Heirloom Tomato, Pomegranate, Urfa Chile Flake, and Balsamic Tamari Reduction

Total experiment building upon past success with the tomato and pomegranate flavor pairing [1] [2]. The flavor thoughts I had were, peak summer flavor of the tomato, texture and slight sweetness from a pomegranate not quite in season, take balsamic and infuse a little umami a la tamari to play with umami in the tomato, finish with the raisin-y heat of urfa and a little olive oil for richness.

From gastronomic guesswork

Using a 4:1 ration of balsamic to tamari, I reduced this by half over low heat, then cooled. An instant personal classic - the flavor ideas were realized even better than expected, very fresh clean, complex chords struck on this one, just made our mouths dance.

Fried Rice

Gastronomic Guesswork was the name I chose for this blog, and the back story is when I first started to try to cook I was starting at zero guessing how to do the simplest of tasks. I remember trying to make fried rice and ending up with something so inedible it took the consistency of putty and the aroma of axle grease. My roommates at the time were horrified by the spectacle and we promptly went for takeout Chinese - I got the fried rice and lamented how far away I was from cooking something even approximating this staple of the bachelor.

A lot of time has passed, more than a decade, but it's still all guesswork - cooking without a net has now become a place of comfort, no longer terror. So with some sentimentality, here's my second attempt at fried rice - took a while for those wounds to heal I guess.

From gastronomic guesswork

The rice was pressure cooked for 5 minutes at 15 psi using a 2:3 ratio of white jasmine rice to water. The pressure was naturally released (not quick cooldown under the faucet). The rice was cooled uncovered in the fridge for an hour. In a large saute pan I crisped 1/2 lb of chopped bacon ends, added 4 beaten eggs, and removed the bacon and eggs. After rinsing the pan, I returned it to medium high heat with enough grapeseed oil to form a thin coat, added 5-6 cups of the rice, 2 chopped red peppers, 1 bunch of scallions chopped, and several dashes of soy sauce, then stirred constantly to break the rice up and to keep it from scorching. After allowing the rice to lose a little moisture, I reincorporated the eggs and bacon to warm through. Pretty darn close to that staple I enjoyed in my single days, but happily this time I did the cooking.

Green Chili #23

Hatch Chile season is upon us, with Whole Foods selling fresh roasted hatch chiles for $1 a pound, we loaded up the freezer with 40 pounds of this seasonal delicacy - sure to let us think back to summer in the Southwest during the cold winter months ahead. For green chile #23 I went for some simple ratios to see what would happen.

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Here's the formula: 5 lbs hatch chiles de-skinned, de-stemmed, de-seeded, chopped; 5 lbs yellow onions chopped; 5lbs pork butt; 1 bone from said pork butt; 1 stalk celery; 1 bulb of garlic minced; 1 30 oz can of roasted tomatoes; 1 quart of water. In a little grapeseed oil, brown the bone in a deep pot, add the onions and celery, sweat until the onions are translucent, add the water and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the bone and incorporate the chiles. Separately coat cubes of the pork butt with a mixture of flour, salt, and pepper; brown in a saute pan until crusted. Combine the pork into the chili along with the garlic and tomatoes, simmer for 1 hour. The results were a perfect medium heat, some sweetness, good earthiness. A competent green chili that let's the flavor of the hatch shine. We served it with warm tortillas, marcona almonds, avocado, and smoked tri-tip beef - made for some eclectic and tasty tacos.

Sirloin Flap Steak with Anejo, Hungarian Wax Chile, and Carrot Salsa

Hungarian wax chiles are pretty darn hot by most peoples standards. What I was hoping to do here was tame the heat down to reveal more of the flavor of the chile, the earthiness, the fruitiness, those unctuous flavor notes that are overlooked when all you perceive is heat. I think this is something that many miss with chiles in general. The habanero is a perfect example of this, wherein there's a lot of interesting flavor if you can avoid burning out your tastebuds in the process (for example [1] [2]). The only chiles which have beguiled me in this area are the hungarian wax and the serrano, both of which seemed to have persistent enough heat that rarely have I found the ability to perceive any evident flavor complexity. After having made some progress with revealing the hidden flavor of serranos (examples [1] [2]), to date the hungarian wax still torments me and I've really only used it for it's inate Scoville units (examples [1] [2] [3]).

