All Your Grills are Belong to Us

Been thinking about getting my outdoor kitchen since we moved into the Menlo Oaks Home, but things were going slowly, what with the economics of these times, and buying a new car, etc etc. Plus I obviously wasn't going to settle for less than the best (have I ever, when it comes to food?). My original plan was to build an island in the backyard, with two grills, one gas, and one charcoal. I wasn't really concerned about the sink/side burners/refrigeration etc, but with our budget, we'd have to wait months before starting work on this. Bummer.

Two weekends ago, Daryl and I stopped by Burlingame to visit Maloufs - they were having their annual sidewalk sale, and on their last sale, I got an awesome pair of jeweled Zanotti's for about 60% off - Woo! Unfortunately, I didn't find anything at Maloufs, but we did find something at Atherton Appliance & Kitchen, when we stopped by on the way to the car!

There was Wolf Grill floor sample, on 40% discount, and I guess it was just too good to pass up. It was also on a cart, which means that we could start using it even before I build the Island, etc etc. The total price would have been cheaper than getting a so-so gas grill built in! The grill arrived yesterday, and I'm just gearing to go for the BBQ break in party! It hasn't stopped me from wanting to build the kitchen/island though. Currently, the plans are for a built in charcoal, where I can do a suckling pig on a spit! Doesn't that sound awesome? Stay tuned for updates on that, but meanwhile, here's the gas grill in question:



Features
- LP gas
- Freestanding cart (C) models
- Heavy-duty, 18-gauge stainless steel construction with classic stainless steel exterior finish
- Push-button, battery-powered ignition
- Individually controlled 10,000 Btu/hr (6!!!) stainless steel grill burners and 9,000 Btu/hr infrared rotisserie burner
- Cast iron porcelain-coated grill grates
- Redesigned burner radiant plates
- 115-volt rotisserie motor and infrared rear rotisserie burner
- Two-piece stainless steel hood and handle
- LP gas models include gas regulator, hose and 5-gallon tank
- Heavy-duty locking swivel casters on cart models
- Scraper and protective canvas cover included

Breakfast Sausage Casserole

Every year, Menlo Park Pres takes a break from regular church services, and instead goes out into the community to do volunteer work. It's part of their motto to "Serve the World" and I think it's a great event, with thousands of volunteers flooding the Peninsula that weekend. This year, I chose to volunteer at the
First Resort's Birthday Party - which is a celebration for kids from unplanned pregnancies. I offered to bring food to the event, and was tasked with making a sausage souffle.

I've never been able to follow a recipe, and this time was no exception. After reading through it once, I "forgot" to print it out, and instead went shopping for what I thought would make a delicious dish from Smart & Final. Turns out it was a huge success, and a number of people stopped by to ask me for the recipe. I'm getting better at taking note of what I add in my food, now that I'm sometimes asked to contribute to magazines, etc, so making this recipe up wasn't that difficult. It's not a health food option, but it's a cheap and delicious fix for when you have a crowd over for brunch.

Laura's Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Feeds 10

20 ea Sausage Links

2 ea Red Peppers, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" sticks
2 ea Green Peppers, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" sticks
2 ea Yellow Onions, sliced with the grain
6 Tbs Oil, separated

5 ea Eggs
1/2 can Condensed Mushroom Soup
1/2 can Whole Milk
1/2 can Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Dried Mixed Herbs
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour

3 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
10 slices Thick Sliced Bread, halved


Preheat the oven to 400F
Spread the sausage links on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, if necessary, do this in batches
Butter a 9 X 13, 4" deep casserole dish
Heat 2 Tbs of oil, and sautee the red peppers until carmelized. Repeat with the green peppers & onions
Slice the sausage into 1/4" pieces, and mix it with the all the vegetables
In the blender, combine the eggs, mushroom soup, milk, tomatoes, herbs & flour

ASsemble the Casserole:
Layer half of the sausage mixture, top with 1/3 of cheese, then a layer of bread
Repeat with a second layer, and then top the bread with the last cup of cheese

Pour the egg mixture over the casserole
Leave to soak for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 320F for 1 hour
Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean

Meeting the Master

Just reading Chef Ripert's new book, On The Line, and I'm really surprised by how thought out and personal it feels. He writes about life in the Le Bernardin kitchen, and how his philosophy is to maintain a calm and temperate kitchen, which reminds me of Masa's where Chef Greg used to do the same. I've been in many kitchens where it's a tough girl's world, and really, I'm not tuff enuff to live a long life on those lines.

