What's Laird Drinking Now?

I have been fortunate in my life to know quite a few really talented chefs. Most of them, contrary to food centric TV shows do not say very much. One of the most talented, instinctual chefs I have ever met said a good bit; but very little about food. He was quick to wax poetic about music or bend your ear about the state of the world, but his views on food always seemed to be spoken on the plate.

On the few times he enlightened me about cuisine, Jim always seemed to get back to an idea taught to him by one of his mentors. “Three notes”. That is it and that is all. “A dish should have three notes”. More than that and it gets all muddled.

A basic truth in cookery is that the easy mistake all young, inexperienced cooks make is trying too hard. When bitten by the culinary bug, we rush to incorporate everything in the spice rack and pantry. The seasoned chef knows that less really is more.

If you have a good ingredient, you should let it speak. Anything added should lift its flavor and aroma, not mask it. Sounds easy, it is not. The temptation to add a dash of this or a pinch of that can be almost overwhelming.

Today I decided to make a meal with Jim in mind. The Hanger steaks were already marinated, so they do not count. The various veggies, however, were all made in three note accordance.

Oven roasted carrots with shallot, tarragon, and bacon fat: simple as using the unwashed sheet tray I roasted bacon on for breakfast. Add some shaved shallots to the carrots, and roast for forty five minutes at 375 or until fork tender. Toss with fresh tarragon.

Smashed peas with mint, pecorino, and olive oil: lightly poach baby green peas, then lightly pulse in food processor with fresh mint, shaved pecorino, and a hint of EVOO. Serve on toast.

Brussels sprouts with butter, soy, and lemon juice: Oven roast thirty Brussels sprouts with butter for twenty five minutes in 375 degree oven . Toss in bowl with juice of one lemon and two tsp. soy sauce.

Many thanks to Jim for his culinary wisdom. I learned many things from watching you cook. I learned at least one thing about food from hearing you speak.

Brunch, the word conjures up visions of laid back Sunday meals that are enjoyed after sleeping in on Sunday. Usually decadent, rich foods are the favorites and it is the one meal a week you can feel guiltless eating them. Besides, you can always take a nap afterwards. Many people are intimidated by preparing a brunch because so many of the dishes sound complicated and seem time or temperature sensitive. They can be, but brunch can also be pretty easy with some planning and a look at how restaurants approach them.

To a restaurant, brunch is a wonderful chance to use up what is left from the previous week and make some really tasty fare at the same time. Ever had steak and eggs for brunch? They take dinner size steaks, cut them in halves or thirds, and serve them with an egg or two. Eggs Benedict? Use up a few more inexpensive eggs by poaching a few and making a sauce with a few more. French toast? More cheap eggs and day old bread, what else were they going to do with it? Don’t get me wrong, I love all these dishes. I’m merely suggesting that you can do the same on a Sunday. Look in the fridge and pantry and dress up some bits and pieces you need to use up. Do not insult the meal by calling it scraps and leftovers, call it brunch and let the oohs and aahs roll in.

Recently we hosted a brunch and, I think it went really well. We used a few luxe ingredients, but they just framed a pretty practical meal and gave it a bit of panache. Yes, some Saturday night prep was essential, but in the end it made for a really easy Sunday of cooking and company that came off both easily and deliciously. Remember, if all the cooking is done without your guests being there to see it and at least watch, you are missing half the fun.

The Menu:

Course 1:

Crostini with three toppings Mushroom Duxelle, Olive Tapenade, and Smoked Salmon

The crostini can be made with fresh or day old bread. The Duxelle is basically pureed, cooked mushrooms with shallot, herbs, wine or sherry, and cheese. The tapenade is pureed olives with citrus, capers, and anchovy. The smoked salmon is a nod to luxury but you do not need much.

Course 2:

Individual savory bread puddings with sausage, mozzarella, and a fresh tomato sauce topping.

The bread puddings use day old bread and should be mixed with the custard the day before. This actually makes life really easy on brunch day since you have only to put them in ramekins and bake a half hour or so before service.

Course 3: Quail with cherry, bacon, almond stuffing and micro green salad.

Again, this is super easy. The birds are really cheap, but seem exotic. The stuffing uses up the last of the day old bread, any fruit would do, and the bacon is probably on hand for a brunch anyway.

Course 4:

Rack of lamb over mashed Potato cakes with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce with Celery and Onion:

The lamb is broken down into individual rib pieces so that cooking time is literally 1.5 minutes per rib. The potato cakes are actually best with leftover mashed potatoes for the cakes. The sauce took 7 minutes so you prepare it in front of your guests without being unable to enjoy your own brunch.

Course 5:

Pots de Crème: This, again must be made the day before; but so much the better. It just waits in the fridge for some fresh whipped cream and fresh fruit to make you look really good as hosts.

This brunch was made for our friends the Scudieris and was an absolute joy to plan and execute. We all had a great time with enough being done in advance to be easy yet enough to do to make it interactive. Brunch, a great meal. If you want any recipes, just ask.

