ideas

” Naan, Brie & Vegetable Pizza “

Indian, Italian, French, “CON-fusion” :- )

This was soo delicious !
Light, tasty, crispy; fun, easy and quick !

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Roast Pork Butt, Braised Veggies, Pork Jus & Applesauce “

Roast Pork Butt, Braised Veggies, Pork Jus & Applesauce

One of my beloved, hearty standby’s for a rainy day, spent at home with a good movie,
glass of wine or beer and a bunch of friend’s.
( And in case we are looking for Bella, we know to find her waiting in front
of the oven, enjoying the smell of good things to come.) 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Useless – Or Worth The Trouble ? “

Useless – or worth the trouble?
– trying to keep the “flame of excellence” going
for the next generation of cooks!
By Chef Hans Susser, CEC . CHE

Lately that’s a question that pops up, both in my head and during conversations with other experienced chefs, more and more frequently. Why do we do it and for what? Obviously the general impression of many old timer’s is that the younger generations “just don’t give a hood” anymore. While this might be increasingly true due to circumstances, I am happy to report that when we really look, we still see the diamonds in the rough being there, right under our eyes. Yes, they might be harder to spot because of the circumstances surrounding them (and sometimes us), but they are certainly out there. Maybe their numbers have been dwindling, but maybe this happened partially because we have stopped looking? If you need an expert about frustration, you found him right here. But then again, who are we to judge others when we fall into the same category. So, colleagues, both educators and especially professionals out there in the “real world” – keep on searching. We are getting paid to do so, but we should really be doing more because that is what set’s us apart from the mediocre rest that we so wholeheartedly criticize. The flame is still burning under our guard, so let’s keep it going, never to give up. Let the fuel be our knowledge, skills and care for our beloved profession. No flame can burn on hot air alone as so many wannabe “chefs” out there believe. One of the many sources of joy and satisfaction in our culinary profession is to discover that there are enough kids out there to carry on the flame in the future.
But for now, dear fellow chefs, don’t let the flame of excellence of culinary standards extinguish.

We, the REAL CHEFS, who possess the experience, knowledge and care, are still in charge to keep the flame burning – while we still can and care !

” Quer durch den Garten ” ( across the garden )

Tonights dinner : ” Quer durch den Garten ” .

When I was a kid, during the summer and the harvest season my mother, usually at least twice a month on a saturday, made a stew she called “quer durch den garten”, which literally translates into “across the garden”. It was never the exact same stew because she used whatever fresh vegetables were available that day and usually a stew cut of beef, sometimes sausages or chicken. As starch it was either potatoes, pasta or rice, depending on what was leftover in the fridge or readily available from the cupboard. when we sat down to the table we never knew which starch or protein to expect. However, there was always an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs. I believe this is the dish which has installed in me my live long love for stew’s of any kind.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Late Night Snack – Rotellini With Mushrooms & Creamy Tomato Sauce “

Got hungry at midnight last night.

Here is a simple, quick, delicious meal that takes only a few minutes to cook 🙂

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Currywurst “

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Here is my reply to a fellow chef who asked ( jokingly, I assume ) for a ” secret ” sausage recipe :

Only if you don’t laugh at this Jeff. 🙂
I will not give you a recipe for any sausage because i have never made one following a recipe. You give me the meat, I get the seasoning and method,and off we go. Sausage making is, as i am sure you know, not about recipes, but about understanding the chemical reactions of the ingredients, temperature and time and the result you want to achieve.
However, I am sure you have heard of the German “Curry Wurst”. There are many variations, but the main ” secret ” is the “Curry Sauce”. I have surprised many a fellow chef who was not familiar with curry wurst ( mainly americans , since curry wurst is not usually served in this country ), by serving them a variety of different sausages as curry wurst, The sausages were usually pretty good, so nothing earth shaking here. However, the reaction to my ” Curry Sauce ” was usually and, surprisingly to me, very positive.
I alway’s give up my recipes if somebody is mercyfully interested in them, but this one is so tremendously simple I don’t even consider it to be a recipe :
Simmer a bit of water, add curry powder, a bit of worcester sauce and ketchup. Simmer for a few minutes, cool down. Done.
Anything off the grill or pan or fryer you dip into this sauce – excellent !
As I said, don’t laugh – as with all food, sometimes the simple stuff gives the most satisfaction.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

