Yum Ham w/ Sea Fungus (Laotian Ham Civiche)

Last year we had a Hawaiian themed party at a friend's house and I opted to make a dish similar to this. The flavor profile and textures are almost identical. Everyone knew that SPAM was going to be on the menu for that night but I wanted show the "versatility" of SPAM. I've never cooked with SPAM and maybe had it once upon a time but I couldn't promise you that I remember anything great about it. All I remembered was that it's like ham but saltier and maybe a little more delicate (polite words for mushy). This is a dish I've made tons of times but this time I decided to swap the ham for SPAM and instead of using the sea fungus I swapped that for glass noodles. In the end I think the SPAM was a great substitute for the ham.

(For my friend who asked me for this recipe I'll include the both recipes on this blog)

Ingredients:

5 Roma tomatoes (cored and julienne) 
5 scallions (cut to 2-3 inch lengths and quartered)
5 jalapenos (thinly sliced)
1 cup (or more) cilantro (roughly chopped)
4 servings of glass noodles or 4 dried sea fungus
2 cans of SPAM or 1/2 lbs of ham (turkey, pork, mystery meat, etc.) julienne cut
5-8 tablespoon lime juice (adjust tartness to your own palette)
5-8 tablespoon fish sauce (adjust saltiness to your own palette)
1 teaspoon (more or less) kosher salt (DO NOT USE TABLE SALT, YUCK!)
1 tablespoon dried crushed Thai chili peppers (Caravelle Brand is the best)

Directions:

Julienne the tomatoes, scallions, and SPAM or ham (if you want less heat from the jalapenos remove the seeds and julienne these as well). Place ingredients along with the cilantro in a large bowl and set aside. To prepare your glass noodles bring a pot of water to a boil and place the noodles in the boiling water. Almost immediately (15-20 seconds) strain the noodles in a callender while rinsing in cold water. If you cook the glass noodles for too long they'll become super sticky and unpleasant to eat and work with. Strain the water and use kitchen sheers to cut the noodles down to 3-4 inches in length (it doesn't have to be exact but it'll make it easier to eat). Place the noodles in the large bowl with the other ingredients.

If you decide to use the sea fungus, soak the fungus in warm water for about 10 minutes. Place the reconstituted fungus in a steamer and steam for 15 minutes. Remove the fungus from the steamer and let it cool. Cut and remove the hard core of the fungus. Cut the rest of the fungus into 1x2 inch cuts and place it in the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Now comes the hard part (just kidding), add the lime juice to the ingredients in the bowl and mix well. Add as much lime juice to satisfy your sour palette. Next, do the same with the fish sauce and kosher salt. You'll notice that they'll be an almost perfect sour and salty balance with a hint of spiciness from the jalapenos. But it wouldn't be a true Southeast Asian dish if you didn't add more spice. So now add the dried crush Thai chili peppers and you should definitely feel the heat now.

Once you mix everything well, you'll notice that you might like it more salty or more tart adjust the flavors with fish sauce or a little more kosher salt and lime juice. Oh, by the way, you can also substitute the SPAM or ham for boiled shrimp or steamed chicken feet (another Laotian classic)!

Marscapone Crab Ravioli w/ Creamed Corn

My friend and her friends in another city love to host food competitions among themselves and every time they have one of these I always do what I can to help her out. Their next competition is supposed to be a pasta throw down and after chatting with her I came up with the idea of her making lobster ravioli. What better way to compete than to make your own pasta and use one of the best ingredients right?!

Well, after going to my local grocery store I couldn't procure the lobster fresh or frozen so I had to go to plan B. As I'm looking in the seafood aisle I come across lump crab meat. I'm thinking this will probably work and right now I'm way to lazy to even buy fresh crab, cook it and separate the meat myself. I was even trying to find frozen pasta sheets or wonton skins as a shortcut and I failed at finding those as well.

The next step was to decide on what the rest of the filling would consist of, so I headed back to the produce and pick up some cremini mushrooms. I strolled to the cheese section and debated on whether I should go with ricotta or marscapone, I obviously opted for the later. My reasoning was mainly texture, I preferred the smooth marscapone over the gritty ricotta.

To bring this dish altogether I decided on making creamed corn for the pasta sauce and chose baby carrots and green beans for the sides. I had no intention of creating a rustic dish but it kind of just ended that way.


Ingredients:

Filling
1 lbs lump crab meat
1 cup diced crimini mushrooms
3 cloves garlic (diced)
1 large shallot (diced)
2 tablespoon stick unsalted butter
8-9 oz marscapone cheese
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
2 ears corn
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pasta
1/2 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Sides
1 bushel baby carrots
1 lbs green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Filling
Saute the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots in the butter on medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Let this cool and mix in the crab meat and the marscapone cheese. Set aside in the refrigerator until the pasta is ready.

Pasta
Mix both flours together and create a well in the middle. Add the egg and egg yolks to the middle and scramble the mixture. Drizzle the oil and slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the eggs. Kneed the dough until it's consistent throughout. Wrap in plastic and let it chill in the fridge for an hour. After an hour cut the dough into 4 even pieces and roll it piece into a thin sheet.

Use a small melon baller and scoop the filling onto the pasta sheet leaving about 1 - 2 inches of gap between the fillings. Brush egg wash around the mixture and place another sheet on top of the mixture and begin to seal. Use a cutter to cut desired shape and use a fork to seal the ends.

Sauce
Shave the corn off the cob and place in a saute pan (add the cob as well and discard later). Add the butter and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for 25 minutes and continue stirring every 5 minutes. Discard the cob and puree the mixture.

