Spicy Swordfish

Recipe: Spicy Swordfish
Page: 217
Date Cooked: January 14, 2012

There is something really wonderful about a great piece of fish cooked in a simple manner and paired with a great sauce. This recipe calls for a sauce with a crème fraîche base - and in my book, I'm not sure how that can taste bad. Just for some fun background, crème fraîche is pretty much a fancier sour cream. But, it isn't as sour, has higher viscosity, and a higher fat content than sour cream.

Ingredients: Jalapeno chile, red bell pepper, swordfish steaks, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, chives, rosemary (I used rosemary instead of thyme - my grocer was out), garlic, and crème fraîche

Step One: Blacken and blister the jalapeno and red bell pepper. At this point in the project, I'm pretty sure I could blacken and blister any kind of chile or pepper with my eyes closed (not sure how safe that is, but you get my point). Once the jalapeno and red bell pepper were significantly blackened and blistered, I put them in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap for 15 minutes. I then peeled them by hand, stemmed and seeded them, chopped them, and placed them on a side.

1. Blackened and blistered red bell pepper
2. Blackened and blistered jalapeno chile
3. Steaming bell pepper and chile
4. Chopped pepper and chile - post peeling, stemming, and seeding

While the pepper and chile steamed, I rubbed the swordfish steaks with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I also chopped the basil leaves.

Left: Swordfish steaks with olive oil, salt, and pepper
Right: Chopped Basil

On to the sauce... I placed the jalapeno, bell pepper, parsley, rosemary, chives, garlic, crème fraîche, and olive oil in a food processor and pureed. Upon tasting, I seasoned the mixture with a bit of salt and pepper.

 Crème fraîche based sauce

Finally, I heated the broiler and placed the swordfish on to a pan to broil for a few minutes on each side. 

Swordfish ready to be broiled

I put the sauce on the plate, topped it with the broiled swordfish and it was ready to serve....

Spicy Swordfish

Incredibly simple and easy with a big flavor payoff. The swordfish steak has a meaty texture which makes it quite filling. And how much easier can it get just sticking it under the broiler for 6 minutes max?! The piece of fish was great, but the texture and flavor you get from the sauce is pretty amazing. I didn't find the sauce to be all that spicy - but I also have a high spice tolerance. Nonetheless, the flavor was all there. Simple, easy, and tasty dish. It worked for me.

Enjoy!

Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise

Recipe: Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Page: 38
Date Cooked: December 9, 2011

Fried seafood is one of those items that if done right tastes pretty damn amazing. You could eat it on its own, put it in a sandwich, and even put it in nachos (something I most recently discovered). All in all, given my last experience with JW's fried seafood recipe (Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise), I was pretty excited about this one.

Ingredients: Squid, milk, olive oil, canned chipotle chiles, eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper, parsley, lime, corn oil, cornmeal, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper

My grocer carries cleaned squid, so I didn't have to bother with the cleaning. I cut the squid bodies into rings  and placed them into a container. I covered the squid with milk and put the container in the refrigerator.

Left: Rings of squid
Right: Squid covered with milk

In the meantime, I proceeded to make the chipotle mayonnaise. I pureed the canned chipotle chiles and put them into a bowl. I whisked in the egg yolks and lemon juice. I then continued to whisk as I slowly dribbled in the olive oil. And voila...I got mayonnaise. I seasoned it with some salt and pepper and put it in the fridge. So my trick in mayo-making has been to use an immersion blender rather than a whisk. Ever since I switched to this method - I have been successful in the mayo-making department!

Chipotle mayo-making process

Luckily, there wasn't much prep work required for this recipe. So with the squid soaking in milk and mayo out of the way, I pulled the parsley leaves off the stems and sliced the lime.

Left: Parsley leaves
Right: Sliced of lime

While the corn oil heated, I began coating the squid. I put the cornmeal into a container, drained the squid, and tossed the squid with the cornmeal. I fried the squid in batches until they achieved a golden brown, removing them with a Chinese mesh skimmer.

Fried cornmeal battered squid

Once all the squid had been fried, I added the parsley into the oil. Jonathan Waxman warns about splattering, and he was not joking! I got hot oil everywhere. Luckily, I was somewhat prepared. I fried the parsley for just a few second and removed it with the mesh skimmer.

