Although the “farm to table” phrase may be starting to sound cliché it really does represent a change in the way we think about our food. What could make more sense than having food that is natural, healthful and delivered with the minimal amount of manipulation. Because I am a huge fan of the egg I couldn’t help but to think about the fact that the egg could not be more symbolic of this movement. An oval gift, the perfect food; and most importantly as a chef so incredibly tasty!!

I had a simple fried egg this morning with a slice of whole wheat toast. The egg white was perfectly tender and mildly seasoned with salt to bring out the best of its natural flavor. The yolk stood tall and was perfectly set. The toast was crispy on the outside but just chewy and porous enough on the inside to act as the perfect culinary sponge to mop up every bit of that scrumptious, naturally delicious egg yolk.

I am so happy to see the flood of research hitting showing that the egg’s cholesterol does not appear to have any substantial effect on the cholesterol level in the blood. Check out the articles below. My farm to table poster child can stand more proud than ever and so can I working with America’s Egg Farmers. Enjoy your eggs, enjoy your day.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/health/la-he-pharmacy-20100412-pic2,0,6937503.photo

http://www.pembrokexpress.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2728:south-shore-gourmet-the-incredible-egg&catid=1:pembroke-news&Itemid=29

Feed the hungry by making a pledge (no cost) to eat good. Do good everyday.  America’s egg farmers are donating up to one million eggs to feed the hungry.

Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy

as grape ash (imported from France where her husband is from) cheeses, feta style cheese, and marinated cheeses (pink peppercorn). We had a huge lunch under the newly constructed outdoor kitchen/dining room. We then headed into the next town called Waitsburg. A one street “wild west” looking town that is over 100 years old. There is a hardware store that looks like it has been there since the beginning. The centerpiece is a bar that you would think would be in a big city based on the complexity and brilliance of its owner and bartender Jim German. I had a killer cocktail of Rye Whiskey, Cappellano chinato (a red grape based bitter with a hint of dark chocolate), and Cynar. Sounds funky but totally tasty and perfectly balanced. The day ended at Saffron restaurant where we had an incredible meal. From lamb tartar that was sweet, mild and fresh to an incredible harissa flatbread. The dessert was strawberry flat bread with an Aleppo red chile ice cream. The flatbread was crispy yet chewy, the strawberries were sweet and then the best part was the red chile ice cream.

I would normally raise an eyebrow to such a combination but it was brilliant. The ice cream was not too sweet and filled your mouth with cool cream. As the ice cream melted you were left with the mild heat of the red chile. Truly well balanced and brilliant. Chef Bear (and his awesome house-grown micro greens)at the hotel where I did the presentation was brilliant. He created ten scrumptious dishes to pair with ten different wines. My favorite was the duck empanada with mole sauce paired with a Malbec. The huge blueberry cream and blackberry fruit of the wine dissolved into the mole sauce to marry with the fruit and chile. Fantastic!!

If you are up for a quick lesson on how to pair food and wine check out my presentation below. I hope this finds you well.

Pairing wine and food

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is what I said the first time I experienced the true “ah ha” of what a perfect wine and food match can do. It was 1990 in a little French restaurant in San Francisco. The kind I always spent my entire nights tips on as a waiter in my endless search for culinary pleasure. It was foie gras and sauterne – not unique, but truly symbolic of what it means to match food and wine. A little table, sip of this newly discovered dessert wine made honey sweet but with perfect acidity due to this magical mold called botrytis. The wine lacquered my tongue with a blanket of honey, and then came a bite of the seared custard like foie gras, cut through the crispy golden top, mild gamey/meaty flavor dissolved into a bone marrow like richness with that unmistakable savory custard-like texture. Another sip of wine and wow!!!! I have caramel and butterscotch in my mouth! Where did that come from? Foie gras politically correct? Sorry, the story is the story.

Tertiary – the biggest word I know and don’t ask me to spell it! If I were smart I wouldn’t be in the restaurant business! It is what happens when everything comes together with the right food and wine match and a third; new flavor is created that is better than the food and wine on their own.

