Hello From Chicago!

From left to right: Nick, Steph, Tony and Nora

Michele and I attended Nora and Tony’s rehearsal dinner last night, hosted by my cousin, and some say look-a-like, Nick Quartaro and his lovely wife Stephanie. 

We had a great time catching up with family we hadn’t seen in years, and as if that weren’t enough, we also got to enjoy a fantastic dinner at The Bristol, where Tony is Chef de Cuisine.

I’ve often bragged about Tony’s prowess in the kitchen, so I thought I’d give you a look at the menu. I hope this shows why we’re all so proud of Tony. Please keep in mind that I was shooting without a flash, so you'll have to take my word that the food was even more gorgeous than it looks here. Today’s the wedding, and if that’s even half as fun as the rehearsal dinner, we are in for a fantastic time. Enjoy!

Monkey Bread with Dill Butter

Carrot salad, mizuna, spiced hazelnuts, yogurt vinaigrette

Gnocchi, zucchini, beurre-fondue, mint

Roast chicken, dill spaetzle, crunchy vegetable salad

Green beans, almond butter, kumquats, crispy shallots

Beef brisket, summer squash, salsa verde

Corn panna cotta, blueberries, chocolate-dipped orange shortbread

Classic Rice Pilaf and Little White Lies

You’re a great cook. You know it, and so do all your friends. There are no techniques or recipes you haven’t mastered, well, except for one… you stink at making rice. Sure, when it comes up in conversation you lie and say your rice rocks, and offer advice to your unsuspecting friends, but we know the truth.

It’s okay. You’re not alone. Cooking a perfect batch of white rice without a rice cooker can be a challenge. I attempted to solve this issue in 2007, when I posted “How To Make Perfect White Rice,” but if for whatever reasons you still can’t do it, no problem! We’re simply going to have you do what so many great minds over the centuries have done in these situations…give up.

That’s right, we going for forget about cooking rice on the stove, and show you the incredibly delicious and absolutely foolproof world of pilaf! Because it’s coated with butter first, and baked with less liquid, this almost magical recipe will give you magazine quality rice every time (and I’m talking about the good food magazines, not those ones that went out of business).

I’m showing a fairly classic version here, which includes the extremely optional ingredient, saffron. If you are not familiar with this exotic spice, follow this wiki-link to get more info, as the subtle taste is very hard for me to describe. By the way, it’s crazy expensive and you’ll only want a tiny pinch, for too much will dominate the palette.

You also want a high-quality, non-discount brand of rice. Cheap rice has lots of broken grains, which do not cook evenly. So, if there’s shame in your rice game, I hope you give this great rice pilaf recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 servings:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

2 cups white long grain rice

pinch of saffron, optional

3 cups good quality chicken stock or broth (or water if you must)

1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
pinch of cayenne  
*wrap very tightly in foil, bake at 350 for 35 minutes, let rest 10 more, and then fluff!

On the California Zephyr to Chicago

California Zephyr Train Photo (c) Flickr user Loco Steve

Michele and I are on a train to Chicago! We have a family wedding to attend, and it’s my birthday tomorrow, so we’ll be celebrating by eating and drinking our way across the Windy City. If you follow me on Twitterand/or Instagram, I’ll be sharing photos of all the deliciousness as it happens. It’s our first trip to Chicago, so if you have any “must try” spots, feel free to share!

The wedding we’re attending joins our cousin (and future James Beard Award winner) Tony and his beautiful fiance Nora. You may remember them from such epic 24-course meals as the one shown in the 3-part video below. You can see the lovely couple at the beginning of Part 1 (do not miss Nora’s slow-mo caviar tasting reaction shot!). I’ve only posted the videos, so if you want to read a detailed account of this historic meal, check out the original post here. Enjoy!

Crispy Pork Cutlets with Creamy Jalapeno Green Onion Gravy – Say Auf Wiedersehen to the 3-Pan Breading Station!

This is what happens when you have two food wishes in your head at the same time. I’ve wanted to do a schnitzel video für immer, but thanks to another recent food wish, I was also craving biscuits with cream gravy. So, I sort of did both, and it worked out well. Very well.

The crispy pork cutlet part of the presentation is very simple and straightforward, but it did afford the opportunity to share my new breading system. With all the time you’ll save, you can hit the gym to burn off this less than light, but extremely satisfying meal.

I’ve never been a big fan of the 3-pan breading system. Once you dredge meat in the prescribed dish of seasoned flour, you have to toss the rest. The whole idea is to simply coat the meat with flour, so why not just sprinkle on already seasoned meat? We use much less flour that way, and with zero waste.

From there, we’re not dipping these in a bowl of beaten eggs. Why do that, when we can just dump one egg on to the same plate and toss to coat. Faster, easier, and one egg is plenty for four cutlets.

As far as the cream gravy goes, the jalapenos and green onion probably seem logical, but some may raise an eyebrow over the diced dill pickle. I’m not sure exactly why I added them, but I just had one of those feelings. Pickles and pork, dill and cream sauce, it felt right, and it tasted even righter.

