Welcome, seems the  First Chefs Threadwas reaching over load so, we shall begin anew,,





please continue to bring your questions, frustrations and puzzles, share your recipes and culinary adventures and enjoy..
CHEF



<Corrected link - Z>

Here is another long time frustration of mine,  making chimichangas.  When deep frying a flour tortilla it tends to shrink and wants to open up, spilling the contents and /or filling the inside of the thing with oil.  Any tips for gluing or otherwise keeping it together?

Thanks for keeping with it Chef.  I'm sure it is a lot of work, but I learned (and am still learning) a great deal from the last thread.

The perfect grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup?

Ok, i have made several attempts at gumbo and i have yet to make a roux that hits the mark. They all taste fine, but not like the classy stuff i've had. What is your suggestion for making a great roux?? Thanks

Chef, thank you for taking the time to share your wealth of experience and knowledge.

Oh, and in on 1!

I'm no chef, but my mom makes a good grilled cheese with cream cheese, Monterrey jack, mozzarella, and 7 grain bread.  I try to get the recipe to see if I missed any thing.

I was thinking lobster tails and tuna for V day on Monday.  I am going to do the tuna sashimi style, so I am covered there.  Any tips for lobster tails?  I have done grilled, broiled, and steamed with mixed results.  Open to any method of preparing the tails.

Thanks for all your help.

I used your tips on the past thread for Prime rib, Bravo Sir....

Once again Chef is FAR more qualified to speak than myself, but I have a method for grilled cheese that is out of this world.

get a nice dense whole wheat bread (preferably home made) sliced thick 1". some perfectly ripe Camembert or Brie, and some mild cheddar (I prefer white cheddar as I don't want the coloring they put in it). put a VERY generous pat of real butter (1/2" off a 1/4lb stick) for each piece of bread in a cast iron skillet or griddle that has been heated to medium (let your skillet sit on the burner on medium for a while, we want very even heat across the entire cooking surface). As soon as you put a pat of butter down take a slice of bread and put it right on top of the butter and mover it around in a circular motion so that the bread gets coated all over in the melting butter. Once the butter is melted repeat for another piece of bread.
let the pieces of bread sit on the cooking surface until they become nice and toasted (think crunchy). Put a pat of butter on top in the middle of each piece of bread then one at a time flip and repeat the circular motion to coat the bread in the melting butter. Once both pieces are flipped lightly sprinkle the now exposed toasted sides of bread with garlic powder and a little fresh ground black pepper.
Put a piece of the cheddar down on top of one of the pieces of bread then slices of Brie or Camembert on top of the cheddar. flip the toasted side of the opposite piece of bread over on top of the cheese. Use a large metal spatula to smash down on top of the sandwich. Once the bottom piece of bread toasts up nice flip the whole sandwich over and press with the spatula again. Once the bottom piece of bread is toasted nicely turn out into a plate and cut corner to corner down the middle using your metal spatula. Let it cool just enough so that the cheese doesn't burn like napalm when you bite in, and serve.

Oh, holy crap!

tooth picks..pin it together. pull out before service

thank you

keep it up,,and post pics

I hit roux pretty hard in the last thread..check the index if you dont find what your seeking on ROUX come on back
one key thing in Gumbo and it's roux, it needs to be damn near burnt to be cajun correct..and smell of deep roasted nuts..

chef, I am trying your andoullie recipe tonight, I altered some of the flavors to my taste (I LOVE Garlic and thyme). I am taking pics to post as I go.

that works for me,,and I just did a fresh tomato soup on page 98 or 99 of the old thread a few days ago!
if you like it slightly less greasy,,use spray on olive oil from your MISTO...

thank you glad the prime came out well
lobster tails, I actually prefer grilled, well, I actually prefer Maine lobster..buy if your going Asian lets head that way for the full meal
Rock lobster with Ginger sauce
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 (6 oz. size) lobster tails
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Combine half the oil, half the ginger, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle over lobster tails, cover and chill 30 minutes.

Combine remaining sesame oil, remaining ginger, dry mustard, soy sauce and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Preheat to medium.

Grill lobster tails, meat side down 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over and grill 5 to 8 minutes more basting with sauce. Remove from grill and serve with remaining sauce

If you just want to grill..