All about CURRY WURST

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” Teriyaki Chicken, Naan, Lettuce & Ranch “

I think I found the world’s smallest electric grill.
Perfect for one portion.
Now we have 4 grills in the house ! 🙂

” Grilling Season Is Upon Us “

Grilling Season Is Upon Us ! ☺

Here are a few useful tips to increase your culinary satisfaction

1. It’s important to completely thaw the food that will be cooked. If it’s not thawed completely, the food will not cook evenly. Ideally, leave the food in the refrigerator until it has completely thawed.

2. Keeping what you are going to barbecue cold, and thoroughly cooking through are essential to healthy barbecue eating. Before cooking, the food should be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Meat should then be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, ground meats to 160 degrees, and poultry to 165 degrees. Using a food thermometer is essential.

3. Foods that will be barbecued should always be marinated in the refrigerator, rather than on the counter. And when reusing the marinade, it needs to be brought to a boil first, in order to kill bacteria.

4. The healthiest way to barbecue your food, according to the USDA, is to place it in the center of the grill, and put the coals off to the side. This will keep the juices from the food from dripping onto the coals. Also, any charred portions of meat should be removed and discarded.

5. During the summer it is easy to cook and leave food sitting around outside, but it can be dangerous to do so. A good rule of thumb is not to let the food sit out longer than one hour if the temperature is at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Cut the vegetables to allow for maximum surface area on the grill; this allows for easy turning and flipping with minimal slip through the grill grate. You can cut the vegetable down to a smaller size if needed when removed from grill.

7. Use the smallest amount of oil when tossing vegetables with oil spices before grilling. The oil coating the vegetables is what causes flash fire and leaves a black soot residue on your grilled vegetables.

8. Avoid oil and use a light marinade after the grilling; once grilled toss with your oil spice blend and hold until ready to serve.

9. Try and arrange/divide the heat whether that’s gas or charcoal into two separate sections of the grill providing both a direct (over heat) and indirect heat source (nothing under but just the warm heat under the grill cover.) This allows you to move your food to a cooking section and resting section.

10. Providing a rest is a secret key that is mostly overlooked. Allow for 5-8 minutes before cutting into any meats or vegetable when they come off the grill. Allow time for the natural juices to redistribute to the interior of the grilled item. When cooking those natural juices travel to the outside of the grilling item, you need to give those same juices time to return and re-hydrate before cutting into the vegetables or meats.

It’s also important to be patient and not overturn or move food. Once you place it on the grill, you should just let the grill do its magic, only turning vegetables and meat just once, twice at the most. Also, never press down on the food, which will squeeze the moisture out of it.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !

” Chicken Baked In Salt Crust “

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes.
Season the inside with sriracha and salt, stuff it with orange quarters,
lots of garlic and scallions. Then make the salt dough by combining egg whites,
salt and flour, pack the chicken in it and bake it until the meat has reached
a temperature of of 158. remove the chicken and let rest another 20 minutes
before opening the crust. The carry-over heat will take it to a safe 165 temperature.
For most effect, crack and open the crust table side. For condiments and sides,
you can go chinese or western. Because the texture and taste reminds me so much
of the time i used to live in singapore and enjoyed “Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice”,
I usually go chinese, but just condiments, no rice or vegetables because together with
Bella we usually eat the whole thing in one sitting ! You can of course accompany it
with steamed rice and maybe bok choy, or you can go western style and serve a
western style vegetable and maybe mashed potatoes or noodles, in which case you
probably serve it with a veloute to keep it all moist and tasty.

Enjoy ! Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !