Ryan Joy (atxryan)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup orange zest
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 cups cranberries
• 2 tablespoons brandy

Directions:

1. 
   In a small pan over medium heat, combine the orange zest and water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving zest and 1/3 cup liquid.
   
2. 
   To the reserved liquid, add the sugar, orange juice and lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes uncovered, stirring often.
   
3. 
   Add cranberries; increase heat to medium-high and boil for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have popped and a small spoonful of sauce sets on a cold plate.
   
4. 
   Remove from heat, stir in brandy. Pour in a covered container and let set at least overnight.
   

I absolutely love this time of year when everything comes out with a pumpkin-flavored variation. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin gellato, pumkin pie blizzards from Dairy Queen, even pumpkin-stuffed tortellini.

Obviously, I love pumpkin. However, it’s not actually the pumpkin flavor that most of us enjoy, but the delicate blend of spices that come together to bring that flavor out. To that end, I modified a recipe I first used last year for Pumpkin Crème brûlée to include more spices. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 pinches ginger
• 2 pinches allspice
• 4 cracked, whole cloves
• 1 vanilla bean, split cut in 1/2 inch pieces
• 8 egg yolks (note)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup coarse sugar or raw sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until it comes to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse at least 15 minutes. Strain the infused liquid to remove the clove, vanilla, and large spice bits.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the hot cream mixture. Whisk in the pumpkin puree.
4. Pour the mixture into 8 ovenproof ramekins and arrange in a hot water bath where the water comes up near the level of the mixture. Bake in the center of the oven until almost set but still a bit soft in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. It should “shimmy” a bit when you shake the pan; it will firm up more as it cools. Remove from the water bath and let cool 15 minutes.
5. Tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic does not touch the surface of the custard. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours.
6. When ready to serve, fire up your kitchen torch to a low flame (not the piercing flame of high). Uncover the chilled custards. Pour as much coarse sugar as will fit onto the top of 1 of the custards. Pour off the remaining sugar onto the next custard. Repeat until all the custards are coated. Discard any remaining sugar. In a circular motion, carefully brown the sugar. Let cool 1 minute before serving.

Note: There exist a number of different techniques and even products for separating eggs. I think the most common is to crack the egg shell in two halves and carefully dump the egg back and forth to let the white drip down and yolk remain in the shell. This method works, but it’s very easy to pierce the yolk and mix it with the white, thereby ruining that egg. I prefer to crack around the egg near the top of the narrow half and pour the egg white out. Once it’s started to pour, gravity will pull the entire egg white out of the shell without much effort. The better separated your eggs, the better your meringues, custards, and soufflés.

After raving about my fish tacos for months, I finally had a chance to share them to much acclaim with a few of my coworkers this Saturday at a movie day. This is such an easy dish that people absolutely love. I have to share it…

Ingredients

• Salsa
• 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
• 1/2 large papaya, peeled and diced.
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

• Tacos
• 1 lb. salmon
• 1 lb. mahi mahi
• 12-16 white corn tortillas
• 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a large bowl. Depending on your taste preferences and those of your guests, you may want to add some garlic and/or chopped jalapenos to the mix.
2. Cook fish 10 minutes per inch @ 400 degrees on the grill. If you’re skilled enough, you can cut the skin off the filets before you place them on the grill. Once they’re cooked, cut them into 1/4 in. thick slices.
3. Heat tortillas and serve! Use the cabbage for texture and crunch. This recipe serves about 8 and there will be leftover mango salsa that will keep for a day or so.

While my salsa was definitely probably the star of the day, Ernesto’s Nintendo Wii and 60″ DLP flat-screen television also wowed the crowd. In fact, I want one. Now.

Sometimes you want a quick meal that doesn’t come out of the freezer or isn’t placed between two slices of bread. Such was the case last night when I wanted to cook myself something to eat, but was already very hungry and didn’t want it to take a half-hour. Rummaging through my cupboard, I came across some Japanese soba noodles and proceeded to piece together a meal from there.