Ingredients

   * 1 tablespoon lemon juice
   * 1/2 cup olive oil
   * 1 teaspoon salt
   * 1 teaspoon paprika
   * 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
   * 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
   * 2 10 to 12 ounce rock lobster tails

Directions

  1. Preheat grill for high heat.
  2. Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl, and slowly whisk in olive oil. Whisk in salt, paprika, white pepper, and garlic powder. Split lobster tails lengthwise with a large knife, and brush flesh side of tail with marinade.
  3. Lightly oil grill grate. Place tails, flesh side down, on preheated grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, and basting frequently with marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Lobster is done when opaque and firm to the touch.

Chef

Chef-



You are a gentleman and a scholar.  Cheers to a new thread!

Here you go Enigma

oh man, I hope you mean whole cloves of garlic and not "whole cloves".... Shutter...

Couple years ago at a midlevel restaurant in Delaware I ordered  pork tenderloin as an entrèe.  They rolled it in ground cloves before cooking.  You could not even pretend to take a bite of it.  And worse yet the waitress did not come back for about 15-20 minutes and everyone else was almost finished eating.



 

well...
wer we talking roasted garlic bulb you can schmear on to fresh french bread?

or, chopped roasted garlic tossed into the bread dough prior to baking?

or roasted garlic and bread


Roasted garlic is too easy, hell even my second wife could make it..

Ingredients

   * 10 medium heads garlic
   * 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. Arrange heads of garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle garlic with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, when the garlic is soft and squeezable, it is ready. Remove, let cool, and serve.

IF your baking your own bread and want to place roasted garlic inside  the bread to bake, allow garlic to cool, squeeze garlic paste from the paper bulb and add to your Mixed bread dough, DO NOT add at the beginning as it will permeate the entire loaf, fold in the garlic after the first rise so there are streaks of garlic mixed through the bread .





garlic and bread
Ingredients

   * 3 bulbs garlic
   * 2 tablespoons olive oil
   * 1  loaf Italian or french bread
   * 1/2 cup butter
   * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
   * 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the bulbs on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft.
  2. Set the oven to broil. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally, and place cut side up on a baking sheet.
  3. Squeeze the cloves of garlic from their skins into a medium bowl. Stir in the butter, parsley, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Spread onto the cut sides of the bread.
  4. Broil for about 5 minutes, until toasted.

Thank you

CHEF

the stupidity of some people, we all have seen the big pic of the ham, pork loin, studded with cloves..which are little STICKS..and though they look cool and uniform, ther are inedible, well, you can chew on them, but they are NOT for general consumption and should be removed prior to service...idiots...NOTHING should on on an entree plate that isnt edible..
buffet presentations, another story.

CHEF

well Mother and Dad did teach me to be polite..though I rather they taught me to be smart

how about an adobada receipe?

I found a really cool Mexican butcher shop (there is a bit of a language barrier if you know what I mean)
and they had adobada which I love

so i bought some.

it's got the red sauce marinated

but it had no flavor

clearly the little mexican wives are adding something that I didn't.

It helped but isn't tangy enough... too sweet.

What else do you have in your bag o' recipes?

Adobada, translated  from Spanish means "marinated", and found in many dishes that are common in Mexican cuisine similar to "tacos". and found in different varieties from Chihuahua to  Ushuaia  Adobada is generally pork marinated in a "red" chili sauce with vinegar and oregano, there are dozens of regional differences found in the marinade it would be nigh impossible to replicate what you're looking for here, or in a 1/2 dozen ethnic butcher shops. so here's a shot!



slow cook adobada
Ingredients:
   * 6 Mew Mexico anaheim dried red chilies
   * 4 dried pasilla peppers
   * 1/2 cup cider vinegar
   * 1 medium onion, chopped
   * 5 garlic cloves, chopped
   * 1 tablespoon ground cumin
   * 1 cup chicken stock
   * 2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
   * 2 tablespoons brown sugar
   * 2 tablespoons tomato paste
   * 1 -2 teaspoon olive oil
   * 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
   * 3 lbs lean pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
   * salt and pepper, to taste

