Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Ravenous Couple's Bánh Cam – Starring Mom and Dad

Photo (c) The Ravenous Couple
This video recipe for bánh cam (or bánh rán) comes to us from Kim and Hong, the very talented duo who publish The Ravenous Couple. They were at my Foodbuzz Festival panel discussion on video blogging, and as some of you may remember, I promised to share any videos those participants sent my way. 

Kim and Hong posted this as a special Mothers Day tribute, and I think it's a great way to celebrate how these heirloom recipes are handed down from one generation to another. I hope you enjoy watching how to make this popular Vietnamese dessert, and I encourage you to visit their blog to read the full post. Enjoy!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Duck Fat Green Garlic Home-fried Potatoes - Skin for the Win

I'm just guessing, but I bet there's some old French kitchen expression that roughly translates to, "Hey, it has crispy, fried duck skin crumbled over the top, how bad can it be?" This video recipe for duck fat homefries is perfect when you find yourself in possession of this highly coveted ingredient.

The recipe is the easy part, finding duck skin is a little more challenging. The easiest method of attainment is to know a duck hunter. They can hook you up faster than you can say, "Nice Elmer Fudd hat." If that's not an option, try and make friends with line cooks who work at restaurants that serve duck. They can make it happen, and it will probably only cost you a couple draft beers.

Finally, you can go to a butcher that sells whole ducks, and have him break one down for you. Tell them you'd like two nicely trimmed breasts, two leg quarters, and all the excess skin from the rest of the carcass. They will smile knowingly, and say no problem (for extra credit, ask for the bones, which you can roast and make a killer stock).

Once you have your precious skin, the recipe is a breeze. If you can find green garlic, it's very nice in this, but regular onions, leeks, shallots, scallions, etc. are a fine substitute. These potatoes would sure make a memorable side dish to a seared, sous vide duck breast, or how about as a plate-mate to a creamy goat cheese omelet? By the way, I'm much hungrier now than I was when I started this post. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
1 cup duck skin and fat trimmings
4 small russet potatoes
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped green garlic (light parts)

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!

I'd like to wish all you Moms out there a very happy Mother's Day tomorrow. A special shout out to my mother Pauline (you may remember her from such videos as, "Key Lime Pie" – see below), I love you, miss you, and hope to see you soon! And of course to my mother-in-law, Peggy, who, from the very beginning was the blog's fairy godmother.

If some of you are still looking for a gift, here's a neat trick for turning an ice cream cake into an edible potted plant! I encourage you to read the original post from a few years back for more information. Enjoy your day!!



This potted plant was inspired by a post on The Pioneer Woman. Thanks!

Bonus Mother's Day Video Recipe Repost: My Mom Makes Key Lime Pie 

Thursday, May 5, 2011

A Hazy Gaze at a Glaze for the Lazy Days of Summer

This somewhat mysterious post is for a Pinot-glazed mushroom burger topping that will make it's official appearance as part of a sponsored recipe I'll be doing at a future date. I can give no details, except that it's a cheeseburger, and it kicks ass.

I'm not a huge fan of sloppy toppings for cheeseburgers. I don't mind beef grease dripping down my forearms, but I'm not really into chopped vegetable matter following it down my elbows. These mushrooms are a delicious exception. Plus, they're not even that messy.

The key is browning whatever fungi you happen to choose in a good amount of brown butter. Then, when you add the pinot noir, the wine will glaze the surface rather than soak into the mushrooms. The fat sort of makes the flesh wine-proof, and everybody wins.

Stay tuned for the mysterious burger post, and the next time you want to dress up a cheeseburger, give these pinot-glazed mushrooms a try. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz sliced mushrooms
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup lighter red wine
*also great with any number of spices and/or fresh herbs

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Here's a collection of video recipes featuring fantastic food inspired by the cuisines of Central and South America. You never forget your first love, and when it comes to ethnic food it was the foods of Mexico and points south that first captured my imagination some 28 years ago, as I began eating my way across San Francisco. I realize Cinco de Mayo is a bigger deal out here in California, but no matter where you live, I hope you give some of these festive recipes a try. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Lobster Scrambled Eggs and My Father's Favorite Dinner Table Joke

This post's original title was, " Lobster Scrambled Eggs – I Wonder What the Poor People are Having for Breakfast Today?" Of course I would have explained this socially insensitive query in this first paragraph, but I feared that casual browsers would only read the headline and think I was some kind of major d-bag.

We certainly grew up around a ton of great food, but being of fairly modest means we only enjoyed expensive luxury foods like lobster or Prime Rib once in a great while. Whenever such occasions did present themselves, my father John would always use the same joke. He'd take a bite of whatever, and say to the table with a twinkle in his eye, "I wonder what the poor people are having for dinner tonight?"

We'd all laugh, but it was a more than a simple one-liner to him. The son of immigrants in rough and tumble New York City, he grew up in less than opulent surroundings. You could tell he loved being able to afford splurging on things like lobster once in a while, and I'm sure as we ate he thought back to much leaner times.

Anyway, enough with the selfish shellfish reminiscing. When and if you find yourself in possession of some leftover lobster meat, I suggest you do what I did in this video. By the way, feel free to borrow my dad's joke, but only if you're also from modest means, otherwise it's just not funny. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
handful of lobster pieces, cut in large chunks, dusted with cayenne
tarragon leaves, to taste
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Later Today: Lobster Scrambled Eggs