Rooftop Gourmet

I judge a good burger by how many times I have to wipe the juice off of my elbows… among other things. I love experimenting with different ground meats, cheeses, toppings, condiments, and serving vessels. The possibilities are endless when it comes to burger building; which is a science in itself. I love caramelized onions because they show you how an ingredient can become something completely different with just a little heat and patience.

The strong, pungent raw onion releases its natural sugars very slowly and transforms into rich, sweet,  glob of melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Last night I took caramelized onions to a whole new level. Not only did I cook them in rendered bacon fat, I let them overcaramelize  for over an hour in my dutch oven. Once they were dark brown in color I added some red wine, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and black pepper. I let everything slowly reduce for another half hour until what was left in the pot was a sticky, sweet bacon-onion marmalade.

I had to hold my girlfriend back because she was a repeat offender of sneaking spoonfuls when I wasn’t looking. The underlying smoky bacon flavor combined with the sweet onions and tang of the balsamic reduction was just what I was looking for to spread atop my oversized beef patty.

I always choose a ground chuck or a ground beef that has at least 20% fat and season it liberally; in this case, I tossed in some finely minced garlic as well. The next step is the cheese and for me this is a huge decision because I am a cheese fanatic. If I was stranded on a deserted island I’d take a wheel of stinky Linburger over a gallon of water in a heartbeat. Because I spent so long in the kitchen creating this should-be-everyday condiment, I decided to let it shine and keep the cheese in the background.

 I picked a simple grated Gruyere because it’s an excellent melting cheese with tons of flavor. The final step is choosing the ensemble that will adorn and cradle the beef patty. I have always been a huge supporter of the sandwich-sized english muffin, but I came across some Italian ciabatta bread, still warm from the bakery. I buttered and toasted the sponge-like loaf which awaited the arrival of the bloody rare beef, ready to soak up all the flavor.

I topped the finished product with a tiny handful of baby arugula to add some freshness to this handful of heart attack. In order to get my jaws around the first bite, I needed to be wearing a poncho, because the juice ran down my chin and forearms until I didn’t care anymore. As soon as all of the flavors came together in that magical first bite, my physical appearance and hygiene were thrown out the window.

I paired the burgers with Harpoon Brewery’s 100 Barrel Series Island Creek Oyster Stout. I must say, when I heard about this beer, I was extremely skeptical even though I am a huge oyster fan. I love a nice pint of Guinness with some raw oysters more then the next guy, but I never thought I’d ever taste a beer that was brewed with the actual oysters in it!

 The roasted barley and chocolate rye malts give this brew a rich and smoky nose to it with just the slightest hint of brinyness. It has a gentle mouthfeel that isn’t too over bearing and finishes with strong minerality and a lingering flavor of burnt pumpernickel toast. I really enjoyed this pint with the burger because the roasted barley and the smoky-sweet marmalade were a perfect pair. If only my hands weren’t so messy I would have been able to get better grip on the pint glass.

When the meteorologists were predicting Snowmageddon, I was making plans for the first Iron Chef Dinner Party. Amidst all of the school and work cancellations, I sent out an email to seven friends who live within walking distance to kitchen stadium (my apartment) in case there really was a blizzard and they needed to trudge home. The email was explaining the rules of the dinner party that were based upon one of my favorite television shows, Iron Chef. The reason I love this show so much is because I love food and I’m a competition junkie.

 Every night when I cook, I compete with myself and I do NOT like to lose. I am extremely hard on myself when something doesn’t come out as I had planned, just ask my girlfriend. I didn’t want to single any one of my friends out and make them the challenger because that wouldn’t make for a fun night, so I structured the dinner party so that we would all be on the same team, competing against the food. I, the chairman, picked the secret main ingredient (the protein) that the entire meal was based upon, which the guests had no idea what it was until they walked in my door.

The other seven guests had one job, and that was to each bring one ingredient to the party. This ingredient could be a fruit, vegetable, herb, spice, nut, juice, syrup…anything you could imagine. It was left up to them to go out and decide whether they want to play it safe, or throw me a curve ball. I knew that they were all shopping on their own, but I was still a little nervous that I would have to make a dish with seven knobs of ginger.