A chicken breast coupled with a handful of frozen green beans and jalapenos for kick quickly led to a rather tasty and satisfying meal. The best part is that it only took about 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• Japanese soba (buckwheat) noodles (two servings worth, about 4 oz.)
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed.
• 1 cup (handful) frozen green beans
• 1/2 oz. sliced jalapenos (about 4-5 slices)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (or some ginger-based marinade)
• olive oil
• soy sauce

Directions:

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Place the soba noodles and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender, careful not to overcook. These noodles do not take long to reach desired texture. Once cooked, drain and run under cold water to stop them from cooking.
2. While the noodles are cooking, pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the fresh ginger or coat the chicken cubes in ginger marinade. Toss the chicken in the skillet with soy sauce and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.
3. During the last couple of minutes cooking the chicken, combine the green beans and jalapenos in the skillet and cover. Be sure to stir everything so the jalapeno juice lightly covers everything.
4. Serve with the noodles. Zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds to get the noodles warm again.

It’s kind of an asian-mexican fusion, but the spice works out really well because it slightly coats each bite without growing on itself. It’s not one of those meals that starts out spicy but tasty and ends with you sweating. It’s level of spice remains fairly constant. I hope you enjoy it and add whatever other ingredients you happen to have on hand.

I LOVE oysters, as does Jade.

Luckily a number of our friends do as well because Jade and I bought over 100 of them on Saturday. I know, I know… you’re probably thinking, “Jesus, that’s a lot of oysters!” Well, they were on sale! What was an oyster lover supposed to do?

Throw a party, that’s what!

Mostly we ate them raw, but we also prepared a good many by lightly battering them in a breadcrumb/flour mixture seasoned with spices (cayenne, paprika, turmeric, tony chachere’s, and garlic salt) and then lightly frying them until the breading turned light brown. We also had a few oyster shooters which are just a raw oyster, vodka, and cocktail sauce in a shot glass.

(more…)

It’d been a long while since I cooked something entirely new that I’d never before attempted, so last night as I left the office and the first pangs of hunger begun to be felt I got that familiar hankering to venture out and do something new. Walking toward the bus stop I pulled up CHOW.com, who’s mobile site is very well done, on my Blackjack and decided I’d go with the first main dish that I’d never before prepared.

That dish happened to be Wild Mushroom Bánh Xèo with Red Wine Reduction. Mmmm.

Bánh Xèo (bun see-oh) are crêpes á la Vietnam. While French crêpes usually bring to mind thin pancakes stuffed with ham & cheese or some sweet dessert drizzled in strawberry sauce, bánh xèo are actually eggless and predate the French Colonial period in Vietnam.

HEB didn’t exactly have the mushrooms for which the original recipe called. In fact, HEB didn’t have even one. So, I decided that this would no longer be CHOW.com’s recipe, but my own.

Ingredients:

For the wild mushroom filling:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 shallot or small red onion, finely diced
• 1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 1/4-in. pieces
• 1/4 pound oyster mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 1/4-in. pieces
• 1/4 pound shitake mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 1/4-in. pieces
• 1 large portobella mushroom cap, cleaned and cut into 1/4-in. slices
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the Pinot Noir reduction:

• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup Pinot Noir
• 10 tablespoons butter, diced and kept cold
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the crêpes:

• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Three smidgens of turmeric
• Two smidgens each of paprika and cayenne
• One smidgen of ginger and cumin
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 pound radish sprouts

Instructions:

For the mushrooms:

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil. Add the shallot and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender but not colored, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cremini, oyster, and shitake mushrooms. Sauté until golden brown and tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sugar and continue cooking until the soy sauce is almost completely reduced. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
2. Using the same or a different pan, saute the portobello strips.

For the Pinot Noir reduction:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the shallot and the wine. Cook until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. Reduce the heat to low. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking to incorporate each addition before adding more. Work the pan on and off the heat to regulate the temperature so that it does not become too hot. Keep warm.

