tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86362676711882123362024-02-18T18:23:35.833-08:00Modernist FoodieFood escapades in modernist cuisineUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-84619760209852082532017-02-15T18:03:00.000-08:002017-02-27T12:19:11.679-08:00Sous Vide Miso Chicken, Garlic Tofu Emulsion, Carrot Puree, Celery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm a big Top Chef fan, and the most recent season in Seattle just finished up with Kristen Kish emerging as the winner. Kristen dominated all season long until that one week where she got screwed by Josie and got voted off unfairly, so I was glad to see her battle through Last Chance Kitchen and come back all the way to win. She also works for Barbara Lynch at Stir, so it was also great to see a chef from the Boston area succeed and represent!<br />
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A few weeks ago during the elimination challenge of Episode 9, Kristen put a twist on a familiar classic - chicken pot pie. She put together a deconstructed version and added some Asian flare to the dish by marinating the chicken breast in white miso and making a garlic and tofu emulsion as the "gravy". I thought it was a really creative way to reinvent the dish, and I was inspired this weekend to make it myself at home.<br />
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After my wife and I had lunch today in Quincy at Pho Countryside, we stopped by Kan Man supermarket to grab some groceries. We picked up some celery, carrots, white miso, chicken breasts, tofu, and garlic. Later in the afternoon, I started preparing dinner.<br />
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The chicken takes longest to cook, so I started with that first. I mixed together some white miso with chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme, and parsley and then smeared this all over the chicken breasts. I sealed the breasts in a Ziploc bag, removed as much air as possible using the water displacement method, and then dropped the bag into my Sous Vide Supreme at 140 degrees F for about one hour.<br />
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I then put together the carrot puree, first simmering some peeled and chopped carrots until fork tender and then blending in my Vitamix with some carrot juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.<br />
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I also brought some chicken broth up to a boil and then poured the hot broth over some celery that I finely sliced using a mandoline. I let the celery poach in the warm broth until I was ready to plate.<br />
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For the garlic and tofu emulsion, I first cleaned a head of garlic and then blanched the cloves in boiling water six times, replacing the water each time. The blanching of the garlic helps remove the sharp, raw garlic flavor. I then added some half and half (Kristen uses soy milk), salt, and tofu, simmering the garlic cloves until they were tender. All of this went into my Vitamix to be blended together.<br />
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After the chicken breasts cooked in the immersion <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003AYZIB4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003AYZIB4&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20">circulator</a> for about an hour, I took them out and put them in a sautee pan over medium-high heat. I added in some agave syrup and some of the chicken broth the celery slices were soaking in. The syrup and broth combined with some of the miso on the exterior of the chicken to form a nice glaze. After a few minutes in the pan, I took the chicken breasts out of the pan to rest to let the juices reabsorb and redistribute before slicing.<br />
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With all the components prepared, there was nothing left to do except plate up and eat! Overall, I thought the flavors combined well and were subtle yet sophisticated. The chicken which was sous vide was incredibly moist and tender. My favorite part was the miso glaze. There wasn't much to complain about but if I had to criticize one thing, I would say that there weren't many contrasts in texture. The chicken, carrot puree, and soy garlic emulsion all were velvety and smooth in consistency. There was some crunch from the celery but not much as they were lightly poached. Kristen's dish includes olive oil dumplings, which I did not make, but that wouldn't have added any texture either. Overall though, the dish was very refined and tasted great. Here's the final dish again.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-4289885499391740822015-02-15T20:44:00.000-08:002015-02-15T20:50:31.130-08:00Ancho Beer Braised Short Rib Tacos<br />
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Tonight I made some bomb ass Mexican-inspired braised short ribs, and it couldn't have been simpler. Usually most recipes for braises require you to sear the meat over the stove before simmering on the stove or roasting in the oven, but I avoided that mess altogether and the results were still outstanding - the secret is using minimal liquid and moderate temperature for sufficient time in the oven. Three hours at 325 degrees F gets the meat fork tender and also triggers the Maillard reaction on the meat, giving you that dark brown coloring you're looking for.<br />
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Here's the recipe:<br />
<ul>
<li>.5 cup cider vinegar</li>
<li>1 bottle of beer (I used Harpoon IPA)</li>
<li>2 oz dried ancho chiles (stemmed, seeds removed, and soaked a little warm water)</li>
<li>Half head of garlic smashed</li>
<li>2 teaspoons salt</li>
<li>2 teaspoons dried oregano</li>
<li>2 teaspoons cumin</li>
<li>.5 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
<li>.5 teaspoon clove</li>
<li>.5 teaspoon black pepper</li>
<li>2 bay leaves</li>
<li>one medium-sized spoonful of tomato paste</li>
<li>1 large onion (sliced in half inch slices)</li>
<li>1 pack of beef short ribs (I got mine for BJ's)</li>
<li>Cabbage, red onion and carrot slaw - get the recipe <a href="http://modernistfoodie.blogspot.com/2015/02/cabbage-red-onion-and-carrot-slaw.html">here</a></li>
</ul>
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Add all of the ingredients, except for the onion and short ribs, in a large Dutch oven pot and mix to combine. <br />
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Layer the slices of onion on the bottom of the pot. <br />
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Place the short ribs on top of the onions.<br />
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Cover the pot, and cook in a 325 degree F oven for 3 hours.<br />
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When they come out of the oven, the short ribs will look like this - nicely browned.</div>
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Remove the short ribs to a plate, and then finish the sauce. Skim off any fat that pools at the surface and discard the bay leaves. Place all of the pot contents into a blender - I used my trusty <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008H4SLV6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008H4SLV6&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20&linkId=REOWTEYG6A4WKLPD">Vitamix</a> - and blend until smooth.<br />
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Meanwhile, use two forks to shred the short ribs, and add the shredded meat back to your Dutch oven.<br />
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Dump the blended sauce back into the pot and combine with the meat. Heat gently to warm.<br />
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Finally, build your tacos! Take a heated, softened corn tortilla, add some of the delicious short rib meat, and top with the veggie slaw, chopped cilantro, and crumbled Cotjia cheese. Enjoy!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-9184858566211419512015-02-15T20:14:00.000-08:002015-02-15T20:18:10.167-08:00Cabbage, Red Onion and Carrot SlawWhenever I visit my favorite neighborhood Thai restaurant, I always order a green papaya salad. I've always wondered how they get such nice, uniform julienned cuts of papaya. The last time I went, I happened to get a glimpse of the chef preparing it and noticed she was using what appeared to be a peeler with a special blade. <br />
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I went home and searched on Amazon for "green papaya peeler" and this - the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016FYWA2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0016FYWA2&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20&linkId=R2CHS2325FI2L3H5">Kiwi Pro Slice Peeler</a> - came up as the first search result. I decided to give it try, and it turns out it was exactly what I needed. For $5.65 plus free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime, this product is an absolute steal. I'd say I have decent knife skills, but julienning a bunch of vegetables, whether it be carrots or daikon, is a tedious, time-consuming task. This tool eliminates a lot of the headache. I've only had it for a week, and I've already used it a bunch of times. It's becoming one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.<br />