By the way, you can substitute veal, beef, turkey or chicken for the pork without missing a beat. Anyway, I hope you give this easy pork cutlet, delicious cream gravy, and/or new breading system a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 Cutlets (makes four entrée size portions of 2 cutlets each):

2 fully trimmed pork tenderloins, cut into 8 pieces, pounded flat

salt and pepper to taste

flour as needed

2 eggs

about 3 cups panko breadcrumbs

For the gravy:

2 tbsp melted butter

1/3 cup diced dill pickles

1 or 2 jalapeños, small dice

1 bunch green onions, chopped

salt and cayenne to taste

1 1/2 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cup cold milk, plus more to adjust thickness if needed

Veracruz-Style Red Snapper – A New Take on a Very Old Classic

Fish “Veracruz” was the first “authentic” Mexican recipe I ever ate. I had it 30 years ago at the Casa Del Sol in Saranac Lake, NY, where I worked while enrolled in culinary school. 

I remember trying and loving it, and being very surprised that “this” was actually Mexican food. Besides…olives on fish? That was some crazy stuff.

Up to that point, the only “Mexican” food I’d ever had was crispy cafeteria tacos made by completely non-Mexican lunch ladies. So, this kind of thing was very exciting for me. I’ve forgotten the exact recipe after all these years of adaptation, but that’s of little consequence as it’s the kind of dish you make a little different every time anyway.

I like red snapper for this, but any white, flaky fish will work. By the way, many Veracruz-style fish recipes call for pickled jalapenos, but I think there’s plenty of acidity in this from the lime and tomatoes, so I like the fresh pepper a little more.

If you don’t want to do this in individual portions like I did, you can certainly do it in a regular casserole dish, but you’ll probably need to give it a few extra minutes. Simply use the same fork-flaking doneness test as shown in the clip. Flakiness never lies.

This food wish goes out to all of you that asked for flavorful, foolproof fish recipes. I’m not sure why people get so scared to cook fish, but if you’re one of them, this is for you. Other than a few minutes of slicing, this couldn’t be easier. Serve simply with some chips, or over rice for a more substantial meal. Either way, I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

2 boneless red snapper filets, about 7 oz each

cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers

1 tablespoon caper brine

1 large jalapeno, sliced, seeded

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup sliced Castelvetrano green olives, or any green olive

2 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano

2 limes

*Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes

She’s Not My Cherry Pie, She’s Our Cherry Pie

Were these "lips" merely a coincidence?
I think we all know the answer to that.

First of all, I’d like to apologize to Warrant for calling their song “Cherry Pie” the worst in rock history…I totally forgot about the abomination that is Jefferson Starship’s “We Build This City.” At least Warrant’s song had pie(s) in it. 

This delicious and super easy cherry pie features a crunchy, streusel-like crust, which as I joke about in the video, makes the best ice cream topping ever. It's such a natural pairing that I'm not sure it should even be served if there's no vanilla ice cream around. Of course you’re going to try and find the sweetest cherries you can, but if you don’t, please feel free to adjust the sugar amount below as indicated. Other than that, no alterations should be necessary.

Some of you may feel like sneaking some cinnamon in there somewhere, but I agree with the many who say that particular spice doesn’t pair well with cherries, and should be saved for the apples and peaches. 

Anyway, it’s the 4th of July, and I have food to eat, beer to drink, and fireworks to watch on TV. I hope you all have a fantastic holiday, and also that you give this classic summer pie a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for One 9-inch Cherry Pie:

For the crumb topping:

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup packed all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

For the pie:

1 uncooked pie shell

2 pounds pitted cherries (reserve all juices!)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/3 to 1/2 cup white sugar depending on sweetness of cherries

1/4 cup cornstarch

*Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour and 15 minutes

The Great All-American Burger Dog – USA! USA! USA!

This “burger dog” is far more than a hot dog shaped cheeseburger. It’s a testament to American ingenuity and being close to the right place at the right time. While I’m posting this as a fun, 4th of July grilling idea, my real motivation is to tell this “only in America” story of food stand stardom.

As the story goes, Bill “Burger Bill” Parrish didn’t want to buy two different kinds of buns for his tiny snack stand, which he operated on Lake Merced, near the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Since there’s no such thing as flat, round hot dogs, Bill decided to shape his burgers to fit the hot dog bun, and The City’s most storied cheeseburger was born.

The irresistible and geometrically superior burgers became so popular that golfers at the Olympic Club would send their caddies over to grab as many burger dogs as they could carry. Eventually the very exclusive club offered to let Bill set up his trailer on the course, near the 11th hole, where they’ve been a fixture ever since.

The course is only open to members, so the only way to taste one of these rare beauties is if you’re invited to play as a guest. I’ve had the pleasure twice, and both times the burger experience was just as memorable as the golf. They really are brilliant.

Above and beyond fitting the uni-bun, Burger Bill’s rectangular meat ended up being culinarily superior for all the reasons I brag about in the video. The shape insures a great crust of grill marks, and a perfect meat-to-bun ratio as you eat your way down the length.

With all deference to Mr. Parrish, I’ve added an extra bonus technique of seasoning the inside of the burger before it’s formed. When you add this to the aforementioned attributes, you’re talking about a great, and uniquely American burger experience. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients per burger dog:

8 oz ground beef (80/20 grind)

1 large hot dog bun

1 slice cheese

salt and pepper to taste