Sides
Add oil, salt, and pepper to the veggies and mix well. Saute each vegetable separately 3-5 minutes on high heat for the green beans and 7-8 minutes for the carrots.

Everyone has their way of plating food so make it your own. You can serve as a family style meal or individual plates. Either way, enjoy it!

Sloppy Joe Slider

This has been sitting in my draft for a long time but I made it last night with new photos so I thought I'd finally post it. But really, who doesn't like Sloppy Joe's?! It's the perfect balance of sweet and tangy rolled up in a bun. The combination of the sweet gherkins and the tangy pickled onions also helps enhance the flavor profile of this slider.

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground chuck

2 bell peppers (diced)

1 yellow or white onion (diced)

1 roma tomato (diced

1/8 cup pancetta (diced)

2-3 garlic gloves (minced)

4 cups ketchup

2 tablespoon yellow mustard

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 yellow or white onion (paper thin slices) for pickling 

3 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

3-4 baby gherkins for garnish

12 whole wheat slider buns

Directions:

Start by rendering the pancetta in a large skillet until it's brown and crispy. Next add the diced onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook until garlic is translucent. Then add the ground chuck and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes on high heat or until meat is cooked through. At this time you should also drain most of the liquid from the pan. Next add the mustard, ketchup, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it cook for another 30 minutes so that all the flavors will come together. Stir every 5 minutes to keep the bottom from burning.

To pickle the onions, add the red wine vinegar, the other 1/2 tablespoon of salt, sugar and water to a bowl and add the thinly sliced onions. Mix well and let it sit for 20 minutes and then drain the liquid.

There's nothing left but to layer your buns with the Sloppy Joe, pickled onions, and gherkins! Enjoy!

 



Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

It's been a long time since my last post and to be honest I haven't really cooked anything worth blogging about. This dish came from leftovers out of the freezer. Several months ago I made egg rolls and had some stuffing left over that I kept it in the freezer just in case I wanted to do something with it.

After going to Costco this weekend and picking up some of my favorite peppers to cook with I decided to use the egg roll stuffing to stuff the peppers. These peppers when grilled are sweet and tart at the same time and that's two of my favorite combinations.

You'll want to put these peppers on indirect heat to keep the peppers from over charring before the stuffing is completely cooked inside. Rotate the peppers so that all the sides have even grill lines and the stuffed peppers should be ready in about 15 minutes. If you have a thermometer the internal temperature should be about 165 degrees fareheit.

You can find the egg roll stuffing recipe by clicking on the link below. Other than that all you'll need are the sweet mini peppers and I like eat serve it with a side of sweet chili sauce, pickled carrots and roasted cherry tomatoes.

http://bistro331.blogspot.com/2010/08/egg-rolls.html

Baby Green Mangos with Spicy Rice Powder Fish Sauce

This is one of my favorite fruit snacks of all time. Thanks goes to my mom, who brought the mangoes down from Dallas with her during her recent visit. The tartness pairs perfectly with the sauce I made. I actually learned how to make this sauce as a young boy and it has stood the test of time. The sauce is salty, sweet, and spicy which is definitely a Southeast Asian flavor profile.

Just in case you can't procure any green mangoes, this sauce goes well with: green apples, dill pickles, cranberries and many other tart fruits.

Please forgive me for the cloudy picture. My camera lens cover is scratched and I'm waiting for a replacement. Hopefully it'll come in before my next blog.

Sauce ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon roasted rice powder
1/4 tablespoon dried crushed chili pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce (homemade padak or bottled will both work)
1 shallot thinly sliced
3 fresh Thai chili peppers thinly sliced

Directions:

Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Thinly slice your mangoes and discard the seed and the membrane housing the seed. To eat, simply dip your mango or desired fruit and eat. The combination of the dried and fresh chili peppers makes this a very spicy sauce. Feel free to reduce the amount of chili peppers used or have a glass of milk near by.

Don't forget to support Bistro 331 by going on to the blog and clicking an ad. Thanks.

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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.

Sweet and Savory Crepes

Caramelized Apple w/ Vanilla Ice Cream and Candied Walnuts



Chopped Beef Brisket w/ Barbecue Sauce

Making the actual crepes themselves were a lot easier than I thought it would be. The first time I attempted to make the crepes I actually succeeded in doing so (and let me tell you, whenever you're trying a new recipe or technique that's a rare thing). I even bought a new blue steel crepe pan that took me about an hour to season and prepare it to where the batter wouldn't stick to the pan. Sure I could have gone the easier route and bought a non-stick crepe pan, but where's the challenge and fun in that. During my practice session the crepes were made with flour, heavy cream, eggs, salt and sugar. The consistency was a little thicker than normal crepe but it would have been perfect for a sweet dessert crepe. The crepes tasted perfect and you could actually eat them without any filling, which I did, it had a slight sweetness to it but was also perfectly balance with the little salt I added.

On recreation day (the day I attempt to recreate the dishes I've reviewed), my get together of 2-3 people turned out to be an outright party of 11 or so people. Luckily, I bought a full size brisket and just enough apples to make dessert. To make the crepes more universal I decided to dilute the batter by adding 2 parts whole milk to 1 part heavy cream. This worked out perfectly, now the crepes were the perfect consistency for both the sweet and savory crepes.

For the sweet crepe, I decided to use Granny Smith apples (the green ones just in case you're wondering) instead of pears because the apples maintain a slight tartness to them when cooked. To add a little insurance policy on the tartness I added lemon zest and juice to the apples. Don't worry, I also added some sugar to help balance it out. I'm not a big fan of super sweet desserts. The apples were also seasoned with cinnamon and all spice.

