beautiful food

Tortilla Dulce

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When I got out of bed this morning, visions of sweet crepes swirled around my head and after I walked Bella for an hour around the lake, we were ready for our sweet reward. As I gathered the ingredients from the fridge, I came across some leftover tortillas from last nights dinner. Now, as you probably know, flour tortillas are a very versatile ingredient and are perfectly suited for a sweet dish, especially when a lot of sauce and other moist ingredients, such as fruit, are involved. So that settled things, tortillas instead of crepes it was. Turns out that for my personal taste, the tortillas, because of their more sturdy texture, were actually better suited than crepes for this particular dish 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Tortilla Dulce

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Preparation :
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: cook sugar on low heat

: cook sugar until caramelized

: add heavy cream, simmer until lightly thickened

: creamy caramel sauce

: apple, pears & oranges

: cut the apple and pears around the core, peel the oranges

: cut apple and pears into cubes, filet the oranges

: saute in butter with a dash of sugar and a few drops of organic vanilla essence until heated but not mushy

: flour tortilla

: spread tortilla with raspberry marmalade

: spread Greek yogurt on top of marmalade

: top center-line with the sauteed fruits

: roll tortilla

: almost……..

: put tortillas on ovenproof dish, sprinkle with sugar

: gratinate tortillas under broiler until sugar caramelizes

: serve tortillas with caramel sauce

: Tortilla Dulce

: Tortilla Dulce

: Tortilla Dulce

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Wing Recipe # 1001

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Seems like everybody and their mother has THE BEST recipe for chicken wings, and, I have to admit, I myself have a few of them.
Now this one is definitely among the very best and I hope you will give it a shot.
Maybe you will even agree with me that these wings are among the very best, if not THE BEST OF THE BEST ? 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Wings Fly !
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More Wings on ChefsOpinion
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Wing Recipe # 1001

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Preparation :
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: mix julienned red onions with soy sauce, garlic paste, lime juice and sriracha

: mix olive oil, lime juice, chopped capers, chopped cilantro, kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: season wings with kosher salt, granulated garlic and sriracha, fry until crisp on the outside but not completely cooked through, remove from fat, blot dry, season with soy sauce, sriracha and garlic paste

: place on wire rack, bake at 375 until browned

: when top of wings are browned and crisp, remove from oven

: turn wings upside down

: spread onions on top of wings, bake at 375F until onions are caramelized

: remove wings from oven, dredge in the herb-lime seasoning

: plate wings on serving dish, douse with more of the herb-lime seasoning

: Wing Recipe # 1001

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Easy Does It # 29 – Home Made Chile Oil

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You might ask yourself what’s the point in making your own chile oil, since you can buy it everywhere? The simple answer is quality and heat-level, since you have control of the quality of the chiles you use as well as the quantity of seeds you incorporate, by buying your own Chinese Red Peppers. (Or Tianjin Pepper, sometimes you’ll also find them referenced as Tientsin Peppers, named after the province in China where they are native). They closely resemble Cayenne and Japones Chiles and come in at between 50,000 – 70,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). There are approximately 50 to 60 chiles per ounce. As with all chiles, the seeds pack most of the heat and the seeds can quickly overpower the fruit’s flavor. You might want to remove some of the seeds from the fruit in order to tone down the heat a bit. If you use the chile oil as dipping oil, you might also want to add some cinnamon and star anise for extra flavor to steep in the oil before straining. I have added neither, since I mostly use my chile oil as cooking oil and add additional flavors to the individual dishes during preparation as required.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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remove stems from chiles

cook in peanut oil until starting to change color, remove from heat

put oil with chiles in blender, blend until chiles are finely ground

let steep overnight

strain through fine mesh sieve

Home Made Chile Oil

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Schwäbisches Rotkraut Mit Kasseler Rippenspeer Und Knoblauchkartoffeln

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Easy now with the German tongue breaker – it’s just red cabbage with smoked pork loin and garlic potatoes, jawohl 🙂
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The secret to a good red cabbage (as well as sauerkraut) is to cook it long enough and to bind the juices, two simple steps that most cooks ignore. Unlike some other recipes steeped in a long tradition, in my opinion, this one does NOT improve with modernisation or simplification. It is a very straightforward preparation which will be rewarded with a great dish, wonderful in taste, texture and presentation.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
Although this dish does not really need a sauce, I am a typical “Schwoab“, who loves sauce with everything.
So I made a sauce with the drippings from the kasseler, some finely chopped tomatoes and a shot of red wine 🙂
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Sauerkraut on ChefsOpinion
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Schwäbisches Rotkraut Mit Kasseler Rippenspeer Und Knoblauchkartoffeln

