Update

Just a quick update, my roommate Michael and I are working on getting the new blog up and running.  The new address and name will be The Makeshift Gourmet.  Currently there is just a generic Wordpress page on there, but I'll be updating it with previous posts from here as well as new ones.  Don't worry, the blog will live on, although it's taking a little while to get the new format working.

Changes coming....

Ok so it's been a while since I've posted, but with reason...the blog name will be changing, so will the format and the web address.  I will be moving from blogspot to my own website with a Wordpress format.  Hopefully it will be much better.  All this will also coincide with some awesome news I'll be sharing soon.

Tiramisu...and a Five Course Meal

So as I mentioned previously, this past weekend, my friend Scott and I had planned to fix a five course meal for some friends of ours.  The plan was for me to make the appetizer, Scott to make the soup and salad course, as well as the pasta course, and I would make the main course and dessert.  Scott did a great job on his courses...he made tomato-bread soup out of my Bottega cookbook (by Michael Chiarello), arugala salad, and homemade pasta with an alfredo cream sauce.  I made bruschetta two ways, roast leg of lamb, chicken all griglia, and tiramisu.  The leg of lamb recipe was out of Ad Hoc, and the chicken recipe was from Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini.

The dinner turned out to be a success, however it was a little stressful trying to coordinate everything in order for everything to come out in order, but we made it work, and it was a lot of fun.

 I have good pictures of the tiramisu, which I will be sharing how to make tonight.  The pictures I have of the rest of the meal are from my phone's camera, so they aren't great, but you can see them below.

 One of the wine choices for the night.

The soup and salad that Scott made.

Pasta, also by Scott.  The pasta noodles were homemade by Scott that morning.

The lamb while it was being carved.  Bad picture, it makes it look very small for some reason...it wasn't.  It weighed in at 7 pounds.

A roast pepper dish I made as garnish for the meats.

Now, on to the recipe I have chosen to share tonight, the tiramisu.

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Tiramisu

6 egg yolks
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 (2 oz) packages of lady fingers
1/3 cup coffee flavored liqueur ( I used Kahlua)
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Semisweet chocolate (for topping)

First, you combine egg yolks and sugar in top double boiler over boiling water.  Reduce the heat to low, and constantly stir for 10 minutes.  Yes, the entire 10 minutes.  It's a good idea to set a timer.  The yolks and sugar will become somewhat thick and crumbly looking, but never fret, keep stirring, and eventually it will become smooth.  And yes, your arm will be very tired.  After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the from heat and whip yolks until they become thick and yellow in color.

Next, add the mascarpone cheese to whipped yolks, and stir until it is combined.  Set the pan aside for now.

 With a mixer, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.  This might take a while, and be sure to keep the speed of the mixer pretty high.

After the cream is whipped, add it to the egg and cheese mixture, and give it a good stir to combine.

Now, if you are using store bought lady fingers as I did (I know, I know, I cheated and didn't make my own for this recipe), tear off the lady fingers one by one, dip each side lightly in the liqueur, and place them in a single layer on the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Spread half of the egg, cheese, and cream mixture evenly over the lady fingers.

Now, take more lady fingers, dip them in liqueur once more, and create another single layer of lady fingers.  Top that with another layer of cream mixture, spread it so it is nice and smooth, and top with cocoa powder.  Shave off some pieces of bittersweet chocolate, and refrigerate.  Serve the dessert cold.

I forgot to get a picture of the tiramisu cut into individual pieces, but rest assured, it looked good when it was served.  And tasted awesome, too.  This is a fairly easy recipe to make, but once you try it, I guarantee you'll make it often.

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The next dish will hopefully be Butternut Squash Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, and Nutmeg Creme Fraiche from Bouchon.

Coming up...

Coming up this weekend, my friend Scott and I will be preparing a five course Italian inspired meal for 12 people, and I'll try to document the whole thing.  And when I say Italian inspired, I don't mean spaghetti with a jar of Prego.  Everything will be made from scratch, including the pasta.  Stay tuned.

A field trip...Moon Tower Inn

Picture this, if you will...

You are sitting in what feels like someones backyard at a picnic table under a tree, watching people play horseshoes and basketball.  The air is cool and crisp, the sounds of people conversing at picnic tables both under a porch and out in the open of the yard are just audible among the banjo laden sounds of bluegrass Modest Mouse cover songs emanating from the radio.  It's a pleasant, relaxing existence.

