Friday, December 14, 2012

On the party

Still feeling it from the weekend with Lauren and Yoni.

Just wanted to talk about the Potato Bourakas.
Having broken down the duck and did the confit for the tacos and the breasts for the eggrolls
we used the carcass for stock.  Now for me duck is so multi-functional and has so much flavor you can't go wrong.
We boiled the potatoes in the stock infusing them with the flavor.  Mashing them with fresh roasted garlic and enrobing them in puff pastry then brushing them with a little egg wash for shine.

You can call these knish, potato puff, buorakas or anything else but you WILL call them wonderful.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sorry

The best intentions do NOT give you time for all the things you should do.
Parties at this time of year keep the cash flowing but also did into time for other things/
Events at the Hyatt in DC for 1400 members of the Kuwaiti Students Union was FRI and SAT
of one week followed by the signing of significant business for 2013.
Last Thursday I flew to NOLA and had the honor and pleasure of doing an engagement party for
Lauren and Yoni in their beautiful home just off Magazine St.  I also visited my dear friend Christina O'Malley and here sons Logan and Liam, they have certainly grown since the last visit.
The Menu for the party was
       Salmon Tartare
       Beef Tartare
   
       Duck Confit Tacos
       Spicy Catfish Tacos

      Hoisin Roasted Duck Eggrolls
      Blue Potato and White Truffle Oil Latkes

      Duck Stock infused Potato Bourakis
      Port finished Wild Mushroom Borakas.

I think the guests enjoyed it, I certainly had fun doing it with Yoni.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Christmas Dinner

In the DC area? I am the Chef for the Christmas Day Dinner Buffet at the Clarion Inn and Fundome. Christmas Dinner Buffet At the Clarion, 8601 Baltimore Ave, College Park 3-7pm
call for details, Phone: (301) 474-2800

Monday, November 19, 2012

Holiday

This busy Thanksgiving week is one of a type of reflection.  My sons, of whom I am very proud, have taken steps into the next portion of their lives.  My prospects continue to be good with multiple projects from Meetup.com to books, to new clients and balance in life.
I thank all that have added to me being happy and healthy at this stage in my life.  Have a great holiday.

Picture Me

Me at Kosherfest




Friday, November 16, 2012

Picures from the Show

Culinary Salon Award Winners

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Kosherfest

Yesterday was the first of Kosherfest, the premier Kosher food show and for the first time it a long while it was a good show. The quality of product, display and general attitude is better than it has been since the show has moved back to the Meadowland from the Javits Center. I have to put in a word for my group, Osem, Israel's number one food company. Osem won a best in Class Award for our Pearl Couscous with Sundried Tomato and Wild Rice. As a Chef I can honestly say that this, and the rest of the products in this line are wonderful. The are simple, boil water, pour in the mix and DONE! More then that they are menu builders. Each product has solid flavors, color and texture. They are natural sides for a simple protein and fresh vegetable. In your markets NOW!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Shows

Yesterday I was at the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show at the Javits Center in the Big Apple. The City seems to be back to speed and transportation was running. The Show is less then it had been in the past but there were some new and interesting things. Vegetable "Caviar" was the right texture and flavor, a really good NY style fully baked bagel and of course some state of the art computer applications. It took out industry forever to catch up with technology and now we seem to be ahead of the pack. I did notice may potential glitches is many of the systems though, not connecting with standard accounting packages was a big one. Today I am with Osem at Kosherfest in the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secacus, NJ so if you are in the neighborhood please stop by and say hello. Pictures to follow later

Friday, November 9, 2012

Busy

So this is what happens when both of your sons become engaged at the same time and the expectation is that you will, happily, do the affairs and one is in NOLA and the other in Chicago and you are in Washington and travel 25%of the time. Levels of Kashrut are very different for these two and I will be at KOSHERFEST Tuesday and Wednesday to tie down the details. Stay tuned for more...

Friday, October 26, 2012

Stuff

I was supposed to go to a wine tasting and open house last night. I got there and the crowd was just not for me. A little young, 30ish, and too tight. I wound up a little further up CT Ave in NW DC at a nice place call COMET. Outdoor setting nice beer and wine list, great wings and cool pizza selection and it really had flavor and salted praline ice cream. What could be better. I am supposed to start the Cooking with the Food Dude classes Sunday but it looks like Hurricane Sandy may get in the way. More to come...