From gastronomic guesswork

This experiment intended to tame the heat and coax the flavors out of hungarian wax chiles by using the sweetness of the carrot, and the maceration capabilities of Anejo tequilla and lime juice. The results did reveal there's something here as I did get a little bit of fruitiness and the heat was less evident, but overall the heat still was most the evident gustatory element coming of the chile. The Anejo did tame it a bit, moreso than the lime I believe), but after only soaking for 15 minutes I think maybe the chiles deserve some longer maceration or pickling to really make this work.

The salsa combined garlic, carrot, hungarian wax chiles, lime juice, red onion, and a tiny amount of anejo - next time I'll separately soak the chiles in lime / anejo for an hour or two. If anyone has had success with these hot little buggers in a manner that didn't burn your mouth, I'm all ears.

Farro Pasta with Sauteed Zucchini, Roasted Scallion, & Tomato Braised Niman Ranch Bacon Lardons

Concept here was to braise some uncured bacon as you might a good pork belly, and use a little bit of the drippings to flavor a loose tomato sauce. Definitely comfort food here. By using a sparingly small amount of the sauce and braised bacon, and contrasting that with some fresh flavors of summer, this is comfort food that feels pretty light.

From gastronomic guesswork

The great ingredient here is farro pasta, now available in a 100% organic / 100% farro packaging at Whole Foods. This pasta is delicious, not cheap at $6-$7 a box, but just delicious on it's own with a little olive oil or butter. The preparation involved cutting slab Niman Ranch uncured applewood smoked bacon into lardons 1/4" square, browning all sides in a saute pan, then braising the lardons in a separate pot of roasted tomatos for 30 minutes. The zucchini were sauted in a small amount of the bacon drippings and some minced red onion, the scallions were separately broiled with grapeseed oil then diced. After removing the zucchini, the drippings and onion was combined with the tomato sauce (sans lardons) and reduced by 1/3. The lardons were returned to the sauce to warm through. The plating started with a small portion of the tomato / bacon sauce, topped with the pasta, then the veggies, and finally the lardons.

Yolanda's Tacos in Denver (Centennial)

Apparently this is the second location for Yolanda's, the original is in Castle Rock. The short story on this place is that they strive to faithfully pass on the true Mexican Taqueria experience - more on the background of the place here. There is a good variety of tacos to sample, with 3 visits under my belt my favorites are the Cecina (steak), Carnitas (pork), and Atun (tuna). The salsas are all house made, again favorites are the Fresca, Tomatillo, Habanero, and Mango salsas. This is a pretty hot lunch spot situated just south of the Denver Tech Center (DTC). The staff is welcoming, food comes out quick, and the price is very reasonable. Best tacos I've had in Denver.

kindageeky´s # of visits: 3

Baked & Fried Fingerlings with French Onion Confit

A pretty random experiment, that yielded an interesting taste phenomenon. The idea was to make the fingerlings in a manner similar to french fries (twice cooked), and pair that with something sweet. While not visually that interesting, the surprise flavor that came across was PEANUTS!

From gastronomic guesswork

The fingerlings were baked at 400F until fork tender, cooled, and then deep fried in 2 inches grapeseed oil at 360F for about 8-10 minutes. The french onion confit involved slowly caramelizing sliced organic red onions with a touch of grapeseed oil and a dash of baking soda (to reduce the pH level to allow for a more complete caramelization). Once the onions took on a mahogany color and pretty much lost all structure, this was deglazed with organic sherry vinegar and mounted with a touch of butter and a dash of sea salt. The onions on their own evoked French Onion soup, and the fingerlings on their own evoked "home fries", but together flavors of vanilla and peanuts emerged, with the peanut flavor being very evident. Quite surprising, anyone out there have an idea of the volatile flavor compounds at play which may have given rise to the note of peanuts? In a weird way it reminded us of eating a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

Arepas with Spanish Chorizo, Scallions, and Longhorn Cheddar

On the last attempt at making Arepas, I had failed to locate the authentic masarepa. Since then, I found masarepa flour at Store Perez (2 locations in Denver). The preparation of the dough used the same ratios as before.

