You ain't nothin but a flapjack

Allthough I have some post-11am fare planned for later this month...

THE BREAKFAST TREND CONTINUES!

(with a day in the life of the breakfast decision at casa de oso)

Oso: Hey Babe, what do you want for breakfast?

Teeny: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Oso: Grits? Waffles? French Toast? Eggs?

Teeny: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....

Oso: Pancakes?

Teeny: *Eyes Aflame* YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!.....

With bananas!

Ok, so, she wasn't THAT excited, but she should've been, for my banana pancakes were in fact, the shiz.

Now, you must understand, Teeny requires bacon for breakfast. A no bacon breakfast is akin to giving Bruce Banner a purple nurple. You wouldn't like Teeny with no bacon, Teeny smash. So, my mind adrift in the midst of measuring and mixing, I mentally meandered through the mess of flavors mucking up my mind. ..

Bacon and Bananas....

Bacon and Bananas and...

Bacon and Bananas and... Peanut Butter...

That's right, a breakfast fit for the king. I appreciate the spontaneous motivation, Mr. Presley.

The King... of Pancakes


1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 ea. Banana
1 ea. Egg
1 tbsp. Honey
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Milk
4 strips Bacon
2 tbsp. Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1. In a large bowl, Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar.

2 In a second, similarly large bowl, mash the banana with a fork until it is no longer recognizable as a banana. Go nuts.

3. Once thoroughly mashed, add your honey, heavy cream, and milk.

4. Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, and mix until just smooth. Do not, as aforementioned, go nuts.

5. Depending on your love for bacon, you can fry your pancakes in rendered bacon fat or butter... or both... You have to cook the bacon anyway, I'm just sayin'...

6. Pour out about a tablespoon a batter onto your properly lubricated pan/griddle (over medium heat). The pancakes take roughly a minute on each side.

7. In a third bowl! (too many bowls, I know) whip the cream until you've achieved... whipped cream!

8. Heat up the peanut butter (in a microwave, or otherwise) until it's mostly melted.

9. Drizzle the peanut butter into your whipped cream and Ta Da! Peanut Butter Whipped Cream. Serve this on top of your pancakes.

Pho-nomenal

Gooooooooood Morning, Vietnam!

We've hit the international portion of our culinary journey at the ole' bleu and a few nights ago we took a stop in the Far East. The first few days of this class have been rather interesting. Rather then focus on a region and make X dishes from said area, we focus on an ingredient and it's applications around the world. Rice night was a turning point in my life, and not because of the noodles.

Pho, pronounced Fuh, like you'd really like to scream something obscene but there are small children and grandmothers around, is basically a flavorful broth that once completed is poured over a variety of "condiments" to quick cook them and enhance the broth even further. Long story short it's liquid heaven and I implore you to make this at home.

6 oz Ginger (peeled, whole)

2 lbs. Onion (quartered)

X Thai Chilis (how hot do you like it?)

8 Star Anise

5 Cloves (whole)

1 tsp. Black Peppercorns

5 lbs. Oxtail

2 lbs. Beef Chuck (whole)

2 oz. Fish Sauce (it's not gross, I promise)

2 oz. Sugar

2 gal. Stock (if you are stockless, use water)

1 lb. Rice Noodles (the thin kind)

2 qt. Hot Water

8 oz. Lean Beef (raw, sliced very thin)

8 oz. Yellow Onion (julienne)

1 Bunch o' Scallions (sliced on the bias)

1 Bunch o' Thai Basil (minced)

1 Bunch o' Cilantro (minced)

2 Limes (cut into wedges)

2 oz. Thai Chilis (minced)

1. Take the oxtail and beef chuck, place it in a pot of cold water, and set it to boil.

2. Once boiled, drain the liquid and reserve the meat

3. Clean out all the smegma from the pot and set it over high heat with no oil

4. Put in your ginger, 2 lbs. of onion, and thai chilis, and cook until you develop char on them.

5. In a seperate pan, toast your star anise, clove, and peppercorns

6. Return the meat, your newly toasted spices, and your stock to the pot w/ the charred ginger and onions. Set this to simmer for 2.5 hours.

7. About 30 min. before service, rehydrate the rice noodles with the hot water by simply pouring it over the noodles.

8. Remove the meat and slice it to be served with the broth

9. Strain the broth

10. To serve place whatever accoutrement you desire in a bowl and ladle the broth over. The heat from the broth will quick cook all the items and impart huge flavor. Don't scared to dabble with the raw beef, it's delicious and will cook perfectly in the heat of the broth.

McDonald's SchMcDonald's

So, Sara found a recipe for Eggs Cocotte that she was interested in trying out and I was more than happy to oblige. One of the biggest intricacies of the culinary world is egg cookery, and I was quite interested to experiment with the timing involved in baking whole eggs.

We were missing a few ingredients, and the idea to walk to the grocery struck me. I think all this waking up and cooking is screwing with my otherwise sane, lathargic rational. Well, needless to say, I immediatley regretted the decision to do so. I'm not sure if you're aware, but it's August, in Florida. The humidity is roughly 18,000%.

Upon my sweat soaked arrival, I wiped my thoroughly moistened brow and got to work.

Eggs Cocotte are super easy, so I decided to do it 3 ways. I love complicating things.

The basic recipe for 1 cocotte is as follows:

1 OVEN-PROOF Ramakin

1 oz. Fresh Spinach

1 Whole Egg

1 tbsp. Whole Milk (allthough I'm not really sure why, more on this later...)

1/4 c. Grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper to taste

Butter (as needed)

1. Preheat your oven to a toasty 400F

2. Buttah yo' Ramakin

3. Layer the spinach along the bottom of ramakin

4. Crack the egg over top.

5. It says to add a Tablespoon of milk here, but I tried it both ways and to be honest, it came out better without the milk. Feel free to experiment though.

6. Season and Cheese (ya, that's right, I made it a verb)

7.... Now the recipe says to bake @ 400F for 6 minutes, which if you decide to try this recipe will realize isn't nearly enough. Unless you like really runny whites... Or snot. In order to finish up the top I found kicking the oven over to broil after a few minutes @ 400F makes the whites firm up nicely whilst leaving your yolks deliciously fluid.

8. Voila, Egg Cocotte

As I mentioned earlier, I played with the recipe a little bit and decided to make a faux egg mcmuffin. Ronald ain't got nuthin on me. Same concept as above except...

1 English Muffin

1 Slice Canadian Bacon, eh?

1 Egg

1 oz. Cheddar Cheese

Salt and Pepper

1. Split the muffin and put the bottom half in the bottom of a buttered ramakin.

2. Layer as per usual

3. Toast the top half of the english muffin seperatley or the cocotte will take an eon to cook.

And finally, for the spanish flair:

1 English Muffin

2 oz. Sliced Chorizo

1 Egg

1 oz. Queso Fresco

Green Onions at your leisure

Salt and Pepper

1. Same as above. Garnish with Green Onions after baking.

Breakfast: Part Deux

So, following yesterdays theme of... waking up *wretch* and cooking breakfast, here's another wonderful item for you all to try at home! (How's my TV Chef voice coming across?)

Today's dish is ridiculously simple, and takes all of 8 seconds to make. What it lacks in difficulty it makes up for in deliciousness, I swears.

Here's what you'll need:

1 Croissant

2 Slices Prosciutto (Super Thin, like Kate Moss Thin)

2 Slices Gruyere (That's Cheese)

2 Slices Peach

1 tsp. Grainy Mustard

1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Here's what you do:

1. Set the broiler option on your oven.

*side note* I realized yesterday that if you haven't cleaned your oven in a while, this leads to smokey catastrophe. Nonetheless!

2. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, vinegar and olive oil to make a tasty sauce.

3. Slice your croissant and toast it in the broiler, top side up, for about a minute. Flip it over and cover each side with a slice a cheese, and let it go until the cheese it melted.

4. Remove said toasty, cheesey croissant from the broiler and assemble your sandwich. A little prosciutto, a few peaches, some sauce, and voila!

(Optional) Set some coffee for your slightly grumpyinthemorning girlfriend and watch that frown turn upsidedown! (ha!)

Sara's Breakfast - Day 1

Hello and good morning to all of my (surely unfaithful by now) wonderful readers!

The last few months have been rather chaotic what with school, girlfriends moving in, and other random madness. I apologize for the extreme lack of tasty posts, but I assure you, I'm really trying to get back into the swing of things.

On that note, my very wonderful girlfriend suggested to me the other day that I cook her breakfast more often. Now, I'm not exactly a morning person, If I wake up before noon it's probably directly related to some sort of astral phenomena that happens about as often as halley's comet. However, this should prove beneficial to the blog, and my sleep schedule.