But I'm not here to take in the sights.  I'm here due to rumors I heard last night about a place here in Houston which served interesting meats such as elk, bison, wild boar, and duck in tube form.  That's right...I'm talking about hot dogs. 

Located at the corner of Canal Street and North Ennis Street, in what is essentially the Second Ward, the Moon Tower Inn has, for the past several months, been serving hot dogs made of such fine meats as those previously listed, as well as venison, rabbit, pheasant, and lamb.  From the roadway, the establishment appears unassuming- a small, hole in the wall building with a large patio, no indoor seating, and a huge backyard.  There is no large sign to inform the unaware of the nature of the building, or the wonderful food which it produces.  A simple sign with the address number "3004" appears prominently out front.  The address of the establishment, by the way, is 3004 Canal Street, Houston, TX 77003.

I ventured there with my roommate, Michael, who insisted on bringing his DSLR to capture the magic.  Upon ordering our hot dogs at the window of the building, we proceeded to find an open picnic table in the yard.  We arrived at the perfect time as well.  They opened at 2:00pm, and we arrived about 5 minutes afterward.  By about 2:15 there was already a line, and most of the seating had been taken. 

Michael and I enjoyed a few rounds of horseshoes in the yard (although I can't claim that we were very good…I think we each actually hit the stake with the horseshoe no more than 3 times each).  The food took roughly a half hour to arrive, which, while it seems like quite a wait for hot dogs, we were reminded by a sign by the ordering window that "This Ain't Fast Food, Shut Up and Wait!".

The hot dogs finally arrived.  My order consisted of duck and wild boar dogs, and Michael chose the duck and elk dogs.  When ordering, you get a choice of a variety sauces- I told the girl at the window to have the kitchen put whatever they recommended on both of mine, which ended up being country style mustard on both dogs, with the addition of peppered ketchup on the wild boar dog.  You have to add the toppings yourself, of which they are kept in a box under the patio.  I topped mine with simple onions, cheddar, and sauerkraut, and Michael went a little more eclectic and topped his elk dog with cilantro and feta.

My wild boar and duck dogs.

Michael's elk and duck dogs.

So how did it all taste?  Well, let me say that the wild boar was fantastic.  The meat was wonderful, like a pork sausage but the smallest bit of gaminess too it…but not too much as to be off-putting.  Being that I love all pig related foods, the boar rocked my world.  The combination of the country mustard and peppered ketchup was interesting take on the classic condiments usually eaten with hot dogs. 

The duck was a bit more mundane, however, the word mundane makes it sound bland, which it very much wasn't.  It just tasted like duck, and while duck is good, there wasn't much that stood out here.  The menu online mentioned that the duck dogs also had foie gras in them, but apparently, they were out of duck dogs with foie today.  I'll have to give these a second chance.

I tried Michael's elk dog, and it had very interesting flavors, including a slight fruitiness.  This was confirmed by the online menu, which lists the elk dog as also containing apple, pear, and port.  A fantastic combination.  Also, the feta and cilantro Michael put on his dogs pair surprisingly well with the elk dog.

I believe several more visits to the Moon Tower Inn are in order as all of the different type of dogs sound wonderful, and I can't wait to try each of them.  But it won't only be the food that will bring me back, but atmosphere as well.  It really feels like you are sitting in someone's backyard.  The fact that the hot dogs (especially the elk and wild boar) were absolutely delicious doesn't hurt.  Give the place a try, it's a nice and unassuming place to kick back and enjoy a great meal.  It may not be haute cuisine in a white tablecloth restaurant, but no one said it had to be.

Food Memories

I'm convinced that for everyone, there are different foods that remind them of their youth.  Whether it was your favorite meal that your mom cooked, or even a simple snack that you craved as you grew up, everyone has something edible in their history that, when eaten today, brings back memories of their childhood.