From gastronomic guesswork

The Spanish chorizo was separately sliced, crisped and diced; the scallions were blistered under the broiler then chopped and incorporated. Cooking time was a little longer than the last attempt to gain a bit crisper crust, and this did not affect the internal moisture. Will definitely make this one again for the crew.

The masarepa flour did noticeably change the texture, this was heartier, less sweet, rustic and addictive. I guess I'd characterize the masarepa flour as more neutral, closer to corn meal, less adulterated than the masa harina - but I could see using the masa harina in arepas wherein I wanted to play up the sweetness of the corn.

Foie Gras with Candied Ginger, Black Currant Gastrique, and Cocoa Nibs

This is my reinterpretation of the best dish I've eaten in a restaurant, anywhere. It happened last year at Cafe Juanita in Seattle. Herein, I've played with the foie, ginger, and cocoa nibs, and incorporated a black currant liqueur into a sherry gastrique. Toe curlingly good ...

From gastronomic guesswork

Metropolitain Brasserie in Ottawa

On a recent trip I dined with a large group at the Metropolitain Brasserie, adjacent to Parliament in the Canadian capitol of Ottawa. We started by enjoying mussels, and a charcuterie plate that included a housemade terrine, what had to be house mixed mustard that was amazing, and some wonderful cheeses. For the main we shared bites, so I was able to sample the Ontario Pickerel before devouring my Steak au Poive, which I must say is decidedly different from the version I have cooked and had in many a bistro in the US - this version avoided the cream and used good quality cognac with no evidence of shallot, which was perfectly accompanied by a risotto with morels and asparagus. The pickerel was very tasty. Service was attentive, and the atmosphere is not stuffy, this is a place with a dedication to good quality French fare that showcases some great local ingredients.

Fresh Peaches & Cream Creamed Corn with Pink Peppercorns

My wife hates creamed corn, but even she had to relent that this was damn good.

From gastronomic guesswork

The corn came of 5 cobs of ripe Brighton, Colorado farmers market Peaches and Cream Corn on the cob, a tablespoon of morter & pestel ground pink peppercorns and a pinch of Portuguese Fleur De Sel. Blitz the corn with 2 tablespoons organic butter with a stick blender, then incorporate the ground peppercorns and warm through. Perfect summer side.

Broccoli with Roasted Beets, Uncured Peppered Bacon, and Black Mustard Vinaigrette

The cure for the common broccoli. Anyway, we love just steamed broccoli with all its glorious nutrition and flavor. This one kicks up the side to small plate status.

From gastronomic guesswork

The vinaigrette was 1 tablespoon black mustard in the dijon style, 1 part champagne vinegar, 3 parts Giachi Primolio olive oil and a pinch of fleur de sel from Portugal. The broccoli was steamed and the bacon separately roasted at 400F for 15 minutees, then finished for 15 minutes at 300F. The beets were roated separately at 400F for 1 hour, cooled, then peeled with a paring knife and diced. Great eclectic combination of flavors, and a nod to the peak flavors of summer as all the produce came from the Cure Organic Farm outside Boulder, from their farm stand which is open every day.

Gaspare's in Denver (Parker)

My friend David gave me a tip about this one, whoa what a find. Apparently they have a restaurant attached to the bakery and I will visit this in the near future. Gaspare's is a true Italian bakery, doting and kind to our twins (everyone in Italy seems to love and cherish kids). We picked up some Florentine cookies dipped in chocolate, along with the best loaf of ciabatta I've ever eaten. Ciabatta is easy to dismiss as a staple, but the craft is in achieving the perfect crust amidst diminished water content. The ciabatta was so good, my girls and I ate it for Sunday breakfast with a little Giachi Primolio olive oil - best breakfast in the last month easily. I will be back early and often, Gaspare's is on THE LIST.

Coho Salmon with Lime, Chipotle, & Persimmon

Found some fresh Coho Salmon from Alaska at whole foods, decided to play with the color orange a la Top Chef herein...