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian classic dating back centuries, although its exact origins are the subject of some debate. Over the years it has been served all over the world and in its travels the recipe has been bastardized, either to suit local tastes or because some of the ingredients were not available. For instance many versions served in America include tomato, when the original sauce has none. We made a sauce that is different enough from the original that a culinary purist might claim it is not Stroganoff at all. It was however, delicious, and I'll call it that for lack of another name.

Stacey thought that Beef Stroganoff sounded good, what with the cooler weather and all. I agreed and she stopped at the market to pick up the supplies. While browsing for the ground beef she saw short ribs and thought they would be a delicious alternative, she was right. The short ribs require a bit more involved preparation so this recipe is in two parts.

For the ribs:

8 boneless beef short ribs

1 medium onion cut into ½ inch chunks

1/3 bottle dry white wine

¾ cup water

salt and pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1 tsp olive oil

All the ingredients go into a Dutch oven with the lid on for two hours at 375 degrees or until the ribs are fork tender and come apart easily. Reserve the ribs on a plate far away from your dog. Reserve the onion separately and discard the rest.

For the sauce:

1 medium onion minced

4 ounces tomato paste

12 ounces baby portabella mushrooms (white would do just fine)

4 ounces dry red wine

10 ounces canned tomato chopped

7-10 sprigs fresh thyme

10 ounces sour cream

Sauté onion in Dutch oven over medium high heat until translucent, stirring often. Add tomato paste and cook until paste turns a brick color, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and stir through to coat (approximately 1 ½ mins.) Pour in red wine and reduce until slightly thickened. Add the tomatoes, reserved onions, and fresh thyme. Stir through and simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand. Shred the beef ribs and add to sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook off your pasta (we used egg noodles but any variety you like will do). Just before straining the pasta add the sour cream to the sauce and stir to incorporate. Add strained pasta and stir until noodles are well dressed. We served this with a bit of freshly grated nutmeg and it was a really nice addition. This is really tasty right away, but even better the next day as leftovers. We may have bent the rules for classic Stroganoff, or made a separate dish entirely, but it was lots of fun and is now a new classic in our kitchen.

Ginger is a great ingredient and necessity is the mother of invention. A few nights ago I was making a quick dinner and while rummaging for ingredients I found a piece of ginger that needed to be used sooner than later.

We were having hanger steaks that had been in a marinade that included ginger so I thought that I'd use it in the rest of the meal as well.

I like a salad with steak so I made the following dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp ponzu sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 medium onion finely diced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

salt & pepper to taste

Whisk together and dress your greens. ( this dressing does get better if it gets to sit a while, the ginger flavor comes out more)

The Jus(or pan steak sauce)

I was grilling the steaks on a range top grill which collects the steak drippings. Not wanting to lose all that flavor I made a pan sauce, again using ginger. As soon as the steaks are done and pulled off to rest:

Throw 1 tsp fresh minced ginger and 1/8 minced medium onion into hot pan and stir until translucent. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup dry rose wine. Pour off mixture after about a  minute.

In a mixing bowl whisk together :

1 tsp chinese hot mustard

1/4 large tomato seeded and finely diced

1 good dash soy sauce

1 good dash worcestershire sauce

the liquid from the grill pan

The mustard helps to emulsify the sauce a bit and it makes a rich, tangy dip for the steak. Both of these items are very quick and easy to make, I hope you try one.

This is my take on a lovely summer dish that was originally served to me many years ago by Jim Carey at a dinner party. I loved it and was struck by its ability to fuse flavor intensity with an almost weightless body. The secret is the tomato water. Clear yellowish color belies its intense tomatoey essence. We had a bag of garden goodies delivered by our neighbor, Kendra. She also brought home made tomato juice that had separated. Seeing that beautiful tomato water on top I knew we had to recreate the dish.

1 large red tomato finely diced

2 medium yellow tomatoes finely diced

1 medium cucumber finely diced

1 small onion minced

Half a jalapeno minced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 green bell pepper finely diced

4 cups tomato water

1.5 tblsp finely chopped basil

1 tblsp finely chopped Italian parsley

2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a bowl and chill for a few hours. Serve chilled.

The Jennings clan came to our home this weekend and they left a pile of peaches.  Nothing says summer like delicious, sweet , local peaches. They were really ripe and needed to be used quickly. I looked around the kitchen and came up with the makings of an impromptu salsa. A salsa needs balance to work. The peaches are so sweet that the dish needs a little acid for balance and a little crunch for texture. A little spice also adds a lot as sweet loves heat. This is super simple to make and really only involves a bit of chopping.

Ingredients:

5 good and ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

1 onion finely diced

1 jalapeno minced, seeds and all

2 medium tomatoes diced

2 small green bell peppers diced

2 tbsp. minced cilantro

2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. sea salt

1tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl and mix well with a spatula. Let it sit in the fridge for 1-3 hours. You don't have to but it is better after the flavors have a chance to marry and with a slight chill  it tastes more focused than at balmy summer room temp. Its really a versatile summerside. Try it with grilled pork chops, herbed chicken, or roasted fish. It would also make a really interesting topping for vanilla ice cream.