I wanted to try something that might take this dish to a different level so I deep fried the crepe in canola oil. I filled the crepe and tied it with butcher twine to ensure that the filling would stay when frying. After letting it cooled a bit, it was topped off with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, and candied walnuts.

For the savory crepe I didn't do much to change what Crepes Mille presented. I seasoned the brisket with salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, sugar, and garlic powder and added 2 cups of beef broth and cooked it in a pressure cooker for 90 minutes. The meat came out so tender it was hard to keep it together while taking it out of the pressure cooker. This made it easier to shred and chop to the perfect filling size. The barbecue sauce was an easy combination of sautéed onions and garlic with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, honey, and black pepper. I also added a lot of the barbecue sauce to the inside of the crepes as my major complaint was that the crepe I had at Crepes Mille was too dry.

Ingredients:

Crepes Batter:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cups whole milk
3 cups all purpose flour
8 large eggs
3 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoons kosher salt

Apple Filling:

8 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch slices)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon all spice

Candied Walnuts:

1 cup walnuts crushed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Brisket:

10-12 lbs brisket (slightly trimmed)
4 tablespoons ground black pepper
4 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Barbecue Sauce:

16 ounces ketchup (approximately 2 cups)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 whole onion chopped (red, white, or yellow)
6-8 large garlic cloves (minced)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

For the crepes batter whisk or blend the flour, milk, cream, eggs, salt and sugar. Make sure there are no lumps and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Heat up a crepe pan or non-stick pan on medium heat. With a ladle, slowly pour the batter in a circular motion and rotate your pan in a circular motion as well. You should have a nice thin layer of batter that's in a circular shape. Let this cook for 1-2 minutes or until the crepe releases itself from the pan. Next, flip the crepe on the opposite side and cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute. Flip the crepe onto a plate and fill it with your favorite sweet or savory crepe.

I might have gotten a little bit ahead with the crepes as you'll want to have the fillings for the crepes ready well ahead of time.

For the apple filling, combine: the apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and all spice all in an oven safe casserole dish and mix well. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cook the apples covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool.

For the savory filling rub black pepper, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and sugar on all sides of the brisket. You can slow cook this in the oven for 4-5 hours at 250 degrees or use the pressure cooker method. In order for me to fit the entire brisket into the pressure cooker I had to break down the brisket into small pieces. The cook the brisket on high pressure cooker for 90 minutes. When using the pressure cooker method, make sure you add some liquid, I chose to use about 2 cups of beef stock. Once the brisket is fork tender you can begin shredding or chopping the meat to your desired size.

The brisket alone can be served and enjoyed as is, but that doesn't mean you can't enhance the flavors with a little bit of sauce. To make this barbecue sauce add the oil to a stock pot on medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until it is slightly translucent. Then add your garlic and continue stirring for 3-5 minutes. Next add your Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well. Add the sugar, honey, and black pepper to taste. Continue cooking on simmer for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors meld together. Let it cool and add to blender and puree into a nice smooth sauce.

When filling your crepes you can fold the crepes in any way you like. You can fold all the corners in to make a square, roll it like a burrito or just simply fold it in half like an omelet. Though presentation is key to a nice looking dish, flavor is the most important part of the dish so make sure there's flavor in each element of your dish.

Project Austin Food Trailer Tour: Crepes Mille was Run of the Mill (Austin, TX)

Over the holidays, my nephew from Iowa posed a question that I was ashamed to answer truthfully, "Do you know how to make crepes?" After a short and brief pause, my simple answer was no and we moved on to the next subject. What I didn't tell him was that this actually bothered me. In order to enhance my culinary abilities I made myself a promise to learn how to make crepes- if not for me, then at least for my nephew.


After doing some research on crepes, I learned how versatile this dish could be. Crepes can be filled with not only sweet dessert fillings but savory meats, as well. The more I thought about it, I realized that a crepe is nothing more than another serving vessel such as tortillas, rice paper, etc. Okay, maybe it's a little fancier than the two mentioned but it pretty much serves the same purpose.


On that note, before attempting to make crepes I decided our next stop on Project Austin Food Trailer Tour should be Crepes Mille off of S. Congress.


Upon our arrival to Crepes Mille, I noticed that there were several familiar items on the menu. Foods that I'm used to seeing because of my ethnicity; Thai dishes, such as Panang Curry (chicken curry), and sweet-sticky rice dessert crepes. I didn't choose those dishes because they would have needed to be more than spectacular to earn a great review from me. I tried my best to not be subjective from the get-go, so I took a different route. I chose one savory crepe, barbecue pulled brisket, and one sweet crepe, caramelized pear. Between my friends, they ordered the rotisserie chicken crepe, the berry delight, and a Nutella filled crepe topped with ice cream. I managed to sample all of these except the rotisserie chicken, but for the purpose of this review I'll focus on the two dishes I ordered. 


BBQ Beef Brisket

  

Caramelized Pear



Berry Delight



Rotisserie Chicken

Crepes Mille did a great job on presentation; all of the dishes above were served on thin paper plates and looked very appetizing. They would look even better on white ceramic plates if given the opportunity. On that note, it’s also important to have your flavors well-balanced to compliment the plating. With that aspect in mind, Crepes Mille was mediocre at best.

