Grilled oranges with homemade ice cream
I made some ice cream at home last weekend. I am determined to figure out how to get that perfect, creamy mouth feel. I added ½ C of sweetened condensed milk to my custard base of milk, cream and egg yolks. It gave the ice cream a silky texture but it ended up a little too sweet. I should have backed down on the sugar based on the high sugar content of the condensed milk. Solution? Something bitter. 
I was inspired by Nate Appleman’s new Manhattan restaurant Pulinos. He blackens grapefruit in the pizza oven! I cut some oranges in half and got the grill really hot. I rubbed the grill with a touch of oil and then put the oranges cut side down. After about ten minutes the cut side of the oranges got caramelized and black sealing in the juice. The smell was similar to a crème brulee. I allowed them to cool and then cut the flesh from the skin and garnished the vanilla ice cream. You would think the oranges would taste burnt and too bitter but they didn’t. They were just bitter enough to offset my overly sweet ice cream creating a perfect balance. The contrast of fresh sweet orange juice inside the chunks with the caramelized, slightly bitter charred bits of the outside flesh was delicious. Tomorrow I am going to squeeze the roasted juice over some thinly sliced fennel and arugula! I think I found a new condiment! Enjoy.
Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy!
“Claypot” Pork
Mexican buffet, grilled sesame tofu with farmers market tomatoes and soy, turmeric lamb tacos with goat cheese and chutney, skirt steak salad, killer Russian River Pinot Noir, long walk in the park chasing my son on his skateboard, laughing with my daughter, enjoying my wife and friends. What a great weekend! I hope you had a lot of the same! 
One dish I want to share with you is my claypot pork. The first time I had a claypot dish was about 15 years ago at the legendary Slanted Door in San Francisco. The rich, deep brown sauce that blanketed the chunks of super moist catfish mesmerized me. The sauce was a touch sweet but never cloying. It had great balance and the texture was so intriguing. The sauce would stick to your teeth for just a moment and then dissolve onto your tongue. I wanted to create a quick, simple version that could be done on the stovetop in a few minutes. I took a small, thick-bottomed pot and added ½ C water and ½ C sugar. Turn the heat to medium and wait for the sugar to dissolve and then turn golden brown. I then added 1” cubes of pork shoulder to stop the sugar from browning any further. After stirring for a moment I added 
about ¼ C finely chopped shallots, some garlic and green onions. Once the meat took on a nice color I hit it with some fish sauce (about 2 Tb) and then partially covered the pan (don’t let it boil or the meat will not be as tender) and cooked it a couple more minutes until the pork was golden, slightly crispy and draped in the sticky sauce I remembered. It literally made my mouth water. I garnished it with freshly chopped green onions and served. The normally tough pork was incredibly tender as if the caramelized sugar had encapsulated each piece in a mini pressure cooker. The sea-like saltiness of the fish sauce not only found perfect harmony with the slightly bittersweet caramel but also loosened the caramel up just enough to turn it into a silky sauce. The combination of roasted green onion and shallots in the sauce with fresh green onion on top created multiple layers of different onion favors. The whole dish took about ten minutes. I spoonful of rice and a cold beer and life is good. Enjoy!
Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy!
Ancho chile spiced anejo Tequila – more chile pleasure
As you probably know I am a huge fan of chiles and Tequila. They both represent the beginning of my culinary career, the best of my travels through Mexico and some of the tastiest meals ever! My spicy margarita recipe uses silver Tequila (no wood age) and a fresh habanero chile (fruity heat). This new creation uses anejo Tequila (aged a minimum of one year in wood) with an Ancho chile (a dried, Poblano chile) (dried fruit heat). I toasted one large ancho chile over the open flame of the stove to 
bring the oils to the surface and soften the chile (10 seconds). I then broke it up into pieces and put the seeds and chile pieces into a bottle of anejo Tequila. I did not put the stem end cluster or stem in. I let it sit over night. One sip and you get an incredible vanilla/wood flavor followed by a smooth sweet raisin smoked chile heat. Not nearly as spicy as the habanero Tequila. The chile brought the best of the wood-aged Tequila flavors forward and married perfectly with the taste of the chile. The heat of chiles can vary so you will have fluctuations. You can leave the chile in until the Tequila is gone. The flavor will build in the first 24 hours and then level off. Try a sip with some enchiladas or your favorite taco. Rim a glass with honey and a squeeze of lime and drink it straight or make a margarita. Enjoy!
Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy!
Egg Tuesday – pan poached eggs, the quick and easy method
Happy Tuesday! I hope this finds you well and enjoying a great meal!
I am out of town and my wife called me yesterday to ask how to poach eggs. I gave her this short-cut method over the phone. She sent me these pictures to post. Great job my love!
Put ¼ C water in a small non-stick skillet. Bring the water to a boil and then turn the heat to medium. Crack two eggs into the pan.
Add a touch of salt and your herb or spice of choice (my wife chose herbs de Provence). Cover the pan and make sure it does not boil. Cook the eggs until the desired doneness (three minutes for a soft, luscious yolk). Uncover the pan for the last 30 seconds of cooking so that the rest of the water can evaporate. Slide the eggs onto a plate or a sliced of your favorite toasted bread. There is an egg for every mood! What I love about this recipe is that you get a very lite, healthy egg preparation that tastes like a poached egg but done very quickly. The egg takes in any herb or spice you have so you can’t go wrong. The key is to make sure you don’t boil the water. Give the egg a gentle hot water “bath” and it will be a tender, flavorful and of course healthful.
Variations:
Smoked paprika and fresh parsley.
Basil and lemon zest.
Orange zest and ground fennel
Black olive and tomato
Spinach and feta cheese
The options are endless…
Feed the hungry by making a pledge (no cost) to eat good. Do good every day. America’s egg farmers are donating up to one million eggs to feed the hungry.
Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy!