Leaving bliss aside for a moment often times the goal is to just not mess up the food or the wine with a bad match right?

I am here in front of you not as an “expert” but as someone who has spent their life as a cook, a restaurateur and all around wine geek enjoying food, wine and the combination of the two. That is what it is all about. You know what tastes good and what doesn’t, right?    That should be your guide. Add that to what we are going to cover today and you are equipped to take your enjoyment to the next level.

My goal today is to start by:

1^st setting us up by what it means to pair wine and food

2^nd talk about some basic “rules” or guidelines that will help you increase the odds of pleasing your palate!  We will also talk about the top three “safe bet” wines that are all around heroes. And three “must try” wine/food matches.

Lastly, most importantly, see what questions you have.

Ok, before we get started let’s clarify what Tools are needed: nose, tongue, and love for filling your mouth with brilliant flavor combinations! You must first please the tongue/the gatekeeper with the necessary balance of acid/sweet/salty/alcohol /fat and spice before the nose (the place we really “taste” everything can enjoy the true depth of the wine and food match.

The fist step is to change the way you approach your plate and glass. Approach your food and wine the same way you approach your relationships (the good ones J) Stop and “listen” to your food and wine. Really pay attention to what is in front of you and give the first couple bites/sips your full attention. When you do this you start to notice things. Have you ever finished a meal and not even realized what you ate or drank? Sometimes that makes sense but to get the most enjoyment you want to really pay attention to your food and wine. Lock the tastes and smells into your “flavor database” so that you will be able to recall them in the future. Lose yourself in the dish and the glass for a moment (just make sure to re-surface before your friends think you have issues (it’s already too late for me).

Thanks to Josh Wesson’s book (“Red wine with fish”) most of us have moved far beyond the “red wine with meat and white wine with fish” rule. You probably know that the cooking technique, the sauce, the weather and even your mood are all more important that the protein.

Remember the most important thing about food and wine matches is to trust your mouth. See what is going on inside your mouth as you eat and drink. If it is pleasant you have found a good match. If either the food or the wine taste worse together than they did on their own you know you have discovered a pair that doesn’t work.

I always suggest first taking a sip of the wine and then following it with a bite of food and then one more sip. Repeat until you find the perfect match or are so happy that it doesn’t matter.

In addition to that remember that personal taste is king. Nobody can tell you what to like or dislike (even though there are some waiters out there who would disagree).

I. Pizza and milk anyone?

Who would drink milk with pizza? Of course not. How about an ice-cold coke? That seems obvious because we have all had this combination a million times. There are two lessons here.

Repetition is key. The more you try a certain type of food with a certain type of beverage the more you will learn what works and what doesn’t. To do your homework is to eat and drink as often as possible.Think about why pizza and coke work. Pizza – rich from the cheese. Acidic in from the tomato sauce and a touch of spice. Coke – Slightly bitter/tannic, which offsets the richness of the cheese. Also acidic which balances the acid in the sauce bringing the tomato and topping flavors forward. The underlying raisinated fruit/sweetness in the coke tames any spice in the sauce.

Ketchup and French Fries – Think of wine as an additional “condiment” you are adding to the meal. Ketchup is not so lovely on its own but it is great with fries due to the balance that is created. The sweet of the ketchup balances the salt of the fries. The acidity of the ketchup cleanses the fat of the fries = harmony.

Try to apply those same simple criteria to your food and wine matches. What elements does each contain? Will they play nicely together?

II. The general “rules”

First choose to match or contrast the elements in the food and in the wine.

Contrasting can be riskier due to imbalances.

When “matching,” remember that whatever the food has you want the wine to have a little more of that.  I.e. sweet dessert then you want a wine that is at LEAST as sweet or sweeter.

We must first master the non-sexy elements of pairing (acid, fat, sweet, salt, alcohol, tannin and spice) before you can enjoy the sexy, deep elements of wine (earthiness, layers of fruit, flowers, leather, tobacco, tar, the list goes on!). If you get the base elements right you are 85% of the way there!

