up top are of the heartier fare, one is a ground beef/pork ragu that was slow simmered on the stovetop with some onion, celery, and spices. pretty amazing flavor for minimal ingredients. I was inspired ( I tried to make a "Dario's" version) to make it from this book I read. check it out, was a really great read. Other pic is some chuck roast and carrots braised in wine and stock, blah, blah, blah. let's get down to business here: GIVEAWAY. Yep. I am giving away a set of 8 and 10 inch skillets made by cuisinart. they are stainless steel and built like a team of tanks. can go from stovetop to oven and all that jazz. they treated me well and will last forever if you take care of them. I have recently upgraded and thought they would make a nice giveaway. So how do you enter? just leave a comment saying that you want to be entered into the giveaway. it's that simple. I will accept entries for two weeks (so sign up by Oct. 12!) and then post the winner when I return from a much needed jaunt out west. lavish praises, becoming a follower, and nonsensical flattery don't necessarily increase your odds of winning (notice how I said necessarily...). so, sign up, win some pans, make some treats, and put on a sweatshirt, it's autumn after all.

DISH recommends: lavish praises, becoming a follower, and nonsensical flattery. I mean, if there's one thing that can increase your chances in this whole giveaway nonsense, this has GOT to be it! I wish I was kidding...snarks.

startin' the mornin' off right...

if there's one thing that is really important to me, it's breakfast. If there's one thing that I absolutely do not have time for during the week, it's breakfast. You see, when you have to get up around midnight and crawl into work, you tend to maximize the amount of time that you can stay in bed. I basically hit the alarm clock off, throw on some clothes, brush my teeth, and then head out. not leaving a whole lot of time to fill my body with nutrients. That's where my love affair with granola bars began. granola bars definitely fit the bill for a fast breakfast. however, most of them are fluff or far from anything resembling tastiness. I used to eat peanut butter cliff bars, but when you down five a week, they start to get expensive. A while back, I had made a batch of g-bars from a martha stewart recipe. In theory, they sounded great because there was no refined sugar or preservatives or anything of the sort, but in actuality, they sort of came up short for me. I think that I didn't like the whole tropical dried fruit nonsense or something, not my style. the one thing I did really like (and steal for this recipe) was the fact that instead of sugar, this recipe used simmered, pureed dates. they act as your binding agent and hold everything together, also adding another, earthily sweet dimension to this bar, something I can totally get into...

yeah, it seems like there are a lot of ingredients to this, but just hang in there and try it at least once. they are all something you can get at a grocery that sells bulk ingredients ( I picked all of my stuff up at super saver on 48th, with the exception of the local honey, found at open harvest). At first it may seem like a lot to buy, but if you make this once, it won't be a waste, because it will definitely get reruns...

wunderBARS:

you're going to need: a food processor/chopper, biggest sheet pan you have, big mixing bowl,

and your mitts...

start with:

turn oven to 350F

2 cups pitted dates--put these in a saucepan and cover with water. simmer without a lid for around five minutes, or however long it takes to assemble the rest of the stuff

3 cups old fashioned oats, finely ground in a food processor

2 cups walnuts, coarsely ground in a food processor

1 cup almonds, coarsely ground in a food processor

2-2.5 cups dried fruits of your choice (lately I have been doing dried cranberries and dried currants, but you can use whatever you like. Raisins are good in here, but so are cherries, blueberries, etc)

4 tbs oat bran

6 tbs ground flax seed

4 tbs wheat germ

1 tsp coarse salt

6 tbs local honey (make sure to get local if possible, it fights off allergies/asthma. etc, honey that is foreign to the region doesn't do this)

1 tsp cinnamon (optional, I stopped adding this, as i found it unnecessary, but you can decide for yourself.