The barbecue beef brisket was a great idea for a savory crepe, however, the execution of the dish was slightly disappointing. The meat inside the crepe did have some flavor but it was masked by the dryness of the meat. The sauce on top of the crepe tasted like your standard barbecue sauce and it probably would have served a better purpose inside the crepe to help give it a little moisture. Cutting into the crepe and trying to get a decent bite size also became a challenge because of the fibrous meat. In this case I think that a finely chopped beef or thin slices of brisket would've served as a better filling than the pulled beef. The actual crepe that wrapped the beef lacked flavor and could have easily been fixed with maybe a little more salt and sugar in the batter. As I stated earlier, the idea behind this dish was a great one but the execution of it needs a little tweaking. A little more barbecue sauce on the side would have greatly been appreciated and needed.

The next dish I tried was the caramelized pear crepe. I love caramelized fruits such as pears, peaches, and apples. The cooking of these fruits brings out their natural sweetness that balances well with a slight acidity tone. After all, who doesn't enjoy a bit of sweet and sour together. This crepe was topped off with a caramel sauce and whipped cream sprinkled with inklings of corn flake. My first bite surprised me a little with its sweetness. I made sure not to get any caramel sauce the second time to see if it was the caramelized pears inside the crepe that were overpoweringly sweet; indeed they were. The next couple of bites I incorporated the whipped cream with the pears and it helped tone down the sweetness a bit. Some might enjoy this and even make a case that a dessert is supposed to be super sweet but I'm going to make a case that a little acidity and a little bit less sweetness would've made this dish almost perfect. The caramel sauce looked great on the plate but I didn't need anymore sweets to add to this dish so I could have done without it. The whipped cream was too small of a serving for me since I needed a lot of it to try to tone down the sweetness. The corn flakes on top of the whipped cream added visual appeal but nothing constructive, taste-wise, to the dish.

To recap our visit to Crepes Mille I want to start off by saying that these dishes we tried weren't too bad. Each of them could use a little tweaking or maybe even tasting prior to being served. These are all easy fixes that can be done, if made aware. Now that I've thought about it, maybe I should have tried some of the Thai flavored crepes. I might do that on our next visit but that probably isn't going to be anytime soon.

Hot and Crunchy Shrimp and Chicken with Avocado Cone

I believe that if you wanted to call something a cone it should be more than a gimmick. The cone should be more than just a paper snow cone cup; it should enhance the character of the dish itself.

So the first thing I decided to do differently was to deep fry the flour tortilla into a cone shape that could be utilized as a serving vessel itself. The cone was dusted with chili powder and paprika to help impart an extra level of spice and flavor.


Instead of making cole slaw and a spicy aioli, I combined the two elements and created a Sriracha aioli slaw. This consisted of shredded cabbage, carrots, and Sriracha ailoi.


I also did away with breading the avocado and deep frying it, I left it in its natural form to ensure that the rich and creamy flavor doesn't get masked.


The last element of this dish consists of using corn flakes as breading for the shrimp and chicken. I didn't change the use of the corn flakes but I did eliminate the sesame seeds and added roasted ancho chili flakes to add a touch of heat along with your basic salt, pepper, and sugar to help boost the flavor. The chicken and shrimp were marinated in salt, pepper, garlic, powder, cayenne pepper and paprika before being coated in the egg wash and battered.


Ingredients:


Large flour tortillas (10 inch diameter)
Canola oil (for deep frying)
1 chicken breast (halved and then cut into long strips)
12 shrimp (peeled)
1 cup corn flakes (processed and ground)
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoon roasted ancho chili flakes
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup shredded cabbage (loosely packed)
1/2 cup shredded carrot (loosely packed)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves
1 - 2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce


Directions:


Start by making the slaw first so that the cabbage and carrots get a chance to absorb some flavor before the dish is assembled. Shred your cabbage and carrots and set aside in a large bowl. In a food processor add the 2 garlic cloves and begin processing. Next, add your mayonnaise and Sriracha and continue processing for about 10 - 15 seconds. Your aioli is now complete and should have an orange coloring. Add your aioli to the cabbage and carrots and mix well. Set this aside in your refrigerator until you're ready to assemble your cone.


The next step in creating this dish is to create the cone itself. Heat the canola oil in a deep pan to 350 degrees. Fold the tortilla so that the bottom portion is smaller than the top portion. This will create your cone shape. Now take some egg wash and brush it on the inside of the top part of the tortilla that overlaps. Gently squeeze this area so that the egg wash works as a glue to hold the tortilla together while frying. Place the side with the egg wash into the fryer first. This will seal the tortilla and ensure that it will not open during the frying process. Continue cooking this side for about 2-3 minutes and then rotate the cone and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat until the entire cone has been evenly fried. Immediately after removing the cone from the fryer dust it with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chili powder and paprika. Set this aside on a towel to cool and drain.

Marinate the chicken and shrimp separately by adding the following to each: 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix well and let this rest for at least 10-15 minutes.

To create the breading, add the corn flakes to the food processor and blend until the grains are semi-fine (a few large chunks won't hurt either). Process enough corn flakes until you get about 1 full cup after processing. Add this to a deep dish along with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons ancho chili flakes, and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Mix these ingredients well and set aside.

Now that you have everything ready, it's time to setup your breading and frying station. Start by dipping the proteins in the egg wash and then the breading and directly into the fryer. The shrimp should be done in less than a minute and then chicken takes anywhere from 2-3 minutes. Remove the fried proteins and set it on some paper towels to cool and drain.


To build this cone, I stuffed it with the Sriracha slaw first since this contains the sauce for the cone. Then the chicken strips and shrimps were stuffed on top of the slaw. Next, layer the avocado delicately on top of the proteins and add another layer of the slaw.