In the food In the wine The result

Match

Acid                                     Acid                                    Acid softens and fruit comes forward

Acid is the “safety net” the “equalizer” in

Food/wine parings. Yogurt brings almost

any match together.

Contrast

Fat                                    Acid                                    Like lemon on fish the fat is cleansed and

the flavors of the food and the wine come                                                                                     come forward

Contrast

Rich protein                        Tannin                        Tannin is softened in wine and fruit

(animal fat)                                                            comes forward. Think milk in coffee.

Tannin cuts the protein/fat in steak the same way lemon cuts fish oil.

Match

Sweet                                    Sweet                                    Sweetness is tamed and flavors of food

and wine are accentuated. Sweet food

spanks the fruit right out of a dry wine.

Contrast

Salty                                    High alcohol                        exaggerates the alcohol in the wine. Drink

lower alcohol white wines – champagne

or off dry white wine.

Spicy                                     tannin                                    tannin accelerated. No good. Sweet or

Fruity white :Gwertz/Riesling is safe.

Or red with acidity, barbera with spicy meatballs!! Riskier but amazing when it works.

Nuts                                    tannin                                    tannin is accelerated. No good.

Hazelnut crusted, butter basted fish with a fat Chard!

Cheese – a category in itself. Remember sweet or off dry is safe with almost all cheese. Riesling, Sauterne (amazing with strong cheese), Chenin Blanc.

Creamy                                                Will wipe out tannin in red and leave

wine flat. Drink a sweet white or a white

with firm acidity – sauvignon blanc.

Salty                                                             Sweet wine will offset salt. Tannic red

will battle saltines of cheese.

Acidic (goat)                                                Battles tannin in reds. Drink with sweet

Aged                                                            Red wine. Age softens acidity in cheese

and brings out nuttiness in cheese which

Accentuates the fruit in the red wine.

Stinky cheese will kill red.

Some of the “tricky” ingredients that can be a challenge with wine. Artichoke, Asparagus, Cilantro. Remember, like everything in life it is about balance. If the ingredient is an element in the dish but not the main ingredient you can find a great match. Think funky with funky – Gruner Veltliner with artichoke is great. Off dry Riesling with Asian cilantro pad Thai. Arneis (crisp white from Italy) or an herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc.

The top three food friendly wines – your “wine to the rescue” when you are not sure.

1. Barbera – although red it has a lot of firm acid and bright fruit that will go with a huge range of food.
2. Rose – a dry or off dry rose will go well with almost anything. There is enough acid to match the acid in a salad. There is enough fruit to off set a spicy food; there is just enough tannin from the minimal skin contact to stand up to most protein. And it looks so pretty!
3. Champagne! As long as it is not overly yeasty the low alcohol, high acidity and mild yeast marry with a huge range of food. You can do different Champagnes to match ever course of a meal from rose, to white to full yeast to bright fruit.

1. The top three unforgettable classic wine/food matches. Try them!
   1. Foie gras and sauterne.
   2. Sherry (oloroso)and Marcona almonds.
   3. A rib-eye and malbec.

1. More matching info.
   1. When in doubt go local! IF you are eating Italian, stick with Italian wines. “What grows together goes together”.
   2. Think about matching the weight of the food with the weight of the wine. Is the food light, medium or heavy based on cooking technique, protein and sauce? If light go with a lighter wine (watery in weight like Muscadet for white or a light Beaujolais for red), if medium go with a wine with more body (milk-like in weight like Viognier for white or Pinto Noir for red), if heavy go with a heavier bodied wine (creamy in weight like Chardonnay for white or Carmenere for red).

Remember, these are the basics that will set you up for success. Just like discovering your own great restaurants off the beaten path on a vacation you will need to eat, drink and experiment with wine and food matches to find your own “off the beaten path” wine and food match.

Enjoy the journey!!

Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy

Place 1/2 C. of water in a small non-stick skillet. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and crack one or two eggs into the pan (you can also use a large skillet and 2 C. of water to do as many as 6 eggs at a time). COVER the pan and let cook for about 2 minutes. Because you have a minimal amount of water in the pan the eggs are easy to manage. The covered pan speeds up the cooking and the absence of butter and oil give you a moist, tender, healthful egg. Toast your whole wheat bread and set it on a plate. Using a rubber scrapper/spatula gently slide under the egg to make sure it is not stuck. Lift it on an angle against the pan and drain the water off of it. Set it on the toast. Top with chopped spinach or arugula. Head off for a great day knowing you have a nice steady energy source to get your day going. Enjoy.

Feed the hungry by making a pledge (no cost) to eat good and do good everyday.  America’s egg farmers are donating up to one million eggs to feed the hungry.

Eat Well, Enjoy life, Be happy

I think the reason I never get tired of omelets is the same reason I love pizza; the topping possibilities are endless! I always open the refrigerator and make an omelet out of whatever we have but sometimes I like to take a little time to build my cold pantry. By spending 30 minutes on the weekend preparing a few incredible ingredients I am then ready for a last minute, quick, amazing omelet or egg dish anytime with almost no effort.

The basics of omelet making never change. Med-low heat, a touch of butter, and a non stick pan are the tools of perfection. Two eggs whisked with about a TB of water to keep them light and fluffy. A pinch of salt brings out the best flavor of the egg.

In this omelet I am using fontina cheese. It melts quickly and has a mild, rich cow’s milk flavor that goes beautifully with the earthy flavor of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the onions. You can use any cheese you have on hand as well.

Use your scrapper to “paint” the bottom of the pan allowing more of the wet egg to fill the space you created. Each time you drag the scrapper across the bottom of the pan your create light fluffily folds of tender egg. No stirring please. When you have just a touch of liquid left turn off the heat and fill your omelet. The residual heat will finish cooking the eggs. Fold the omelet over using your scraper and tilt the pan so gravity does the work for you. Once folded over you can then tip the pan and roll the omelet onto the plate. Top with herbs or spice of your liking or eat as is. Enjoy!

America’s egg farmers are searching for the next Incredible Person! You can share videos of you and/or your child’s extraordinary mind/body talents and skills on www.incredibleegg.org. The winner will have a chance to appear in an incredible edible egg ad along with other great prizes, including a year’s supply of eggs and a donation of 10,000 eggs to the winner’s local food bank of choice! On top of that, America’s egg farmers will match every video uploaded by donating one egg to Feeding America!
Eat Well, Enjoy life, Be happy

5 minute Breakfast Crumble

Serves: 2

Two eggs
2 pieces of bread
1 small, pre-cooked chicken/apple sausage

Place two eggs in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn to just below a simmer. Add the pre-cooked sausage to the water with the eggs and cook both for five minutes.

While the eggs are cooking toast two pieces of bread. Cut into cubes(croutons).
Remove sausage and chop into pieces.
Rinse eggs under cold water. Peel and place in a bowl.
Break up eggs with a fork. Stir in chopped sausage and croutons.
Spoon into two bowls (or ramekins) and serve!

You could also prepare the egg sausage mixture the night before and microwave it just until warm. The egg yolk coats the croutons making them rich and tasty. The chicken apple sausage provides just the right amount of meat flavor and the apple is the perfect touch of sweetness.

New News – America’s egg farmers are searching for the next Incredible Person! You can share videos of you and/or your child’s extraordinary mind/body talents and skills on www.incredibleegg.org. The winner will have a chance to appear in an incredible edible egg ad along with other great prizes, including a year’s supply of eggs and a donation of 10,000 eggs to the winner’s local food bank of choice! On top of that, America’s egg farmers will match every video uploaded by donating one egg to Feeding America!

Step one – Turn on grill press to heat up.

Step two – Hot pan, hot oil, drop in the mushrooms. Add a touch of salt and pepper. Sauté to golden.

Step three – Lay the asparagus in the grill press and drizzle with a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper. Close lid.

Step four – In a large bowl add your clean mixed greens.

Step five – In a squeeze bottle (my favorite) or in a bowl mix 1 part red wine vinegar, 2 parts olive oil, 1 tsp mustard, ½ tsp soy sauce, and a pinch of salt. Shake or whisk to combine.