ok, here's the do:

combine ground oats, ground nuts, the dried fruit(s), oat bran, ground flax seed, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon (if using) in a big mixing bowl, give it a little mix. drain the dates, leaving a couple of tablespoons of water in the pot, and pour this into the food processor. add the honey and puree everything until smooth. go wash your hands. do it. they may seem clean, but just do it anyway. clean? ok, now pour the date mixture over the rest of the ingredients and use your hands to mix everything up uniformly. it's sticky, but that's ok, you have to do it this way or it just won't get fully mixed. the dry ingredients should look moist and it should be slightly tacky to the touch. spray your big sheet pan with cooking spray and transfer the mixture to the pan. don't worry if it doesn't extend to the end of the pan just try and get a uniform rectangle going with about a 1-inch thickness. pop into oven for around 30 minutes. bars will be done when edges start to darken and middle is set. now, if you happen to have a vacuum sealer, let these cool and make individual packages for your breakfast for the next two weeks. if not, I'm sure they will last quite a while in just plastic wrap.

non-foodstuffs: we recently adopted a 9 year old english setter. who has kennel cough. who has proceeded to give kennel cough to gus. I miss sleeping.

DISH recommends:Fagor 6 qt duo pressure cooker. I made a curry in 4 minutes the other day people. FOUR minutes!! I almost cried. I am loving this thing. get one. it will change your life...or at the very least, dinnertime.

"that roma's hot, for sure, but I've got my mind set on "fleur"

If you thought about your vegetable garden like it was a high school, then cauliflower would be the timid, shy girl that is actually quite fetching, if only someone would give her the time of day. Not like that showboat, "sweet corn", his silky hair, and towering height, the envy of all the class. or what about that tramp, "tomato", those wicked curves and blushed skin, always saying, "go ahead, give me a little squeeze, I don't mind ;) " and btw, she's been paired up with just about every vegetable possible (girlfriend gets around...)

and then, there's cauliflower...I mean, it looks like a friggin brain, people. who wants to eat a brain (ok, let me rephrase that, who wants to eat a brain when it's not tucked inside some delicious ravioli or made from jello...cause I would eat either of those things)?!? If it weren't for a little ingenuity and a little makeover, we might never tap into the potential that lies within this smart little vegetable.

Cauliflower on it's own and uncooked is, let's be honest, less than stellar. it has a nice crunch, but I imagine that locusts and crickets do also. it's very pale. it needs a tan. and a spicy outfit. we get this by a trip in the saute pan with some olive oil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and some chili flakes. now it's ready to party. throw on some grated parmesan if you want to hit a home run (leave it off if you just want to make it to 2nd base:)

crispy sautéed cauliflower

(I like to cut my pieces vertically into sections about 1/2 inch thick. this way, one individual section is a single serving. also because it looks, like, totally awesome. also also, I really like this method because the cauliflower gets all golden and crispy on the outside, almost as if it were dredged in flour and deep fried.)

1 head cauliflower, cut vertically, into 1/2 inch slices (see pic)

olive oil

coarse sea salt, peps

chili flakes

grated parmesan

lemon wedge (optional. i squeezed this over mine at the end. was delicious, forgot it for the pic)

heat a few glugs of olive oil in a saute pan over med heat until shimmering. add cauliflower and let cook until golden brown (approx 5-6 mins), turn (carefully, she's sensitive) and repeat. season browned side with salt, peps, and chili flakes. check for doneness by piercing stem with a pairing knife, should be tender, but not mush, set on platter, newly-browned side up and season again. grate cheese over, give a squeeze of lemon and enjoy. I like this paired with lots of things. It's also good alone. it's also good if you are with somebody...

ps. I suppose you could do this in the oven. I suppose...

DISH recommends: All clad saute pan. I use this all the time. it has fast become a workhorse in my new kitch. kind of pricey, but will last forever.

