Houston & Lafayette

is the answer.

Slightly more sophisticated than your friendly neighborhood food cart, Chef David Chang of Momofuku, cooked a free lunch for a few lucky New Yorkers. Or in our case, not so much lucky as web savvy and a little sneaky.


12noon April 23rd. A group of us took the subway to the secret location and provided our individual passwords to gain entrance.

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On the menu:

Option One: Vegetarian - Rice Fries, Shiitake Bun, Ginger Rice Noodles



Option Two: Pork - Rice Fries, Pork Bun, Rice Cakes



Option Three: Chicken - Rice Fries, Chicken Bun, Smoked Chicken Wings



Option Four: Chef's Choice 1 - Lobster, Bacon Grits, Poached Egg



Option Five: Chef's Choice 2 - Lamb, Roasted Beets, Steamed Rice



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Gladly, there was enough of us to taste it all. Dessert was "Old Fashion Donut" soft serve.

Oh yes, and don't forget this awesomeness...

duck pate

Yet another reason why I love being a local.

NOBU ND Station Two - Pastry: Writing in Chocolate

At ND the Salad station also (wo)mans the Pastry station on Sundays and Mondays. That's TWO stations to prep and work for service (plus the evil raw bar). A lot of work, but also a chance to play with sweets, which is rare for a hot kitchen chef.

The real pastry chefs create the dessert menu and produce the items, so at service it's more an assembly of pre-made items in a pre-designated plating arrangement. There are usually about 10 dessert items that change seasonally. These are the ones I remember...

Pastry Station
Pineapple Trio
Bento Box
Coconut Jasmine Bomb
Japanese Beer Ice Cream Parfait
Fuji Apple Harumaki
Kabocha Mascarpone Torta
Chocolate, PB & Banana
Mochi Ice Cream
Fresh Fruit Plate
Ice Cream and Sorbet

The one skill I'm grateful to have learned in Pastry is writing in chocolate. It took me a few weeks to get the hang of it, but later I actually enjoyed it. It forced me to slow down and make a focused effort to artistically move melted chocolate across a cold plate. And you gotta love those tiny conets.

Standard chocolate greetings: Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, Bon Voyage, and in one instance...


...Testicles (seriously).

I am not a baker, part II

My grandmother once told me I wouldn't be ready to marry until I could bake bread. So I'm already running behind and no one wants to disappoint Lola. Here's another good recipe for the non-baker, this time for dinner rolls. And this one doesn't take a day and a half to make.

These are called cornmeal rolls, but with only 1/2 cup of cornmeal vs 5 cups of bread flour, they don't taste much like corn. The resulting roll is slightly sweet a la pandesal but has more of a biscuit texture on the inside. I took the liberty of brushing the rolls with milk and sprinkling them with extra cornmeal before baking.

The bread rise still impresses me.

The bread was shared with family over the Easter weekend.

Paint eggs and enjoy chocolate bunnies. - Rex Navarrete

Preview

Appetizer

Seven Course Tasting of Philippine Fruits and Vegetables prepared in Classic French Technique
FCI Final Project
April 10, 2007

Kamote & Plantain Fries with Mango Mayonnaise and Guava-Sesame Sauce

Ingredients (4 servings)
4 kamote (japanese sweet potato)
4 plantain
Peanut oil for deep frying
Salt

Mango Mayonnaise
1 mango
1 egg yolk
150ml vegetable oil
20ml white vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
mint

Guava-Sesame Sauce
200ml guava nectar
2 tsp guava jelly
30g shallts, ciselee
25ml rice wine vinegar
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/8 tsp toasted sesames
salt and freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Kamote and Plantain Fries

1. Peel and cut kamote and plantain into pommes frites - 7cm x 8mm (2 3/4 in. x 5/16 in.)
2. For the kamote, follow the two-step method for deep frying: Poach in oil at 300F-320F until tender but without coloration. Finish to order by frying in oil 350F-375F until golden brown and crisp.
3. For the plantain, follow the one-step method for deep frying: To order fry in oil 350F-375F until golden brown and crisp.
4. Drain kamote and plantain on paper and season immediately with salt.

Mango Mayonnaise

1. Peel the mango, chop the flesh, and puree in food processor.
2. Combine yolks and salt in stainless-steel bowl and whisk until thick.
3. Start incorporating the oil, drop by drop, whisking continuously until you have an emulsion. Once an emulsion is formed, add the rest of the oil in a thin, steady stream.
4. Add the vinegar and mango puree. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refriderate until ready to serve.
5. Garnish with mint chiffonade.