I was reminded of this recently when I decided to cook my Mom's recipe for gumbo.  I hadn't made gumbo in years, and since it's winter and the weather has been cold, I felt like it was about time to enjoy a nice, hot bowl of gumbo.  In order to make gumbo, you have to make a roux, and after that, you add bell pepper, onion, and celery, the "Cajun Trinity".  When I added the vegetables to the roux, the smell that emanated from it instantly brought me back to the days when my Mom would make a big pot of gumbo on a cool day.  To me, it was the smell of my youth.

Another dish that brings me back to my childhood is "soft-fried potatoes", i.e. potatoes cooked in a little oil in a big cast iron skillet.  It was always one of my favorite dishes growing up.  The way some of the potatoes would stick to the pan and become nice and crisp was a treat when I was growing up.  I still make these potatoes often, and every time I do, I can't keep myself from hand picking the crispier pieces out of the pan.  It reminds me of being a little kid again.

So here's my question for those reading this: what foods do you enjoy that bring back memories of your youth?  I'm sure everyone has at least one.

Braised Shortribs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Cream of Blueberry Soup

So while in the process of cooking this meal, I came to the unfortunate realization that I had no decent plates or bowls to display it with.  Now, I know some people might say that with food, taste is most important thing.  But think about this- when presented with food, the first sense to examine it is sight.  Ok, well maybe smell might come before that, but you get the picture.  Since food can involve all of the senses (yes, including sound...try to think about what eating potato chips would be like if they didn't crunch), it can be beneficial to try to embrace all five senses in the presentation.  So what does that mean for me?  It's time to go get some good plates and bowls.  Hopefully the next meal I post will be on some nice white plates so the color and presentation of the food can stand out more.

So on to the food.  I had been planning on making the Cream of Blueberry Soup with Yogurt Charlottes from The French Laundry for a while now, but ran into a few setbacks along the way.  After searching around time for several items needed for the dish, I realized I would have to order them online, and it took a while for me to receive them.  Also, with the busy holidays, I barely had time to think about making a dish that would take several days to prepare, as this soup did.

Fortunately I was able to take off work last week, and on Friday, I was able to begin preparation.  The  soup contains five different parts which are made separately.  On that Friday I began by making the Yogurt Charlottes and the Tellicherry Pepper Syrup.  The following Sunday, I made the Creme Anglaise, Dacquoise, and the Blueberry Soup.  I wanted to serve it as dessert for a full meal, so I was able to put together a simple meal of braised short ribs and garlic mashed potatoes.  Nothing too elaborate, but it served as a nice precursor to the soup.

Now let me tell you about the soup.  When I first tasted it, the only thing I could say was "Wow!".  And I wasn't the only one that had few words to describe it.  It truly was amazing.  Like, stupidly good.  I think I actually started laughing at how good it was.  And then, when I plated the soup with the charlottes and dacquoise, the result was incredible, with very interesting flavors and textures.  This is one recipe that I will definitely be repeating, however, it will probably have to be in the summer when the berries are actually in season, and therefore cheaper.  This time of year, this soup is quite expensive to make.

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Braised Short Ribs

This recipe is an amalgamation of two different braised short rib recipes, one from Keller's Ad Hoc and the other from Andrew Carmellini's Urban Italian.

8-12 short ribs with bone (2 per person)
2 large carrots
1 medium onion
1 shallot
4 cloves garlic
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 cups beef broth
4 springs thyme
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


Cut up the carrots.  I simply sliced them into rounds.

Next, dice your onions and shallots, and mince the garlic.

Prepare your short ribs by sprinkling them with salt and pepper on all sides.

Next, heat canola oil in a deep dutch oven on medium high heat and brown the meat on all sides.  You want to do this pretty quickly, only browning the outside.  You will need to work in batches.  After you brown each batch, remove them from the dutch oven and place on a plate.

After all of the short ribs are browned on the outside, toss in your carrots, onions, shallots, and garlic.

Cook them for several minutes, and then add the wine.

Cook the vegetables and wine for a few minutes, then add the beef broth, the short ribs, and finally, the thyme.

My dutch oven was a little on the small side, but I was able to arrange everything to make it all fit.

Cover, and place it in the oven.  Cook the meat for 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is so tender a fork will pierce the meat all the way through.  Be sure to check it every 15-20 minutes to make sure the liquid isn't boiling too hard.  If it is, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs Russet potatoes
6 garlic cloves, peeled
4 Tbs butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and place in a large pot with enough water to cover them.  Add the garlic cloves and around a tablespoon of salt.  Bring the water to a boil, and boil the potatoes until they are soft and tender.  Drain the potatoes in a colander, and return to the pot.  Add the butter and cream, and using a large fork, potato masher, or similar, mash the potatoes with the butter and cream until they become soft and smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.