I know that, somebody's frying...

sometimes the simplest things can end up being the most difficult. like riding a bike (yeah... I had that faceplant out in wilderness last week, then, mames decided to one-up me and ate pavement coming back from the farmer's market and ended up breaking her wrist:(. kind of a bad week), or using a coaster (I may never get that down), and even frying an egg (or in this case, explaining how to properly fry an egg:). yeah, you read that right. It's not that the act of frying an egg is difficult. you've probably done it dozens of times, maybe even hundreds. I may even have entered into thousands territory as I use to be a brunch cook, but until the other day, I'd never fried one properly. you see, the problem with frying eggs is getting the yolk (which should always be over easy:) and the white (firm, yet silky, with a crispy outer edge) perfectly done at the same time. to do this, you need to cook the egg at a low temp, which allows for the whites to firm up, but remain soft and not get rubbery, which happens with the introduction of high heat, but you also have to mind that creamy orange-gold orb of goodness on top, and make sure not to overcook the yolk, but you need to apply some heat without totally killing it. whew!, sounds like a lot to deal with? yeah, I know. that's why I made a video. clicksters.

DISH recommends: iPhone4. mames filmed this vid with my new phone. i love it. I'm sure someone will tell me there are better phones out there and bigger screens, and a million other reasons I should have bought a droid, but guess what? iDon'tcare. does that make me an elitist? probably. tell me something I don't know...

ps: youtube version here.

wild turkey wipeout

(video is kinda crappy, "blair witch" style, sorry, for better quality, click here)

It seems that most times, the funniest things that happen to me, happen when I am alone. This was yesterday in wilderness park. Was trying to get some good footage (which means one- handed riding, no helmet cam yet) to recruit some of my non-riding friends to get bikes and got a mouth full of single track instead. I work weird hours so its hard to find peeps to go with, but if anyone out there is down for hitting up wilderness (or platte, mopac, branched oak, whatever) sometime, let me know. the wolfpack needs to grow...at least by one, right now I'm sort of just one wolf...one wolf who has perfected the dive roll. almost forgot--I saw some turkeys out there too!

Mastering Pommes Frites...or...Les Halles fare (in love and cooking)

If you've ever tried to make some decent fries at home, I'll bet they most likely sucked. now hold on there, you might be appalled and might be cursing my name in defense of your flabby, greasy tuber sticks, but the truth is the truth. hey, I'm just as guilty as the aforementioned crime against potatodom. until yesterday, that is. I had made fries before and they were nothing spectacular. you use a lot of oil and there's all the clean up and, blah, blah, blah. you get it, I know.

A couple of weeks ago, mames surprised me with anthony bourdain's Les Halles cookbook. I had borrowed this from a friend before and while it was full of good recipes, I remembered that few of them looked like things I could make with the resources we have here ( where do I find wild boar, rabbit, foie gras, etc). apparently,at the time, I didn't see the recipe for fries, because once I laid eyes on it, I knew I would have my glory day in the hot sun with this process.

you can't really stray from this recipe and get the same results. Do you have to use peanut oil? YES! that much of it? YES!! do you really need a candy thermometer to get accurate temps? ummm....I feel like you guys get the point by now, but, YES! also, you must use russets, try to get really long ones (I used "baking" potatoes). I used 1 quart plus 1 pint of peanut oil in a 3.5 quart pot. and had to do the recipe in 3 batches.

one last thing: These are the best thing ever. crispy, not greasy at all, tender and fluffy inside, you get it, I know. make them. and invite some friends over. would be great with a nice aioli, or serve with a steak for steak frites. enjoy.

french fries, pommes frites, or whatever you want to call them: (adapted from les halles cookbook) (probably should of served four...)

3 russet potatoes, (big long ones)

1 quart plus one pint peanut oil

salt

parsley chiffonade (its for pretty)

could also season with: cajun seasoning, or a combo of parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic (have had this before and loved it)

peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch sticks. don't go too skinny, mames and i decided that the 1/2 inch ones were perfection. put them into a bowl of iced water to prevent oxidation, and leave for about 30 minutes, rinse well to get rid of starch.

put your oil into your pot and heat it up to 280F (see, that thermometer is handy right about now). what we are essentially doing here is blanching the fries first. cook the fries in batches for about 6-8 minutes. their color should be a semitranslucent white, not browning yet. remove with a skimmer and drain on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. let rest about 15 minutes.