For the crêpes:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, granulated sugar, curry powder, green onions, coconut milk and water.
2. Heat a 8-inch, non-stick pan over medium heat. For each crêpe, spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Add 1/4 of the cooked mushroom filling. Without removing the mushrooms, pour in between 1/2 and 3/4 cup of the crêpe batter. Quickly tilt the pan in all directions to allow the batter to completely cover the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Uncover and check for doneness. The crêpe should pull away from the sides of the pan, be well-browned and lacy on the bottom, and look a bit dry on the top.
4. Place 1/4 of the radish sprouts and 2 slices of portobello on top. Fold the crêpe over and serve drizzled with the wine sauce immediately.

This dish was one of the most satisfying meals I’ve cooked in a while, simply because it satisfied all the right criteria. It’s presentation was nice. I would have been pleased to order this in a restaurant. It is hot and cold, crispy and chewy, raw and cooked, and wonderfully earthy and fragrant with green onions and turmeric. It had great texture with the soft, yielding mushrooms coupled with the satisfying bread-y wrap and fresh crunch of the radish sprouts. This sexy dish is definitely a keeper.

Friday Night’s Meal:
Pesto Broccoli & Chicken Pasta Salad
Take…

• 1/2 pound rigatoni pasta
• 5 ounces fresh broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 2/3 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 11 ounces boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
• ground black pepper to taste

Then:
In a large pot with boiling salted water cook rigatoni pasta until al dente. Drain. Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets until their color is vibrant (2-3 minutes in boiling water) and immediately take them off the heat and into an ice bath. This seals in the flavor and color. Pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in the olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes for about a minute, take off heat, and put in bowl. Saute the chicken in the same pan. In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanched broccoli, cooked chicken, and garlic/tomato mixture. Add grated Parmesan cheese, and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm with a good Sauvignon Blanc to your very best friends.

Dinner Party Attendees:
RYAN
LISA
BRYAN
KAT
RUBEN
Johanna
Matt

Saturday Night Dinner Party Meal:
Grilled Salmon with an orange and taragon butter sauce served over Fettucine Alfredo and sauteed kale.

Take…

• Salmon fillets
• Heavy whipping cream
• 2 large oranges
• Taragon
• 4 sticks of butter
• Fettucine pasta
• Fettucine alfredo (store bought is fine, unless you wanna make it)
• Kale
• Chopped Garlic
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt

Then…
Start off by boiling the pasta in a large pot. Chop the taragon and zest the oranges. Take a medium sauce pan and add the cream, orange zest, and taragon. Heat until rolling and add butter. As soon as butter is added, begin to whisk fervently. If there’s a friend around, make them do this since you’re feeding them. Have them watch the pasta too! You’ve got more important things to do. Hopefully, you already have the grill going… take the salmon fillets, seasoned to taste and garnished with taragon and a little sliced garlic, and grill them. Fish only takes 10 minutes to cook for every inch of thickness, so WATCH THESE! By now your friend should have drained the pasta, put it in a large bowl, and reduced the butter sauce to a simmer so it can reduce a little. Take a fying pan and add some olive oil and the chopped garlic. Heat up until the oil is smoking hot and toss the kale in there to “shock” it (no, not THAT kinda ’shock’, this is a tasteful dinner!). Quickly toss the kale around a few times in the hot oil and then scoop out. Cook all the kale and add it to the pasta. Be careful as the oil will be very hot, the kale will pop, and grease will fly. Mix the kale, pasta, and alfredo sauce together. Serve the salmon fillets over the pasta and drizzle butter sauce to taste. Throw in a bottle of Pinot Grigio or Riesling and about 5-6 friends for a memorable night.

Me, jumping off a li’l cliff.

Bryan chillaxin’ under the hot Texas sun. He got soooo pink and yet that boy cannot tan! It just goes back to blinding white!

Lisa & Bryan soaking up some rays

Yeah, I wuz here… juvenile? yes, but I did it for the picture!

Kitchen dance!!!


The lovely Johanna and Matt

Ruben playing his new PSP. Something tells me I won’t be seeing or hearing from my roommate for a while. BTW, that thing is simply breathtaking…


Salmon: pre-grill

I thought this was supposed to a genteel affair!


and again with the Shocker

See Kat’s blog for this story…