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I used my special peeler for julienning some carrot for a pickled slaw that I paired with a Mexican-inspired ancho chile and beer braised short rib dish for tacos. The recipe for the slaw is basically a combination of shredded carrot (1 medium), cabbage (half a head) and red onion (half of a medium sized) - I used the peeler to cut the carrot and a mandolin for the latter two. Combine the vegetables with 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 cup of cider vinegar, .5 cup of water, 1.5 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Let the slaw sit in the pickling liquid for a few hours and then drain before serving. Don't worry about including the onion, as it becomes very mild through the pickling process.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-36544232124880016822014-04-09T11:15:00.002-07:002014-04-10T06:14:15.364-07:00Fried Brussels Sprouts, Fish Sauce, Garlic, ChilisGrowing up as a kid, I never really liked eating Brussels sprouts. However, as an adult, I certainly have acquired a taste for them. I usually oven roast or sauté them in a pan on the stove top but I must say that my absolute favorite method of cooking them is deep frying - yes, deep frying! <br />
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The exterior leaves get somewhat crispy and caramelized, and the flavor is deep, rich, and extremely savory. They are great on their own with a sprinkle of salt, but if you really want to put them over the top, dress them in a spicy thai-inspired vinaigrette with fish sauce. You might think fish sauce is unusual but it's not much unlike the Italian bagna cauda sauce, which uses anchovies.<br />
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Here's what to do:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Pre-heat a deep fryer to 375 degrees F - I use the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Z4935O/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005Z4935O&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20">Waring Pro DF280</a> but if you don't have a dedicated deep fryer, alternatively you can use a dutch oven or large pot. To measure the temperature of oil, make sure you do so safely and use a thermometer that can measure high temps like a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003V8A20Q/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003V8A20Q&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20">Taylor Thermocouple</a></li>
<li>Slice the brussels sprouts in half</li>
<li>Once the frying oil is up to temp, drop them in and fry for 2-3 minutes until brown and caramelized</li>
<li>Remove from fryer and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil </li>
<li>Prepare thai vinaigrette by finely chopping thai bird chilis, grating a few garlic gloves using a <a href="about:invalid#zClosurez">microplane</a>, and combining with fish sauce.</li>
<li>Dress the brussel sprouts with the vinaigrette and enjoy!</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-80031992978440427812014-04-07T08:36:00.004-07:002014-04-07T08:36:48.947-07:00Rancatore's Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rancatore's Ice Cream</div>
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1752 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420</div>
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(781) 862-5090</div>
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This past weekend my wife and I drove up to Burlington to grab some groceries at H-Mart. As we headed home, we drove through Lexington and decided to make a pit stop in the town center to grab coffee. We ended up randomly passing by an ice cream shop called Rancatore's and decided to stop in. There's a decent flavor selection, but what caught my eye was the "Tiger Milk" flavor. I asked the girl behind the counter what this flavor was all about, and it turns out they soak frosted flakes in the milk/cream and what's left over is the "tiger milk" that they use to make the ice cream. Momofuku Milk Bar's cereal milk flavor immediately came to mind, and my mind was set as to what to order. We ordered a small size (which actually isn't that small and comes with two scoops), so we also tried the hazelnut cream. The ice cream is dense and rich with a chewy consistency. Both flavors were excellent but I was really enamored with the tiger milk. I can't wait to go back!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-7356941311188339152014-04-02T08:07:00.001-07:002014-04-02T08:07:35.386-07:00Sycamore<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sycamore<br />755 Beacon St, Newton MA 02459<br />(617) 244-4445</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Having spent my childhood and teenage years growing up in Newton, I can attest to the dearth of restaurants and the sad state of dining affairs that was in Newton for many years. Within the last year and a half, that has changed dramatically </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">More and more legitimate restaurants (not you Appetito!) are opening in Newton like Farmstead Table, Waban Kitchen, and Sycamore. You no longer have to trek into the city to get a first rate meal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the Newton Center space formerly occupied by the butcher John Dewars & Co, Sycamore opened last year under David Punch and Lydia Reichert. Both chefs have solid </span>pedigrees<span style="font-family: inherit;"> with experience at Ten Tables and Craigie on Main, respectively. The restaurant focuses on meticulously sourced meat and produce with respect for local traditions. They take ingredients of utmost quality and let them shine in creative, unexpected combinations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My wife and I have only been once so far, but we'd love to go back. Here are pictures of some of the dishes we tried on our first visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-60111160154593244262014-04-02T07:13:00.001-07:002014-04-02T07:16:29.618-07:00Sweet Cheeks Q<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sweet Cheeks Q<br />1381 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215<br />(617) 266-1300</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />My wife and I recently moved but for several years we lived in the Fenway. A spot we enjoyed going to was Sweet Cheeks, one of the few southern barbecue restaurants in Boston. Located on Boylston Street, it is a short walk from the ball park and a great place to get a decent meal before a game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The restaurant is owned and managed by Tiffani Faison who is most famous for her appearance on one of the first seasons of “Top Chef". Given her culinary resume and pedigree, the choice to open a more casual barbecue restaurant as a first solo project might come as a surprise. However, Faison grew up in the south, so in my opinion, this is as much about her returning to her roots as it is making a smart business decision - namely, filling the BBQ void in the Boston restaurant scene.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What we like most about Sweet Cheeks is that it's a fun, chill place. The music is loud and eclectic, ranging from old school 90s rap to more modern pop and rock. The bar menu is large and drinks come served in mason jars. The restaurant is one big dining area, and there's an </span>unapologetically<span style="font-family: inherit;"> strong smokey smell - </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">barbecue is prepared in a 4,700-pound smoker in the open kitchen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Meats are available by the pound, in sandwiches, or on metal
trays. Prices are a little on the high side for barbecue but reasonable overall in my opinion for a meal in the city. Prices are largely dictated by quality of ingredients, including hormone-free beef, Berkshire pork, and halal chicken.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Having gone multiple times, we've tried most of the menu. Biscuits are generously sized, and the honey butter that accompanies them is absolutely delicious. Trays come with both hot and cold sides, my favorite of which are the farmhouse salad and mac and cheese. As for proteins, the barbecued meats like brisket, ribs, and pork belly are surprisingly not the stars of the show. While they were good, what we loved initially and keep going back for is the fried chicken - succulent, moist meat with a super crunchy coating. It's some of the best fried chicken I've had.</span><br />
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If you are ever in the area, I would certainly give Sweet Cheeks a try. And make sure you get the fried chicken!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-8024700887831277152014-03-05T16:08:00.000-08:002014-03-05T16:08:03.107-08:00Lemon Mousse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whenever I'm looking for a go-to dessert to bring to a party or social gathering, I always pull out this lemon mousse recipe which has never failed as a crowd-pleaser. It's based on a recipe by Joanne Chang of Myers and Chang and Flour Bakery here in Boston. She includes ginger in her version, but it requires grating fresh ginger and letting it steep in the cream over night. Sometimes these party dishes are last minute decisions for me and I don't have the time, so I end up skipping that step. Even so, the results are incredible.<br />
