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.

Balut, Khai Luk, Hột Vịt Lộn (Steamed Fertilized Egg)

This item has many name and you can call it whatever you want; most people would probably call it disgusting. However, these eggs are a delicacy to some and an everyday item for others. All I know is that I woke up this morning and had a craving for it. Everyone knows that Sunday is normally my lazy day; where I don't leave my place at all, but in order to satisfy my craving I had to pay a visit to the local Asian market. After searching for a few minutes and not being able to locate these eggs, I reluctantly asked the Asian lady behind the counter. I asked for the duck eggs and she responded by telling me that she had some but they were too far in development and that she didn't want to sell them to me. But, she said she had the chicken eggs available and guaranteed me that they were just as good and if not, even better. Most people would eat these eggs plain. But I love wrap it in various Asian herbs and dip it in jeow som (see previous posting for Laotian Chimichurri).

Ingredients:

Dozen fertilized chicken/duck eggs

2 whole scallions (roughly chopped)

10-12 sprigs cilantro

10-12 sprigs fish mint

Handful sawtooth herb

Handful Vietnamese coriander

Laotian Chimichurri (Jeow Som)

Directions:

Steam the eggs for approximately 12-15 minutes. Crack the egg open on the larger side carefully. You'll want to keep all the juices in the egg so you can slurp it. Trust me, the juice inside is very flavorful. Then, crack open the rest of the egg and discard the hard white part - it has no taste and has a very rubbery consistency. You can eat the yellow (yolk) part and the young chick/duckling at the same time. I like to savor mine and divide the two and eat them one at a time. I like to shred all of the herbs and veggies on top of each portion and drizzle some sauce on top of that.

If your afraid or disgusted by this dish, you shouldn't be. As I stated before, this is a common everyday dish in other cultures plus it tastes good.

Demi-Glace Pork Chop with a Napoleon of Egg, Mushroom, and Rice

I received a text shortly after lunch from a friend who asked "what's for dinner?". After just having lunch it's hard to think about dinner already but I replied back "what are you hungry for?". Her answer was either pork or chicken but said she would be happy with eggs and steamed rice. When I thought about making this dish I didn't think it was going to be very complicated but after starting on it, it took a lot more ingredients than I anticipated. What you see from left to right is: a napoleon of eggs cooked over easy, braised mushrooms, and steamed rice. The pork chop was seasoned with salt and pepper and seared before topping off with an apple demi-glace and baked in the oven. The "jus" on the right is the remaining liquid from the braised mushrooms.

Ingredients:

4 - 1 1/2 inch cut pork chops (bone in)
32 ounces or 4 cups beef stock
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot (peeled and chopped)
1 leek (roughly chopped - white parts only)
1 green apple (diced)
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 eggs (cooked over easy)
10 button mushrooms (1/4 inch slices)
4 cups cooked Jasmin rice

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Season both sides of the pork chop with salt and pepper. Let this sit while creating your demi-glace.

To start the demi-glace add 16 ounces or 2 cups of beef stock to a stock pot on medium high heat. Wrap the green leafy part of the leak around the thyme and bay leaves and tie it up. Add this to the beef stock.

In a separate pan, add olive oil and turn the heat to medium high. Next, add the carrots, leeks and apples. Sauté this mixture until the leaks are caramelized. Then add the hot beef stock that was previously heated up. Cover and cook on medium heat for 25-30 minutes.

In another stock pot, add the butter and flour and create a roux. Next, using a fine mesh sieve, strain the liquid from the beef stock and vegetable mixture into the stock pot and whisk for about 4 minutes or until it starts to thicken a bit and should have the consistency of light gravy.

Time to sear the pork chops. On a hot grill pan or cast iron skillet, sear each side of the pork chop for about 3-4 minutes. Searing the pork chops will seal in the salt and pepper flavor. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish and top it off with the demi-glace. Place pork chops on the middle rack of the preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or when the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees (If you don't have an instant read thermometer, you should go get one - this is a time where you don't want to guess if the meat is cooked or not and slicing into will release the internal juices.) Let this rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

The prepare your braised mushrooms, add 16 ounces or 2 cups of beef stock to a stock pot on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 sprig of fresh thyme. Let this cook and reduce to half the amount of liquid you started with (or 1 cup). Separate the mushrooms and the "jus". You'll use the mushrooms for the napoleon and the "jus" to dip your pork chop into.