Click here to go back to the review of "The Mighty Cone"

Project Austin Food Trailer Tour: The Mighty Cone was a Mighty Disappointment (Austin, TX)

This past weekend a group of friends and I started Project Austin Food Trailer Tour, where we’ll attempt to sample as many things as we can at a food trailer we have chosen. We hope to do this every week or every other week- depending on the weather, of course.  The idea behind this is to help promote one of the great things about Austin; being able to find good food from not so ideal locations. I’ll provide reviews from each of the establishments we visit and also try to recreate some of their signature dishes.

This week we visited the Mighty Cone- located at 1600 S. Congress Ave. My friends in the group had been here before and wanted me to start the tour off with a bang.  At first glance, of the not so extensive menu, I knew it would be easy for us to make our choice. We ordered two variations of the Hot & Crunchy Cone (chicken with avocado and shrimp with avocado), a beef slider, chili-dusted fries, and an order of fried pickles. There were three and a half of us (three adults and one toddler) eating, so it’s not as much food as it sounds.

I started off with the Hot & Crunchy Cones; both were prepared the same way- shrimp or chicken covered with corn flakes and sesame seed breading topped with a spicy aioli sauce. The avocado was breaded in the same fashion and deep-fried, as well. These ingredients sat on top of your standard coleslaw wrapped in a flour tortilla and served in a paper cone.

Sounds delicious right?

That’s what I thought until I took my first bite- I paused- and took a second bite. Maybe my palette wasn’t fooling me, could it be true that this wonderfully textured meal wrapped in a tortilla could be so bland?

So, I started to deconstruct my “cone” (it’s really just a taco) to taste each element individually. I came to this conclusion:

The super crunchy texture was great on both the chicken and shrimp but lacked any flavor whatsoever; this is a case where a little salt and pepper was really needed. However, both proteins were not over cooked so that was a good thing.

The spicy aioli really disappointed me; this could have been the one thing that brought the dish together. Instead, the aioli was a bit watery and lacked any garlic or chili flavor. It was just a very pretty orange sauce that served no other purpose than to add color to the dish.

The deep fried avocado was an over kill when it came to using the corn flake and sesame breading. It didn’t add anything constructive or flavorful to this dish.  If anything, the large chunk of avocado was a bit hard to eat just because of the size.

The use of the coleslaw was a bit confusing to me. It was pretty much your standard coleslaw that you can get anywhere in town. Its place at the bottom of the cone conflicted with the use of the aioli on top. They’re both mayonnaise-based sauces; one with garlic and the other with sugar. There was one good thing about the coleslaw- it wasn’t bland like all of the other components of this dish.

All-in-all, the texture was nice but the flavor was non-existent.

Next, we moved on to the beef slider which consisted of all natural beef, red onions, and tomatoes squeezed between a dinner roll. Yes! I was so excited because there is now way you can mess up a simple beef slider, right?

Wrong again.

First, let me complain about the cost which is way over-priced for the amount being served. You get one slider- and it really is a slider- not a hamburger for just under six dollars. I’ve had Kobe burgers that tasted a hundred times better and were cheaper than this slider.

I took a bite and the first thing I noticed was that the meat was a little dry, as if someone was really pressing on this patty to get it to cook faster. The second thing I noticed was that, once again, the food was bland.

As I sigh in disappointment, my internal thoughts keep reverting back to, “How do you screw up a slider, an expensive one at that?”

I moved on to the sides and the fried pickles were okay. They were breaded in the same corn flake and sesame breading and at this point I can’t help but feel like the breading is getting to be a little bit of overkill.

The chili-dusted fries were the highlight of the meal and not because they had tons of flavor, but because you could drench them in ketchup.

Our tour started off with a bust instead of a bang, but that’s ok because there are still a lot of other places to eat in Austin and I’m going to try to find them. I’m sure I’ll find a dish that I love and give the ultimate compliment of recreating rather than trying to find a way to improve on their dish, concept, or flavors.


Click here for the Bistro 331 Version of  "Hot and Crunchy Shrimp and Chicken with Avocado Cone"

Barbecue Pork Frito Pie

If you're from Texas then you're no stranger to Frito pies. The toppings that are placed on top of the Frito chips vary from: chili or leftover barbecue. It can be served in a bowl or plate but the norm is to have it served from the bag the of chips.

It's probably been over 10 years since I've had a Frito pie but a few weeks ago my friends and I stumbled upon a barbecue trailer on South Congress Avenue in Austin, TX that was serving barbecue Frito pie. This must have been our lucky day since our reason for being out and about was to attend the chili festival there. With so much people at the festival we decided to venture elsewhere for something to eat. Thanks to Bar-B-Que-T, my ten year drought of Frito pies have come to an end. I enjoyed it so much I made a variation of this dish for a Super Bowl party. I tried to stay true to the barbecue ways by slow cooking a five pound pork shoulder on the barbecue grill for five hours at about 250 degrees. The result was a beautiful dark brown bark on the outside while keeping it juicy on the inside.