Guava-Sesame Sauce

1. Combine the guava nectar, guava jelly and shallots in a small sautoir. Cook over medium heat for 5 mins until guava jelly dissolves.
2. Add rice wine vinegar and dark sesame oil and whish to combine. Continue to simmer until nappant. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm until ready to serve.
3. Garnish with toasted sesames.

Indian Cooking

is another foreign cuisine to me. The shear number of ingredients that go into a standard curry is staggering. I'm also relatively unfamiliar with a lot of Indian spices - tumeric, cassis, caraway, mace, amomum, fenugreek. Whaaa?!?!

On April Fools Day '09, my close friend, Swati, was kind enough to demystify all of this for me and introduced me to the big secret in cooking Indian food at home...

Pre-blended Spice Mixes!!

Yeah, we cheated a bit, but I wasn't about to invest in 15 different spices when I only know how to use them in a single dish. And give me some credit - I could have wimped out completely and bought the jarred, just-add-meat, sauce, but then I might as well have just ordered delivery.

So our first stop was the local Indian market. We visited three that are conveniently located in an area known as Curry Hill.

Little India Stores 128 E. 28th St. (at Lex)
Kalustyan's 123 E. 28th St. (at Lex)
Curry in a Hurry 119 Lexington (at 28th St.) - For Indian sweets

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On the menu:

Butter Chicken Curry - Based on Swati's mother's recipe, this tomato and yogurt based curry is fragrant and mildly spicy.



Vegetable Curry - A tasty mix of cauliflower, potatoes and carrots that perfectly complimented our main dish.


Masala Chai - This literally translates to "Spice Tea" and is a sweetly perfumed, up-all-night tea. Seriously, neither of us could sleep a wink that evening. It's better than redbull, though probably not as tasty with vodka.

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Butter Chicken

Ingredients
10 Chicken thighs, skin removed, deboned, and cut into large cubes

Marinade
1 clove garlic, chopped and smashed
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped and smashed
3/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tblsp Butter Chicken spice mix
1 tblsp Garam Masala spice mix
1 tsp salt

To finish
1 tblsp vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped and smashed
1 tblsp cumin powder
1 tblsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 small green chili with seeds, chopped fine
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tblsp lime juice
Salt

Procedure

1. Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl and add chicken. Mix until chicken is well coated and cover. Allow to marinate overnight.
2. In a heavy-bottomed cast enameled pot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onions and allow to brown. 2-3 mins.
3. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, tumeric and chili powder. Mix and cook 1-2 mins.
4. Add green chili, tomato, chicken stock, lime and some of the marinade liquid. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover. Let simmer 5-10 mins to allow flavors to blend and form a paste.
5. Mix in chicken, bring to boil and turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook 10-15 mins until chicken is cooked.
6. Uncover and season to taste. If liquid is too thick, add more chicken stock. If too thin, allow to simmer uncovered to reduce.
7. Serve hot over jasmine or basmati rice cooked with salt, oil and chopped onions.
8. Accompaniments include yogurt, mint chutney, mango chutney and nan bread.

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Masala Chai

Ingredients
3 cups water
4 whole cloves
4 whole cardamom pods, split open
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1/4 inch piece fresh ginger
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk
2 tblsp white sugar
2 tblsp loose Darjeeling tea leaves

Procedure

1. Mix water and spices in a saucepan, bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook 5 mins.
2. Add milk, return to a boil and turn down to a simmer.
3. Add sugar and tea leaves. Mix well. Simmer for another 5-10 mins until nicely brown. Note: The longer the tea is steeped, the stronger it will taste.
   
4. Strain and serve hot with Indian sweets (Laddoo, Jalebi, Peda, Gaajar ka Halwa).
   

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Another great culinary learning experience with a ridiculous amount of giggling.

Thanks Swati! - But one last question, no butter in Butter Chicken?!

the mystery continues...