1. clean chilli pods removing stem and saving seeds.
2. Place chilli's on baking sheet, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. roast the chile for 10 minutes.
4. Place the chilli's in blender container.
5. Bring the chicken stock to a boil, add cider vinegar and pour over chilli.
6. Allow to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes to soften chilli.
7. Add orange juice concentrate, tomato paste, brown sugar and cumin.
8. Blend into a smooth paste, add 1 tablespoon of the left over chilli seeds and blend until smooth if you want to tone it down a bit, DO NOT do this..
9. Warm olive oil in skillet, add onions and garlic.
10. Saute  onions until they brown lightly then pour onions into crock pot.
11. Toss the pork with 1 tablespoon of flour. usually best done in a plastic bag, shaken and covered as evenly as possible.
12. add pork cubes to the onion and brown stirring frequently be sure you brown it as evenly.
13. when meat is browned, transfer to crock pot then pour 1/2 cup water into skillet, bring to a boil and scrape up browned bits, Pour this into the crock pot along with chilli sauce, stirring well.
14. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

CHEF


there is also this version
   1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
   3 lbs. pork butt or shoulder, well-trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
   2 onions, chopped
   6 cloves garlic, chopped
   1 tsp. salt
   1 Tbsp. flour or masa harisa
   1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
   1 cup (8 oz.) ground dried New Mexican red chile powder
   6 cups water or broth


1. Preheat oven to 350°.
 
2. In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. When hot, add pork pieces to brown (add only enough so the pieces are in a single layer and don't touch each other; you will need to do this in batches). Pork should sizzle the minute it touches the pot; if it doesn't, remove it and wait for the pot to heat up. Cook, undisturbed, until well-browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn and brown on all sides. Transfer pork to a large bowl or plate and repeat with remaining batches.
 
3. When all pork is browned and set aside, add onions, garlic, and salt to pot. Cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and pepper and cook, stirring until the flour is starting to brown and has the smell of toasted nuts or piecrust.
 
4. Add ground chilli and stir to combine. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
 
5. In a blender, whirl chilli mixture until smooth. Return to pot and add another 1 cup water and reserved pork. Bring to a boil, cover, and bake 1 hour. Stir, add additional 1 cup water if stew seems dry, and bake until pork falls apart with a fork and sauce is thick, about another hour. Serve hot.

you beat me to the punch there,
the preference is going to be tart/tangy V sweetness the variable is going to be the sugar/vinigar ratio..I would start cutting the sugar in 1/2 and tripling the Vinegar then modify from there

I did this before I posted but thought:  why reinvent the wheel??

Given your response to the Chefs recipe I would back the sugar back a little and add think about your choice of type and quantity of acid.

We taste acids as tart or sour, different types of acids are sour in different sorts of ways. Vinegar varies dramatically from what the vinegar was made form and the duration / type of aging method employed. I personally am a HUGE fan of a well aged (15 year or better) Cheri vinegar for most dressings. In my opinion I would either step up to a more acidic vinegar or increase your quantity (if you increase the quantity you are going to make it more liquid and thin your dressing).

I will warn you that you will probably suffer a little from sticker shock from a little bitty bottle of aged Cheri vinegar, but keep in mind that it is sour as can be and you don't need much.

Chef!
Cant believe I overlooked this thread for so long!

Great reading combined with useful information.

Love the stories tacked to the answers...so enjoyable to read that I halfway wonder if you don't concoct them for our entertainment.

You should consider writing a book with the chapters starting with life adventures and characters followed by recipes.

I do think that you need to create a recipe that includes a pinch of gunpowder  

Landjaeger or Jaeger Sausage is a common dry style sausage found through out Europe in similar batches and each is a different as it's origin.Germans, Swiss, Italians all seem to lay claim to it in one version or another in it's orgination.
LandJaeger made from beef, pork,and or Venison,  lard, and sugar and spices.
It is air dried and resembles a small salami. It does not require refrigeration and can be eaten cold or boiled.
I recently did something on it in this current thread I believe.



Meats


pork (70/30) 1.5 lb.
lean beef   1/2 lb.