Barbecue Pork Ingredients:

5 lbs Pork Shoulder

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Barbecue Sauce Ingredients:

4 cups ketchup

1/2 cup Worcestershire's sauce

1 tablespoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 can Bush's Grillin' Beans

1 yellow onion (diced)

5-6 garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon canola oil

Accompaniments:

Frito Lay Fritos

Cheddar cheese (grated)

Red/White onions (diced)

Jalapenos (fresh or pickled)

Barbecue Pork Directions:

Evenly distribute and rub in all of the dry spices listed above on the pork. Let this sit for about 20-30 minutes. The salt will draw out moisture and your rub will look more like a paste. Then continue adding any of the spices that did not stick initially to the pork. Set your grill to the lowest heat. If you're using charcoal leave one side of the grill free of charcoal and fire. You're going to be using the indirect heat cooking method on this pork so that it doesn't burn and turn into charcoal itself. Place the pork on the side of the grill that's not heated/charcoal free. Let this cook for one hour and then flip it on the other side. Continue flipping every hour for 5 hours. You know your pork is ready when it's fork tender and can be easily pulled. Once the roast has completed cooking, let it rest by covering it in foil on a plate for 30 minutes before cutting or pulling the meat. To prep for the Frito pie you can either use your hands and tear bite size chunks or use a knife and cut the meat into 1/2 inch cubes. I cut mine into bite size pieces.

Barbecue Sauce Directions:

Preheat a large stock pot or dutch oven on medium high heat and add oil. Next add the onions and the salt and let it sweat for 5-7 minutes or until translucent. Then add the garlic and stir it around for about 2 minutes to get some additional flavor out of it. You're now ready to add the ketchup, Worcestershire's sauce, black pepper, paprika, cayenne, and honey. Lower the heat to simmer and let this cook for and additional 30-40 minutes; continue stirring every 10 minutes to keep the bottom of the pan from burning. Now that your barbecue pork and sauce is ready, you'll now add the pork to the sauce and stir well. Add the beans and let this continue on simmer for another 30 minutes.

Your topping for your Frito pie is now ready! All you have to do now is put all the ingredients together. This is how I like to do it. Start off with the Frito chips, add the barbecue, add a little cheddar cheese, freshly chopped onions, and jalapenos. I have no idea how I would've been able to fit that all in the original Frito Lay's bag, but I guess that's why they invented bowls.

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Rice-Tapioca Noodle Soup (Kow Piek Sehn)

I thought this dish was perfect for the current weather conditions outside. If you're stuck inside the house and want something to warm you up, you should definitely try this.

Kow piek sehn is a very traditional Laotian dish that's known to cure the common cold and hangovers. At least that's what we Laotians believe. I think it's kind of strange that we love to eat this when it's cold outside but back in the homeland this dish is enjoyed in 100 plus degrees temperature with 100 percent humidity. I guess that means this dish is good no matter the weather or temperature.

Because these noodles are made from scratch many people tend to think that it's complicated to make. In actuality, the noodles consist of only 3 ingredients: rice flour (non-glutinous), tapioca starch, and scorching hot water. The soup/broth itself is merely chicken itself. So the next time you're craving this dish, try making it yourself and enjoy the fruits of your labor. You, your friends, and family will love you more for it.

The recipe below will yield 2-3 servings, so do the math to determine your desired yield for your guests.

Ingredients:

Noodles:

1/2 cup rice flour (non-glutinous)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup boiling hot water

Soup:

3 quarts chicken broth
1/2 chicken (bone-in)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (sea salt is fine too)
2 inch piece of galangal root (thinly sliced)

Accompaniments:

Cilantro (roughly chopped)
Scallions (roughly chopped)
Red or white onions (thinly sliced)
Chili oil or dried crushed chili peppers
Fried shallots
Jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
Soy sauce
Sriracha
Hoison sauce
Limes (cut for juicing)

Directions:

Noodles:

Combine the flour and starch and mix well. Now, slowly add the boiling hot water. Begin kneading the dough but be very careful as it can give you a 1st degree burn. To avoid this try wearing latex gloves, wait for it to cool just slightly (but not too much, just enough to where it feels like your hands won't burn), or use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.

You can add a little flour or water to the dough if it feels to wet or dry. Once you have a nice and consistent dough, flour your working surface and begin rolling out the dough as you would do with pasta. You'll want to roll it out to about 1/8 of an inch or as thick or thin as you like it. I like mine as thin as possible since they'll thicken during the cooking process.

With a knife begin cutting thin strips of the rolled out dough and you'll see your noodles taking form. While cutting your noodles remember to lightly dust with flour to keep the noodles from sticking. Keep the noodles in a sealed container until they are ready to be cooked.

Soup:

Add the chicken broth to a stock pot on high heat. Then add the chicken and galangal root. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the salt and more if needed later. Lower the heat to medium and cook for an additional hour or until the chicken starts to fall off the bone.

Remove the chicken and begin to shred the meat away from the bones. Keep the two separated and set the meat aside. You can discard the bones now or you can add it back to the soup for more flavor.

Assembly:

Now that you have everything prepared you can now begin putting all the ingredients together. There's one last step before you can do all of that, cooking the noodles. You can choose to cook the noodles in a separate pot or add it to the pot with the soup already prepared.

If you choose to cook in a separate pot then add a few ladles of your soup to a new pot on high heat and add a few handful of noodles. Stir for about 2 minutes and pour entire contents into a serving bowl.

If you choose to add all the noodles to the large soup pot then make sure you remove the bones and roots first. Cook the noodles until it turns slightly translucent.

Now you're ready to add all the accompaniments that you'll enjoy. Don't forget to add your shredded chicken. The herbs and vegetables will add freshness to your dish. The soy sauce will add saltiness, while the hoison will add sweetness. The jalapenos, crushed chili peppers, chili oil and sriracha will all add different levels of heat. Balance out the saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness with some lime juice for some tart. As with any Laotian dish, the perfect balance of all these flavors makes the perfect dish.