NOBU ND Station One – Salad: Why I hate Raw Bar

In most professional kitchens, interns and new hires are initially assigned to Garde Manger or Salad/Cold Appetizers. My first three months at Nobu were spent on the Salad Station.

the salad station sits between the dishwashers and pastry at nd
a lobster salad waits next to dessert bentos

Salad Station Dishes
Field Green Salad
Lobster Salad
Shiitake Salad
Salmon Skin Salad
Lobster Endive Salad
Kelp Salad
Moroheiya Salad
Nobu style Ceviche
Lobster Ceviche
Oshitashi
Tuna Chips
Scallop Chips
Black Cod Butter Lettuce

Before station setup, Salad must prepare the 4-6 liters of Japanese white rice required for nightly service. Next is lobster prep and fabrication, which includes the steaming, cooling, cleaning and wrapping of 20-25 lobsters per day. When I first started, this task took me over an hour. Later, I was able to cut it down to 20 minutes. Now, I'm a frickin' expert at lobster murder and mutilation.

Salad station also has the lovely task of raw bar. Raw bar is the display of fish and lobsters located at the far end of the sushi bar. This task used to be performed by the sushi chefs, but the job was so tedious that it was pushed down the totem pole and onto Salad's lap. Raw bar requires 3-4 very large buckets of both crushed and cubed ice, which needs to be carried up a very narrow, steep staircase. Then one must scavenge for display items - 2 whole cooked lobsters, 1 whole fresh fish, king crab legs, some fresh soft shell crabs - and arrange them in a pleasing fashion with seaweed, kelp, and abalone and clam shells. But that's not all! Salad must also be sure to maintain the ice level on raw bar as it melts throughout service as well as collect the display items at the end of the night. This might sound like a fun, artistic task, but day after day of hauling ice buckets that weigh more than I do made raw bar easily my least favorite job in my entire Nobu career. I pity the poor soul assigned to it today.

Amuse Bouche

Seven Course Tasting of Philippine Fruits and Vegetables prepared in Classic French Technique
FCI Final Project
April 10, 2007

Papaya Goat Cheese Tartlet

Ingredients

50g Puff pastry

Butter and flour for molds

Egg wash

40g Papaya, cut into small cubes

10g Goat cheese

Chives, finely minced

Procedure

1. Prepare puff pastry in the standard way or purchase frozen and allow to thaw.
2. Preheat oven 375°F.
3. Butter and flour four small decorative tart molds (Ideally, 4.5 cm x 1.5 cm).
4. Roll puff pastry out to 1/16 inch thickness. Cut with 5cm ring mold, dock, and gently form into tart molds. Rest in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
5. Line tart molds with parchment paper and weigh down with dry beans. Blind bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Remove beans and parchment and unmold.
6. Brush the inside and outside of tart shell lightly with egg wash.
7. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on rack.
8. Peel papaya and remove seeds. Cut into small cubes and set aside.
9. Soften goat cheese with a fork.
10. Use a small spoon or pastry bag to put a small dollop of goat cheese on the bottom of the tart shell.
11. Mound papaya brunoise on top and garnish with minced chives.

I am not a baker.

Baking is tedious. It requires a lot of time, patience, and exact measurements. There's no tasting while preparing, no adjusting during cooking, and no fixing once it's done. In most cases, if you screw up the only option is to throw it out and start over. In short, baking sucks. Also, bakers have to wake up really really early.

But in an attempt to be a well-rounded chef, I wanted to try to make bread. I found a great recipe online that requires very little kneading. Plus, it has a funny name.

A Big Lazy Loaf Recipe

Bonus: The smell of freshly baked bread filled my apartment for hours.

My resulting loaf was oh so pretty - golden brown with a lovely crackling crust. It traveled nicely and my husband and I ate it in Central Park with salami, Manchego, fresh tomatoes and a great view.

Central Park, New York City, March 28, 2009

Lardo Party

LARDO: cured pig fat

On March 7, 2009, I catered a lardo party for a friend. Guests were encouraged to add a piece of lardo to every bite.

Meat and Cheese Plates

• Manchego, Parma, Stilton, Cambozola, Tomme de Crayeuse, stinky cheese from Union Sq market (name long forgotten).
• Lardo, Prosciutto, Soppressata, Pate served with Riesling Poached Lady Apples (combine riesling, water, sugar, vanilla bean, boil, simmer 2-3mins, add peeled lady apples, simmer 20mins until cooked through but still firm)
• Pear, Apple, Grapes, Cantaloupes
• Fig cake, Candied Walnuts (toast walnuts, add sugar, allow to melt, toss, add cayenne, toss, spread on silpat, cool, break apart) and Candied Pumpkin Seeds (toast seeds, add sugar, toss, spread on silpat, cool, break apart)
• Olives, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