To create the napoleon I used a round ramekin and layered the bottom with the mushrooms and rice. Make sure you push down so that it is compact and tight, otherwise this may fall apart when removing from the ramekin. When plating, flip the ramekin upside down and give it a gentle tap and the contents should easily come out. Next, place the egg on top of the mushroom (I trimmed the egg whites around the yolk off with a round cutter).

This dish took about an hour and fifteen minutes from start to finish. Like I stated earlier, this may seem  complicated but it really isn't. It just has a lot of ingredients and components but your end result will be delicious.

Steamed Artichoke with Spicy Aioli Dip

Most of you are probably tired of seeing aioli postings however; But I'm not done showing how versatile and easy this dip is. By now, you get the idea that you can make endless combination of flavors with aioli. This dish is semi-inspired by the restaurant formerly known as  Houston's in Dallas. While they drizzle olive oil and grill their artichoke, steaming it is simpler and allows you to taste the artichoke for what it is. This aioli is spiced with cayenne pepper and paprika and is a perfect pairing with the sweet and earthy taste of the artichoke.

Ingredients:

1 large artichoke
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups water
1 large egg
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Trim about 2-3 inches off the top of the artichoke to reveal all the layering. This is an important step, because as you steam the artichoke this will allow the artichoke to cook evenly and consistently. In a steamer, add water and sea salt and bring to a boil. Next place the artichoke top down so the steam can infuse into each layer. Steam for approximately 20 minutes or until the stem is tender. Remove from the water and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before peeling the leaves. When peeling the leaves you'll want to discard the first one or two outer layers and also the inner core that sits on top of the artichoke heart itself. In the picture above you'll notice the artichoke heart is filled with the aioli. I like to do it this way as you'll want to save the best for last.

For the aioli, you can choose to take the shortcut route and use mayonnaise (not miracle whip) and disregard the egg and oil but you'll want to use all the other ingredients listed. If you're making it from scratch, separate the whites and yolk from the egg (do not throw anything away, except the shell). Add the egg whites to a food processor and turn it to the lowest setting. Slowly drizzle half the oil until the mixture emulsifies. Next add kosher salt and the egg yolk, continue processing on lowest setting. While the food processor is still on add: garlic, lemon juice from half a lemon, cayenne pepper and paprika (these are the same ingredients you'll want to add to your store bought mayonnaise if you're taking the shortcut route).

As I stated earlier, I used the artichoke heart as a bowl to hold the aioli. To eat simply dip the artichoke leaves in the aioli and with your teeth you'll want to scrap the inside of the leaves. I was told last night that this can be very addicting. Hope you all enjoy!

Egg Salad

 



I know what you're thinking already, egg salad? Where's the abundance of egg? Well, the egg is in the dressing. This is dish is a take on a classic Laotian salad, "yam salat", that my mother use to make. I believe her dressing was a mixture of thousand island and something else. I really can't remember on the top of my head right now. But I basically made this dish because I had tons of veggies left and didn't want it spoil. Of course, you may all know of the many variations of lettuce wraps that I usually make when dieting, well, that started to get boring. The dressing I created is actually a basic aioli with egg yolks from the hard boiled eggs. As I stated earlier, the egg is all in the dressing.

Ingredients:

1/2 head green leaf lettuce (roughly chopped)

1/2 cucumber (peeled and thinly sliced)

4 scallions (cut into 3 inch pieces and then julienne)

8-10 sprigs cilantro (roughly chopped)

2 Roma tomatoes (seeded and julienned)

5 eggs (hard boiled)

1 egg (raw)

1 cup canola oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Juice 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/8 cup water

Directions:

Mix the lettuce, cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, and tomatoes well in a large bowl, the bigger the better.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 5 eggs to the boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes. Discard the hot water in the sink and begin adding cold water from the faucet to help cool it down. Once the eggs have cooled down, peel the shells of the eggs and discard. When all of the eggs have been peeled, gently cut the eggs in a circular motion (do not cut all the way through, only to the yolk) until it is split in half. Remove the yolks and set aside in a bowl. Thinly cut the egg whites and add them to the salad mixture.