Fried parsley

Finally, I was ready to put all the items together. I put chipotle mayonnaise into a small ramekin. I put the squid onto a plate and garnished it with the lime slices, fried parsley, and minced red and green bell peppers. And it was ready to eat....

Deep-Fried Squid with Chipotle Mayonnaise

The chipotle mayonnaise was super delicious. Definitely had a kick to it, but I like spicy and therefore enjoyed it thoroughly. The rest of the dish however felt somewhat one note. I ended up getting more lime because the dish felt like it lacked acid. I wish I had more of the fresh red and green bell peppers because every other component felt heavy. Also, the only seasoning going on in the dish was the chipotle mayonnaise. And when I think about it, much of it has to do with the fact that the squid had no seasoning what-so-ever. If I did it again, I would probably add salt and pepper to the cornmeal.

There is no doubt that the dish was visually pleasing but I kept comparing it to the Fried Shrimp with Caper Mayonnaise, which had a lot of flavor and didn't feel soo heavy. All in all, this recipe may have to go into the not so great bucket. However, its one saving grace was the mayonnaise - which I ate on sandwiches for a number of days afterward.

Enjoy!

Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes

Recipe: Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes
Page: 190
Date Cooked: November 28, 2011

Of all the recipes in "A Great American Cook," this I think is by far the most daunting. I remember flipping through the cook book when I first got it and thinking, "Wow! That is a lot of ingredients for one recipe AND a whole lot of steps." However, I think I am always up for a bit of a challenge.

Unfortunately, my grocer didn't have any venison in stock. But perhaps it was somewhat fortunate, because it goes for $20/lb - which is a bit out of my price range, being a grad student and all. But no fear, JW gives the option of using boneless beef chuck or pork shoulder as a substitute - so pork shoulder it was.

Ingredients: Garlic, pork bones, onions, carrots, olive oil, bouquet garni (not pictured), Kosher salt, pepper, pork shoulder, serrano peppers, leeks, butter, Cabernet Sauvignon, rosemary, thyme, carrots, new potatoes, turnips, parsnips, celery root, bacon, eggs, milk, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, soft goat cheese, and parsley

There are three main components to this stew: the stock, the stew, and the johnnycakes.

The Stock

I put horizontally halved garlic heads (which had been peeled) along with the pork bones, whole onions, and carrots into a roasting pan. I drizzled the ingredients with olive oil and placed the pan in the oven to roast.

Roasting stock components

I transferred the bones and vegetables to a pot and deglazed the roasting pan with some water. I poured the liquid along with some more water into the pot and brought it all to a boil. I then reduced the temperature down to a simmer and added the bouquet garni. The stock simmered for a few hours.

The stock simmering

A quick side note about the bouquet garni. It is simply a herb bundle used to flavor stocks and stews. It includes items such as - bay leaves, parsley sprigs, leek greens, ginger, and black peppercorns. As you can see in the picture above, I used the aforementioned ingredients and tied them up into cheesecloth and put it right in the stock.

Once the stock was ready, I stained it into a bowl, covered it, and allowed it to chill. I then skimmed any fat off the top of the stock (which this had very little) and poured the liquid into a pan and reduced it down. The stock was then seasoned and set aside.

Left: Taking large components out of pot before straining
Right: Strained stock

The Stew

First, I cut the pork shoulder into 2-inch cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper. I roasted the chiles under a broiler until blackened and blistered. I put them into a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and allowed the chiles to steam. While the chiles steamed, I quartered onions, peeled garlic cloves, and sliced leeks. Then, I peeled with chiles with my fingers; stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced them.

1. Pork cubes 2. Quartered onions 3. Peeled garlic cloves 4. Sliced leeks

1. Serrano chiles 2. Chiles, blackened and blistered 3. Steaming chiles 4. Thinly sliced chiles

I added butter and olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat and browned the meat in batches. As it browned, I transferred the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon. 

Browning meat in batches

Once all the meat had been browned, I cleaned out the pot, and melted some butter. I added the onions and cooked until soft for a few minutes. I then added the garlic, chiles, and leeks. All items cooked slowly. Finally, I put in the meat back in, poured in the Cabernet, the reduced stock, chopped rosemary, and thyme leaves. I covered the pot and brought the stew to a simmer. The stew simmered for a hours until the meat was really tender. 

Stew simmering for hours

The Johnnycakes

While the stew simmered, I made the batter for the johnnycakes. I beat melted butter and milk into a bowl of eggs. I then whisked in the flour and cornmeal. Finally, I crumbled the goat cheese into the batter. I covered the bowl and put it in the fridge. 

