Cheese Grits on Grilled Portabello with Poached Egg

This dish was inspired by the cheese grits and grilled portabello dish from the Odd Duck Farm to Trailer. There were two dishes (the pulled pork with sauerkraut and this dish) that I thought about recreating from our tour but after hearing that I was making too many slow cooked barbecue types of meat as of late I decided to just make one dish.

To get started, instead of chopping the grilled portabello I decided to use it as a base for the grits. The portabello was season with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. This was grilled for about 4 minutes on each side.

I've never made grits before so after looking up multiple recipes I chose to take combinations of those various recipes and develope my own. I heard Alton Brown say on one of his "Good Eats" show to stay away from the "quick" or "instant" grits because they have been chemically processed. So I took his advice and chose a stone ground medium course corn meal to make these grits. It's actually the same one he used on his show from Bob Red's Mill.

Once again I didn't have any milk on hand so I substituted it with heavy cream then added water and salt to cook the grits. Once cooked, the butter and the cheese was added to the grits along with a dash of freshly cracked black pepper.

This dish was topped off with a poached egg and Sriracha for a litte extra heat. Once the yolk was cracked on top of the grits it really brought this dish together. The fattiness of the yolk in combination with the creamy grits and the natural umami flavor of the mushroom came together really well. The little extra heat was just an added bonus to the palette, after all I am from Southeast Asia and a little heat always makes the dish a little better.

Ingredients:

2 large portabello mushroom
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup medium course stone ground corn meal
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup loosely packed shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablepspoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
2 quarts water
2 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

Start off by drizzling the olive oil on the portabello mushrooms. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and pepper on the mushroom. Grill on high heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the mushrooms from the grill and place aside.

For the grits, add the heavy cream, 1 1/2 cup of water and salt into a stock pot and bring to a boil. Now slowly whisk in the corn meal to ensure there are no lumps. Bring the heat down to a simmer and cook for another 20-25 minutes while whisking every 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, turn off the heat and add the butter and whisk until it has completely melted. Finally, whisk in the cheese slowly to incorporate it into the grits.

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a pot and add vinegar. Reduce heat to simmer and stir the water in a circular motion. Gently crack an egg and place it in the simmering water. Poach on simmer for about 3-4 minutes.

When you're ready to serve place the grits in the mushroom and top it off with the poached egg and a drizzle of Sriracha (or you can leave it out if you don't like heat). Sprinkle freshly cracked pepper and shredded cheddar cheese and serve.

Project Austin Food Trailer Tour: The Odd Duck Farm to Trailer

The Odd Duck Farm to Trailer has a name that is very much “odd”, but that did not steer me away from finding out more about it. I heard some pretty decent reviews from friends and acquaintances and, after reviewing their menu online, I was excited. They had a pork belly slider that caught my attention and took my interest to a new level. After consulting with the dining group, we agreed that the intriguing name and menu made it worth putting on our Project Austin Food Trailer Tour list as the next stop. 

Upon our arrival, I noticed a gravel lot with three food trailers. The outside scenery was very relaxed and provided a great atmosphere. I was also pleased that it was BYOB. I was the first one to jump in line out of my group and after looking at the menu I decided on the four following dishes:

Quail w/ Carrot & Napa Slaw

Quail is one of my favorite game birds to eat which made the Quail w/ Carrot & Napa Slaw an easy choice for one of my selections. The portion was half a quail which I thought was a little on the light side. However, it was well-seasoned and still moist, which can be a challenge since the meat is so lean. The quail sat on top of a slaw that consisted of carrots, napa cabbage, pecans, and feta cheese. I gave the slaw many chances to gel with the quail but it just never happened. The two components didn't highlight or enhance each other in any way. The dish probably would've been better with the quail by itself or maybe even a whole quail on its own. Maybe next time they'll let me substitute the slaw for another half of the quail.



Cheese Grits w/ Soft Boiled Duck Egg

The Cheese Grits w/ Soft Boiled Duck Egg was probably the biggest surprise of the night. I've had grits maybe once or twice before and have never been fond of them. The grits I had before today were bland and I guess you can say "gritty". To tell you the truth it wasn't the grits that attracted me to this dish on the menu, it was the soft boiled duck egg. The cheese in the grits definitely gave it a natural saltiness and great flavor a long with a creamy texture. The grits were smooth and defied the very nature of its namesake being "gritty". The grilled Portobello mushrooms added another layer of texture and flavor to this dish and did well to enhance it. The soft boiled duck egg was cooked to perfection. The inside yolk was soft, but not runny, which was great as a hard boiled egg would've dried up the dish with its gritty yolk. I personally like my egg yolks to run a little bit so the only way you could probably change this to make me any happier would be to poach the egg. The grilled turnips were an after thought and rightfully so, as it was bitter and didn't add any substance to the dish.

Pork Belly Slider

The Pork Belly Slider was the main reason I wanted to try out The Odd Duck Trailer but, as usual, with so much anticipation it ended up being a slight let down. The slider consisted of a zesty mayo, tomatoes, bacon, and pork belly. The bread and the zesty mayo were delicious but the pork belly itself lacked a little flavor. However, the pork belly was tender and easy to bite through so there was some time and preparation taken in preparing this dish. I just wished it had a little more kick to it. It may be that I'm just more partial to the Asian preparation of pork bellies which is normally slightly sweet and savory.

Pulled Pork w/ Sauerkraut

The Pulled Pork w/ Sauerkraut was another nice surprise next to the cheese grits. My first bite took my palette to a familiar place; the tanginess of the sauerkraut combined with the savory-ness of pork tasted like cured Laotian sausage. Laotian sausage, in my family, is normally served on Sunday afternoon when no one really wants to spend a lot of time preparing and cooking food. It is normally served with a side of sticky rice and papaya salad, of course. To be able to have a dish that brings back memories served on a bun is always a great way to end a meal.

The Odd Duck Farm to Trailer can be marked is one of the best places on our tour so far. Even though I went for the Pork Belly Slider, I was very pleased to have been surprised by the two aforementioned dishes. The Cheese Grits w/ Soft Boiled Duck Egg totally changed my opinion on grits and, with the Pulled Pork w/ Sauerkraut, it was great to have a dish that was prepared so differently but yet took me back to a familiar place with its bold flavors.