This is probably redundant but I'll show you how to make an aioli again. In a food processor add the egg whites of 1 egg. Set the speed to mix. Slowly drizzle half a cup of canola oil until the mixture thickens (4-5 minutes) now add the raw egg yolk and continue drizzling the remaining oil. You mixture should look like mayonnaise  (that's what it is at this point). With you setting still on mix, add lemon juice, salt, and vinegar. Now add your garlic and set your speed to process for about 1 minute (now it's an aioli). Add your hard boiled egg yolks and water to the mixture with your speed set on mix. The texture of this dressing shouldn't be thick like mayonnaise, if it is add a little more water. Your dressing shouldn't be to runny either so be careful when you add the water. Remove the dressing from the food processor and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

To serve, add dressing to the salad and toss until everything has been properly dressed.

Side note:

My mom likes to add stir fried beef in the salad as well. If you would like to add this to the salad here's how to make it. You'll need 1/2 pound paper think slices of beef (doesn't matter which cut), 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 1 garlic clove (minced), and 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Heat the oil on medium high heat and add your garlic and then your beef. Add your oyster sauce shortly afterwards and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until well done. Let this cool before adding to your salad. It's also customary to add all of the sauce from the stir fry to your salad as well, it'll give it the extra saltiness that pairs well with the slightly tart dressing. In the picture above I actually used thinly sliced pork shoulders and cooked it the same way.

Chicken Fried Chicken

Fried...need I say more. Everyone knows everything tastes better fried. Living in the south, you get an abundance of fried food. If you don't believe me, go to the State Fair of Texas and you'll find fried Twinkies, beer, and butter just to name a few. I've always loved chicken fried steak, but always stayed away from chicken fried chicken just because restaurants usually use chicken breast. So how do you make chicken fried chicken more enjoyable? Chicken thighs! That's your answer. The darker meat of the chicken contains more fat and therefore more flavor. I also made a cream and chicken stock gravy to top off the chicken fried chicken. The strips you see on top of the gravy are fried chicken skin I had leftover from the chicken thighs. I also paired this with leftovers from last night's dinner; snow pea casserole.

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs (deboned and pounded flat, save the skin)
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 large egg (beaten)
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon all purpose flour

2 cups canola oil (for frying)

Directions:

The first thing you want to do is prep your chicken by deboning it and pounding it flat. To pound it flat, you'll need two pieces of plastic wrap - you will then place the chicken in between the two pieces of plastic wrap, with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer, pound the meat down and outward until it is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the cream, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place the chicken in the marinade and let it sit and marinade while you are prepping the other ingredients.

In another large bowl, add your egg and beat well. Add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix all ingredients well.

In a different bowl, add your panko breading, 1/2 teaspoon fine seal salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well.

In a large skillet, add your oil and heat over medium high heat. Once the temperature hits 350° begin frying your chicken skin. Cook for 5 minutes or until cripsy, remove from pan and place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Once it cools slice it into thin strips.

Set up your dredging station by having the chicken mixture first, followed by the egg mixture, then the panko breading. Take your chicken and dip in the egg mixture and then the panko breading; to coat the chicken evenly. Gently place the chicken in your skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and delicious (GBD). Remove and place on paper towel.

Once you're done cooking the chicken remove all of the oil from the skillet but leave any crumbs behind. Add 2 tablespoon of all purpose flour and begin mixing with a whisk. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and continue mixing until all the butter had melted. Now add 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock and continue mixing until it is well incorporated and add 1 cup of heavy cream and continue whisking. Once the gravy thickens (about a minute or so) add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper.

To finish, place the chicken fried chicken on a plate and top it off with the gravy and chicken skin strips.

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Pork Belly Stew (Thom Kem/Thit Kho)

Nothing reminds me more of my mom's cooking than this dish, this is true Southeast Asian comfort food. The pork belly itself pretty much melts in your mouth before you can even swallow it and the egg yolks just asks you to slurp down the the sweet and savory broth. After dieting last weekend by eating nothing but lettuce wraps for 5 days, I surpassed my goal of losing 7 pounds by an extra pound, I felt like I deserved a gift. No one should ever try to figure out how unhealthy this dish is, instead just save it for one special guilty pleasure day like myself, we all deserve one every so often.