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The first step is to essentially make a lemon curd. Juice around 8-10 lemons to yield around 1.5 cups of lemon juice and then combine that with 6 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of heavy cream in a medium sauce pan.<br />
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While this mixture heats, I separately whisk 6 large eggs, 3 large egg yolks, and 1.5 cups sugar in a medium sized non-reactive bowl.<br />
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Once the eggs and sugar are smooth and the cream/butter/lemon mixture has come to a simmer, I gradually whisk the hot lemon mixture into the eggs. Be careful to do this slowly and temper the eggs. I then return the mixture to the pan and cook to a temperature of 175 degrees. A pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla are stirred in at the end.<br />
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The last step is to take around 3.5 cups of heavy cream and whip until firm. I typically use my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005UP2K/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00005UP2K&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20">Kitchen Aid stand mixer</a> to do this since it's incredibly easy and fast but you could alternatively use a portable mixer or simply whip by hand. <br />
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Once the heavy cream is whipped, fold the whipped cream into the lemon curd until well incorporated. This lemon mousse is absolutely delicious. Enjoy a bowl on its own or serve with cookies and a slice of cake. It honestly goes well on anything. The lemon gives a slighty tangy, citrus taste while the whip cream keeps the mousse smooth and light. Go make this now!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-90418776262046888282014-03-04T19:31:00.001-08:002014-03-04T19:31:03.519-08:0024 Hour Sous Vide Short RibsIt's been a while but I'm back finally! Life has been crazy lately between managing projects for work, shopping and buying a new home, and preparing for a baby on the way!<br />
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So a while back I had posted about short ribs that I sous vided for 48 hours. Those were ultra-slow cooked at a low temperature to achieve "medium-rare" short ribs, something that cannot be achieved through traditional cooking methods. The short ribs turned out great but the downside is that they took a long time to achieve the end result.<br />
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I recently tried sous viding short ribs again but this time at a higher temperature, closer to what you would find in a traditional braise on the cook top or in the oven but still using more gentle heat - 165 degrees F for 24 hours in my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003AYZIB4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003AYZIB4&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20">Sous Vide Supreme</a>. The short ribs ended up losing the medium-rare, pinkish/red color obviously, but the meat was still phenomenal - and perhaps more enjoyable than at the lower temp. Cutting down the cook time by half was nice as well. The higher heat rendered more of the fat but the meat was still moist and meltingly tender. The texture reminded me very much of that of a smoked short rib I had at my local BBQ joint recently.<br />
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The taste was great as well - I went for a more traditional French Burgundy style flavor profile, using some of my own twists of course. This included some soy sauce, oyster sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and bay leaf. I debated adding some red wine but left it out, figuring I could add it to the sauce at the end if I desired. In the end, I left it out entirely and didn't make any difference in terms of flavor in my opinion. I highly recommend this method!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-29535967894188199782013-05-25T11:47:00.001-07:002014-03-04T08:21:18.659-08:00Fried Calamari, Sweet Sour Tomato Chutney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After recently being introduced by a co-worker to the wonders of deep fried brussels sprouts, I decided to go ahead and purchase a deep fryer. I decided to go with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Z4935O/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005Z4935O&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20">Waring Pro DF280</a> as this is the one my co-worker has and she gave a pretty favorable review of it. I've used the deep fryer a number of times since it arrived, and overall I've been very happy with it.<br />
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The other day I watched an episode of Neighborhood Kitchens, which is a cooking show on PBS where the host visits local restaurants around Boston and cooks dishes offered at the restaurant. For this particular episode, the host was visiting an Italian restaurant called Bistro 5 in Medford. One of the restaurant's most popular appetizers is a dish of fried calamari with a sweet sour tomato chutney. This looked like a perfect dish to use our new deep fryer, so I decided to try to re-create it.<br />
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The sauce doesn't take long to make but it is the most involved part of the dish (the calamari only takes a minute to fry), so that's what I started on first. First, you take a few cloves of finely sliced garlic, diced ginger, salt, and dried red pepper flakes and sauté all of those ingredients over medium heat in some olive oil for a minute or two. The heat activates the essential oils and flavors, but you don't want to go too far otherwise the garlic will burn.<br />
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Once the garlic and ginger are fragrant, add a sweetener like honey or maple syrup. I had agave in my pantry, so this is what I used. <br />
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Next I added some vinegar to add the sour component to the sauce. Sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, or white balsamic vinegar all work. Try to avoid using black balsamic, as it's a little too aggressive. It also turns the sauce dark.<br />
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Turn up the heat on the stove and let the mixture reduce. The mixture should be a little syrupy.<br />
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Finally, add in some fresh chopped tomatoes. The chef at Bistro 5 used some cherry tomatoes that he halved, but any kind of fresh, ripe tomato will work fine. Let the mixture cook for a few additional minutes, and the chutney will be ready.<br />
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The second component of the dish is the fried calamari itself. There are lots of different ways to fry calamari. Some recipes call for egg batters, others don't. The Italian way is to not use any egg and instead simply dredge the calamari in flour. I've seen Lidia Bastianich use straight all-purpose flour, but the chef at Bistro 5 recommended a mixture of both AP flour and semolina flour. According to him, AP flour results in a coating that's too crisp - the semolina is a bit softer, and the combination of the two results in the perfect crunch.<br />
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Once the calamari bodies and tentacles are cleaned, prepped, and dried, dredge the calamari in the flour mixture with some salt and then gently remove any excess flour. You just want a light dusting of flour on the calamari.<br />
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I started up my deep fryer and set it to 375 degrees F. The Waring deep fryer comes up to temperature pretty quick, which is nice. It also has a lid on it, so you don't have to worry about any splattering of oil if there is any moisture in what you're frying. After about a minute or so in the fryer, the calamari was ready.<br />
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Here's the final dish all plated up again. The fried calamari is perfectly crisp with a nice, light batter and pairs really well with the tomato chutney that's sweet, sour, and savory. The chutney has that great balance that keeps your palette excited and wanting to go back for more. Overall, this is a pretty simple appetizer that is absolutely delicious.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-72191692731951289992013-04-08T19:17:00.003-07:002013-04-08T19:21:24.537-07:00Mexican Style Horchata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My wife and I typically hit up Anna's Taqueria whenever we're in Allston and want a quick, cheap bite to eat. We were in the area the other day and decided to grab lunch there. We each grabbed a super quesadilla with carnitas, and my wife ordered a side of horchata for us to share. I've had horchata a number of times before, but it's been a while and drinking it again the other day reminded me just how much I enjoy it.<br />