Ingredients per  2lb of meat

salt 5 tsp
Cure #2 ½ tsp.
dextrose (glucose) ½ tsp.
pepper 1 ½ tsp.
cumin 1 tsp.
nutmeg ½ tsp

T-SPX culture 0.12 g
Instructions
1. Grind pork through 3/16” plate. Grind beef through 1/8;” plate.
2. Mix all ingredients with meat.
3. Stuff loosely (80% capacity) into 32-36" hog casings. Make links 6-8” long. Place stuffed sausage between two boards, with some weight on top, to flatten the sausage.
   Then move to a fermentation room.
4. Ferment at 68º F for 72 hours, 95-90% humidity.
5. Remove boards and wipe off any slime that might have accumulated under boards.
6. Dry at room temperature until casings are dry to the touch. Hang square shaped sausages on smokesticks.
7. Cold smoke 68º F for a few hours to prevent growth of mold.
8. Dry at  60-54º F 85 -80% humidity. In about six weeks a shrink of 30% should be achieved.
9. Store sausages at  50-59º F <75% humidity.


To make a semi-dry version of the sausage, add total of 1% dextrose and ferment at  75º F for 24 hours.


Unless you're an experienced sausage maker, the proper humidity V temps can be challenging..Be safe

Thank you for your question..

CHEF

In

Glad to see you doing another thread, Chef.  

I had this fear that you would grow tired of us.

Chef Morris, thank you for both this thread and the original.  I've been lurking and working my way through part 1 and have learned to keep a notepad next to the computer....your Alfredo sauce is high on my list of things to try this week.  Reading through this reminds me of growing up watching Justin Wilson, Martin Yan, and Jeff (or maybe Geoff) Smith, the Frugal Gourmet on public TV (I hope you'll take that as a compliment) as they were always very educational and entertaining.  I have another iced tea question...or maybe a follow up to the original.  

From part 1:

"...so the problem with tea is stupid lazy wait staff that just wont do it right
tea needs to be brewed properly measurement to water.
tea needs to be held correctly
tea can not be stored more than 4 hours at room temp to be fresh
tea cannot be refridgerated and reserved the next day..."

Does this apply only to restaraunts?  Since I read it I've started bleaching and scrubbing my tea pitchers after every use, but I'm still drinking "old" tea.  It's always been a little like chili or stew for me where a night in the refrigerator to "come together" and get good and cold always seems to make it taste better the next day. A gallon (brewed w/ my recipe below in case it makes any difference) will usually last me (live alone) 2 or 3 days, sometimes more depending on what and where I'm eating and it stays in the fridge unless I'm actually pouring a glass.  Am I flirting with Botulism or is it just more of a problem when you're dealing with open containers and common sources and leaving things out all day?  

and just in case it makes a difference (say vs a drip machine for example) here's how I make it:
Boil 2-3 cups of water in a saucepan
remove from heat and add 3 Decaf Family size teabags (my preferred strength, as always preferences vary) and steep 15-20 minutes
fill a clean pitcher half full with hot tap water and dissolve 1/2 -3/4 cup of sugar or honey to taste (I actally prefer the honey in it )
add the brewed tea base to the pitcher and enough cold water to make up the rest of the gallon, stir and refrigerate immediately
 

As always, thank you Chef!

Never,,

Thanks and sorry, I didn't know u didn't include sushi preparation

you are welcome..the original write up was mostly regarding restaurants.. as fresh is fresh and it has been proven tea will grow bacteria which was totally against old school rational and bleach kills damn near everything and keeps thing bright,shiny and whites whiter...
keeping tea, prepared in your refer for a few days is NOT going to kill you and if you prefer the taste, good for you but don't tell guests it's fresh as they will say your a liar and storm out of our house never to be seen again... so, beyond your in laws, don't do that to your friends and family.

your recipe sounds fine, be sure to remove the tea bags as they will continue to seep and I feel may be a fertilized base for bacteria.

thank you please feel free to bring more questions and issues,

CHEF

no worries, the research was educational for both of us...

ClanDireWolf requested a plum sauce recipe in another thread, here it is..



Store-bought plum sauce is made with vinegar, sugar, and other seasonings resulting in a sweet, jam-like sauce with a tart flavor

home made plum sauce should only be held a few days as there are no preservatives as found in commercial jarred products.
it is best to make this the day before allowing it to gel and "season" a bit in a sealed container over night.