From gastronomic guesswork

The Coho was dressed with the juice of 1 fresh lime, rubbed with some chipotle powdered chile, and dusted with sea salt. This was grilled on direct heat for 5 minutes and finished on indirect heat for 6 minutes at 550F. The Coho was finished with more fresh lime juice and diced persimmon. Certainly the dish says "Orange", the flavor was good, appealing, but not transcendental in any manner.

Wash Park Pig Roast 2009

Pics from this years Pig Roast put on by two great friends ...

From gastronomic guesswork

From gastronomic guesswork

From gastronomic guesswork

Yah that's me chowing on the trotters ...

From gastronomic guesswork

From gastronomic guesswork

From gastronomic guesswork

Braised Pork Shoulder in Broth of Prosciutto, Chestnuts, Rosemary, and Marjoram, Topped with Salsa Verde

The flavor ideas in this dish were loosely based on a concept from the excellent Campania regional Italian cuisine in the A16 Cookbook.

From gastronomic guesswork

Using two small rib-like cuts of pork shoulder, 1 quart of prosciutto broth, 3 oz of vacuum packed chestnuts, 1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary, and 1 tablespoon dried marjoram, I braised everything for 2 hours at 250F, and 1.5 hours at 200F. Reserving the broth and shoulder cuts, these were allowed to rest together in the fridge overnight. The next evening the shoulder cuts were grilled after a light dousing in olive oil at 550F for about 5 minutes, rotating once. The salsa verde recipe was used to complete the dish after seating the pork shoulder in a 1/2 reduction of the braising liquid. As good as my wife views the pairing of beef tenderloin and salsa verde, to me this was my most triumphant Italian dish this year. The prosciutto + rosemary + marjoram + chestnuts is a flavor combination that is simply inspiring to sample. The addition of salsa verde played well, and really made this dish decadently comforting - I wanted to hop on the next flight to Napoli.

Beef Tenderloin with Salsa Verde

In my wife's somewhat biased opinion, simply one of the best things you can eat - and so this served as our main in our Anniversary Dinner.

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The tenderloins were aged organic beef, grilled at 550F to medium rare. The salsa verde was a puree of 1 cup chopped italian parsley, 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup rinsed and drained capers, a tablespoon organic red wine vinegar, a teaspoon of black mustard (dijon), and 2 tablespoons of organic olive oil. You can substitute lemon juice for the red wine vinegar to use the sauce on most fish or white meat fowl, and if you're a little garlic wary, substitute 1 small shallot. Carefully adjust salt to taste, and if it's salty, play with a 1 to 3 ratio of progressive amounts of vinegar and olive oil. If you get it right, I've found this sauce to be one of those you hold onto to be cherished in your repertoire, and one that's easy to bring out for larger dinner parties. Thanks to Marcella Hazan who opened my eyes to this little Italian treasure.

Broiled Yellow Cauliflower with Cayenne and Fleur de Sel

A simple side that's a little different.

From gastronomic guesswork

The crowns of yellow cauliflower were tossed in grapeseed oil, then dusted with cayenne chile powder and a little chipotle chile powder. These were then broiled for 10-12 minutes until the edges began to show caramelization. After plating these were hit with a light drizzle of olive oil and some Portuguese fleur de sel.

Maguro Ceviche with Ginger, Sudachi, Tamari, Garlic, and Sweet Onions

Course One in our recent Anniversary Dinner, which we celebrated by cooking together and featured a menu of flavors that really stand out in our memory of the last year. Sudachi and Tamari, when used in the right combination, come to a really synergistic spot where you say "wow that's good". Coaxing this combination with some undertones of garlic and ginger makes it totally pop, perfect amuse-bouche, but served as a small plate here.

From gastronomic guesswork

Using sashimi grade maguro (tuna), we prepared a dice using a single-edged sushi knife. This was then soaked in a bath of fresh lime juice, minced garlic, fresh grated ginger, and minced sweet onions for 10 minutes. After gently draining away the lime juice, the ceviche was tossed with approximately a 1 to 1 mixture of tamari and sudachi.