Step six – Toss greens with dressing and place on plates. Spoon roasted mushrooms over greens. Lay grilled asparagus over greens. Garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Step seven – enjoy!

I love greens. They are healthy and full of flavor. They are the perfect palate for almost anything. Whenever I feel like “we have nothing in the refrigerator” I can always pull something together with some salad greens. A bite of greens lightly dressed with the sharp, clean flavor of red wine vinegar and mustard, the roasted creamy flavor of the mushrooms and the firm full vegetal flavor of asparagus adds a great texture as well as tons of flavor. The finishing touch of Parmesan is like the culinary magic wand. Its nutty, salty, Umami quality always takes a dish to the next level.

Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy

There are many variations of the classic fish stew. I usually choose between saffron, smoked paprika or tarragon. This time the citrusy anise flavor of tarragon was calling out to me. I love the way tarragon converts the tomato broth into something that keeps you guessing. You think you taste spice due to the anise quality but then you taste a slightly medicinal herb quality. The back and forth play is awesome.

A great fish soup is all about technique. Layering flavors is the key to great cooking.

First – season and sear the individual seafood without crowding the pan. When they are 80% cooked take them out and reserve on a plate.

Second – add finely chopped shallots, red bell pepper and garlic to the same pan and mop up all of the flavor in the bottom of the pan. Once the veggies are evenly golden hit them with some white wine. Reduce to half.

Third – add ripe tomatoes if in season otherwise a can of good quality tomatoes (I always choose ones that have the fewest ingredients. I want tomato and nothing else). Simmer covered until the tomatoes break down and you smell a touch of heaven.Fourth – puree that mixture in a blender and add back to the pan.

Fifth – add chopped tarragon leaves and sliced potatoes to the broth and simmer until the potatoes are 95% cooked. Then add the mussels and the vegetables of choice (I used haricot vert and red bell pepper). Simmer until mussels open and veggies are cooked but still have body.

Sixth – add back your 80% cooked fish and turn off the heat. The residual heat will finish cooking the seafood. Divide the goodies evenly between the bowls and then ladle the broth into the bowls. Serve with grilled sliced baguette and garnish with a touch more chopped tarragon.

I take a spoonful of the broth and taste all the clean flavor of the sea before taking my first bite of fish. The broth itself could be a satisfying meal. I then spoon up a tender piece of scallop and a bite of the green bean. The next bite is a mussel that has fallen out of the shell along with a morsel of tender, creamy potato.  There are so many flavors and textures in a fish stew yet each ingredient has its moment to shine. I go from broth to seafood back and forth until there is just enough broth in the bottom of the bowl to mop up with my grilled baguette. Heaven!
Key Flavor Factors

1. Make sure seafood is dry. Get the pan and the oil hot. Season the fish and then sear. Don’t crowd the pan. You may need to do a few batches.
2. The broth should be fairly thin. You don’t want a tomato sauce you want a light broth that fills your mouth with flavor but without weight. The broth is like a spa for the seafood. Keep the heat low and keep the pot covered so the sauce does NOT thicken and reduce.
3. Layer the flavors. Roast and puree the veggies and tomatoes and then add more sliced veggies to the broth. You get lots of flavor this way.
4. By cooking the fish to 80% and then adding it to the broth at the end you get perfectly tender morsels of fish that give off all their juice to the broth.
5. Eat with your eyes closed and lose yourself in culinary heaven for a moment.

Ok, my wife is hungry. I am dying to try these Oregon truffles with some fresh mozzarella, shitake mushrooms and arugula crostini style. I will let you know how that turns out. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I hope all your dreams come true in 2010!

Eat well, Enjoy life, Be happy

Today I couldn’t resist the Romano beans and the yellow wax beans. The tomatoes are always the number one treat. I bought the “pineapple” heirlooms as well as a few brandywine. Luscious! I grabbed a large filet of wild caught salmon on the way home and I am ready for dinner!