Johnnycake batter

Back to the stew...

Finishing the stew meant including all those root vegetables. I peeled and cut the carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and celery root. I placed the vegetables into a bowl of cold water and set aside. 

1. Carrots 2. Potatoes 3. Turnips 4. Parsnips 5. Celery root

I also cut the bacon into lardons and fried them in a skillet until golden brown. I removed the bacon with a slotted spoon and drained them on paper towels

Frying up lardons of bacon

Once the meat in the stew was tender, I brought a large pot of water to boil, reduced it to a simmer, and added in all the root vegetables. I cooked the vegetable just until tender. I took heed to JW's warning... "Many people overcook their root vegetables when they make stews. Don't be one of them!"

Cooking root vegetables. I forgot about the carrots initially, but cooked them separately later on.

I then added the root vegetables and bacon to the stew, checked for seasoning, and kept the stew warm.

Finished stew

Back to the johnnycakes...

Finally, I whisked the johnnycake batter and some salt and pepper. I melted butter into a skillet, added some of the batter to the pan and cooked the pancake till golden brown on each side. I transferred them all to a plate and kept warm. 

Cooking the johnnycakes

Ready to eat...

I spooned the stew into bowls, draped a johnnycake over the bowl, and sprinkled it with parsley.

Venison Stew with Goat Cheese Johnnycakes

So if you're actually still with me, I can go ahead with the verdict. It was damn good. Flavors - check. Texture - check. Heartiness - check. Freshness - check. Everything was there. The stew was cooked to perfection. And I think I know what Jonathan Waxman is saying about people overcooking root vegetables. The vegetables were obviously cooked but had that al dente bite to them which worked so well alongside the tender pork shoulder. 

The surprising component of the stew was without a doubt the johnnycakes. They were amazing! The goat cheese played nicely with the cornmeal pancake. I found myself just taking one off of the stack and eating it on its own. It was soo freaking good. 

Overall, lots of ingredients. A good amount of work. But at the end of the day it made enough for several meal and is super easy to freeze. So...yeah...I think it was a good one.

Enjoy!

JW Fries

Recipe: JW Fries
Page: 243
Date Cooked: November 12, 2011

The ultimate French fry, an elusive item many of us seek. And I don't think I am alone in saying that it appears almost impossible to achieve the perfect French fry at home. It's as if no matter what I do I can't seem to get it to taste like a restaurant fry. Well Jonathan Waxman claims that his recipe is well, "a pain...but well worth it to achieve the ultimate French fries." As suggested by JW, these French fries are a perfect accompaniment to Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.

Ingredients: Organic russet potatoes, corn oil, and sea salt

Let me just start off by saying, these French fries really are a pain and require two days, not of actual work, but of planning. First, I peeled the potatoes, placed them in a bowl of ice water, and refrigerated overnight. The whole idea behind potatoes in ice water is to get rid of a lot of the starch that is on the surface of the potato.

Peeled potatoes in ice water

The next morning, I cut the potatoes lengthwise into fries that were about 1/2 inch wide. As I cut the potatoes, I put them in cold water.

Left: Slicing potatoes
Right: Soaking wedges in cold water

In the meantime, I heated the corn oil in a heavy pot. Once the oil was hot enough, I drained the potatoes and patted them dry. I was then ready to simply blanch the potatoes in the hot oil for just a few minutes. Since the potatoes are actually fried twice, I didn't want the potatoes to achieve any kind of color. After blanching, I drained and cooled the fries on paper towels.

Left: Blanching potatoes
Right: Drained and cooled potatoes on paper towels

After I blanched all my potatoes in batches, I spread them onto a baking sheet and refrigerated for almost 6 hours, uncovered.

Blanched potatoes on baking sheet

Finally, the last step was upon me. I brought the French fries to room temperature and also heated the corn oil. I fried the potatoes in batches until they achieved a crisp, golden brown.

Frying potatoes for the second time

I drained the potatoes on a brown paper bag, sprinkled with sea salt, and they were ready to serve.

JW Fries

JW Fries involve a number of steps and heck almost two full days. So the ultimate question is: Was it worth it? ....... Well, I can tell you this...the fries were amazing. I have never been able to achieve that good of a fry at home...ever! They were crispy and yet still had a lot of potato (I'm not the biggest fan of just pure crunch and no potato). There is no doubt that it yielded restaurant quality ultimate French fries.

