5th Anniversary Dinner

Laura and I celebrated our 5th anniversary by going to a unique restaurant in Broad Ripple called L'Exploratuer. The restaurant was set in an old house, and there wasn't a bad table in the place. It was no surprise that Indianapolis Monthly rated this as one of the top ten restaurants in the city, once we started our meal.

After great indecision we both decided to have the tasting menu, but first things first, I ordered us a split bottle of champagne. The menu started with an amuse buche (a bite size niblet set out by the chef to tempt your palate and set the tone for the rest of the meal), which was shrimp cake.

Following the amuse buche, we had the most amazing scallop ceviche. A ceviche is a preparation of cooking seafood using acid instead of heat. In this case, the scallops were cooked using a lime juice and garnished with habenero peppers and avocado, served with homemade tortilla chips. To make this great dish even better, it was served with a Geverst (I forgot to mention that the tasting menu included a different wine for each course).

I should mention at this point that the meal was very well timed with the waiter coming at the right time to serve each part. In fact, when serving the food she brought another waiter so our plates were presented at exactly the same time.

For the next course, we had a simple winter salad of fresh greens, various mushrooms and topped with a black truffle oil. The wine for this course was a Fume Blanc.

The main course was beyond imagination (at least mine, perhaps not the chef's). The main course was a preparation of wild halibut over pearl potatoes which were cooked in duck fat. The halibut was topped with thinly sliced pieces of chorizo layered to give the appearance of fish scales. Underneath was a red pepper sauce as well as figs. The halibut was accompanied by a Bordeaux with blackberry and cherry aromas. This combination of flavors in the halibut along with the chorizo was unique and the texture of the potatoes with the fish was superb. Laura and I both raved about this dish all night.

Since it was our anniversary we decided to go all out and finish our meal with dessert, and here's where Laura and I parted ways and each tried something different. While I had a banana creme custard with chocolate, Laura went all fruity and something with no chocolate. Shame on her.

The fun and joy that we had during this meal at L'Explorateur was excellent, but pales in comparison to just a moment spent with Laura.

**this mostly grammatically correct blog was brought to you courtesy of Laura's typing skills, under Jeremy's dictation. Please note that the last sentence was purely dictated and not altered by Laura in any way**

Pasture-Raised Dinner

We had our first dinner using the pasture-raised meat we bought at the Apple Family Farm....two words....HOLY COW. (pun) It was spectacular, it tasted so beefy. And, you know sometime beef or any other grocery store meat leaves a film on the inside of your mouth form the high fat content. This didn't you ate a piece of succulent beef and it left your mouth with a wonderful aftertaste and watering for more. We each had a nice size portion and it was a bit deceiving at first because we thought the steaks were rather small, but since they were dry aged they had already shrunk in size a bit....so they didn't shrink much it all during the cooking process.

I grilled the steaks at 600 degrees on the grill for about 2 minutes on each side for med. rare. I used the gas grill this time, we'll try charcoal next time, but I wanted to have more control over temperature on this first try. Before grilling I rubbed some sea salt on them and they came out great. Laura didn't even use A! steak sauce (a rare occurrence). To accompany the steaks we had Kale & Feta Pasta (Onions, garlic, Kale, salt, red pepper, feta, parmesan and Penne). Rounding it off we had a glass (yes only a glass) of Yalumbia Barossa 2004 (Shiraz & Viognier).

Feel free to join us next time.

The Stove Is Here

After much anticipation the new stove was delivered on Wednesday and Thursday morning I made my first meal on it. I made scrambled eggs and polenta. You might think, would gas make a difference? YES!!!! to get eggs just right you need good temperature control throughout the cooking....and the gas stove met the challenge, the eggs were perfect.

FYI, the formula in the picutre is not for Tessa. we've giving it away today on Freeshare (or something like that).

Food Poisoning

Just like visiting Las Vegas, eventually your odds catch up with you. On my recent trip to Korea I contracted Food Poisoning. Either e-coli or salmonella. Thursday night I the symptoms began and kept me up on night. By the time morning came around I was completely drained and still convulsing.

Since I was in Korea its not like you can just go look for a building with an "H" on it or a "clinic" since everything is written in Korean. So, instead I called the concierge at the hotel and asked if they had a doctor. Thank God they did and the on-call doctor form the local hospital came to my room. I had a bad case with a fever too. She gave me some shots and some medications. The 24 hour of travel (3 flights) was horrible, but I got home and I am now almost back to speed.

So, what do I think gave me the food poisoning? Sushi? Sashimi? Korean food? No.....pizza.

The lesson in this....stick to the local foods.