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When I got home, I found a number of recipes for horchata online. Spanish style horchatas are made from chufa nuts, but they're incredibly hard to find. Almost all of the Mexican style recipes I found called for white rice, water, cinnamon stick, sugar, and milk. These are all ingredients already in my pantry, so I decided to give it a go.<br />
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Using my Vitamix, I first blended about a cup of long grain white rice until it was a fine powder.<br />
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I emptied the rice powder into a small container and then added about three and a half cups of warm water to it along with one cinnamon stick. I stored this mixture in my fridge for about 24 hours to allow the cinnamon and rice flavor to infuse.<br />
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After the mixture finished steeping, I removed the cinnamon stick and then blended everything together until smooth. A lot of recipes recommend straining out the rice solids using cheesecloth at this point, but I didn't have any and even the finest strainer I had didn't make any difference. I finally added about a cup of sugar and 2-3 cups of whole milk, stirring until incorporated.<br />
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Add a dash of ground cinnamon when serving. Here's the final result again, which was pretty close to Anna's version:<br />
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Note: you can add a shot of espresso to the horchata to mix things up and add an interesting spin on the traditional version.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-23839790396771018212013-04-08T18:42:00.006-07:002017-01-17T07:52:37.181-08:00Sous Vide Pork Loin, Five Spice, Hoisin BBQ Sauce, Gailan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past weekend my wife and I picked up a pork loin from BJ's for around $3 a pound. We decided to go Asian and do a riff on the roast pork you often find at Chinatown BBQ joints. Chinese roast pork, also called "siu yuk" or "sio bak", is typically pork belly that is marinated with Chinese five spice and then roasted to perfection until the skin is crisp.<br />
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With the pork loin we purchased, I rubbed the meat all over with Chinese five spice powder and let this sit for about 24 hours in the refrigerator. After coming back home from work tonight, I seasoned the meat with salt and then sous vide it for about an hour and a half at 144 degrees. I have an old school <a href="http://amzn.to/2ihoaHu">Sous Vide Supreme</a>, but there are many better, cheaper sous vide options available now such as <a href="http://amzn.to/2ihtU3Y">Joule</a> and <a href="http://amzn.to/2htdunL">Anova</a>. After taking the meat out of the immersion circulator, I dried off the exterior of the meat and seared it in a hot pan with some oil.<br />
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As I was sous viding the meat, I cooked up some plain white rice and blanched some Chinese broccoli tips in salted boiling water. I also made a quick Asian barbeque sauce of sorts, combining in a small sauce pan a quarter cup of water, a half tablespoon granulated garlic powder, and around 4 tablespoons each of hoisin sauce, ketchup, and honey.<br />
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The meat was incredibly tender and moist and had great flavor from the barbeque sauce, which was savory from the hoisin, sweet from the honey, acidic from the ketchup, and fragrant and aromatic from the five spice blend.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-40492086831381789052013-02-27T18:35:00.000-08:002013-02-28T10:39:42.269-08:00Braised Rabbit, Red Wine, Oyster Mushrooms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past weekend while grocery shopping, I noticed some rabbit available at C-Mart. I don't think I've ever seen rabbit sold at any of the mainstream supermarkets around Boston, so this was a bit exciting for me (I know, a very food geeky thing to say). A few months ago on our honeymoon in France, my wife and I enjoyed a rustic <a href="http://modernistfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/02/lardoise.html" target="_blank">rabbit dish,</a> and with the rabbit I picked up, I decided to recreate something similar.<br />
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Since it's not widely available, I haven't had a chance to cook rabbit before. The rabbit I purchased was whole, which required some butchering to disassemble the different parts. A few videos I found on YouTube were very helpful, as was an <a href="http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Easy-Pieces-Cutting-a-Whole-Rabbit" target="_blank">article</a> I found on Saveur's website. <br />
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The first step was removing the front legs...<br />
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Then removing the hind legs...a helpful tip one of the videos gave was using your hands to manually crack the hip joint and then slice through the joint.<br />
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After removing both sets of legs, I separated the loin and saddle and cut them into smaller pieces. A Chinese cleaver is helpful with this task, but a regular chef's nice will do the job as well.<br />
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After butchering the rabbit, I seared the pieces in some vegetable oil and then removed them to a separate dish...<br />
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I then sweated down some chopped onion, carrot and celery...</div>
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I added back the rabbit pieces with some thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, chopped garlic, and oyster mushrooms. I also deglazed the pan with some red wine and poured in a few cups of chicken stock and tomato puree. <br />
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The whole pan then went into a 350 degree F oven for about 20-25 minutes.<br />
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And here's the final dish again. This was a simple, rustic preparation of rabbit that was easy and quick to prepare and very tasty. The dish brought us right back to France and reminded us a lot of the rabbit we had at L'Ardoise. The only thing I would do differently next time is braise the legs and dark meat (as we did this time) but save the loin and saddle, which are leaner and can dry out, for a different preparation (e.g. roulade via sous vide).<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-29078467889625156682013-02-26T19:37:00.000-08:002013-02-26T19:43:32.369-08:00Momofuku Style Pork Shoulder, Soba, Poached Egg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've only been to Momofuku Ssam Bar in NYC once, but the one time I did eat there, the food was great. One of Momofuku Ssam Bar's most famous dishes is the Bo Ssam, which essentially is a slow roasted pork shoulder. Over the weekend when I saw pork shoulder boston butt available at BJ's, I thought of Momofuku's version and wanted to try to recreate it.<br />
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The NY times has a recipe posted online for the Bo Ssam, and it basically calls for doing a cure on the pork shoulder, then slow cooking it in the oven for several hours. In making my version, I decided to change a few steps in the process.<br />
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Instead of rubbing the salt and sugar curing mixture on the pork, I created a brine using Modernist Cuisine's basic brine recipe of 7% salt and 3% sugar. I figured the brine would allow the sugar and salt to penetrate the meat more quickly. Before work in the morning, I removed the bone from the pork shoulder and put the pork into the brine. <br />
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Here's a picture of the pork shoulder I purchased from BJ's...<br />
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Deboning the pork shoulder...</div>
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Measuring the water for the brine (although I really didn't end up needing this much)...<br />
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....and measuring the salt (not pictured is the sugar)...</div>
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Brining the pork shoulder in the fridge...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5guDHTBJvfb2nXPM-mtSSpxxfHv0o-3X7CAPq6SK12yksGypp_gnlHZ6XD92YlUtk4OAMNqUWWTuKgeHXQSGD3Kdb2F_j-307e1mtiNTDLcYQ7goz9tZZ2fIy-e6kIKGsdRVOQG4X20w/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5guDHTBJvfb2nXPM-mtSSpxxfHv0o-3X7CAPq6SK12yksGypp_gnlHZ6XD92YlUtk4OAMNqUWWTuKgeHXQSGD3Kdb2F_j-307e1mtiNTDLcYQ7goz9tZZ2fIy-e6kIKGsdRVOQG4X20w/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I came back home from work later that night, I removed the pork pieces from the brine, rinsed them off, and placed them in new Ziploc bags. MC recommends letting any protein rest for a period of time after brining to let the salt finish diffusing throughout the meat, but I just skipped over this step as I wanted to get the cooking started so the pork would be ready for dinner the next day.<br />