 It’s really a crap shoot, and stirs up the anxiety, waiting in an empty kitchen with eight pieces of protein, not knowing what direction the meal is headed. Earlier in the day, after I sent out the email, I went over to Yankee Lobster and grabbed eight fresh pieces of salmon that were thick and firm. I wanted to choose a fish for the secret ingredient and I figured that salmon was the most versatile because it’s slightly heavier and can match well with a wide variety of ingredients and flavors. A light, flaky white fish wouldn’t stand a chance if someone brought me curry powder or anything strong. I was happy with the secret ingredient but still a little nervous because I had no idea what I was going to do with it; if someone brought me cheese, I was screwed.

 I went home to portion out the fish and get the other kitchen staples ready while I waited for the guests to arrive bearing gifts. Soon enough, they walked in one by one carrying their grocery bags and unveiled their mystery ingredients. When we had everything laid out on the counter top, we realized we had one really challenging task at hand. The ingredients that we had to work with were:

Secret Ingredient: Salmon

1) Leeks

2) Sesame Seeds

3) Black Beans

4) Shiitake Mushrooms

5) Pomegranate Juice

6) Plantains

7) Wonton Wrappers

I was adamant about not crowding the plate with loads of ingredients, so we decided on creating two dishes, which each couple would share. This worked out well because in my head, there were two completely different themes to all of these ingredients, one of them being Asian and the other one Caribbean. The plantains and the wonton wrappers threw me for a loop because I had never really worked with plantains and Wonton wrappers had everyone thinking about ravioli.

Plantains have a flavor similar to bananas but they are hard and starchy; that sweet banana flavor comes out through cooking them. After about fifteen minutes of endless conceptualizing, I left the think-tank and began prepping the ingredients, getting pans hot, and preheating the oven. I sprinkled the plantains with coarse sea salt and dried cumin and threw them into the oven to roast. We cleaned the leeks and got them into a pot to braise with butter and stock.

I diced up some shallots and started reducing the pomegranate juice on the back burner while searing some shiitakes on the front burner. The controlled chaos set in and ideas started to come together while cheese and wine was devoured in the background. We decided to julienne the wonton wrappers and flash fry them in some vegetable oil to make for a crispy topping for the salmon. The wrapper dough sizzles and curls as soon as it hits the hot oil. I dusted the crunchy wontons with some salt and dried ginger, and set them aside for plating.

 The food processor made an appearance after the plantains were soft and caramelized because we made a roasted plantain and black bean puree, laced with some cumin and lime juice. This was going to serve as the base for one of our salmon dishes. The other dish was going to be Asian inspired, with sesame salmon on top of braised leeks and shiitake mushrooms.

I seasoned the fish and began pan roasting them which became a problem because I only have four burners. Pots and pans were getting thrown all over the place, competing for flames and oven space.

We lined up the eight plates in a row and began the assembly period once the fish was almost finished. The teamwork kicked in, and the puree was being spread into ring molds, the mushrooms were seared, and the reduction was thickening; it was like I had sixteen hands. I plated the salmon atop the puree and drizzled the thick, syrupy pomegranate reduction over the fish; somewhere Bobby Flay was sweating.

Then we moved on the next dish. We sprinkled the toasted sesame seeds all over the crust of the seared salmon and plated it over the braised leeks that were soft, and buttery. The shiitakes added an earthy quality and the crispy wontons were a great contrast in texture to the moist fish; eat your heart out Morimoto.

For the first time all night, the entire apartment was dead silent. The clang of the pots and pans had stopped, the roar of the oven was humming, and the loud, boisterous chatter had ceased until every plate was licked clean. Three hours prior, each person only knew one thing… what was in their bag, and now they had two beautifully composed dishes in their stomach. This is a great idea for your next dinner party because it brings everyone together, forces them to be creative, and it’s easy on your budget.

“ALLEZ CUISINE!”