Ingredients:

1-1.5 pound pork belly (cut into 2-3 inch pieces)

7 eggs (boiled and peeled)

8 tablespoon fish sauce

4 tablespoon oyster sauce

6 tablespoon sugar

4-6 garlic cloves (minced)

1 large shallot (minced)

3 inch piece galangal root (1/4 slices)

5 whole star anise pods

1 can bamboo shoot (thinly sliced)

6 cups of water

Directions:

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, caramelize the sugar on medium high heat. Then add garlic and shallots until they are candied. Add water and all other ingredients immediately. Cover the pot and continue cooking for 2-3 hours on medium low heat. Serve over Jasmin rice and allow rice to soak the broth a bit and enjoy this sweet and savory dish.

Crème Brûlée with Raspberry Sauce

Crème brûlée is a simple dessert to make; it's actually one of the first desserts I can say I made successfully. However, this one was a bit disappointing to me because I didn't have whole vanilla beans; I'm not a big fan of vanilla extract- but you have to be resourceful at times.

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)

Directions:

Gently heat the cream on medium low (do not let it boil) and add sugar. Once the sugar dissolves add vanilla extract (or a split vanilla bean) and refrigerate for about 10 minutes to let it cool. Whisk egg yolks in a separate bowl and set aside. Once the cream mixture cools, slowly pour the cream mixture into the eggs while stirring continually. Slowly add the mixture to the ramekins (4 ramekins that will hold approximately 1/2 cup). Place ramekins on a deep sheet pan and add 2-3 cups of water to the pan (this is called a water bath). In an oven preheated to 300°, bake for 45-50 minutes or before it starts to boil. Pull out ramekins immediately and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. Before serving add a thin layer of sugar and with a torch begin to lightly melt the sugar until all the sugar melts. Your sugar should have a medium to dark brown color to it.

Raspberry sauce:

1 pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and cook on medium heat until the water is reduced and the raspberries are thick and mushy. Let it cool and serve on top off the crème brûlée or a dessert of your choice.

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Parfait of Strawberries and Blackberries with Homemade Whipped Cream and Zabayon Sauce

Tonight was the first official night that Bistro 331 hosted a dinner party, I think I'm going to make this a ritual (attendees must be a follower of the blog). I personally would like to thank all my guests, especially the one that did the dishes, for coming over and hanging out. I prepared a 4 course meal that included spicy cucumber salad, tom yum soup with shrimp and scallops, pad kapow gai (basil chicken), and a parfait of strawberries and blackberries. Unfortunately I was so busy cooking and hosting that I was unable to photograph and therefore write any recipes down. However, if you're interested in any of these recipes feel free to write a comment or send me an email and I'll be more than happy to send you the recipes. Actually, I was fortunate enough to capture a photograph of our dessert and the recipe is pretty simple.

Parfait of strawberries and blackberries

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries (cut into small 1/4 inch pieces)
1 pint blackberries
4 sprigs basil (finely chopped)
1 pint heavy cream (for whipped cream)
1/2 cup heavy cream (for zabayon)
4 egg yokes
3 tablespoon powdered sugar (for the whipped cream)
2 tablespoon powdered sugar (for the zabayon)

Directions:

Whipped cream -

Add heavy whipping cream to a large bowl, preferably stainless steel. Add 3 tablespoons (or more) confectionist/powdered sugar and whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

Zabayon -

Over a double boiler add egg yokes and 2 tablespoons (or more) confectionist/powdered sugar and whisk until mixture becomes frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and continue whisking over double boiler (never stop whisking otherwise you might end up with scramble eggs). Continue whisking entire mixture until it thickens (the mixture is ready when you can create ribbon drippings).

Creating the parfait -

You can layer the parfait anyway you like to. I like to add a layer of whipped cream or zabayon between the fruits. For the one picture above I started with strawberries, then I added the whipped cream (for easier application, use a piping bag or zip lock bag with the tip of one corner cut) then basil, and then a layer of blackberries. I continued this process until I got to the middle of the parfait, instead of adding whipped cream I added the zabayon instead (I tried not to use too much of this because it's really rich and a little heavy).

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