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Instead of roasting the pork in the oven, I decided to sous vide it for a couple of reasons. One, I had other things to do (e.g. sleep, go to work, run errands) and didn't want to have to baby sit a hot oven. Two, the low and slow cooking of sous vide would really benefit the tough cut that is pork shoulder. So I set my Sous Vide Supreme to 160 degrees F and then dropped the pork in to cook. I put the pork in around 6pm and let it cook for the next 24 hours, taking it out the following day to eat for dinner.<br />
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Pictured above is what the pork shoulder looks like right out of the water bath. As you can see, a lot of liquid and fat has been expelled by the pork.<br />
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Don't throw away all of the accumulated juices in the bags. The fat can be skimmed off, and the remaining pork liquid can be used later as a pork broth or base for a soup (e.g. ramen, other type of sauce). <br />
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I took the sous vide pork shoulder and then placed it in a roasting tray. I covered the pork with brown sugar and then blasted it in a hot 500 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes until the pork was nicely caramelized and brown, as shown below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKMuTcEgX5ac9ZqI0nti6lbvQ5IEtE_mMxicl7or6if3xEplKdHxYzJxC9C-enEZcU1edVcjGdQoOSS9VbrEx_FN9JkkFfsyK8OUwzoLHdee2O61sVz2h39e6H6-OZjo2fE-Z5ikLarU/s1600/SousVidePorkShoulder3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKMuTcEgX5ac9ZqI0nti6lbvQ5IEtE_mMxicl7or6if3xEplKdHxYzJxC9C-enEZcU1edVcjGdQoOSS9VbrEx_FN9JkkFfsyK8OUwzoLHdee2O61sVz2h39e6H6-OZjo2fE-Z5ikLarU/s320/SousVidePorkShoulder3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After the pork came out of the oven, I shredded all of the meat and mixed it together with the sugar and juices at the bottom of the roasting pan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HQQl1bS8UXY7rSObgOKf4o-Hohcd0yFI14ncMAcPOJSJYmgJjxb-T2NoPYiPUq6i6OtjNJAgfViIytaGoK0Dhk4EOUEz9RI4kQYuLTArRL4jTTQjeAFt0iMQ2pt8G4NFku_XUmgg-Js/s1600/SousVidePorkShoulder4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HQQl1bS8UXY7rSObgOKf4o-Hohcd0yFI14ncMAcPOJSJYmgJjxb-T2NoPYiPUq6i6OtjNJAgfViIytaGoK0Dhk4EOUEz9RI4kQYuLTArRL4jTTQjeAFt0iMQ2pt8G4NFku_XUmgg-Js/s320/SousVidePorkShoulder4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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As I was preparing the pork, I prepped the other ingredients for the dish. David Chang recommends eating the pork shoulder with lettuce cups and all kinds of different condiments, but the pork is very versatile and I decided to use the pork for a noodle dish instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipF9HRKFZbafTwyJmaBoCeQhj-aibEYTnVnJAnNN6EG3X1FQKd1uj9xDBSD6eP7q93dNPlQaREEusBpweh2WmDeS222G0Kpl4DKqhNiM7pyYGdV2Zd0flH_jfPq0rsVUUBfwKsnw0YVZs/s1600/Soba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipF9HRKFZbafTwyJmaBoCeQhj-aibEYTnVnJAnNN6EG3X1FQKd1uj9xDBSD6eP7q93dNPlQaREEusBpweh2WmDeS222G0Kpl4DKqhNiM7pyYGdV2Zd0flH_jfPq0rsVUUBfwKsnw0YVZs/s320/Soba.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's what I used for the noodle dish - lime, scallions, oyster mushrooms, one thai bird chili (seeds removed), two garlic cloves, soba, and a few eggs (to be poached).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FcFKow5ha4JGbTBXttAz470o2QszScOE7nTa6Z21SQ8ks_c0WDI3FPbFHVsIYOZHatg779TBcFIZzgWG22R8EfSjYX1pxF8lQ3xbUX-sxZp2C65aLM8KQ5Uawz4PeeISKL3qIxFUZLE/s1600/Soba3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1FcFKow5ha4JGbTBXttAz470o2QszScOE7nTa6Z21SQ8ks_c0WDI3FPbFHVsIYOZHatg779TBcFIZzgWG22R8EfSjYX1pxF8lQ3xbUX-sxZp2C65aLM8KQ5Uawz4PeeISKL3qIxFUZLE/s320/Soba3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Soba cooking in boiling water...<br />
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Slices of garlic being fried in oil and then reserved for garnish...<br />
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Oyster mushrooms being sautéed in the garlic infused oil left over in the pan...<br />
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After poaching the two eggs in some simmering water and white vinegar, I plated up the dish. I mixed the soba noodles with some ponzu, sesame oil, and rice vinegar and piled a mound in the center of a deep bowl. On top of the noodles went the scallions, sauteed mushrooms, chili, fried garlic slices, and poached egg. I placed some pork next to the noodles and then microplaned some fine lime zest all over the top. Here's the final dish once again:<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-50443551980121010982013-02-26T13:04:00.001-08:002013-02-26T13:04:10.075-08:00PalomasPalomas<br />
2 rue du Colonel Chambonnet 69002 Lyon, France<br />
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04 78 37 74 60</div>
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Before heading up on the fornicular to visit the old part of Lyon, we stopped into Palomas to grab a few snacks. Palomas is a master chocolate and confectionary maker, which originally opened in 1917. The shop sells all kinds of sweet treats but it was the mont blanc that I spotted in the window display that really interested me.</div>
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Not everyone likes chestnut but I've kind of grown a taste for it. If you've never had a Mont Blanc before, the main ingredient is chestnuts that are sweetened and pureed. There's usually a cookie or some kind of biscuit on the bottom that is then topped with the chestnut in a vermicelli-like mound along with some whipped cream. The dessert was named after the Mont Blanc mountain top in the Alps, as it resembles a snow-capped mountain.</div>
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After we finished paying at Palomas, I grabbed this shot of the city square. You can see the church in the background perched on top of the hill that we later traveled up via the fornicular just minutes later.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-34872521431485634392013-02-26T12:15:00.003-08:002013-02-26T12:15:39.651-08:00Maison RousseauMaison Rousseau<br />
102 Cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon, France <br />
+33 4 78 62 37 65 <br />
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As I previously mentioned in my post about dining at Paul Bocuse, there's a large marketplace or "les halles" located in the Part-Dieu neighborhood of Lyon that is quite simply a food lover's paradise. The marketplace is named in honor of the legendary Paul Bocuse, and under one roof you will find an array of different vendors selling some of the highest quality products and ingredients on the planet - and I don't think that that's an exaggeration. The marketplace is home to artisanal cheese makers, butchers, bread makers, pastry shops, wine shops, seafood stalls, restaurants - you name it.<br />
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<span style="color: black;">We visited the marketplace in the late afternoon on the same day we were visiting Paul Bocuse's L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges. It was a bit of a shame since we didn't really take advantage of our time at the market. We didn't try much of anything since we knew we were in for a huge, multi-course meal later that night and didn't want to ruin our appetites. We couldn't go without having <em>anything</em>, however, so we stopped at Maison Rousseau for some oysters.</span><br />
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Maison Rousseau is a seafood purveyor where you can buy all kinds of fresh seafood to take home. There's also a shop keeper at the counter who will kindly shuck oysters or other crustaceans for you, which is what we opted for.<br />
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After sharing a dozen oysters, we also stopped by the shop of La Mere Richard to grab some cheese before heading back to the hotel. Lyon is most famous for its Saint-Marcellin cheese, which is a soft textured cow's milk cheese, and this is the one we bought. Funny enough, later that night we found out that cheese from La Mere Richard is served at L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-22438937061726579292013-02-26T11:14:00.000-08:002013-02-26T11:14:04.950-08:00La Ferme de St HubertLa Ferme de St Hubert<br />
36 Rue de Rochechouart, 75009 Paris, France<br />
+33 1 45 53 15 77 <br />
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On one of our last days in Paris, we had already checked out most of the major sites and decided to head north to check out the Basilica of the Sacre Couer in Montmartre. The Basilica is essentially a large white-domed Roman Catholic church that has become a famous Paris landmark. Religion and architecture are a few reasons for visiting, but the site also offers wonderful views of Paris, as it's the highest point in the city. We went in the late morning but I've been told that the views in the late afternoon of the sun setting are spectacular.<br />
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After checking out the Basilica, we started walking south to head back to the central part of Paris. We didn't have any specific plan or agenda, and it was by pure luck that we happened to pass by a really interesting looking shop named La Ferme de St Hubert. Since we hadn't eaten lunch yet, we decided to stop in and pick up a few items for a quick, picnic style lunch.<br />