If you were following my tweets from last evening, you probably know that I was slightly disappointed with the food at Aqua. It wasn't that it was bad, it was good, but just because I've been to Le Bernardin 3 times, and the standards were just consistently up there all those times, I had set my expectations accordingly. Daryl reminded me that I shouldn't be surprised since making a Chef cook out of a kitchen that isn't his own is like taking a fish out of water, and I'm obviously quite familiar with that concept myself. Every year when I do that Christmas party in Singapore, I'm never in top form, although everyone says the food is good.

There were the one or two dishes last night that were unquestionable "Le Bernardin" though. The Salmon was slow roasted and served with an oxtail & morrell sauce which more than caused an awkward silence at the table since it was kind of a familiar flavor to ALL the guests at the table (if you don't know where this is coming from you obviously haven't been reading my blog), and the Escolar - oh yum. I just read that one of his Sous Chef's Soa Davies created the dish, and she's a true wonder. I also found out that they call it "white tune" at the Le Bernardin Kitchen, and it does kind of taste like Albacore, except maybe it would be much more appropriate to call it "super white tuna". "Butterfish" might even be a euphemism. The Escolar was oil poached (you can't even dry out a fish this way), and a good portion served with beurre rouge (if you had watched last season's Top Chef you know he called it Red Wine Bernaise, but Carla still got it right as a beurre rouge). The technique & compostion of those two last savory courses were unmistakable.

More than the food though, I really enjoyed the company, and I'm learning that these days it's almost less about the food and more about the friends when we're dining. Although I'm still very fussy about the food, enjoying it with good company is on the same standards as fine wine as an accompaniment (btw, we ended up with the Shea Pinot). Perhaps as I'm becoming older (normally i hate that word), I've learned that there's more to what matters than perfection ;)

I also had my moment with Chef Ripert, where, as he was signing my copy of the cookbook, I mentioned that I had been to Le Bernardin 3 times, and the first time, I was 18. To which he replied, 'oh, yesterday... I wasn't there yesterday'.

I know a lot of people would have crossed oceans to meet him, and so, his banter makes it to my "top moments" list.

Will definitely be returning to LB when we're next in NYC.

* So, tip from yesterday's dinner about slow cooking the salmon. Instead of roasting it belly up, cut it into about inch thick fillets, and then roast the fillets it on their side so that the cooking surface is of even thickness. This way, the thinner side of the belly doesn't get dried out before the rest of it finishes up. Genius!

Slow Roasted Salmon

I'd been thinking so much about my Salmon dish from Easter Lunch, that I thought I should just go ahead and write a recipe.

The first encounter I had with slow roasted salmon was at Aqua. A couple of months ago, we happened to be in the city, and passed by Aqua on our way home, and decided to try our luck at getting a table or sitting at the bar. We scored, and were seated at a nice table by the banquet. Typically, I'm not a fan of salmon. It can get fishy and dry if overcooked. I'm not sure what possessed me that evening, but I ended up ordering the Salmon, which came with some Bordelaise.

When it arrived, I was so surprised by how moist it was - I had never had salmon this succulent, cooked, except when it was oil poached at Masa's. Our server was kind enough to explain that the Salmon was slow roasted, which is when it dawned on me. I had read about Charlie Trotter creating this new method of roasting salmon at low heat, for only a short while, but dismissed it at that time. After tasting it, I knew I had to try it. Turns out the method is fool proof, and worked both times, even thought I went by conception, instead of a recipe.

The recipe is more of a method for cooking up the salmon, but you can pair it with ANYTHING. Since it's spring, I'd go with a ramp aioli, but at Easter, I of course served it with my Marrow & Mushroom Sauce


1 lb Salmon Fillet
1 tsp Kosher Salt

Preheat the oven to 220F for a convection oven, or 225F for a regular oven
Bring the salmon to room temperature
Rub the salt onto the belly side of the salmon
Place the salmon on a baking tray, and roast for 15 - 20 minutes
Yes, that's it! If you start to see white stuff (protein) coming out of the salmon, it's overdone, so take it out ASAP!

Enjoy alone or with some delicious sauce.

How to Throw a Party

Good food, wine, friends, and an icebreaker game for a conversation starter!

Here's the menu from our Easter Party



1. Tomato Water Gelee Shots with Mozzerella balls & Arugula Cream



2. Chilled Spring Pea Soup with White Truffle Cream



3. Citrus & Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, served with Apple Mint Jelly



4. Slow Roasted Salmon with Marrow & Mushroom Bordelaise

5. Beer Braised Duck Pie with Root Vegetable Puree



6. Shellfish Pasta in White Wine Sauce



7. Marinated Beet Salad with Crushed Hazelnuts

8. Roasted Asparagus with Meyer Lemon



9. Spanish Potato Cake with Tomato Saffrom Sauce & Fennel

10. Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries



11. Olive Oil Cake with Ganache & Sea Salt



12. Peanut Butter & Rum Banana Cream Pie



13. Old Fashioned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Assorted Candy, Homemade Marshmallows & Dulce de Leche



The spread!