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Cream of Blueberry Soup with Yogurt Charlottes

As with the prior recipes from The French Laundry and Bouchon, I will not be giving out the exact recipe, however, I will be showing the steps I took in order to prepare it.  If you want the recipe, you are going to have to buy the books, or if you just want to preview them, Google Books has them for you to view.

I began with the yogurt charlottes.  Cream was combined with sugar in a saucepan.

Also, take note of my new All Clad Copper Core saucepan.  I was able to get one of these last week, as well as a Copper Core saute pan.  I must say...they are pretty incredible.

In the mean time, I soaked a gelatin sheet in cold water to soften it.

After the sugar dissolved in the cream, the mixture is poured into a bowl, and the soften yogurt sheet is stirred in.

The yogurt is added to the bowl, and the mixture is then cooled.  More cream is whipped in a separate bowl, and then stirred into the mixture.

The mixture is then poured into the hemisphere molds, covered, and placed into the refrigerator.  it is suggested to use an egg carton to keep the molds from tipping over.

The next step was to make the Tellicherry pepper syrup.  The book calls for only 6 tellicherry peppercorns, of which I had to buy a whole bottle of.  I ground up the peppercorns, and added them to a saucepan with water, sugar, raspberries, strawberries, and a spring of mint.

The saucepan is brought to just under simmer, and cooked for around 45 minutes until the syrup begins to form.

After about 45 minutes, the mixture is strained, and the fruit is discarded.

Both of those steps were completed two days prior to serving the soup.  The following steps were completed on the day it was served.

For the creme anglaise, seeds from a vanilla pod were scraped into a sauce pan, the pod was added, along with cream, milk and sugar.

Meanwhile, several egg yolks were whisked with sugar until they thickened.  Part of the previous mixture was added to the egg mixture to temper them, and the egg mixture was then added to the saucepan.  The mixture is then stirred until it thickens into a custard, placed in an ice-bath to cool, and then to the refrigerator to chill.

The dacquoise are round, cookie-like wafers that are used in the presentation of the soup, and also provide an interesting texture.    First, almonds are finely ground in a coffee mill.

Then, egg whites and sugar are whipped in a mixer until they form a meringue.  Then, the ground almonds, sugar, and cornstarch are combined with the meringue.

The mixture is then spread on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and baked.  

About halfway through the baking process, the batter is cut into rounds, and then returned to the oven.  After they are through, they end up looking like this:

I had some breakage, as you can tell, and my cuts weren't as clean as shown in the book, but they tasted awesome.

Finally, I was on to the blueberry soup itself.  First, white wine, lemon zest, and lemon juice were combined in a saucepan and reduced until the wine was a quarter of the original amount.

Then, the lemon zest is strained out, and the blueberries are added to the saucepan with the wine.  

After a while, the berries begin to burst, and end up looking like this:

The tellicherry syrup and sugar is then added to the saucepan and simmered for several minutes.  The mixture is then poured into a blender and blended with care since the contents were still hot.  After blending, the mixture is strained into a large measuring cup, a little water is added, and the mixture is then cooled in an ice bath.

After it cools, the creme anglaise is stirred in, and the soup is ready to serve with the yogurt charlottes and the dacquoise, in my best approximation of picture in the cookbook.

It was also at this point when I had the realization about my plates and bowls.  I really need to get some good white ones.

So, I already told you this soup was amazing, but what exactly did it taste like?  Well, it was a mixture of flavors.  Obviously you have the pretty intense blueberry flavor, but there is also hints of vanilla, raspberry, and then the flavor of the yogurt charlottes.  The soup is very rich and flavorful, and you probably don't want to eat too much at a time.

Honestly, if I do it over again, I will probably omit the charlottes and dacquoise, as I think the soup by itself is awesome and doesn't need them.  They were interesting though, and provided different textures in the soup.

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So there it is.  While this has been a long post,  I hope that it inspires you to try any of these recipes.  They are all worth it.