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Upon entering, my wife and I were completely awestruck by the truly impressive selection of cheeses. My wife and I had never seen anything like it before. It was a bit overwhelming to be honest. In addition to selling cheeses, there were charcuterie, wine, and all kinds of specialty items on display.<br />
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As in many shops in Paris, the shop keeper only spoke French, except for a few English phrases. Luckily, it was just barely enough for us to communicate with each other. With all the cheeses labeled in French, we really had no clue what to order but knew that we wanted to try as many as possible. The shop keeper was extremely friendly and accomodating, and to help us identify which types of cheeses we were interested in, he brought out small plastic replicas of a cow, sheep, and goat. We pointed at all three and let him decide which cheeses to choose for us. <br />
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The shopkeeper cut three good sized chunks of cheese for us as well as some paper thin slices of charcuterie. I would have loved to try even more cheeses, but other customers had entered the store and were waiting to be served, so I didn't want to be even more of a hassle than I already likely was. The shopkeeper noticed we were tourists and asked if we wanted him to vacuum seal the cheeses (for later transportation). We declined since we were going to eat them right away, but it was a useful bit of information to pick up for the future. <br />
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Right next door to the fromagerie was a boulangerie where we picked up some hot, fresh baked baguette. We walked over to a small park where some kids were playing soccer and then sat down to enjoy our spread of food. <br />
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My wife likes more mild cheeses, but I'm all about the strong, full-flavored ones. A little funk is what makes cheese interesting in my opinion. The stinkier, the better. I can't remember if the first and second cheeses were goat or sheep but both I enjoyed alot. The third was my wife's favorite and was soft in texture and mild in flavor. It reminded me a little of a cream cheese.<br />
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We certainly had some great sit-down meals at very upscale, fancy restaurants in France but some of my fondest memories of our trip were of the times when we picked up some cheeses, bread, charcuterie and prepared salads and had a quick, informal picnic. It's extremely affordable and the quality and freshness of the products will knock your socks off.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-44921974238090395932013-02-25T10:30:00.001-08:002016-12-28T07:56:47.938-08:00Butter Poached Sous Vide Lobster TailDuring last year's summer, there was a point where Maine lobsters were incredibly cheap and going for as low as $1-2 dollars a pound. There was even a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/us/in-maine-fishermen-struggle-with-glut-of-lobsters.html" target="_blank">NY Times article</a> covering the issue, documenting the hardships of Maine fishermen struggling from record low prices caused by the glut of lobsters flooding the market.<br />
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Since lobsters were so cheap, we purchased a whole bunch of lobsters to cook up and serve during a family dinner. I've had lobster cooked in all different kinds of ways, but I had read about French Laundry's technique of poaching the lobster tails in butter and wanted to try this method. <br />
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To start, I boiled up some water along with some white vinegar and poured this over the raw lobsters, letting them steep for a few minutes. Next, I disassembled the lobsters, pulling apart the body, claws and tails. While the lobster tail was still hot, I twisted off the flat end and then pushed the tail meat through the shells to remove.<br />
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I then placed the partially cooked lobster meat (practically still raw) and some unsalted butter in a zip loc bag, removing as much air as possible using the water displacement method. Similar to Thomas Keller's method, Modernist Cuisine has a recipe for poached lobster tails, and in that recipe, the book recommends using a water temperature of 125 degrees F, cooking to a core temp of 123 degrees. I decided to follow this, and I let the lobster tails sit in my water bath for about 15 minutes before removing - I have an old school <a href="http://amzn.to/2ihoaHu">Sous Vide Supreme</a>, but there are many better, cheaper sous vide options available now such as <a href="http://amzn.to/2ihtU3Y">Joule</a> and <a href="http://amzn.to/2htdunL">Anova</a>.<br />
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Modernist Cuisine recommends doing a quick 10 second sear on the tails to firm up the surface of the lobster but I skipped this step. The results are shown below. The lobter tail meat was certainly very buttery, tender and smooth but I somehow still felt like the meat was a bit undercooked. I was fine with the texture but it was more the faint taste of raw lobster that I wasn't overly thrilled about. I doubt the 10 second sear that I skipped would have made a significant difference in the end result, but I could be wrong. If I were to do this again, I'd try the final sear step or possibly just cook the tail meat at a higher temperature.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-31429697833622955822013-02-25T09:08:00.000-08:002013-02-25T09:10:55.579-08:00Matcha Green Tea Ice CreamYears ago I had purchased a Cuisinart ice cream maker on a whim and then proceeded to go through a whole ice-cream making phase. I made all kinds of different flavors, ranging from tea infused ones (earl gray) to nut (hazelnut) and fruit-based ones (strawberry, peach). I'd make the ice creams for different family get togethers and holiday events, and overall friends and family were relatively pleased with them. My biggest gripe, however, was the texture of the ice-creams, which tended to be just a tad icey (or icier than most commercial products off the shelf). <br />
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Whenever I've made ice-cream, I've always used the same recipe for the base, consisting of about 4 eggs yolk, 2 cups cream, 1 cup milk, and about a cup of sugar. Then I've added different ingredients to the base depending on the flavor I was aiming for. This recipe has always worked, so I've never tried anything else and always assumed that the slight icey texture was a failing of the ice-cream maker not freezing the ice-cream base fast enough, allowing small ice crystals to form in the process.<br />
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Then last week while I was at the bookstore, I took a look at the French Laundry cookbook. Keller has a few ice-cream recipes in there, and I was surprised the number of eggs yolks he uses, averaging about 8 yolks for a single batch. The boost in egg yolks certainly would make for a luxurious ice-cream and help address the icey texture but I wondered if there were other ways to solve the problem without using so much fat.<br />
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This weekend I did some internet research and came across some different ice-cream recipe variations that piqued my interested. In a NY times article, Mark Brittman writes about using corn starch to thicken the base instead of eggs. Apparently, Jeni Britton, the owner of Jeni's Splendid ice creams in Columbus, Ohio also uses this technique. A few years back, my travels for work brought me to Columbus and I tried Jeni's ice-cream, which was indeed delicious. Another recipe variation involved using a combination of both eggs <em>and</em> cornstarch. Then I came across yet another recipe on an <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/topic/139252-advice-needed-making-ice-cream-with-eggs-and-cornstarch/" target="_blank">eGullet thread</a> that discussed the use of a few hydrocolloids, gelatin and xanthan gum, to achieve more desirable textural qualities. This <a href="http://www.under-belly.org/recipes/vanilla_ice_cream.pdf" target="_blank">last variation</a>, created by the owner of the UnderBelly.org website, really piqued my interest, and I dug out my ice-cream machine from my closet to give it a go.<br />
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The UnderBelly recipe is for a vanilla ice cream but I decided to make a matcha green tea version. My wife and I love green tea ice-cream, especially the Haagen-Dasz version, but it's so damn hard to find in the markets. Some of the Asian supermakets do carry green-tea ice-cream regularly but the brands they carry are either weak on the green tea flavor or have so much air whipped into them that they lose the dense, rich qualities that I like about premium ice-cream.<br />
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The Underbelly recipe calls for nonfat dry milk powder, sugar, xanthan gum, eggs, milk, cream, gelatin powder, dextrose, and trimoline. I didn't have dextrose and trimoline, so I added more sugar, as the recipe recommends. The recipe also calls for the milk and cream to be separate, but I had purchased a large container of half and half from BJ's, so this is what I used.<br />