Cold Appetizers

• Mozzarella, Roasted Tomato (plum tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, 275d, 2hrs) and Basil
• Parma Tacos (shredded parma on silpat, 300d, 6mins, mold, cool) served with Arugula, Pear, and Prosciutto
• Amy's Semolina bread with fennel seeds and golden raisins served with Goat Cheese, Honey and Black Pepper

Hot Appetizers

• Puff pastry balls
• Mushroom tart (puff pastry circles, parma, sautéed mushrooms w rosemary and white wine, 425d, 15mins, truffle oil)
• Tomato and goat cheese tarts (puff pastry circles, parma, caramelized onions w thyme and white wine, goat cheese, roasted tomato, basil, 425d, 15mins)

Dessert

• Apple tart (peeled sliced apples, caramelized sugar, eggs, sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, powdered sugar, 350d, 30-40mins, cool 10-15mins, unmold)

Where to find Lardo in NYC:

• Salumeria Biellese 376 8th Ave (at 29^th St)
• Di Palo's Fine Foods 200 Grand Street (at Mott St.)
• Murray's Real Salami Grand Central Grand Central Market 43rd St. & Lexington

**Thanks to Jess for the beautiful pics!

Kosher Cooking

is foreign territory to me. When a kosher request came in at Nobu, we'd look at each other, shrug, and produce steamed salmon with steamed vegetables.

On Feb 11, 2009, Shaya Klechevsky, asked me to join him in teaching a kosher cooking class at a Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Five Towns, Long Island. I jumped at the chance to learn about kosher food and work with my favorite kosher chef.


Shaya and I were partners in crime at the FCI. Whenever we worked together we were perfectly in sync and always laughing. Today, Shaya owns a small kosher catering company called At Your Palate. He does an excellent job of kosher-fying various types of ethic cuisines with a special focus on Middle Eastern.


Our day started with a long drive to Cedarhurst, NY. Coming from the busy city, we were surprised to see the JCC - a quaint blue house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. We prepped and taught two cooking classes - an afternoon and an evening class, each with 8-10 people in attendance.

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On the menu:

Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad with Oranges and Arugula - Peppery arugula, roasted beets and citrus flavors make this warm salad. A walnut crunch and balsamic vinaigrette finishes.


Chestnut and Celery Root Soup with Andouille Sausage - Hearty chestnuts and the underused celery root is softened in water and non-diary creamer and blended. Served with toast points and sauteed kosher sausage.


Mustard Crusted Chicken with Sauce Diable - A classic French chicken preparation and sauce from our FCI days, this dish has a tangy mustard crust and spicy black peppercorn sauce. Served with roasted tomatoes and mushroom caps.


Basbousah Middle Eastern Coconut "Blondie" - A Farina-based dessert with hints of rose water, cardamom and finished with almonds. Farina is usually a breakfast offering and is similar to Cream of Wheat or grits.


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Before the classes, Shaya gave me a crash course in kosher cooking and I must admit, there's A LOT to it. What surprised me the most is that although it is well known that meat may not be eaten with dairy, it is less known that utensils that have come in contact with meat may not be be used with diary and visa-versa. This translates to two sets of knives, pots, pans, spoons, plates, etc. And in the case of this particular JCC, it translated to a meat-only kitchen, where the cooking and holding of dairy products were not allowed. Other rules include the restriction of certain animals, rules on the slaughtering and preparation of meats, and use of kosher certified products.

We had a break between classes and decided to kill time by exploring the town. We took a walk down their Main Street, had a small kosher lunch (my first!) and toured a kosher grocery. Shaya shared with me his wealth of knowledge on kosher products and the ways he substitutes ingredients to kosher-fy recipes. For instance, non-dairy creamer is used in the "Blondie" dessert instead of milk and a non-diary butter substitute (his favorite is called Earth Balance) is used to thicken the Sauce Diable.

The town's kosher grocery is called Gourmet Glatt Emporium. "Glatt" literally translates to "smooth" and means the products are processed under stricter standards. Shaya guided me through the store, showing me many of the products he uses in his cooking and shared with me some of this favorite desserts imported from Israel - chocolate pudding, a chocolate candy similar to Cadbury's Flake, and a chocolate covered cream ball, which turned out to be marshmallow fluff (not what was expected).

Wanna see? (NSFW due to some very funny but profane language)

New York City has a large Jewish community and knowledge in kosher food and cooking is a great asset to any chef. Shaya has given me a great first experience and I look forward to working with him again in the near future. Thanks Shaya!