What could be more romantic than a big pot of snails??? Those slimy creatures that peek their heads out of dirty shells and eat decaying leaves are actually the perfect Valentines Day feast. Snails and oysters are considered to be an aphrodisiac; a term derived from Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love.

An aphrodisiac is any type of stimulation thought to arouse sexual excitement, which many foods have been known to do based on their appearance, savory taste, or odor. Some of the most common aphrodisiacs are oysters, snails, truffles, chocolate, garlic, and of course, wine.

 Last night I decided to start Valentines Day early and made a baked escargot and oyster gratin. Escargot is a classic French dish of baked snails usually bathing in tons of butter and garlic. If you’ve never tried a snail before, they’re not as chewy as they look. When baked in the gratin they literally melt in your mouth and are high in protein (around 15%), and extremely low in fat (except they’re usually cooked in butter).

 I started off by making a compound butter in the food processor. I diced up tons of garlic and shallot and combined it with softened butter and loads of fresh parsley. This gave the butter a pleasant, light green hue to it which I spread throughout the inside of my new, mini-Le Crusset baking dish.

When I first came across the canned snails and oysters, I admit I was a little creeped out but once I opened them, they weren’t as funky as I had expected.

 It’s important to rinse the snails under cold running water before cooking them to remove any dirt or grit. Once the snails and mollusks were clean, I arranged them in the buttered baking dish with cubes of Gruyere cheese and topped them with a breadcrumb-Parmesan mixture, and a splash of lemon juice.

 Gruyere is a great melting cheese and is great for this dish because underneath the crispy breadcrumb crust, the gooey Gruyere gets nice and stringy.

I threw it into a 400 degree oven and popped a bottle of 2007 Maison William Fevre Chablis “Champs Royaux” from Burgundy, France. This wine is a blend of different Chardonnay grapes from many of Fevre’s terrific growing sites. It’s not a single vineyard wine but it drinks like a Grand Cru for a fraction of the cost. The Chardonnay spends most of its time in stainless steel tanks as opposed to oak barrels, which makes it lighter and more dry compared to those buttery California Chards.

This wine is refreshingly crisp, with loads of minerality and Granny Smith apple flavors.

The chalky, limestone soil is present in the finish along with some honey and herbal notes. This vibrant white is a perfect pairing for the briny snails and slashes through the buttery sauce with elegance. While the gratin was in the oven, I took out some creamy goat cheese and warmed up a French baguette to use as a sponge to clean out the baking dish.

When the Parmesan and breadcrumbs became golden brown, and the snails were bubbling away, it was showtime. We started spooning the little shell-less creatures onto slices of warm bread and the result was euphoric.

 The buttery, garlic sauce was heavenly combined with the cheesy crust. We sat at the table for hours, drinking the fine White Burgundy and dipping our crust into the dish at a snail’s pace.

When I think about breakfast, I picture mountains of eggs laced with cheese, over flowing bacon, and hashbrowns to sop up the remaining yolk and pork fat. My girlfriend, Siobhan on the other hand has a sweet tooth and loves her pancakes, waffles, and French toast covered in sticky syrup. On Sunday morning, Siobhan got her way and I ventured into a realm of cooking that I have never really dabbled in.

Of course I didn’t want to start my IHOP debut with plain old French toast so I had to spice things up a bit. One healthy breakfast food that I am quite fond of is granola mixed into plain Greek yogurt so I tried to incorporate that flavor into the dish.

Since this was my first time making French toast, the pink grapefruit juice and Prosecco mimosa helped me get through it. I grabbed a huge loaf of fresh sourdough bread from the bakery and cut it into thick “Texas toast” sized slices.

After soaking the bread in some egg and milk mixture I encrusted the slices in nut & honey granola before they went into the frying pan with melted butter (now we’re talking). There’s something about maple syrup that grosses me out. Maybe because it’s super sweet, maybe because its really sticky, or maybe because the kid who sat across from my in fourth grade had pancakes every morning and his breath reeked of it and his fingers were always gross and sappy.

I can’t figure it out, but I have never liked maple syrup. Siobhan decided to compromise with me on this one and let me make fresh raspberry infused maple syrup. I simply cooked down fresh raspberries with some sugar and water, before drizzling in some Grade A, New Hampshire maple syrup.