I blanched the beans (drop them in boiling water for 3 minutes and then into an ice bath to cool them quickly and preserve their color). A quick sauté in fresh savory and olive oil and the beans are ready. The fingerling potatoes get a quick sauté and then into the 350 oven to finish while the salmon goes on the grill. I love these simple dinners. Each ingredient represents itself proudly on the plate. You can taste the essence of each of them yet they are so complete together. The beans are naturally sweet and have a just a touch of crunch left. The potatoes are creamy almost as if they are individual bites of mash potatoes yet they still hold their shape with a crispy seared surface. The salmon is so full flavored with just the marks of the grill and some salt and pepper. Sometimes less is more. One big platter, four happy family members, another lovely evening. Food makes life good! Enjoy

Key flavor factors:
1. Have the ice water ready for your beans so they get a good shock which will preserve the color and texture.
2. Make sure the grill is really hot and well oiled before putting the salmon on. (Lots of s&p of course). DON’T touch it once you lay it down. Let it get nice grill marks.
3. Cut the potatoes in half and give them a quick sauté before going into the oven. You get nice color and the cut edge gets crispy and sweet.
4. Slide a large spatula under the middle of the salmon. Lift it up. If it starts to split it is done. It will be nice and MR in the center. You should be able to see inside. There is so much flavor when it is MR. The texture is soft instead of chalky if overcooked.

Eat well, enjoy life, be happy.

I bought a 9lb pork belly on line (Heritage meats are great). I have bacon and pancetta curing in the refrigerator. I had a 1 lb angular piece left so I decided to do a braised pork belly. The weather here in LA dipped from 100 degree days to 70. With that “chill” in the air (you folks in the Midwest and East are laughing at me right now) a hearty lunch was just the ticket.

Very easy. I rubbed the belly with five spice and brown sugar. I seasoned it with salt and seared it on both sides. The brown sugar and five spice caramelized together to create the sweetest, most aromatic culinary perfume you can imagine. I took it out of the pan and added carrots, garlic and shallots. Once lightly brown I hit it with chicken stock and brought it to a boil. I poured it halfway up the belly in a roasting pan, covered it with foil and into a 275 degree oven. Three hours later it was so tender it was falling apart. I had to plunge my fingers into the hot broth to snag a morsel that had drifted off. It may have been the most tender, juicy morsel of meat I have ever eaten. I lifted the belly out of the broth and cut it into 2” wide strips. I glazed it with hoisin sauce and put it under the broiler for a minute for a sweet glaze.

I had some kale from the farmers market so I did a quick sauté with chile flakes and canola oil and then hit it with rice wine vinegar and a touch of mirin. The result was a heavenly lunch with my beautiful wife. The glaze was sweet and prepared you for the crisp top. Our forks naturally separated the fat and the meat pulling tender chunks of pork onto the wilted kale. The pork was rich but not too much as much of the fat had leached out into the braising liquid. The sharpness of the vinegar in the kale was the perfect foil to the fat that was there. We only had a 4oz serving each and it was just enough. Decadent but not over the top. I love to eat everything and still feel good. Enjoy!

Eat well, enjoy life, be happy.

We walked the market waiting to see what would catch our eyes. We stopped to see my favorite tomato girl and got some perfect tomatoes. Isabella then picked out the perfect fresh apricots. We decided right there that we were going to grill them with some agave syrup and ancho chile powder. We got some beautiful green onions (Isabella’s favorite). Morel mushrooms are gone but the mushroom guy had the most beautiful fresh Porcini mushrooms. He was telling me how they grow them on wet oak. The mushrooms develop this bloom underneath them. Almost like a mold (sounds gross, but totally tasty). We sautéed them and made a risotto. The mushrooms were firm on top but almost custard like on the bottom with the richest flavor of mushroom I have ever tasted. They perfumed the rice dish completely. Isabella then picked out some flowers for herself and mom. We laughed, talked and enjoyed every minute together. We then spent the week having great meals as a family and talking about our great morning at the market. Great family, great food, quality time together, what more can a man ask for!

Eat well, enjoy life, be happy.