The Mother of All Sauces

In preparation for Easter Lunch this Sunday, I made The Mother of all Sauces last night. Not to go into full disclosure and spoil the surprise, but as one of the sauces for an Entree, I created a Marrow & Mushroom Bordelaise. It felt like I died and went to heaven when I tasted it.

When I say that it was the Mother of all Sauces, I mean that the sauce is "da bomb" or "to die for" or "outstanding" or "best ever". Not necessarily that it's a mother sauce.

For the uninformed: There are five mother (Grande) sauces in classic French cuisine, from which all other sauces are made from; Bechamel, Veloute, Espagnole, Hollandaise and Tomato. Mine was a descendant of the Espagnole.

If none of these sound familiar, try thinking Bordelaise (made from Espagnole, and found on almost all fine dining menus), Mayonnaise (some version of hollandaise), Lasagne (that creamy thick stuff on the top? That's bechamel), Creamy Stew Gravy ( that's usually a veloute), and as for tomato sauce, Italian food anyone?

At the top of my list is Bordelaise, because it's just the most delicious, and is a "goes with anything" kind of sauce, without the creamy and fatty taste of the other sauces, sans Tomato. WIth Bordelaise, a tablespoons adds so much flavor, that it goes about a mile, or just till the end of the meal :) So it's not surprise that my sauce has Bordelaise base.

The recipe for Bordelaise includes and equal amount of Red Wine and Demi Glace (equal parts of Veal Stock and Espagnole, reduced by half). Traditional Espagnole is made with a brown roux and more veal stock, but I don't know anyone that makes it this way anymore. These days, a Demi Glace is simply made with two parts of veal stock, where the first part is veal stock reduced by half, and then reduced by half again. Confused? I supposed it I wrote it out in mathematical terms, it would look like this:

Demi Glace = (Veal Stock/2 + Veal Stock)/2

Bordelaise = (Demi Glace + Redv Wine)/2

So, now that we got our basics down for Bordelaise, I can tell you how to make this "die & gone to heaven" sauce. It's not for the faint hearted, or those taking the easy way out, but the results, oh my... the results.... they drool for themselves.

The sauce starts off with a good beef or veal stock. Get about 5 lbs of bones from the butcher, and ask for a few marrow bones.


This is what marrow bones looks like

In my 5 lb bag, I got about 3 bones with good clean marrow, about 2 oz in total. Take the marrow bones, and gently push the marrow out, leaving a hollowed bone. If you're having trouble, run the back of a small knife against the other side to loosen it up. The marrow should come out in one piece.

Soak the marrow in cold water overnight, changing the water every 6 hours. This is to remove as much blood as possible.

Lightly coat the bones in oil, and roast at 425F for about 20 minutes on each side for a deep brown color. Place the bone in a very large pot, add roughly chopped pieces of 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, bay leaf, 5 peppercorns, a spring of thyme and a bay leaf. Add enough water to cover the bone, and more if your pot will allow it. Bring to a boil, then add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Let the stock simmer at least 8 hours, if not overnight.

Strain stock, and reduce to 1 qt for a quick Demi-Glace.

Soak 1 cup dried exotic mushrooms ( I recommed a mixture of morrels and porcini) in hot water. When mushrooms are soft, strain, reserving liquid, and squeeze excess liquid from mushrooms.

In a heavy saucepan, heat a tbsp of olive oil, and saute 2 cups of sliced crimini (baby bella or brown button) mushrooms with 1 clove of garlic and 1 spring thyme. Cook until mushrooms are browned, and liquid has mostly evaporated. Remove from pan and saute the reconstituted mushrooms in the same way.

Add all the mushrooms in a large pot, and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, together with 1 bottle good wine and a bay leaf. I like pinot noir for this because it's light and fruity. For a heavy sauce, try a Syrah. I would skip Cabernets on this, the tannins won't go well with the mushrooms. Add the Demi-Glace and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 1 hour. Strain the mushrooms off, reserving the delicious sauce. Reduce sauce to 1 cup.

Remove your marrow from the cold water and pat dry. Heat a heavy sautepan, and when very hot, add the marrow. Kiss the marrow pieces on all sides to brown. The more brown you can get it, the more delicious the end sauce will be.

Add the reduced sauce, the marrow, and all the rendered liquid from the marrow sautepan into a blender.

Blend well, and add salt to season. You can finish with a dash of lemon juice if you feel the sauce needs some acid for cutting.

Pour over any meat to serve, and you can garnish with the reserved mushrooms.

It might be an all day affair, but the wait is so worth it!