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Imagination

Having just been at the Fancy Foods Show and Natural Foods Expo and getting ready for both the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show and Kosherfest I can not be more optimistic over what is coming into the marketplace. Pushing the envelope is the word for this year. Producers have let their imagination take flight and great things are afoot. Watch for more to come.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Spaghetti

This is NOT my recipe. It is good, fun and can be modified to reflect you tastes. The melding of the anchovy saltiness and the raisin sweetness is balanced with the nutty, buttery crunchiness of the pine nuts and walnuts. This is what I think makes great and interesting food. Spaghetti Corleonese (Pasta with Nuts, Raisins and Anchovies) Oct. 1, 2010 Restaurant Hospitality From: Chef/owner Tony Vallone, Tony's, Houston. Yield: 4-6 servings. 1 lb. spaghetti, fedelini or linguine 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 8 garlic cloves, minced 12 anchovy fillets ½ cup walnuts, chopped into large pieces ½ cup pignoli (pine nuts), lightly toasted ½ cup dark raisins, soaked in 2 Tbsp. dry Marsala or red wine and allowed to marinate 30 minutes (toss occasionally) 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, crushed pinch of crushed red pepper flakes pinch of coarsley ground black pepper 4 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 10 large leaves fresh basil, torn While pasta is cooking al dente, heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and anchovies and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes. Mash the anchovies as you stir so that they dissolve into a paste. Add nuts, raisins, wine marinade, oregano, pepper flakes and black pepper and allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Drain pasta, but not too well. Put wet pasta back into cooking pot and toss well with sauce. Add parsley and basil and toss again. Serve at once. Note: Pasta must contain a little water when put back into the pot. Sauce is enhanced when pasta is not totally dry.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Red Thai Curry with Kabocha Squash

As I mentioned earlier this week it is squash time. Here is a recipe I found, give it a shot and let me know what you think. Red Thai Curry with Kabocha Squash

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Roots

So the great thing about this time of year is that the produce matches the season. Personally I love root veggies and, as I mentioned yesterday, hard squashes. Here is a wonderful hearty soup that can double as a refresher in warm weather. I often garnish this with some quick fried leek. Potato Leek Soup This is another hot or cold deal, either way it has enough body to be a meal onto itself. Yield: Serves 4 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups) 1 pound large russet potatoes peeled, diced 4 1/2 cups chicken stock Heavy Cream(optional) Wash your leeks well; they often have lots of sandy soil inside. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with butter. Cover saucepan; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add the cut potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add your stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Puree soup in batches in processor until smooth. Return to saucepan. Thin with additional stock or heavy cream if soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Covered and refrigerated.) This soup is great cold or hot so if you want hot bring the soup to simmer slowly so as not to scald. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives and serve. I served this soup at the Moon chucky style and one reviewer was moved to comment that the texture had an interesting “bite”, as I mentioned before I like things to have teeth; al Dente. This soup can be a real surprise and a meal onto itself particularly with good bread and cheese. Check out crusty bread and stink cheese. It will not be slice white bread and American cheese but you just might shock those sleeping taste buds to life.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Biscuits

A rainy day here in DC and I received a question from one of the Food Dudetees about why here biscuits did not rise and the response There are many reasons that this may have happened. The simplest is that your oven may have been too hot not giving the biscuits time to rise. Other reasons may be that you over beat the mixture. Cooking is chemistry and physics so the atmosphere may have been humid or hot affecting the mix or there may have been something you did not expect in the flour. Cooking at altitude may also work against you. I hope that this helps. Follow me on Twitter at @shemesh511

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Something new

Here I am at the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore representing Side Mates, a great new product, check it out.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Chicken Soup

So...The mother of all soups, Chicken. With noodle or matzah ball, chunky or not this soup harkens back to the TLC only Mom can give. It is the ultimate comfort food for many of us. This freezes well. Chicken Soup Yield: Makes 6 servings 6 to 9 cups your good chicken stock 1 cup diced chicken, I like dark meat, it doesn’t dry out as much your mirepoix: 1/2 cup diced grated onion ¼ cup diced carrot 1/4cup diced celery 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks Fresh dill Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish 1. Cover the bottom of the pot with either oil or chicken fat and add your vegetables and lightly sauté until translucent. Add your stock to the stock pot and slowly bring to a simmer. 2. Allow to cook until the liquid is reduced by a third and add the fresh dill and bring to a quick boil. 3. Add the chicken and bring to temperature 4. Serve and garnish with parsley. 5. You may add rice, noodles, or almost anything else but in so doing adjust the taste.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Pantry