Chinese Plum Sauce Recipe
(Makes about 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients:
1.5 lb of fresh plums, steamed, peeled, seeded, cut up and mixed with with 1/2 cup of sugar and cooked to a reduced puree
OR  1 12-ounce jar plum preserves  
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced red chile or crushed red pepper or Chili Paste from the Asian market
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame, walnut or olive oil

Directions:
lightly saute Onion, Ginger and Garlic until onion begins to clarify, add red chilies,  brown sugar, and vinegar cook together a few minutes than add plums
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then simmer a few minutes to blend flavors. IF USING fresh Plums, they have a bit more pectin than some fruits and usually doesn't need added thickening in jelly production but you may want to use a bit of cornstarch and water at the boiling point to tighten it up..allow to cool and chill.

hope that gets you close..if not CHEF MATE has/had a spicy plum sauce that is similar to LaChoy's and JACK in the Box used to use if in thier menu at some point 10 years or so ago..my last Ex liked it...ant that's the only reason I know that.
CHEF

Chef
Anyway you can Hotlink the last thread in this one?  
I can't say I read ever last post either [though you were generous enough to span the entire thread]

Did you cover :
Pasta Carbonara ?  

If you covered this just reply [yes] and I'll hunt for it?  

+1 I want to hear this one too, I have a fresh Guanciale I am looking forward to using SOON!


The first "ask the chef" thread

The index makes it pretty easy to find.





 

Thanks Harvester.

Hey chef,

Your carbonara recipe calls for cream, so many I have read do not. Can you explain the schools of thought?

smooths out the flavor and pulls the dish together..personal preference some recipes call for cream, some for cream cheese etc....with out it, it's just butted noodles with bacon..



CHEF

I was studying up a bit on carbonara as I am intending trying it soon to use my guanciale (as previously sated). I have read a LOT of recipes that do not call for any cream at all, and have pretty much agreed with you that that in the end you just have some greasy noodles with half cooked egg.

EX.
http://www.mariobatali.com/recipes_carbonara.cfm

Chef, I've been making my own bread lately



And have been pleased with the results. I've started slitting the top to let it rise as you see, and brushing melted butter on the top while it cooks to make the top crust softer.

I've been cooking for 30 minutes at 350*, but would like to know if I can cook it longer at a lower temp to make a softer crust?

I found this recipe on the web and it's basically what I've been doing:

Amish White Bread makes 2 loaves
2 cups warm water (110degrees)
1/2 cup white sugar
11/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast ,
11/2 teaspoons salt,
1/4 cup vegetable oil,
6 cups flour ~~

I add 1/2 stick butter also.

can u give me instructions on how to cook octopus for sushi?

I am NOT a sushi chef..
I have had several varities of Japanese food including sushi, sashimi and sobo noodle. none of which I acquired a taste for, just not my thing..

so, My understanding in the preparation of octopus is "text" book only and that is takes a practiced hand in mastering the preparation.


Ingredients:
4-5 pounds frozen octopus
Kombu (Japanese kelp)
2 oz sea salt
Daikon (Japanese radish)
Water

To Prepare:

1. bring to a boil about a gallon of water, and add a good sized piece of kombu and about 2 oz of sea salt.  

2. Thaw octopus in cold water, then rinse and drain well.

3. massage the octopus with a large amount of fresh grated or chopped daikon radish and sea salt. I understand the purpose is to clean off any slime, and to tighten the skin up. While doing that, turn the head inside out and check for any leftover viscera. Remove any that's found, then return the head sac to it's correct shape.

4. using tongs, fork or chop sticks immerse the octopus into the boiling water until the tentacles begin to curl up. Lower the heat about 1/2 and simmer the octopi for about 5-10 minutes.
   turn the heat off and cover the pot allowing the octopus cool in the liquid for at least an hour, then place the whole pot in the refer overnight  it's the slow cooling that tenderizes the meat
  Remove the octopus from the water, rinse and let it dry a bit. Slice thinly on an angle and serve.

the skin around the head tends to be very tough and is better off discarded. The very top of the tentacles where they conjoin into the head may have a gelatinous layer right under the skin that's not good and should be removed as well.

hope that helps

Chef,

Is there any way to speed "season" a cast iron skillet.   I've got several pieces that are years old and well seasoned.  

Recently purchased a new size and want to season as well as others I've had and curious if some foods / oils do a better job than others or at speeding the process.  The piece came pre seasoned but its nothing like my ones that are seasoned thru years of use.