now we are ready to fry! bring the oil up to 375F and fry the potatoes in the same sized batches for 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden brown. remove from oil with the skimmer and place fries in a large bowl, lined with paper towels (or just a clean, dry towel you don't mind washing later) sprinkle with salt (i just used plain, old kosher salt, but you could get all fancy pants and use whatever you want) and then whip out the towel, toss the fries a bit to incorporate seasoning and serve hot.

even though i did these in batches, the first batch was just as good as the last, even with the wait-time. they don't take a long time to fry after the blanching so you definitely have time to finish the process before you devour them, if you want to wait that long:) Also, after i was done, I let my oil completely cool and just funneled it back into the original bottle, ready to use for next time. thriftster...

DISH recommends:Les Halles cookbook. certainly hit a homer with that fry recipe. And I have tried the coquilles st. jacques recipe and it was equally good. check it out.

too much of a good thing is never enough???

right now I should probably be sleeping. I should be covers-to-chin in sleepsville, but I can't stop thinking about lasagna. now, for me, this is quite a shocker. I'm not what you would call a huge fan, especially not when it comes to meat versions. I have been known to make some veggie lasagnas in the past, and while they were good, it's not something I found myself thinking about the next day. The problem I have with this classic dish is that it is (99% of the time) just so dang heavy. It's usually made up of a pound of meat, a pound of cheese, oodles of noodles (wait, why don't I usually like this?), and sadly, it's just not that good. I have to credit a jamie oliver recipe for changing my mind on this one. Somehow, he managed to cram all things good in the world of lasagnadom into this dish, yet still manage to make it seem not overly cheese-laden, and really well balanced. I adapted a little bit for what I had on hand. I also did this in two stages, making the sauce earlier in the day and then when I was done with my nap, I assembled the final dish.

This would be a great weekend dinner to break bread over (bread from LeQuartier, that is!), or you could assemble ahead of time and refrigerate (or freeze) for later.

Lasagna Bolognaise (adapted from j-ol)

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, small dice

drizzles olive oil

1 red chile, de-seeded, de-veined, small dice

handful of fresh basil (stems and leaves separated), leaves picked and stems minced

2 14 0z cans tomatoes

2 tbs tomato paste

healthy splash(s) of vermouth (optional...as in you have the option to leave this out if you want your final product to be lacking the sweet kiss of an apertif:)

salt and pepper

2 tsps dried oregano

lasagna noodles (I used 1 box of the flat, barilla brand)

1.5 cups ricotta cheese

.5 cups sour cream

2 oz. grated parmesan.

tomato slices

for sauce bolognaise (can be made ahead of time and frizzled, or even freezled. also, would be great over your favorite pasta)

heat a saute pan with olive oil over med. heat, when oil shimmers, add onion, bell pepper, garlic, red chile, basil stems and saute until just starting to get some color. season with a little salt,pepper, and oregano and then add your meat (you could just use beef or pork, but I thought the combo was a really good...combo) and saute until almost cooked through, stirring frequently. add some serious splashes of vermouth and scrape up the yum yums from the bottom of the pan, now, add your tomatoes, tom. paste, half of your basil leaves (you can cut/chiff them if you want, or just leave them whole)and fill up one of the cans with water and add that too. and now we reduce. You want this to end up like a thick pasta sauce. if you don't reduce enough, you'll get a watery lasagna, and no one, I mean NO ONE, likes a watery lasagna. once it is to your liking, let cool and either assemble, or store for later.

