good-better

You know whats coming dont you? How do you make something that is normally really good into something that is even better? Truffle oil. I am obviously so psyched to be able to pour this stuff on everything I am surprised I havent put it in my bath.



Steak sandwich - Crunchy, fresh baguette filled with oven roasted beef tenderloin drizzled with the coup de gras - white truffle oil, roma grape tomatoes, julienned spring peas, white irish cheddar then melt it under the broiler. This was a sandwich that even the kid thought was out of this galaxy.

mouth-gasm

Hardly ever do you get so bombarded with umami that your tongue wants to run away with your fork but that happened with each and every nibble from these polenta, king oyster mushroom, white beech mushroom and early pea napoleons.



These already delicious stacks of delight were treated like little emperors with a generous drizzle of daRosario truffle oil.



I saw mouths doing back flips.



I sauteed the mushrooms and the polenta in a small dab of the truffle butter and once they got a little color on them I quickly tossed in the peas only to warm them up a little. I make polenta then put it in a pan to cool and then cut it with a ring mold, in case you were wondering.




Alternate layers of mushroom, julienned peas and polenta till its as tall as you want it, drizzle the truffle oil then guard your plate because you will not want to share this with anyone.

back in the saddle

Some fantastic products arrived at my door the other day and while I sometimes get things that are a little challenging to create recipes from, this one is going to be the most challenging by far. Seriously, who wants to make lame dishes with good truffle oils, porcini oils, truffle butters and truffle honey? daRosario offers organic oils, butters and honey made with only the best ingredients, so I have my little thinking cap on and I am going to make some napoleons with polenta and wild mushrooms, I will make some kind of seasonal fresh pasta, maybe a ramp pasta or some other spring veggie. I will have to make something out of fiddlehead ferns, something with early peas and snowpeas, I still need to grill that Permit and thats where I am now. I am still in the planning stages it could all change when I hit the markets. If you have any ideas or requests or suggestions I am open for anything.

brew ha ha

I covered a beer tasting on the 15th (yesterday for those of you in real time) for foodbuzz put on by Shmaltz Brewery at Blind Tiger. Lets break this down piece by piece. Many of you know about foodbuzz as many of you are involved with it as well, well foodbuzz is growing very rapidly and I am glad to be a part of this expanding world community of all things comestible. Whenever foodbuzz has an event I always try and find time to go but this was an exclusive event attended by me and another blogger named Jessica. We somehow managed to not exchange cards even though we gave them to the Shmaltz guys. Hopefully she will find this and hopefully I will find her. Update: we found each other! Check out Hartley Confections



Now lets talk about the Blind Tiger. This is one of the premiere ale houses in New York City and it is a special deal to have your beers showcased for an evening of tasting, which brings me to the overwhelming aspect of the whole deal. The place was full of beer bloggers! Experts on hops and malts and barleys and yeasts and fermentation processes and hydrometers and whatever else that is way over my beer guzzling head. It was fascinating to watch these guys (98% male) jotting down and chatting about the subtle undertones and fruity finishes.



Good thing Matt and Shawn from Shmaltz Brewery took the time to tell me about all the nuances I would have otherwise missed.




I was offered 4 choice brews to sample. He'Brew Coney Island Sword Swallower - sweet without being cloying and then it moves into a grassy citrus hop bite. The He'Brew Rejewvenator - this is a seasonal beer which was a burnt reddish hued ale with a nose blending subtle fruits with an edge of roasted malt, I also tasted a soft cognac flavor probably due to the figs. Then we moved on to the He'Brew Coney Island Human Blockhead - this beer was rich with malts, dried fruits and even some Jack Daniels thrown in for fun not to mention it was aged in Oak Jack Daniel barrels. This beer is a limited editon and I was glad to get to taste it. If this wasnt enough we got to finish off the tasting with He'Brew Jewbelation 12 - twelfth in the line of Jewbelations to commemorate the 12 years this brewery has been in business. 12 malts, 12 hops and 12 additions - this beer was bold with its rich brown hue and its big blend of spices, licorice and warming malts that and at 12% alcohol it finished with a long boozy dryness.

These beers are available by the keg and by the bottle.

got recipe

I have probably told you countless times how I havent followed a recipe since I was probably a teenager, well that has not changed. I have read so many recipes in my life it is hard for me to convey that fact. I have over 50 cookbooks, several cooking encyclopedias and two Larousse Gastronomiques (old one and a new one) and stacks of mushroom reference books- I have been a 'foodie' since 1972. I can read the recipe off the back of a box of butter for cookies and have it memorized just that fast. So it isnt that I dont use recipes its that I dont need them to make delicious foods - I am an ingredient based cook and I let the food talk to me. In my teens I would hunt and fish a lot and cook whatever it is I hunted or fished. Quail, pheasant, catfish, deer, crayfish, trout (rainbow and cut throat) were always on my plate. When I was in my early twenties my specialty was homemade pasta dishes and of course chile (New Mexico, what can I say)- I have had my pasta maker since I was 21 years old - the same one. I only recently acquired the attachments for the Kitchenaid so now the whole pasta process is electric. Mid-twenties I moved to NY and I started getting into Mediterranean dishes heavy on the seafood, and of course chile (you can take me out of New Mexico but you cant take New Mexico out of me) So the recipe index in my brain has grown exponentially over the years and now add in all the food blogs I read and the food possibilities are endless.


A few days ago I made some blackened cod roe as an appetizer.

I havent been cooking much this week due to family being in town so I am starting to get anxious plus add this to the economic downturn and I havent been cooking for anyone else this week either. I have ants in my cooking pants. Stay tuned I have some fantastic dishes coming up showcasing truffles and truffle oil in all its glory, the Permit fish gets grilled and a brie gets special treatment all highlighting the fantastic spring vegetables we have available. You cant be more anxious than I am.