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Preparation :
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: saute sliced onions in a generous amount of duck or pork fat until translucent, add finely sliced cabbage

: to one pound of cabbage, add 1/2 cup red-wine-vinegar and 1 cup red wine

: add sugar, kosher salt, cayenne pepper,2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick

: grate 1 unpeeled apple into the cabbage, add two cups of water or stock and simmer until the cabbage is tender

: add a small amount of corn starch slurry, mix well

: simmer another minute, check/adjust taste

: turn heat to lowest setting, add sliced kasseler (smoked pork loin), let meat heat through, about 4 minutes, depending on thickness

: meanwhile, saute small cooked potatoes in garlic oil, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: Schwäbisches Rotkraut (Red Cabbage Swabian Style)

: Schwäbisches Rotkraut Mit Kasseler Rippenspeer Und Knoblauchkartoffeln

: Schwäbisches Rotkraut Mit Kasseler Rippenspeer Und Knoblauchkartoffeln

: Schwäbisches Rotkraut Mit Kasseler Rippenspeer Und Knoblauchkartoffeln

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Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

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My original intention for breakfast this morning was to just pile some smoked salmon on a slice of bread and wait for lunchtime to come around for a more substantial meal. But then I saw the pomegranate and bean sprouts in the fridge, as well as an open container with Greek yogurt. Needless to say, I couldn’t stop there and all of a sudden, breakfast started to morph into what became this great brunch.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

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Preparation :
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: bake potatoes at 375F until done, let cool slightly

: season sliced radishes with kosher salt, let stand for 15 minutes

: cut top off of the potatoes

: remove “flesh” from “skin”

: coarsely chop smoked salmon

: mix the potatoes, salmon, greek yogurt, scallion, garlic paste, kosher salt and cayenne pepper, fill back into potato skins

: dress romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, sliced salted radishes, bean sprouts and tomatoes with honey/mustard dressing and fresh ground black pepper

: select a pretty serving platter 🙂

: arrange salad, dragon fruit slices and baked potatoes nicely on platter, sprinkle with pomegranate-seeds

: Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

: Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

: Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

: Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

: Stuffed Baked Potato With Smoked Salmon, Dragon Fruit And Salad

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Stir Fried Boneless Beef Ribs And Asparagus In Hoi Sin Sauce

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I bought these beauties to put them on the grill, but I had steak often lately so I changed my mind and prepared this tasty dish instead. I am glad I did, because it just hit the spot and left me happy with the choice I made.
Just goes to show – the first idea is not always the best 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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More Ribs on ChefsOpinion
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How to cook Fan (Chinese Steamed Rice)
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Stir Fried Boneless Beef Ribs And Asparagus In Hoi Sin Sauce

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Preparation :
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: blanche asparagus in salted water, shock in ice water, drain

: mix together 1/3 hoi sin sauce, 1/3 soy sauce, 1/3 water with 1 tblsp corn starch and 1 tsp chili paste

: boneless beef ribs

: cut the ribs into smaller pieces

: marinade with soy sauce, chili paste, garlic paste and corn starch

: stir fry in VERY hot peanut oil until the ouside is nicely browned but the inside is still med/rare

: remove meat from oil, set aside

: add blanched asparagus and raw peppers to the remaining oil, saute until heated through

: add the mixed sauce, bring to a simmer, after one minute, remove from heat

: add the beef, check / adjust seasoning

: sprinkle beef with lightly toasted sesame seeds, serve with steamed rice (Fan)

