Had been thinking about since Cochon 555.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Rabbit Terrine
Bought it at the Belmont Butchery. It is perfect for a quiet lunch with some crackers.
Had been thinking about since Cochon 555.
Had been thinking about since Cochon 555.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Rabbit fricassee
For dinner yesterday I made a fricassee of rabbit, in which I also mixed in some chicken (as I didn't have as much rabbit as I thought.)
I started by browning the chicken and rabbit in the same pot I planned on cooking them in. then removed them.
I then rendered some lardo (which added a ton of flavor and a good deal of salt so the dish really didn't need any extra.) and two tablespoons of flour to make a roux.
I cooked it on low heat till it was good and brown. I returned the chicken and rabbit to the pan and added some store bought sofrito, (which is basically onions, garlic, pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano salt and pepper, so you can make your own but this stuff is pretty good.)
and I added a tablespoon of tahini on a whim for a thicker more interesting sauce
I added white wine almost to cover and a tablespoon of capers, and a handfull of small carrots. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for an hour. I added two pinches of sugar as I thought it was a bit on the acid side.
I pan fried some polenta slices (I bought one of those premade polenta logs from the grocery store... still haven't bought corn meal)
and served it.
The rabbit was great and the sauce was rich and thick which worked great with the polenta. I think the tahini as a thickening agent did a nice job adding depth of flavor to the roux.
I started by browning the chicken and rabbit in the same pot I planned on cooking them in. then removed them.
I then rendered some lardo (which added a ton of flavor and a good deal of salt so the dish really didn't need any extra.) and two tablespoons of flour to make a roux.
I cooked it on low heat till it was good and brown. I returned the chicken and rabbit to the pan and added some store bought sofrito, (which is basically onions, garlic, pepper, cilantro, parsley, oregano salt and pepper, so you can make your own but this stuff is pretty good.)
and I added a tablespoon of tahini on a whim for a thicker more interesting sauce
I added white wine almost to cover and a tablespoon of capers, and a handfull of small carrots. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for an hour. I added two pinches of sugar as I thought it was a bit on the acid side.
I pan fried some polenta slices (I bought one of those premade polenta logs from the grocery store... still haven't bought corn meal)
and served it.
The rabbit was great and the sauce was rich and thick which worked great with the polenta. I think the tahini as a thickening agent did a nice job adding depth of flavor to the roux.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Pupusa, failed gordita
I wanted to make something different as a side dish for dinner, and initially was leaning towards polenta but upon inspecting my flours, the yellow bag I thought was cornmeal was actually bread flour. Fortunately I also had a sack of Maseca or Masa Flour, so I thought I might make some stuffed fried tortillas. A quick aside, the basics of this dish permeate Latin America with slight variations in both recipe and name (Arepas, pupusa, gordita, etc) I don't mean to slight any cultural preference of these, but this is how mine turned out.
I followed the package instructions on making a tortilla dough, probably my first mistake, I should have gone back to the great recipe compendium and food blog Sazon Boricua for her recipe, which uses quite a bit more water than the one I used.
I used 2 cups of water to 2 cups of masa and my dough was pretty crumbly (Jeannette uses 3 cups of water), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon dried and ground Aji Panca a peruvian spicy pepper, with a great woody earthy taste.
I managed to form a ball with the dough and flatten it in my hand to the size of my palm, I then scooped a tablespoon of salsa with some cheese mixed in. I then wrapped the masa around the filling into a ball again.
I then put them in a hot pan with olive oil and flattened them with the spatula down to about a centimeter in width. I oiled the spatula after the first one came right back out with the spatula, that worked better.
I pan fried them till they were good and brown I scoope a small bit of salsa and cheese over top and put them all in the oven at 300 deg for two reasons, I wasn't done cooking the rest of the meal (turkey breast) and the other reason is that I was afraid that the inside would be undercooked. So they sat in the oven for about 12-15 min.
When they came out they looked like this
They had a nice roast corn smell, they were cooked through and had a very nice afterburn of heat. (I had been tempted to add more of the chili powder but I'm glad I didn't)
What could have been better?
Well for one they didn't rise at all. In San Antonio the gorditas get fat and plump then they are split and stuffed (If you look at the last picture the failed gordita at the top is pretty flat)
Second is my filling was fairly weak in flavor, this really required a more saucy type filling, such as a carne asada stew, green chili pulled pork or similar filling to compete with the corn
I will definitely try again though, lots to be learned here.
I followed the package instructions on making a tortilla dough, probably my first mistake, I should have gone back to the great recipe compendium and food blog Sazon Boricua for her recipe, which uses quite a bit more water than the one I used.