So today is just a simple French Toast recipe that I've been using for eons (when I wake up in time to do so anyway)

A few Slices of your favorite day old bread (I used sourdough today, but I <3>

2 Eggs

2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1/8 Tsp. Cinnamon

Butter (for frying)

Maple Syrup, to serve

1. Heat up your favorite skillet (Medium Heat)

2. In a bowl beat your eggs with the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and brown sugar.

3. Melt butter in the skillet whilst you soak a slice or two of the bread at a time in the batter.

4. Fry up your french toast. Depending on the heat of your skillet this should take roughly 3-4 minutes

5. Combine the remaining cinnamon and sugar to make.... cinnamon sugar! Dust this on your toast as your leisure OR...

(6.) Turn on the broiler option of your oven and place the heavily dusted french toast underneath. Watch for the crystallized sugar to melt and pull them out.Voila! Cinnamon Toast.

7. Enjoy ~ either way =) These pictures and the noms were courtesy of Sara. Thanks babe!

Unscheduled Hiatus

Happy Friday all my faithful readers. Allthough, it's possible that your numbers have diminished due to the lack of updates on this little blog of mine. I apologize profusely for said absence. My computer fell victim to some sort of Cylon logic bomb and nearly exploded two weeks ago. The repairs took much longer than I would have liked.

But rest assured fellow foodies, I'm still here, and while I'm a bit unprepared in terms of new and exciting culinary delights, I do have a few pictures from school I'd like to share with you. We're in the butchering portion of the curriculum and needless to say, have been cooking a lot of protein. Here's a sample of what my last three weeks have looked like:

Not sure if you're a fan of New York Strip, so here are twenty of 'em:

Said NYS with Steak Fries and Grilled Balsamic Vegetables:

Churrasco!

A slice of Churrasco with Sriracha and Roasted Garlic: (QUITE tasty)

BBQ Beef Brisket (say that 5 times fast)

Asian BBQ glazed Pork Chop with Whipped Potatoes and Roasted Summer Vegetables:

Osso Bucco on Polenta with Espagnole

Aaaand finally, not from school, but from a Lechon at the grandparents house. That is indeed a whole roasted pig:

A real post tomorrow, I promise =)

My salsa

So, we made some handy fruit salsa in class last night, and I thought I'd share. It's super simple and super tasty, with the sweetness of the melon and mango playing off the sharp red onion and mellow red pepper. The jalapeno and crushed red pepper provide just the right amount of heat to expand your pallete and make the contrasting flavors pop even more. The cilantro and lime juice finish the bite marvellously; the acidity of the lime coupled with the savory cilantro is a classic flavor profile that you're going to see me use a lot.

My phone was dead, so no pics right now. I'll remake the salsa and post some for your viewing pleasure. BUT, All you need is... (love?)

4 oz. Honeydew Melon (small dice)

4 oz. Mango (small dice)

4 oz. Red Pepper (small dice)

2 oz. Red Onion (small dice)

1 ea. Lime (da' juice)

1 oz. Cilantro (minced)

1 oz. Jalapeno (optional)

Salt, Pepper, and Crushed Red Pepper

1. This step is optional, but I feel it provides the salsa with a deeper, sweeter background. I took all my fruit and vegetables to the grill for just a few seconds, skin side up. This caramelizes the natural sugar in the fruit, and gives you a wonderful layer of flavor.

2. Knife precision is crucial in a presentation like salsa. With all the contrasting colors, you wouldn't want your product looking like Stevie Wonder works in your kitchen, because visual stimulation is a big deal. You look at your food before you eat it, it whets your appetite when you're presented with a beautiful plate of food. On the contrary, when's the last time anybody was excited about eating porridge? 

Making a perfect, little, cube out of something oblong, and quite, un-cubelike may seem a bit daunting, but trust me, you have the technology, you can rebuild it. Start off by cutting "planks" of your desired width, then move down to strips (trimming off the oblong ends), and then to cubes. Small dice is generally accepted as 1/4" x 1/4" x 1/4". I'll post some pictures later tonight to better illustrate the cutting down of your product.

2a. If you're going to add the Jalapeno, make sure to deseed it and remove the membrane, unless you're a spice fiend (like myself). Most of the heat is held in the essential oils packed into the seeds. If you like the flavor of the pepper, but want it even more mild, blanch (submerge in boiling water) it for 10-15 seconds.

3. Once your product looks like a fleet of tiny, borg cubes, ready to assimilate your taste buds with flavor (resistance is futile), toss it all together with the juice of one lime, the cilantro, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. 

4. Bon a petit 

We are getting more and more creative license in class these days, which is amazing. As such, I served the salsa on top of a dry rubbed, grilled, and honey glazed chicken breast. I'll demo my rub in the following post, as well as some guava BBQ sauce I concocted the other day. 