assemblage: get a pot of salted water boiling and add the lasagna noodles, just for a couple of minutes to slightly soften them, drain, and drizzle with olive oil to prevent them sticking together. grate your cheese, set aside, and then combine the ricotta and sour cream. I used a 9x13 pan for this and actually ended up a little short on the sauce, so I think it was originally meant for a smaller dish, so keep in mind that you need to either make more bolognaise, or you'll have to improvise, yay! if you use the pan I did, here's what you do: ad about half your sauce into the bottom of the pan, don't be scared. then add a layer of noodles (I did 4 overlapping each other). now, add your ricotta mixture(try to use 1/3) and spread to cover said noodles, sprinkle 1/3 of your parm over the ricotta and then add another layer of noodles. add the rest of your meat sauce, a layer of noodles, a second layer of the ricotta mix, and another sprinkle of parm. one more layer of noodles, then add the rest of the ricotta mixture. now lay some thin slices of tomato across the top and tear some basil leaves and scatter them over the tomatoes like your the business (because, honestly...you kind of are. seriously peeps, you just made a lasagna people are going to gossip about...hard). sprinkle with the rest of parm, cover with foil. you can now either bake (375 for 20 minutes, uncover and then bake for an additional 35 minutes until golden and bubbling (the lasagna, not your ego).

ps. if you be freezing this, let it come to temp before you bake it, you could ruin your pan, and the dinner inside it:(

DISH recommends: jamie olivers food revolution. gets used a lot around these parts...

mine's Orbit peppermint...

I am by and large an autumn person. I'm usually all about the fall months, but right now, I'm definitely having a summah... What has brought about this mysterious change you ask? I'm not too sure myself, but I think it may have something to do with nectarines. I realize this entry is completely void of any nectarinesque photos/desserts/sauces, etc., but that's because, well...I usually eat them before I can make anything out of them. I used to be a little up in the air about fruit. I like fruit and all but I've never had a favorite...until yesterday. I had washed a nectarine and took my first bite, and it was pretty much one of the best things I've ever had. So juicy that I had to stand over the sink. I felt (and looked) like a hyena devouring a zebra. I felt like all fruit should be eaten this way...in private, without any onlookers to detract from the annihilation. When it was gone, I actually sucked on the pit for a while as to extract any remaining goodness. I can foresee this being a problem, like I am going to have a real problem when the season is over.

Another sign of summer for us has been eating a lot more vegetarian dishes (with the exception of that big, beautiful t-bone, there). With produce in such great supply right now, it's so easy to make great food (the veggies do all of the work for you). Pics up above are Thai-style stir fried veggies (super easy, just stir fry chosen veg in oil and then add some oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, hoisin, and a little stock until it thickens up a bit.) next pic is a t-bone with grilled potato chips and braised collards. Also made some awesome yellow curry that we threw some leftover chicken in (this is a great way to use up leftover grilled or roasted meats). The last dish is one that I promised I would post and that I can't quite get enough of. In it's simplest form, it is just a roasted potato and bean tostada, but one bite will have you thinking it's anything but simple. there are a lot of flavors going on here that just seem to work really well together. now, if you don't constantly have a summer supply of homemade pico de gallo and guacamole on hand, this may take you a little longer, but never fear, I have recipes for both. For the guacamole, just see the last post and watch the vid...easy.

the pico is just about as easy and can probably be made in the time it takes to watch how to make the guacamole.

pico de gallo

2 nice sized tomatoes, diced (4-5 if using romas)

1/2 -1 onion, diced small

1-2 jalps (i cut mine into quarters and de-seed most of them, leaving one or two quarters seeded, and dice super small. /i reserve the seeds and membranes and then add them in to taste, later.

juice of 1 lime

handful cilantro, minced

salt to taste

combine all of this stuff in a bowl and mix thoroughly. now, this is basically just a guideline, I probably make this a little bit different every time, so just taste it and tweak it however you like. I like to eat this with corn chips (obviously), but is a great topper for grilled meats, and any mexican foods.

the potatoes: this is easy, see the tates in the pic up above? you want to cut them into that size, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and just lay out on a pan and roast them at 400F until they are tender and start to turn golden brown. set aside...you can eat one though, just to check...I said one, not a quarter of the pan (this is a note to myself...have no self control with potatoes...in any form)

ok, onto the other stuff:

Roasted potato and bean tostadas: (this is from memory, so might need a little tweaking:)

you will need:

olive oil (drizzles and glugs)

1 large onion, small dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, small dice (can de-seed/de-vein, if desired)