I used 2 cups of water to 2 cups of masa and my dough was pretty crumbly (Jeannette uses 3 cups of water), 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon dried and ground Aji Panca a peruvian spicy pepper, with a great woody earthy taste.
I managed to form a ball with the dough and flatten it in my hand to the size of my palm, I then scooped a tablespoon of salsa with some cheese mixed in. I then wrapped the masa around the filling into a ball again.
I then put them in a hot pan with olive oil and flattened them with the spatula down to about a centimeter in width. I oiled the spatula after the first one came right back out with the spatula, that worked better.
I pan fried them till they were good and brown I scoope a small bit of salsa and cheese over top and put them all in the oven at 300 deg for two reasons, I wasn't done cooking the rest of the meal (turkey breast) and the other reason is that I was afraid that the inside would be undercooked. So they sat in the oven for about 12-15 min.
When they came out they looked like this
They had a nice roast corn smell, they were cooked through and had a very nice afterburn of heat. (I had been tempted to add more of the chili powder but I'm glad I didn't)
What could have been better?
Well for one they didn't rise at all. In San Antonio the gorditas get fat and plump then they are split and stuffed (If you look at the last picture the failed gordita at the top is pretty flat)
Second is my filling was fairly weak in flavor, this really required a more saucy type filling, such as a carne asada stew, green chili pulled pork or similar filling to compete with the corn
I will definitely try again though, lots to be learned here.
Chocolate Shell in Milk Experiment
The boy will not stand for the lack of chocolate milk.
Chocolate shell experiment from Eugenio Monasterio on Vimeo.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Cochon555 Washington DC 2010
In retrospect, I'm not sure where I heard of Cochon555 first. But I knew I wanted to be involved, contribute and try the many wines and dishes to be prepared in part to preserve heritage breeds of pork.
I signed up for the VIP version with access to the vip lounge for 2 hrs prior
It was not uncomfortably crowded with a very varied group of people, some clearly restaurant people, vendors, but also some people with cameras and some with dates.
In the VIP area we had a great selection of wine and appetizers. Steak Tartare
oysters from the choptank oyster house
Awesome cheeses from the Cowgirl creamery
and what I thought was the best spread by Richmond's own Belmont Butchery. They had great pate and terrines, which by far where the best to this point, and would have competed for sure with the final meal.
I did not get pictures of all the dishes but here goes some of presentation and finished dishes
towards the end of dinner they had a butcher demonstaration with a red wattel pig
the entire beast was butchered and raffled, unfortunately I didn't win any.
stuffed head, notice the wattle
I was hoping for some of this monster chop
the night ended with bacon again provided by the belmont butchery
and then a whole roasted hog
I had a great time, tasted some great dishes and wines. The list is below
Chefs
Joe Palma
Westend Bistro
Daniel Singhofen
Eola
Nicholas Stefanelli
Bibiana
David Varley
Bourbon Steak
RJ Cooper
Vidalia
The Butcher demonstration
Ryan Farr
4504 Meats
Wines
Conn Valley Vineyards
Donkey and Goat Winery (my favorite)
Twomey Cellars
Chehalem Winery
Domaine Drouhin Oregon
Beer
Heavy Seas Beer (also my favorite)
Again a very fun night and filling night. Check it out in the future!
I signed up for the VIP version with access to the vip lounge for 2 hrs prior
It was not uncomfortably crowded with a very varied group of people, some clearly restaurant people, vendors, but also some people with cameras and some with dates.
In the VIP area we had a great selection of wine and appetizers. Steak Tartare
oysters from the choptank oyster house
Awesome cheeses from the Cowgirl creamery
and what I thought was the best spread by Richmond's own Belmont Butchery. They had great pate and terrines, which by far where the best to this point, and would have competed for sure with the final meal.
I did not get pictures of all the dishes but here goes some of presentation and finished dishes
towards the end of dinner they had a butcher demonstaration with a red wattel pig
the entire beast was butchered and raffled, unfortunately I didn't win any.
stuffed head, notice the wattle
I was hoping for some of this monster chop
the night ended with bacon again provided by the belmont butchery
and then a whole roasted hog
I had a great time, tasted some great dishes and wines. The list is below
Chefs
Joe Palma
Westend Bistro
Daniel Singhofen
Eola
Nicholas Stefanelli
Bibiana
David Varley
Bourbon Steak
RJ Cooper
Vidalia
The Butcher demonstration
Ryan Farr
4504 Meats
Wines
Conn Valley Vineyards
Donkey and Goat Winery (my favorite)
Twomey Cellars
Chehalem Winery
Domaine Drouhin Oregon
Beer
Heavy Seas Beer (also my favorite)
Again a very fun night and filling night. Check it out in the future!
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