However, it DID take quite some time to prepare. Regardless of the point that actual cooking time was minimal. Planning this out was a bit of a pain.

So, would I make them again. Honestly, I can't say yes or no. I just don't know. I will say one thing, they did taste damn good with that Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken.

Enjoy!

Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken

Recipe: Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken
Page: 144
Date Cooked: November 12, 2011

This is now my third chicken recipe from this cookbook. Considering, the last two recipes (Perfect Roast Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Spinach and Brick Chicken with Rosé Wine, Peas, and Bacon) turned out really well, I was excited about this one.

Ingredients: Organic chicken, salt, pepper, olive oil, unsalted butter, and parsley

I soaked the chicken in a large bowl of warm water for a few minutes. Apparently you do this to relax the skin of the chicken and according to JW "free-range chickens have tougher, more resilient skin than supermarket chickens." After this step, I patted the chicken dry and proceeded to butterfly the chicken. I have butterflied a chicken once before during this project; so this time, I felt like I really had a handle on the process.

Left: Soaking chicken in warm water
Right: Butterflied chicken

Since, I don't have a grill I proceeded with the broil option. Accordingly, I heated the broiler and rubbed the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I placed the chicken skin side up in a roasting pan and broiled it till the skin was golden brown. Then, I flipped the chicken over and cooked it for a bit. After this short time, I flipped the chicken over again and cooked until the thickest part of the chicken read 165 degrees on the thermometer.

Process of broiling chicken

With the chicken done and out of the way, I melted butter in a small saucepan and added in the chopped parsley along with some salt and pepper.

Parsley-butter mixture

Finally, I quartered the chicken, placed it on a platter, and drizzled the parsley-butter over the chicken. And then it was time to eat.

Grilled (or Broiled) Chicken

Easiest chicken recipe ever. Also, Jonathan Waxman's cooking times for this recipe were right on the money! Moreover, it tasted delicious. I really don't know if I have much to say other than it was simple, satisfying, and tasty.

Enjoy!

Braised Carrots with Saffron

Recipe: Braised Carrots with Saffron

Page: 244

Date Cooked: November 12, 2011

If you ask me, carrots are somewhat of a boring side dish. I like them, but often use them in soups or stews. Accordingly, I didn't have any sort of expectations for this recipe. However, it appears that you only need three items to make carrots exceptionally tasty: 

1. Saffron
2. Sherry vinegar
3. Butter

Ingredients: Carrots, sea salt, olive oil, saffron, sherry vinegar, unsalted butter, and black pepper

I put whole carrots (after I trimmed and peeled them) into a saucepan with some water and salt. I covered the saucepan, brought the items to a boil, and cooked the carrots till al dente. Once cooked, I patted the carrots dry.

Left: Carrots in salt water
Right: Carrots patted dry

I then heated some olive oil in the skillet, added the carrots, and cooked them for a few minutes. I added the saffron and sherry vinegar to the carrots and cooked for a few more minutes. Finally, I added the butter, covered the skillet, and took the pan off the heat for a couple of minutes.

1. Carrots in olive oil 2. Carrots in saffron and sherry 3. Carrots with butter

Finally, I seasoned the carrots with salt and pepper and they were read to serve.

Braised Carrots with Saffron

These were the most delicious carrots I have ever eaten in my entire life. No joke. It was amazing good. The saffron, sherry vinegar, and butter each added their own flavor to the carrots and also worked together harmoniously.  The recipe calls for a mixture of orange and yellow carrots. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an assortment. But I don't think this diminished the dish at all. Furthermore, it was a super fast side dish to whip up. And took little to no effort. Overall, I can't imagine carrots cooked in any better way. 

Filet Mignon with Pepper-Potato Gratin

Recipe: Filet Mignon with Pepper-Potato Gratin
Page: 172
Date Cooked: November 10, 2011

The ingredient list for this recipe was quite interesting. I needed a variety of peppercorns, oranges, three different bell peppers, and even a poblano chile. Accordingly, it is safe to say that this wasn't going to be a particularly simple tasting steak and potato kind of dish.