2 poblano (pasilla) peppers, diced, could use green/red bells if you like, I prefer the poblano for the flavor it gives

large handful minced cilantro

3 tomatillos, diced

2 potatoes thinly sliced and roasted (see above for details)

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can pinto beans, rinsed

2 cans (8 0z.) tom. sauce

2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chile powder

1 tsp. cumin seed

tostada shells

(it is a good idea to heat up your oven while you are prepping all of the ingredients so you can have your potatoes roasting and finished by the time everything else is ready. also, when the potatoes are done, it would be a good time to toast your tostada shells (in oven at same temp, I'd even use the same pan as the potatoes, just make sure you have taken the potatoes off the pan:), they only take a few minutes, set a timer or you will forget, at least, i always do:)

start roasting your potatoes.

in a large saute pan over med-high heat, saute the onion, garlic, and peppers in olive oil until just getting some color, about 5 mins. add the cilantro, tomatillos, and spices (including a good pinch of salt and pepper) and saute for a couple minutes more. add the tomato sauce and fill both empty cans with water. pour one of the cans in, and reserve the other. stir until the mixture starts to thicken, then add the drained/rinsed beans. turn your heat down a little and let the mixture thicken again, add the rest of the water, stir and let thicken one last time (seems like a lot of reducing/thickening, but I do this because when you reduce/thicken things, the flavors get really concentrated, leading to a better end-product.) you want the beans to be pretty thick so they stay on the tostada. turn to low/warm. now it's time to assemble. I usually do a layer of potatoes, then the bean mixture, some guacamole, then pico, and sometimes i will add some cheese (usually feta or cotija) and finish with some minced cilantro. this recipe serves quite a few hungrys.

recommended garnishes are guac, pico, cilantro, crumbly cheese, or any other salsas you might like. this recipe leaves itself wide open for interpretation, so have fun with it and play around until you find your perfect summah combo!

ps:I realize there is corn in the tostada pic up above. if you want to add some to the mix, I just used one ear's worth, and added it when I added the beans.

DISH recommends: a Molcajete. yeah, you can make guacamole using something else, but I warn you, it pales in comparison. something about that lava rock...this is the cheapest one I could find on amazon. unless you live in lincoln...and want to take on the task of seasoning your own. If so, go to la Mexicana, 15 bucks, but I don't recommend it, it's worth the extra money just to get already seasoned (speaking from experience:)

I was introduced to smut at an early age...or...guacamole en molcajete!!

Well, it's officially summertime. The weather is getting warmer, the rain is seeming to dissipate, and it won't be long until we are able to get some really fresh produce. I have a tiny garden this year. I planted some tomatoes and a jalapeno plant. you see, every time I try to go big and have a huge garden, I end up failing to keep up with it. I'm more of a do-er than a maintain-er. So, this year I thought I would plant a small amount that I could manage, and so far things are looking pretty good. I love making pico de gallo, so I thought that having tomates and jalps would be a good thing. another thing I will be using these for is guacamole en molcajete. (click below for vid!) It's very simple to make and really fresh and versatile.

I also have a video up on you tube if you'd rather see it there. Other food pics are sticky chicken thighs with chickpeas, tomatoes, and bacon, and a little tuna and potato salad with sugar peas. The chicken dish was sort of an improv of a jamie oliver recipe called "pot roast meatloaf", but I obviously switched out the ground beef for chicken.

other stuff:

summer also has had me thinking about food memories. for example: corn day. Two words that can strike fear into the heart of any nebraska kid. You see, corn day involved waking up super early and picking 47 truckloads (ok, perhaps my number has been a bit skewed by nostalgia) and then bringing it back to your grandma's house to shuck ear after ear while the grown-ups sit inside and laugh at the toil that overcomes your soul (I later learned that they were blanching, cutting, and bagging the corn to be frozen. The worst part about corn day was smut. No, we didn't have a secret stash of nudies to browse, I'm talking about the straight-up funk that lives under the husk of some unlucky ears of corn. It stinks, is usually covered in bugs and was usually wiped on some part of me by my brothers. I hear it's a delicacy in some countries, probably the same ones who eat donkey wieners and boar buttholes. there was an upside to corn day, however, and that was, well, obviously the abundance of corn that would later grace our tables throughout the year. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and tuesdays were all incomplete without this sweet golden staple. Since it is just mames and I, corn day has kind of fallen by the wayside, but I know it still goes on strong. perhaps I will revive the tradition when I have kids of my own who can learn the value of the sweet sting of sweat from a hard days work...