: Stir Fried Boneless Beef Ribs And Asparagus In Hoi Sin Sauce

: Stir Fried Boneless Beef Ribs And Asparagus In Hoi Sin Sauce

: Stir Fried Boneless Beef Ribs And Asparagus In Hoi Sin Sauce

: Stir Fried Boneless Beef Ribs And Asparagus In Hoi Sin Sauce

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Crispy Pata

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This super tasty and crispy dish is one of my all-time favorite Pinoy dishes. Usually it is made with a whole pork leg, but I also like it just the way I was introduced to it many years ago while living in the Philippines, with the cheapest cut of the leg, the feet.
The first time I had this dish was in Manila, when the maid I employed offered to share some of the food she cooked for herself and her husband that day. She was a bit shy to offer, since she thought the food might not be good enough for me, what with all the bones and stuff. She also used only the Feet, since she could not afford to buy the whole pork leg. I remember how happy and proud she was when I loved her cooking. After that, I had her cook for me this and other local specialties often, which we usually shared on the rooftop terrace which was a big deal for her and her husband. (This was in the early 80’s – a maid used to make $20-$30 a month, even less in the countryside. My maid’s husband was the caretaker at our apartment-building of 6 apartments, he made about the same salary. But, to their luck, they were allowed to sleep under the staircase on the ground floor, which they closed off with cardboard and a curtain and therefore considered them self fairly safe, comfortable and overall lucky with their living accommodations.)
Thankfully, times have changed, but there is still way too much poverty around the world and too many people must endure this kind of poverty or, sadly, worse 😦
But thinking about food should be a happy occasion, so back to the present and our Crispy Pata. While it is easy to prepare, you might want to do the frying outside if you can (think deep-fried turkey) In any case,be extremely careful when frying the feet or the whole leg in deep fat, because the moist meat tend’s to splatter a lot. A covered fryer will give some protection but still – use the utmost care !!!
Serve with atchara or avocado.
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Bon Appetit ! Kainan na !
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Click here for Atchara
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More Crispy Pata on ChefsOpinion
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More Pigs Feet on ChefsOpinion
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P.S.
Don’t even think about discarding the pork stock! It will make a very flavorful soup, as you can see below.
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Crispy Pata

Pork Soup With Pasta, Corn And Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: pigs feet

: score the skin

: simmer the feet with kosher salt, chili flakes, a dash of lime juice and lots of garlic paste

: meanwhile, mix chopped chilies, garlic paste, chopped onions and chopped cilantro with kosher salt and white vinegar

: chili-vinegar dipping sauce

: chili-vinegar dipping sauce

: skim the scum and most of the fat during simmering

: strain the stock, check / adjust the seasoning, add pasta, kernel corn, scallions and egg yolk to serve as an appetizer to the crispy pata

: when the feet are very ! tender but NOT falling apart, remove the feet from the stock, let dry for at least one hour

: fry in 375F oil until the skin is very crisp and the meat is still moist and juicy

: serve with atchara or avocado

: douse liberally with the chili-vinegar sauce

: Crispy Pata

: Crispy Pata

: Pork Soup With Pasta, Corn And Egg

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How To Turn Radiators Into A Delicious Dish…….

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“Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream”
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Pasta, garlic, cream and other “stuff” 🙂 – always quick and easy to prepare, yet very rewarding with big flavors and a lovely texture.
This is the kind of food I prepare when I “don’t feel like cooking”. After all, the whole preparation takes only a few minutes and is easy enough to be handled by a novice in the kitchen, all one needs is a few good ingredients and a passion for food, the rest will fall into place all by itself 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
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: saute garlic in olive oil until just starting to change color

: add salame julienne and onion julienne, saute until onions are translucent

: add julienned sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream, season with kosher salt and fresh-grated black pepper

: simmer until cream starts to thicken, remove from heat, add grated parmesan, check / adjust seasoning

: add fresh cooked radiatori with a bit of the cooking water, mix well

: plate on serving dish, sprinkle with freshly shredded parmesan

: Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

: Radiatore with Salame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Garlic-Confit Cream

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Easy Does It # 28 – Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