Stove Update

No new stove yet...it comes Wednesday. We found out that we can donate the old stove to the Salvation Army. so, they are going to come pick it up on Firday. I hope it finds a good home.

You gotta love kimchee!

I'm in Korea now and had a great lunch with a co-worker and customer. We had a normal selection of vegetables and pickled items in hot kimchee like sauce. We then had braised beef in a kimchee like sauce. By the end of the meal my sinus was clear, belly full and my legs asleep (from sitting on the floor).

Sushi

If you like Sushi then obviously your nirvana would be in Japan (or Montreal). Two of the best sushi restaurants I have been to were in these two places. In Montreal it was all about interpretation on a sushi them and working with local ingredients to make neat new sushi combinations. Here in Tokyo, Japan it is all about the basics. In fact, sashimi to be precise. It was really neat watching the master at work. He would take raw fish and occasionally throw it down on the wood block to see how the raw flesh responded. Sometime it didn’t bounce back well, or didn’t flatten out enough….meaning it was not good enough. The master made so many different combinations I lost count and all of them were superb. One of the simplest and more interesting combinations of sashimi was of tuna. Three different cuts of tuna with different percentages of fat each having a distinct texture and flavor. What a fun time….it makes up for the airline food yesterday!

Airline Food...sigh

I was on my flight to Japan and reading "The Man Who Ate Everything," as I was being served my meal of "meatloaf." I sat there thinking....I could write a book about food that bear no relation to their name. the "meatloaf" was a loaf and was probably made of some meat (probably soy too)....but tasted nothing like meatloaf. I don't have a warm spot in my heart for good meatloaf anyway....thank goodness there was some Gallo red wine to wash it down with. I wish that upgrade had come through.....flying in economy is kinda like the difference between Kobe beef and Westland/Hallmark beef. One is loved and cared for...the other is poked around with a fork lift. In fact on this flight they said they upgraded me to business. I went to the counter and they said, oops we don't have any business seats left....oh, and we gave your premium economy window seat away...how would you like to sit next to the lavatory (not kidding). I hope the food in Asia this week makes up for it!!!!

Gas vs. Electric

I can't believe this is even a debate. cooking on a stove that uses natural gas is a luxury. There is so much more control over the heat using gas and instant on/off compared to electric (smooth-top, coil or even radiant). And, how can you be flashy when cooking on an electric stove....you can catch things on fire. We've been slowly remodeling our kitchen. Last year we replaced the dishwasher and refrigerator. This year we are replacing the electric stove with a nice gas one. It will have 4 main burners, a center oval burner, convention oven and warming draw (mini-oven). We had some guys out to plumb for gas and 110V. So all we need now is the stove to be delivered in two weeks!!!!

Travel is glamorous…not all the time

For those of you who think my travels are glamorous, you are right, it can be. However, it can also be a real pain in the rear. I am now missing an evening at home and getting in at midnight because of flight delays and a missed connection. Unlike the food in Geneva, I had a cheap on-board cheese sandwich and not too much else….just a pear and a small croissant in the airport 7 hours ago. I think I am going to forage for food in the airport..

Farwell Grocerystore meat

I am almost finished reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma. Like “Heat” this book has opened my eyes, this time to how the industrial food chain has shaped American’s diets and how unnatural it is. Ok, so lets be realistic will I still buy food from Marsh, Meijer’s and Sam’s Club? Yes, because more often than not it is the only choice. When I have an option I will choose the healthier and more sustainable path.

Laura and I already get produce delivered everyother week from Farm Fresh delivery (http://www.farmfreshdelivery.com/). We are now going to try to get some meets from the Apple Family Farm http://www.applefamilyfarm.com/. Its amazing that the cost is about what you would pay in the grocery sotre, but is naturally raised and better quality. You can find other suppliers on http://www.eatwild.com/products/indiana.html

It may sound crazy, but these choices of fresh, natural and healthy meets and veggies are actually no more expensive than the grocery store.

Give it a try…it can’t hurt you :-)

Viva Fondue

I finally took the plunge (no pun intended) and went out for Fondue last night. It was a cheese covered night of over indulgence with bread, dried meat and pickles.

Despite all the good food, I can't wait to get home.

Switzerland

Hello from Switzerland!

Its been fun eating my way around the city. I find it amazing that in today's world I can eat so many ethnic cuisines within a 3 mile walking distance. There are so many choices, in fact I haven't even had Swiss food yet....although I must have some fondue before I leave.

So far I have had French, Italian, Thai, Spanish and Indian.