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I measured out 370 grams of the half and half...<br />
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...and 15 grams of matcha green tea powder.<br />
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I scalded the milk and brought it up to 180 degrees before turning off the flame...<br />
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...and whisking in the green tea powder. I let the green tea infuse with the milk for 15-20 minutes. <br />
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I seperated the yolks of two eggs and then whisked them together in a seperate bowl.<br />
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I measured out 130 grams of regular white sugar...<br />
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...as well as 25 grams of non-fat dry milk powder...<br />
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...and about 1/8 of a teaspoon of xanthan gum. The Under Belly recipe calls for .3 grams but my scale doesn't measure in less than 1 gram increments.<br />
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I also added the smallest dash of vanilla extract - probably one to two tiny droplets.<br />
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The Under Belly recipe said to incorporate and mix everything thoroughly, but I wasn't having much success using my whisk. Everything was clumping together in the wires so I tried using my Vitamix to blend everything together. This wasn't the best idea, as everything got stuck under the blades. As soon as I realized this wouldn't work, I abandoned the blender, as I didn't want the heat of the blades to cook the eggs.<br />
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I dumped the egg yolks and dry ingredients into the green tea milk/cream mixture and then started cooking it over a medium flame, whisking every few seconds. The dry ingredients ended up dissolving relatively easily into the liquid, so my prior concerns were unfounded.<br />
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I brought the mixture up to 180 degrees and at this point, the whole mixture thickened up quite nicely.<br />
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After removing from heat and cooling the mixture for a bit, I added in another 370 grams of half and half. This is one of the differences between my version and the Under Belly recipe. As I mentioned earlier, the Under Belly recipe calls for seperate treatments of the milk and cream - the milk is scalded in the earlier step and the cream is added in at the end during this step.<br />
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Here's a picture of what the mixture looks like with the half and half mixed into the rest of the custard base. I'm not sure if I messed up the base by doing this since it definitely lost its thick texture.<br />
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After cooling down the mixture in the refrigerator for a few hours, I then poured the ice cream base into a previously frozen Cuisinart ice-cream bowl and churned the base for about 20-25 minutes, as I typically do.<br />
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Even after letting the ice-cream maker go for 20-25 minutes, the mixture didn't firm up at all. Usually when I make ice-cream, the mixture resembles soft serve in terms of consistency. I'm not sure if the bowl wasn't cold enough or if it was the way I prepared the ice-cream base. This has happened in the past, and the ice-cream usually ends up almost unscoopably hard after curing in the freezer. At this point, I felt it was too late to do anything else, so I transferred the base to a container and then threw it in the fridge to set.<br />
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The ice-cream is still setting, so I'll update this post with the end results in a few hours. Stay tuned!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-15632217746239696342013-02-25T07:12:00.000-08:002013-02-25T07:12:37.784-08:00Agar Agar at C-MartYesterday my wife and I had pho for lunch in Chinatown and after we finished, we stopped by C-Mart. While grabbing some potato starch, I spotted some agar agar in the same aisle! For a while now I've been looking to get my hands on some to try recipes in the gelification section of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982761007/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0982761007&linkCode=as2&tag=moderfoodi-20" target="_blank">Modernist Cuisine cookbook</a>, but prices have been pretty steep everywhere I've looked over the internet. I picked up this 25 gram packet of agar agar for a little over $1. On Modernist Pantry, agar agar sells for about $12 for 50 grams. I haven't used the agar agar yet, so I can't make any judgments regarding "quality" (however that may be defined for agar agar) but I do know that is a big price difference. If anyone has used this brand, I would definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts about your experiences using it.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-4753399478230938752013-02-24T19:42:00.000-08:002013-02-24T19:44:47.537-08:00Honey Soy Glazed Chicken WingsA few weeks ago while reading through Modernist Cuisine at Home, I saw a recipe for sous vide chicken wings and put it on my list of things to try. Tonight I finally got around to giving it a go. MC recommends soaking the chicken wings in a brine for a few hours, cooking the chicken wings sous vide for an hour, and then finally frying the wings in hot oil until crispy. The MC version finishes the wings in a buffalo sauce but my wife and I decided to go Asian with a honey soy glaze.<br />
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To make the brine, I measured out approximately 500 grams of plain water using my kitchen scale.<br />
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After adding the water, I used the tare feature to zero out the scale and then added approximately 35 grams of kosher salt.<br />
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I just used my hand to mix the salt and water together. In a ziploc bag, I added the brine and chicken wings and let them soak in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. We bought chicken wings from BJ's, and they came with the wing tips attached. You can trim them off or just leave them on. I started cutting the tips off initially and then my wife told me to keep them on since she actually likes eating them. </div>
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After the chicken wings were finished brining, I took the wings out of the bag and dried them off using paper towels.<br />
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I put the dried off chicken wings in a new bag and then removed as much air as possible using the water displacement method. We cooked up about 20 wings, so we needed two ziploc bags to accommodate all of them. I set my Sous Vide Supreme to 148 degrees F as MC recommends and then let the wings cook for about an hour.</div>
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After an hour in the water bath, I removed the wings. You can stop at this point and eat the chicken as is. It'll resemble a hainanese or salt-baked chicken that you can get in Chinatown from a BBQ joint. The wings are great with a little a ginger and scallion oil. The step of brining the chicken makes a big contribution to the flavor of the chicken.<br />
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If you want a crispy version of the wings, then you can continue as I did and fry the wings. Before frying, make sure you dry the wings off very well with paper towels because any moisture left on them will cause the oil to pop during frying (the next step).<br />
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Using a wok with about a half inch of vegetable oil in it, I fried the chicken wings in batches. MC recommends frying the wings at around 390 degrees F. For the initial fry, I used my candy thermometer to make sure the oil was at this temperature, but I didn't keep checking the oil temperature. I think this could have been my downfall since not all of the chicken wings were quite as crisp as I would have liked. I think the oil temp ended up dropping at certain parts throughout the frying process. If I were to do it again, I'd more diligently monitor the frying oil temp and also try using a coating on the wings (e.g. potato starch and Wondra) to get more of a crunchy exterior. Another separate MC recipe I saw had recommended the coating.<br />
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Once the chicken wings came out of the fryer, we tossed them in a sauce we made using soy sauce, honey, microplaned garlic, butter, siracha chili sauce, and chopped scallions.<br />
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The wings were definitely tasty and comparable to what you'd get at any wing take-out place around Boston, but I wasn't really satisfied with the crispness of the skin. This is something I'll have to work on for next time.<br />
<span id="goog_1507352717"></span><span id="goog_1507352718"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-2972107194783650202013-02-22T12:28:00.001-08:002013-02-22T12:30:24.558-08:00HenriHenri<br />