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So I am walking down the “forbidden” cake-isle at Publix, heroically ignoring every sweet temptation that beckons, almost reaching the end of the line and – BANG – there it was, the most delicious looking banana-walnut cake loaf you can imagine. Now, from my ( past 🙂 ) experiences with the Publix bakery department, their baked goods are pretty good, at least at the location I am shopping close to my home. I have been a huge fan of banana – walnut cake (and banana bread) ever since I had my first taste in the Caribbean many years ago. Sadly, I have not encountered many good versions over the years, with most of them being too sweet, too heavy, too dry and /or lacking strong banana taste or all of the above. Not so the one I got at Publix. Like so many of their baked goods, it was absolutely delicious. Very light, bursting with banana flavor and chock-full of walnuts, all for a very reasonable price.
(NO – I am not being endorsed by Publix, although maybe I should be 🙂 )
As soon as I got home, I dug into the first loaf, almost ate the whole thing and was a very happy camper (Probably shaved a day off of my life right there 😦 )
So the next day I had one more loaf and a bit from the first one. I decided to improve on a perfect thing and prepare “Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding”.
Originally, bread pudding (or cake pudding) was prepared to utilize stale bread or cake and revitalize it with the additional moisture from the egg/milk custard. Nowadays, people are usually less frugal. However, bread pudding and cake pudding have proven to be a popular dessert in countless variations, made with any kind of savory bread or sweet baked goods, from cake to doughnuts to cinnamon rolls and so forth, and with a great assortment of different custards and different nuts, fruits, dried fruits etc. There are fantastic versions out there, impeccably prepared and a pure delight to eat. Unfortunately, as with many other such simple concoctions, a vast sea of less than stellar bread puddings and cake puddings can and will be found, ruining the reputation of this wonderful dish. Too often, it is dry, tasteless and overly sweet and the bread or cake used would have seen a more honorable end to itself by being tossed straight into the garbage.
Not so the baby you see below. It was very light, very moist, with a superb thin, crisp, caramelized crust on the bottom, not too sweet and with the added goodness of vanilla and Greek-yogurt.
All in all, definitely the very best cake pudding I have ever tasted.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
The usual practice of whisking the milk and eggs together before soaking the bread or cake results in a more firm (dry?) version, which is more suitable for a commercial application where one lets the pudding cool down a bit before cutting it into perfect shapes.
My way of soaking the cake in the milk first, then adding the eggs and mixing it all carefully to avoid the cake pieces to break up results in a much more moist cake, encased in a light custard, which together form a marvel of perfectly textured pudding ; There – I said it – perfect 🙂
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P.P.S.
Because of the moist and almost creamy texture of the pudding, I decided not to turn the raspberries into a sauce as I originally had intended, which turned out to be a wise decision.
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Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: banana-walnut cake

: brush a ovenproof dish generously with butter

: whisk 3 cups of milk, 1 cup of greek yogurt, 1 tblsp sugar and a dash of organic vanilla extract

: cut the cake into large pieces, soak in the milk

: whisk 3 small eggs with a dash of organic vanilla extract and 1 tblsp of sugar or honey

: when most of the milk is absorbed by the cake, mix the rest of the milk with the eggs, carefull not to break-up the cake

: fill into ovenproof dish, top with butterflakes and sprinkle with sugar

: bake until custard has just set and bottom has lightly caramelized

: sprinkle with fresh raspberries and confectioners sugar

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

: Banana-Walnut-Cake Pudding

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Lamb Stew “Wiedenfelsen”

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Image: Property of Panoramio

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Click here for a short Video of Hotel Wiedenfelsen
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It seems about time that I dedicate a dish and name it for the place which started it all for me, the wonderful, elegant and classy “Hotel Wiedenfelsen” in the Black Forrest in Germany.
Before and during the time I was lucky to be am apprentice in this gem of a hotel, the tourist industry in Germany was dominated by hotels like this.
Medium in size, family-owned hotels and restaurants which were the pride of families which, in many cases, had operated these hotels and restaurants for generations. Sadly, because of changing demands, the industry took a sharp turn during the 70’s and many of these wonderful places became obsolete in a fast changing landscape of mostly chain-operated hotels. Only the strongest and the luckiest survived, while the rest gave way to cookie-cutter operations without charm and soul, or they just ceased to exist (including Hotel Wiedenfelsen). It has since seen various attempts to re-invent itself under different ownership, but has never managed to come even near it’s former glory).
Things were of course very different during the hotels heydays, the time during which I had the fortune to be accepted for a three-year apprenticeship under the tight and competent leadership of the Executive Chef (and son in law of the then-owners) Karl Mueller. Karl was a generous and warm person, taking care of us apprentices as if we were family. He was also extremely professional, strict and a severe applier of high culinary standards.
Although ours was a relatively small hotel (about 70 rooms, two restaurants and one banquet space), the standards with which our hotel operated were very high and impeccable indeed.
It was mostly because of these high standards of the whole family who owned and operated “Hotel Wiedenfelsen” that I have become the person I am and the chef I was for nearly five decades. Admittedly, it took an iron hand, a (seemingly at the time) short leash and not a few “fresh ones” to shape me (and a bunch of other apprentices) into the professional I became, but, looking back today, I am grateful to the Mehr family and the Mueller family to have never given up on me and guided me into the right professional and personal direction.
All of this (and more) went through my head yesterday while I was cooking this dish which was the first lamb dish Chef Mueller taught me so many years ago………..
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Thanks Karl, Uschi, Herr und Frau Mehr. God Bless ! 🙂
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