do you guys have fond/unfond(?) food memories? let me know in the comments secth. pieces

dish

DISH recommends:Lodge cast iron 10.5 inch griddle. I use this thing almost every day. It's great for everything from frying eggs and searing meats, to roasting potatoes (I like to slice the tates thin and fan them out in a galette, like this. seasoned with a little salt and peps and olive oil and roasted at 400, they're hard to beat. $22.95, but I picked mine up at the teej for way less. also, they still have those sweet wusthof ikons I posted about, and they have added a couple of santokus to the mix. check it...

also recommended:flip video camera. Mames got one of these free at neocon and I have been playing around with it. used it to record the guac vid and is pretty handy. the youtube link is a better quality...don't know the price as we got it for free, but loves it...

booyah alert!!!!!...or are you seriously serious?!?/ take that omaha...

This is the face of mames commanding you to check out her blog (which is actually very informative, concise, and helpful to boot!)for info on bicycle awesomeness (should be cool, plus free quesadillas!)

this is also the face of mames telling me not to pick up (and telling you to pick up!) the super sweet white wusthof ikon chef's knives and slicing knives that are on clearance at tjmaxx right now in lincoln (69.00 clams for the 9" chefs, and only 49 for the slicer!!!!!). I thought about it, but c'mon, can you see how serious she is? they are back in the clearance section. thank me lates alligates...

And the Winner Is...

ok, before we get to that part...I just wanted to post a pic of gus eating ice cream. notice the crazy eye. anyway...The winner of the drawing was Nell! Congrats. I was thinking that since I have to approve comments before I post them, that you could give me your address in a comment and I just won't post it and will mail the pan promptly. I'll give you a week or so to contact me. If I haven't heard from you in a week, I'll draw again.

ok, otherstuffs: Made some mole before I went to chicago and it turned out really well. I think that a lot of people just assume that mole has to be eaten with meat, but we had ours with some roasted sweet potatoes and it was glorious. other pic is a stir fry with beef and green veg with oyster sauce. I have been loving using the wok on the gas stove. It gets so hot and is a great addition to the kitch. The little box of sweets you see is from an indian shop called sukhadia. they were amazing, and I had to use all of my self control not to go overboard. some of them were like a shortbread that took crumbly to a whole new level (but in a good way).

was in chicago last week. followed mames there on a business trip. I had some spare time to myself and enjoyed walking around and watching all the peeps. spent a day with sister erin, had my first chicagodog (was a big fan, which was surprising because I always thought they were out of control with the toppings), mames won a free flip camera (expect some video footage soon!), and ate a 25 dollar sandwich. also went to the art institute (which further cemented my dislike for modern art) and goofed around in the old stock exchange. I had a pretty busy time there and felt like I saw a lot of the city. the glorious fountain photo (this one shot by mames) you see there was from my "glorious fountains of chicago photo series:)" It's gonna be big...

also, went to an amazing kitchen supply store there. they had a lot of awesome hard to find knife makers and lots of cool kitchen stuff. picked up a new steel for my knives. I bought the mac black ceramic steel that has had the interwebs abuzz. I love it. With just a few passes on this baby my knives were back to razor condition.

also also, went to IKEA and bought hardware and lighting stuff. getting close on the kitchen. countertops and a sink in three weeks. Cabinets are all in now. hope to be back in full kitchen awesomeness by august.

DISH recommends: Black ceramic steel mentioned above. I can't stress enough how awesome this thing is. I would definitely categorize it into the must have column if you are serious about cutlery.