The French was quite good, we went to La Boeuf Rouge http://www.boeufrouge.ch/. I had duck pate, steak with blue cheese sauce and chestnut cake! On another day we went to a different French resturant and I had fresh perch and fries. I am hoping that all this rich food doesn't mean that I gained a bunch of weight, of course I have been walking all over.

On a non-food note, Laura and I watched a film recently about what will happen in the USA when gas reaches $10. It discussed how we will need to change our habits and how things that we are accustom to will change. For instance we probably won't be able to get fresh Asparagus flown in from Chili if gas is $10. So what brought this to mind while in Europe? Well, if you want a glimpse of what $10 gas is like all you need to do is look at Europe TODAY. Gas here is $12 per gallon (diesel is about $7). Everyone has a small car or scooter. No big SUVs !!!! The bus and trams (light rail) are not for the poor or homeless, but are for business people and families. In fact, on Saturday I saw a family bringing home their new 50" Plasma TV on the tram!!!!

Wake up America, high gas prices will happen and its not the end of the world, just change your habits.

Back to food. At the Italian restaurant I had Pizza. It was nice pizza with anchovies. You can't find pizza like this in the US......

The best meal so far was the Spanish food. We returned to a restaurant we found last time called the three kings "cafe trois rois." The best part of the meal was the appetizer. They take shrimp and sauté them with roasted garlic, pepper and salt. The shrimp are great, but mopping up the sauce with bread is the best part. I then had Paella http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella which was far too much to eat, but ooooohhh so good.

Anyhow, great food and company on this trip. More later

Beware the German Chicken

I recently flew a Lufthansa flight from the US to Germany. Since I am not home I can't adhere 100% to my diet. So when offered Chicken or Pasta, I went for the chicken since protein is better than fat/carbs, right. Well, I have no idea what part of the chicken it was....but it seemed like a piece of bone with skin.....yuk!

At least once I landed and made it to Switzerland I was able to get a great sandwich from a Boulungerie. It had dried ham, cheese and butter on a pretzel roll. I ate it on the 15 min. walk to the meeting. So, travel is not always glamorous...at least not all the time.

A word about Hash

Laura and I went to Cheesecake factory for beunch and I had a fantastic crab hash. Similar to Cornbeef hash, but with yummy crab.

Not only was it great because it had crab, it was the potato preparation. They used red potato and made sure they were crispy. This is in stark contrst to most of the hash out there that is essentialy mashed potato with pieces of meat.

I plee to you....stop the mashed hash!

Peposo Notturno “Pepperiness by night”

Peposo Notturno “Pepperiness by night”

2 Beef Shanks
4 heaping T of pepper
1 T Sea Salt
1 bulb Garlic
1 btl. Chianti

Put everything in a pot.
Put pot in hot oven.
Turn oven down to 200 deg. F
Cook for 12 hours
Server with rustic bread and wine in good company.

Ragu

Ragu

I picked this recipe out of the pages of "Heat".

5 lbs. Cheap Beef Meat (Stew meat)
4 giant onions (red, white, yellow....whatever)
bunch of carrots (with greens if possible)
1-2 bunch of celery (with greens)
Garlic
4c Milk
1 btl. white wine
6-12 Tomatoes (I used a double pack of cherry tomatoes since the flavor is in the skin)
Cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, cloves & lemon zest

1. Dice all the veggies
2. Sauté the onions, add garlic, celery, carrots. cook until they start sticking to the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the meat. It will froth up a bit. Stir the meat to make sure everything has separated (no giant chunks). Stop stirring and cook until it sticks a bit to the bottom.
4. Add wine. Stir to get all the caramelization from the bottom dissolved in the liquid. Cook until liquid is gone.
5. Add milk. Stir. Cook down.
6. Add tomatoes. Cover & slowly cook down. Don't let it burn this time.
7. Add spices and serve over pasta!

Just Finished "Heat"

So for my first post I want to tell you what has re-ignited my passion for cooking. I just finished reading "Heat" by Bill Bufford. It's a book about Bill Buford's transformation from a writer to a chef and his friend Mario Batali. The two coolest things I found in this book are what it is actually like to work as a chef in a high-class restaurant. It was really interesting to understand the business and social aspects. Now I know why my sister loves and hates (at times) her career as a chef.

The second cool thing in the book is Bill's time in Italy learning about real Italian cooking and the passion for ingredients. As a culture we have become so accustomed to junk we eat in mass produced supermarket food and chain restaurants. I've always loved to cook, but fell into a bit of a rut in the past few years. I had forgotten how easy it was and how much of a high a simple dinner preparation brings me.

So off to the kitchen, its time to cook. It may not always be complicated, it will be unique, it will be fresh and it will always be fun!