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Tom Yum Poached Chilean Sea bass

This is one of the ways I have combined one of my favorite soups (Tom Yum) with one of my favorite fish (Chilean Sea Bass) The concept is pretty simple - first you make the soup and then you slowly poach the fish until it's cooked through. Because I was making three dishes at the time I was making this one, I opted to make a very quick Tom Yum soup with easy ingredients.

Ingredients:

Chilean Sea Bass (4 ounce cut)
1 stalk lemongrass
2 inch piece of galangal thinly sliced
1 quart chick stock
4-6 kaffir lime leaves
4-6 Thai chili peppers (roughly chopped) or 2 tablespoon Nam Prik Pao (Thai chili paste consisting of fried garlic, shallots, chili peppers, and shrimp paste)
2-3 tablespoon tamarind powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3-5 tablespoon fish sauce
1 can straw mushrooms
3-4 Roma tomatoes (quartered)


Directions:

Add chicken stock, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves in stock pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Once the ingredients have come to a boil, reduce the heat down to medium low and add salt, tamarind powder, chili peppers or nam prik pao, fish sauce, tomatoes and mushrooms. Adjust the tartness by adding or reducing the amount of tamarind powder. You can also adjust the spiciness by adding or reducing the chili peppers or nam prik pao. I suggest that you add half the amount listed above for both ingredients first and then add more later to please your palette.

This is the base of all Tom Yum soups, so if you decide to add shrimp, chicken, tofu, etc. this is the time to add it. Your final step is to reduce the soup down to a simmer and place the fish in the soup. Depending on the size of the fish it shouldn't take longer then 6-10 minutes for the fish to fully cook in the soup.

Pork Tenderloin Roulade w/ Creamy Dill Sauce

I'm not quite sure what inspired me to make this dish. From my experience, I've realized that anything that's stuffed with anything is usually pretty good (i.e. sausages, kolaches, jalapenos, egg rolls, etc.). This pork tenderloin is encrusted with ground coriander seeds, salt, and pepper and stuffed with broccolini and Crimini mushrooms -why Crimini you ask? It was left over from the Sea Bass dish I posted earlier, no point in wasting food right?

If you've read any of my post that has any type of cream sauce, you'll notice that it's pretty much the same thing (heavy cream, butter, Parmesan cheese) but today I added freshly chopped dill. I didn't use garlic and shallots in this sauce as I really wanted to accentuate the dill in the sauce.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork tenderloin
1/2 pound broccollini (roughly chop the crowns and julienne the stems)
1 cup Crimini mushrooms (roughly chopped)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Several sprigs fresh dill (finely minced)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

For this dish, I suggest starting with the pork first as it'll take a while to prepare.

First, saute the broccollini and mushrooms in 1/4 stick of butter for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add your bread crumbs and stir the mixture thoroughly. Once the ingredients have been mixed thoroughly, turn off the heat but keep the lid on the pan. There's no need to cook the vegetables all the way through since they'll be cooking again.

To make the roulade, you'll have to either unroll your pork tenderloin or butterfly it. Butterflying is easier and the meat will be a thicker cut. Unrolling it is prettier but the rolling process becomes very delicate because of the thinness of the meat. I butterflied mine so that the meat will retain moisture and in the end will be less dry - don't forget, we're working with a pretty lean piece of meat here. Once you've decided on your method, you'll get your vegetable mixture and spread it on top of the tenderloin. Carefully bring the ends together (or roll from end to end) and tie one end off with butcher's twine, continue tying the tenderloin until you've reached the other end. Once completed, using the dry rub of coriander seeds, salt, and pepper, season the surface of the tenderloin.

Add olive oil to a skillet on high heat. After the skillet is deemed super hot, add the tenderloin the the skillet so that it'll sear. Continue flipping the tenderloin until all sides are seared - it should take about 2-3 minutes per side. In an oven preheated to 350 degrees place the entire skillet (with the tenderloin) on the medium rack and cook for 18-23 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

For the sauce, add heavy cream to a sauce pan on medium low heat. Add 1/2 stick of butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until all ingredients have melted and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, turn off the heat and add your dill and stir to incorporate the dill into the creamy sauce.

To plate, add the sauce on a plate and place a few cuts of the roulade (the roulade should've been cut on its bias to reveal the beautiful stuffing on the inside). For extra measure, drizzle a little sauce on top of the roulade as well.

Lemon Butter Chilean Sea Bass w/ Creamy Crimini Risotto

First, I would like to thank everyone for following my blog last year. I would also like to apologize for not updating it in over 2 months.

However, no need to fear - I'm still cooking but I just haven't had the time to post any blogs. 2011 is going to be a big year for Bistro 331, I've already moved into a new place with new appliances! So hopefully I can do bigger and better things.

Chilean Sea Bass has always been my favorite fish ever since I had my first taste at Eddie V's. Eddie V's serves theirs Hong Kong style steamed in soy sauce and ginger - I'll prepare a variation of that dish in one of my upcoming blogs. The way I've prepare it today is very simple; where you can do this technique with just about any white fish. The risotto I've paired with this dish, pairs perfectly. Personally, I think it enhances the creaminess of the fish itself.

Ingredients:

Chilean Sea Bass
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup Arborio rice
3-4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Crimini mushrooms (chopped)
3-4 tablespoon heavy cream
Parsley (for garnish)
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese (grated and a few thin slices for garnish)

Directions:

You may want to start on your risotto first as it takes 15-20 minutes to prepare. To see how to prepare the risotto follow the link to a previous post.