It was dark when I got up this morning, a harbinger of the season to come. Even here south of the Mason-Dixon Line we are starting to nest and get ready for the cold weather to come. I thought that I would discuss the perfect pantry. This is your basic Pantry list. You can always add to it to reflect your personal palate. Butter, Celery, Salt, Worcestershire, Milk, Carrots, Pepper, Tomato Puree, Heavy Cream, Yellow Onion. Kosher Salt, Tomato Paste, Eggs, Tomatoes, Cornstarch. Crushed Tomato, Dry White, Wine. Crimini Mushrooms, Flour, Canola Oil, Dry Red Wine, Red Onion, Fennel Seeds, Olive Oil, Dry Sherry, Bell Peppers, Mrs. Dash, Rosemary, Chopped Garlic, Shallots, Coriander, Thyme, Chicken whole or pieces, Parsley, Nutmeg, Mustard, rice, Lemon, Cinnamon, Dry Pasta, Baking Potato(russets), Sweet Potato, Red Potatoes, Dijon Mustard, Chopped Garlic, This list covers the basics and may not be complete for your palate. You may choose to add Hot Sauce, I do, I also always have yogurt, sour cream and assorted cheeses as well as nuts, broccoli and other foods that can multi-task. Spices, as with life, you need to understand what works and what doesn’t. If you find that the balance in taste or in mental health start to feel out of whack, make the phone calls you need to make to get the help you know you need. Vegetables are best fresh and should represent what is in the market on the day you are cooking. Recipes will have a notes on what products you need to purchase.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Cream of S'room

When I got up this morning there was real chill in the air, delightful compared to the deadly hazy, hot and humid weather that plagues DC in the summer. My plants are loving life. So here is a recipe that is both comfort food, warm and satisfying Cream of ‘Shroom Yield: Makes 8 servings 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 3 leeks, halved, washed very well and thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only) 2 pounds mixed wild mushrooms, such as Portobello, Crimini and Shitake sliced 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic 31/4 cups (or more) of your chicken or vegetable stock 4 cups of your Béchamel Dry Sherry to taste Melt the butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until tender and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are soft and dry, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add your chicken stock and Béchamel, stirring until smooth and incorporated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the broth has a nice mushroomy aroma, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot add the Sherry and simmer for another 2 minutes. I will admit that I always add a shot or two of hot sauce When I was at dear old Bethany, Cookie made a great Cream of Mushroom Soup with Grilled American Cheese on White Bread on freezing days. It might have been -20 degrees and you had to tramp up and down the hills with your breath freezing to your face but that soup made the trip to the dinning room worth it. Now lets’ face it, soup is mostly water and can take on any flavor that you want. Remember that if you like it, it is good. Don’t worry about the other person. I strongly recommend that you find the flavors you like and then USE THEM. If you like beans and pasta make soups that have beans and pasta. Your chicken, vegetable and veal stocks will impart different basic flavors

Sunday, September 9, 2012

I am always amazed by what creative and interesting things are going on in the food world and appalled by others. I can not believe that we eat such garbage sometimes and then complain that we can not find the freshest ingredients in the next breath. When I was at college in Bethany WV the food service featured Belly Bombers made with mystery meat. On the other hand Cookie, the ex-navy cook taught me about Cream of Mushroom soup which was served to hundreds of hungry students in a very limited time. I worked with my fraternity brothers and we had fun. Cookie’s food was filling but certainly not gourmet. The three restaurants of my own in Baltimore taught me how to dance with the food. When you are the personality of the property the pressure can overwhelm you but we had great fun. Being creative everyday is what makes the business soar. We used Portobello Mushrooms, duck and venison in ways that were new for Baltimore. I did some really cool catering. It ranged from small social events like dinner for two at Valentine’s day to major sporting venues including the PGA; where lobster was on the menu to NASCAR where the staple was pulled pork for 50,000 (which I never want to see again) At US OPEN Tennis people paid 8 dollars for a pound of M&Ms. When you feed 60,000 people in one day you have to have your ducks in a row. 15,000 burgers and butter poached lobster were de rigor and had to be done equally well. I had moved up the chain of kitchen command. My restaurants received 3 and 4 stars; I had been on TV and in a book.

Monday, September 3, 2012

It has been a long while and things have had their ups and downs. A good summer with lots of satisfying work in DC, CT and PA. Watch for Cooking with the Kosher Food Dude or simply Kosher Dude, Cooking with the Food Dude and Cooking with the Bi-Polar Chef. All will have general information for that segment's audience and great recipes and pictures. It all starts today!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Watch for new links and postings. The Bi-Polar Chef is coming to life as are the Food Dude and Kosher Food Dude