Ingredients: Black peppercorns, pink peppercorns, green peppercorns, orange, kosher salt, filet mignon, russet potatoes, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, poblano chile, garlic, milk, black pepper, unsalted butter, heavy cream, cinnamon, and olive oil

I spread the peppercorns on a baking sheet and toasted them in the oven for a few minutes. I want to make a note here that the recipe also calls for white peppercorns, which I didn't have, but compensated for by using a bit additional of the other three (black, pink, and green) peppercorns. The toasted peppercorns were incredibly fragrant. I loved how it smelt throughout my kitchen. And amazingly there was no sneezing. Once they toasted, I coarsely ground the peppercorns using a coffee grinder. Finally, I grated the orange zest and mixed it in with the peppercorns along with some salt to dry on a plate. I also juiced the orange and placed it on a side.

Left: Toasting the peppercorns
Right: Steak spice rub - peppercorns + orange zest + salt

With the spice rub drying, I moved on to the gratin. I peeled the potatoes and placed them in cold water. I then put the bell peppers and poblano chile under the broiler until blackened and blistered all over. I then put the peppers in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it steam for a few minutes. Finally, I peeled the peppers and chile using my hands, stemmed, seeded, and cut the peppers in half. This is a technique JW likes to use a lot and by this time I felt like a pro.

1. Peppers + poblano chile
2. Blackened and blistered peppers + poblano chile
3. Peppers + poblano chile steaming
4. Peppers + poblano chiles - peeled, stemmed, seeded, and halved

I buttered and garliced (rubbed a garlic clove inside the dish) a baking dish. I also put the milk and a garlic clove into a small saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes. I removed the garlic and kept the milk warm. I also drained the potatoes and used my food processor to slice them wafer-thin.

Left: Garlic infused milk
Right: Sliced potatoes

Then it was on to layering the gratin. I put about a third of the potatoes in the dish, seasoned with salt and pepper, added a layer of the poblano chiles, dotted with butter, and poured in a third of the garlic-infused milk. I then added another third of the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, added a layer of the bell peppers, dotted with butter, and poured in a third of the garlic-infused milk. Finally, I added the last of the potatoes, seasoned with salt and pepper, dotted with butter, and poured in the remaining garlic-infused milk.

Making the Pepper-Potato Gratin

I placed the gratin in the oven until the milk had been absorbed by the potatoes. In the meantime, I heated the cream with the cinnamon stick until it was hot. I kept the cream warm and discarded the cinnamon stick. I poured the cream over the gratin and placed it back in the oven.

Left: Cinnamon-infused heavy cream
Right: Poured heavy cream over gratin

The gratin baked until the potatoes were tender and golden brown on top.

Pepper-Potato Gratin

Now to the steaks...You have the option to either grill the steaks or panfry them. Since I don't have a grill, I had to panfry. I heated olive oil in a cast iron skillet and placed it over high heat for a few minutes. In the meantime, I brushed the steaks with olive oil and dipped them in the peppercorn-zest mixture to fully coat. I added the steak to the skillet and reduced the heat to medium-high and cooked for 5 minutes per side (achieving a perfectly rare steak). I removed the steak from the skillet and allowed it to rest.

While the steak rested, I melted some butter in a sauce pan and added the reserved orange juice. The mixture cooked until reduced and thickened.

A few notes here: Since you are trying to achieve that grilled steak taste, the pan gets incredibly hot and there is A LOT of smoke. You have to keep your range hood on. I even had to open the windows, it got pretty bad. Also, JW's cooking times for getting that perfect rare steak was exactly right! I am not really a pro when it come to cooking steak and am always iffy about the timing - but not anymore!

Panfrying the filet mignon
1. Peppercorn-zest crusted filet mignon
2. Pan frying one side
3. Flipped to the other side

Finally, it was time to plate. I put the steak on a plate and topped it with the orange-butter sauce. I also placed the pepper-potato gratin alongside the steak.

Filet Mignon with Pepper-Potato Gratin

This dish was super yummy and incredibly hearty. And the flavors worked wonderfully. You would think the orange-butter sauce would make the filet mignon sweet - but it didn't. It gave it a really beautiful fresh tasting flavor and it balanced the peppercorn so well. And the gratin was really creamy and I loved the use of the peppers and poblano chile. It gave the dish a nice spicy note, which also played off the orange flavor nicely.

I think this recipe is a perfect example of taking something like meat and potatoes and adding a few other ingredients to really transform a dish. Next time I want to treat myself to filet mignon - this may be the route I take.

Enjoy!