I took out the trusty boat motor and gave the mixture a few pulses to make sure the sauce was nice and smooth. After the toast was cooked and the granola adhered to the bread I plated the two oversized pieces with some fresh cantaloupe. A healthy drizzle of the raspberry infused syrup and a huge dollop of tangy Greek yogurt topped everything off.

The granola not only added a sweet, honey and nutty flavor to the toast, it also changed the texture of the French toast (there’s one thing I hate more than French toast and that’s soggy French toast). I made the mimosas with Mionetto “il Prosecco” which is a great inexpensive Prosecco (kind of an oxymoron), that comes sealed with a bottle cap. Prosecco is Italys’ version of sparkling wine or champagne.

They range from bone dry to slightly fruity but no where close to as sweet as Piedmont’s Asti Spumante. The slightly bitter grapefruit juice was a nice compliment to the fruity bubbles and what better drink to pair with a Sunday morning brunch. I think I am actually coming around on this whole syrup phobia thing too because I licked my plate clean.

Moules Frites is the French name for the classic combination of mussels and french fries. Pronounced ‘mools freets’, this pairing has taken on all sorts of adaptations over the years. As the prime mussel harvesting season comes to a close, I decided to make my own version of the dish.

 I picked up two sacks of Maine mussels at Whole Foods and threw them on ice in the back of my car. Remember, when you buy mussels they’re still alive so always keep them chilled and do not seal the plastic bag that they come in or else they will suffocate. To save me some time meticulously cutting russet potatoes into perfect strips for the french fries, I broke out one of my Christmas presents; a French mandolin.

 A mandolin is a guillotine looking contraption that has all sorts of sharp blades and attachments that produces any type of cut, slice, or shape you can possibly imagine. It’s like a grown up version of the Play Doh maker without the rainbows and purple spaghetti.

After watching the video tutorial, I managed to produce about two pounds of perfectly identical french fries without losing a finger. After my huge pot of canola oil came to perfect frying temperature (325 degrees), I started dropping in the potato planks in small batches to prevent sticking.

 Most people are afraid to deep-fry at home but if you get a candy thermometer and monitor the temperature of the oil, it is pretty simple.

 I was going for a Thai inspired version of this dish so when the fries came out of the hot oil, I tossed them in red curry powder and chopped, fresh cilantro.

The mussels needed a quick shave, or de-bearding before they got cooked; mussels have a small “beard” that sticks out of the shell that needs to be removed before you cook them. Simply pinch it and tug it out. Most of my mussels only had a four o’clock shadow and didn’t need much cleaning so I rinsed them under cold water and set them aside so I could build the broth. I started by sauteing some shallots and garlic in olive oil until they were soft. Then I added a heaping tablespoon of red curry paste, lime juice, coconut milk, and fresh basil.

 Once the broth came to a simmer, I added the mussels and put the lid on for them to steam.

 All of these flavors started to come together and filled the air of my apartment; the acidity of the lime juice balanced out the creamy, sweet coconut milk and the heat from the curry paste was tamed by the fresh basil. Once all of the shells had opened, I served the entire meal in the pan I cooked them in with some lime wedges and sliced green onions. Sometimes I just get in the mood to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty when it comes to lobster, peel and eat shrimp, or in this case… a huge bowl of mussels.

The fries were extra crispy on the outside but still cooked perfectly in the middle; delicious when dipped into the coconut milk.

 I chose a crisp, refreshing white wine to pair with this meal because there was just so much flavor going on already. The 2007 Fournier Sauvigion Blanc from the Loire Valley was perfect. Like I mentioned before, whites from this region of France are some of the best valued wines around.

 The great acidity complimented the shellfish and subtle flavors of grapefruit and wet stone lingered on the finish. This is a great inexpensive wine for bivalves or seafood in general, that tastes like an expensive Sancerre. I was fortunate that all of the flavorful broth was sopped up before we broke into the second pound of french fries or else my mussels would be turning into fat.