Now onto the main event - the succulent Chilean Sea Bass. Dry rub your fish by sprinkling a little salt and pepper on all sides. Next, melt 1 stick of butter into the skillet that you will be using to cook the fish. Once the butter has melted, add the lemon juice and zest to the skillet. Place the fish on the skillet - do not try to flip it too soon or it'll break on you. With a metal spoon, take some of the butter from the skillet and begin bathing the top of the fish, you'll continue to do so until the fish is ready to be flipped. To test if your fish is ready to flip or not, take the spatula and gently try to lift the edge of the fish, if it lifts easily, it's ready to be flipped if it's still sticking to the pan then it's not quite ready yet. Depending on the thickness of the fish (this one was about 2 inches thick) you should cook each side for about 4-5 minutes. Once the fish has been cook, you'll want to drain some of the excess butter from the fish by holding the fish on a spatula for a minute or two over the skillet.

Once the fish has cooked, all you need to do now is plate your fish on top of the risotto that you prepared beforehand. Garnish with some fresh curly leaf parsley and a few strips of Parmesan cheese. This is one of my favorite dishes so I hope you'll give it a try.

Creole Shrimp and Mussels

I have to admit it.... I'm an addict and I'm addicted to steamed mussels.

No matter what restaurant I go to, I always seem to order it. As this dish is typically served with french bread, for this reason, it becomes even more addicting. As bread is the perfect ingredient to soak up the delicious creole sauce. As a matter of fact, the sauce is probably the star of this dish. Everyone that knows me, knows that I've been struggling to master the art of bread making. Well, I think I finally found the right formula to make french bread. If you have the time you might want to try it out, but I'm going to warn you now, it takes a lot of patience.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh or frozen mussels
1 pound shrimp
1/2 can Cento Whole San Marzano Tomatoes (14 oz)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Several sprigs of cilantro or parsley for garnish (roughly chopped)
5-6 garlic cloves (minced)
1 large shallot (diced)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a deep pan or pot on medium-high heat toast the dried basil, oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper for about 4-5 minutes. This will cause it to smoke a little bit but, this is okay, continue stirring but do not let it burn. Add the oil to the toasted herbs and continue stirring. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. With a wooden spoon or whatever utensil your prefer, begin crushing the tomatoes and let this cook for an additional 2 minutes before adding the chicken stock. Once the chicken stock has been added, while stirring consistently, begin adding the heavy cream and butter. Allow this simmer for at least 15 minutes. As you will want to serve this dish hot and fresh, add the shrimp and mussels to the sauce 5 minutes before serving so you don't over cook it. Cover with a lid to allow the steam to cook the mussels and shrimp. Check after 5 minutes. Shrimp are ready when they have a pink color while the mussels shell will be opened. Garnish with cilantro or parsley before serving.

French Bread:

1 cup cake flour
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (for the bowl)
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 packet active yeast
1 large egg
1 small egg (for the egg wash to brush on the bread)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions:

Add yeast to 1/2 cup warm water and let the yeast activate for about 5 minutes or until it begins to foam. In a mixing bowl add both types of flour, sea salt, and sugar and mix well. Add the oil and continue kneading the dough. Next add the egg into the flour mixture and continue kneading. Add the 1/2 cup of water containing the yeast to the dough and continue kneading. Slowly add the last 1 cup of water to the dough mixture while kneading at the same time. By the time all ingredients have been added, the dough will be elastic that's on the slightly sticky side. However, if the dough is too sticky dust it with flour and continue kneading or if it's to dry the add a little more water.

Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest and rise for approximately 4 hours. After the 4 hours, divide the dough in half and begin shaping your bread. Place the dough on to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover again with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise again for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the sheet pans and brush the bread with the egg wash. Bake for approximately 25 minutes and brush again with egg wash. Bake for an additional 5-8 minutes. Remove the bread and place on a cooling rack.

Caramelized Pork Belly and Quail Eggs

Recently, pork bellies have been all the rave. Iron Chef Michael Simon lives and dies by them during his battles in Kitchen Stadium and David Chang's braised pork belly on steamed buns is stuff of legends. But before they were so popular on food shows and trendy restaurants, this cut of meat was always cooked at home by people such as my mom and maybe your mom.

The Vietnamese use this cut in their Thit Kho and we Laotians use it in our Tom Khem, which is best described as pork belly stew (the two are almost the exact same thing by the way). Looking back to my younger years, I think my mom was onto something when she used to make this pork belly dish called "Moo Vahn" which literally translates to sweet pork. Who would've known that the dish she used to prepare for me as a child could one day be classified as fine dining material. That makes me wonder what the next new culinary fad will be, I better ask my mom, I think she has a little bit of insight.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork belly (cut into 2-3 inch pieces)

4 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1-2 inch piece of ginger (julienne cut)

3-4 garlic cloves (minced)

1 medium shallot (thinly sliced)

1 can quail eggs

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

Heat a wok or a deep pan on high heat. Add the oil, shallots and garlic. Cook this for about a minute, don't let the garlic burn as it will cause it to become bitter. Add the pork belly and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes as this will add a sear to the meat. Add the oyster sauce and sugar and reduce the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pan or pot and cook for 15 minutes to infuse the flavors. After the 15 minutes, add water and stir the meat and cover the pan or pot again and cook for 45 minutes - as this is to tenderize the meat. Lastly, add the ginger and quail eggs and cover and cook for another 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, with a spoon begin removing the excess oil and discard. Turn the heat back on to high and stir the pork belly and eggs for about 2-3 minutes or until the proteins look like they have a thick brown coating on them. Removing the cover will let release the moisture and all the sauce to reduce at a faster pace. This last part will caramelize the proteins and will create great flavor. Finally, remove the pork belly and eggs and serve with rice.