18 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603<br />
(312) 578-0763 <br />
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Henri is a really elegant, upscale restaurant located in the Loop of downtown Chicago serving classical French. I only went to Henri twice during my time in Chicago, once by myself after work for a quick dinner and once with some co-workers for a project team dinner. Both times the food was great. <br />
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Henri is owned by the same management team who operates The Gage, which is actually only a few doors down from Henri. The Gage is definitely less formal and attracts a younger crowd. The bar at The Gage is always packed after work. The first time I dined at Henri was because The Gage had too long of a wait and I left in search of other options.<br />
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Henri is located right on Michigan Ave so you get a great view of the park. The dining room is nice, albeit a bit too formal and quiet for my liking. During the summer, the patio is open and diners are allowed to sit outside. I would definitely recommend the patio, although it depends on the occassion and purpose of the dinner. Both spaces have their virtues. The second time I visted Henri with co-workers, we dined inside and actually happened to sit at a table right next to the CEO of the client company we were working at.<br />
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The pictures below are from my solo dining experience. I ordered this chicken dish, which was stuffed with spinach, and served with some baby carrots and a red wine sauce. <br />
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For dessert, I ordered this chocolate tart. It was a tart shell filled with a layer of salted caramel on the bottom and then another layer of chocolate ganache. I love desserts with salty caramel and chocolate - the combination of salty and sweet is so delicious.<br />
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The food at Henri is quite good, and although the atmosphere and feel is definitely that of "fine dining", the service is attentive and friendly, not at all pretentious or stuffy. Overall, a good place for a romantic dinner with a spouse or even a formal business dinner.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-15590375079696752802013-02-22T11:52:00.001-08:002013-02-22T11:53:56.007-08:00Le Bouchon de CarnivoresLe Bouchon de Carnivores<br />
8 Rue des Marronniers, 69002 Lyon, France<br />
+33 4 78 42 97 69<br />
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During our first day in Lyon, we arrived and dropped off our luggage at the hotel, which was near the Contemporary Art Museum. Lyon doesn't have a subway system, so we took a bus into the city to grab some food, stopping near Place Bellacour. <br />
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Lyon is most known for its bouchons, which are restaurants that specialize in traditional Lyonaisse dishes. Lyonaisse dishes tend to be pretty rich and hearty, featuring lots of meat. This is in contrast to nouvelle cuisine, which as mentioned in a previous post focuses on freshness of ingredients and lighter preparations. Bouchons also tend to have a more casual atmosphere compared with restaurants serving "haute cuisine". <br />
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Right near Place Bellacour, there's a street called Marronniers that is lined with bouchons. All of the bouchons appeared to offer pre-fixe menus with various choices for each course. We looked at a few menus and then picked a place we liked, which ended up being Le Bouchon de Carnivores.<br />
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To start the meal, the waitress brought over some bread and this freebie, which comprised some cured meat and fried pork fat. Yep, I said it. Fried pork fat.<br />
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For our first courses, I went with the hunter's sausage served with a red wine sauce...<br />
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...and my wife ordered the Lyonnaise salad, featuring a poached egg, bacon lardons, croutons, and frisee salad.<br />
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For our mains, we wanted to try something a bit out of the box and went with this liver cake. It came served in a tomato sauce and chunks of a soft, mild cheese. I generally like liver alot but I wasn't a huge fan of this dish.<br />
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The other main we tried was fried pork trotters. The pork trotters were coated and fried til crispy. The trotters were gelatinous as you would imagine but overall, the dish was a bit greasy. <br />
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For dessert, we ordered the chestnut cake....<br />
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...and prunes marinated in some lemon, syrup and red wine.<br />
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The chestnut cake was actually pretty good. Chestnut is served all over France and is used in alot of different pastries and desserts. The cake itself wasn't overly sweet, which I liked. The marinated prunes were nothing special.<br />
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As a whole, the lunch was enjoyable but nothing incredibly memorable. The amuse bouche of the fried pork fat was the highlight for me, followed by the starter courses of the sausage and Lyonnaise salad. If I recall correctly, the pre-set menu wasn't more than 15-20 euro a person, so it was decent value overall for lunch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-67393710536208370802013-02-22T10:57:00.000-08:002013-02-22T10:59:36.418-08:00Aux MarsillouxAux Marsilloux<br />
Near Rue Cler, Paris, France<br />
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On our way back to the hotel after walking around Rue Cler and the surrounding area, we passed by a small pastry shop that looked interesting and decided to check it out. I'm not sure if I got the shop's name exactly right but I believe it was called Aux Marsilloux. The shop has large windows where you can see into the bakery and all the baked goods on display. This place seemed to specialize in only one type of pastry, although they were shaped in different forms and sizes.<br />
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The shop keepers didn't speak very much English, so we ended up just pointing at what looked interesting to us. I don't even know what the pastry is called, although the small versions of the pastries were advertised as damiers. That could be just referring to the black and white arrangement of the pastries in the box, resembling a checkerboard. <br />
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We opted for the dark chocolate version, although a vanilla and white chocolate version was also available. I didn't take pictures of the inside of the pastry but it was essentially a baked meringue topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. The meringue was crispy and light, adding the textural component to the otherwise soft remainder of the pastry. This was a great treat during our walk back to the hotel.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8636267671188212336.post-72092821419500367082013-02-22T10:19:00.000-08:002013-02-22T10:19:06.674-08:00Le Paradis du Fruit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Le Paradis du Fruit</div>
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47 Avenue George V, 75008 Paris, France</div>
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+33 1 47 20 74 00</div>
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On the same night we tried to grab dessert at Laduree and came up empty, we eventually ended up at Le Paradis du Fruit, a small cafe located a few blocks away from our hotel. It's a very casual place, nothing fancy about it at all. Lots of younger kids and couples on dates were hanging out here, sharing a drink, coffee, or dessert. Le Paradis du Fruit has a pretty large menu with lots of different pastries, fruit smoohies, frozen treats and desserts, which was exactly what we were looking for. We just wanted an affordable bite of something sweet before calling it a night.</div>
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My wife and I both shared this huge baba au rhum dish, which was definitely large enough for two. Babas are small yeast cakes, typically saturated in hard liquor like rum. Think of a really rich brioche. Here it was served with some fresh berries, a creme anglaise, and some whipped cream. </div>
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The baba was really delicious. The French obviously know how to do pastry really well. The cool thing about Paris is that quality pastry is everywhere, accessible to both the rich and poor. Paris is by no means cheap but you can still taste some great items without spending a fortune. There are chains like Brioche Doree all around Paris and in the train stations that serve croissants and apple tarts that are cheap but really quite good. Places like Paradis du Fruit are less stuffy than more famous spots like Laduree but you can still get great items to enjoy.</div>
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