Mother

I've noticed that a lot of people have some sort of precognat aversion to French food, and, to be honest, I'm not sure why. The bulk of what you eat, like it or not, is French. For example:

Hamburger = Steak Hache

French Fries = Pomme Fritte

Therefore (if my calculations are correct) 75% of most of your diets are French. Those sneaky Italians and their delicious pizza take up the remaining 25%.

The main argument I hear is that "French food is just sauce"...

... Who the hell doesn't like sauce? 

Who among you has gone to McDonald's *shudder* for some mcnuggets *double shudder* and not asked for some sweet n' sour, or BBQ? How about the gravy you slather all over your turkey and mashed potatoes? Or... How about that mac n' cheese you love so much that your grandmama makes from scratch?

"but... Oso" you say "there's no sauce in mac n' cheese, silly" and to you I reply "Au contraire, mon a mi" (<- see what I did there?) What makes your grandmama's mac n' cheese so amazing is two very special, very French, very saucy techniques. The first a roux, and the second, the mother sauce known as bechamel.

A roux (roo) is, by standard definition, a cooked mixture that is equal parts fat and flour. A roux, by Oso's definition, is a magical substance, probably invented by a wizard, that turns ordinary liquid into silky, decadent wonderment. Roux is also defined by the degree to which it is cooked. Lightly cooked rouxs are known as whites, providing a lot of thickening power, but little flavor. Whereas heavily cooked, or brown rouxs are the opposite; little thickening power, but a toasted, nutty flavor. Rouxs are what make your alfredo sauce creamy and your gumbo stacked like a brick house. 

There are five classic mother sauces, and they are as follows:

Espagnole, Veloute, Bechamel, Tomato, and Hollandaise. (More on the other four later, I promise)

Bechamel is known as a mother sauce because there are hundreds, if not thousands of other sauces, or derivatives, you can make from it. Bechamel is basically milk thickened with our aforementioned friend, the roux. A white roux to be precise. The French have this knack for keeping their sauces either very light (blanc) or very dark (brun). A dark roux would therefore discolor your pristine white sauce. Bechamel provides the cook with a wonderful canvas to create the creamy decadence of their choice. The onion pique and the hint of nutmeg are ever present in whatever derivative you might... derive, as they provide the bechamel with a mellow taste on the back of the tongue.

Let's move on, shall we? To the action packed portion of tonight's episode...

Oso's Rojo Mac N' Cheese (this ain't your gradmama's recipe)

Roux

4 oz. Flour

4 oz. Butter

Bechamel

3 cups Whole Milk

1/2 ea. Yellow Onion

2 ea. Whole Clove

1 ea. Bay Leaf

Roux (as needed)

Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg (to taste)

Mac N' Cheese

1 box Pasta of your choice

.75 lbs. Manchego Cheese (shredded)

.75 lbs. Mahon Cheese (shredded)

2 tbsp. Chili Powder

1.5 lbs. Fresh Chorizo (casing removed)

1/2 ea. Red Onion (small dice)

1 ea. Red Bell Pepper (small dice)

2 ea. Garlic Clove (minced)

2 oz. Cilantro (minced)

Red Wine (as needed)

Salt, Pepper, Cayenne (to taste)

Topping

2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

2 tbsp. Butter

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

6 ea. Garlic Clove

! Make sure to cook your pasta as per the directions on the side of the box =P

! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

1. For the topping: In a saute pan, combine your butter and olive oil, and quickly saute the garlic. Add the bread crumbs and coat well with the fat in the pan. Set aside.

2. Assemble your roux by melting your butter and gradually adding the flour while whisking. Be careful to avoid clumping by adding too much flour at once. A lumpy roux will lead to strategically placed, flour filled landmines in your sauce (note: this is not delicious). A finished roux has the consistency of wet sand.

2. An onion pique is half of an onion studded with clove and a bay leaf. Make it like this:

3. In a 4 quart sauce pot begin heating your milk over low heat, with your onion pique, bay leaf down. Once the natural sugar in the milk begins to stick to the sides of the pot:

you're ready to remove the onion pique, and begin incorporating your roux.

4. Slowly whisk in your roux until the sauce becomes nappe, or coats the back of the spoon. The sauce should be fluid, yet keep it's place when you run your finger down the back of said spoon.

5. Once you've achieved the desired consistency, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Voila, bechamel achieved.

6. If you're happy with your bechamel, add your chili powder and start incorporating the cheese (slowly). Once all the cheese is melted, set the sauce on the back burner to stay warm, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching.

7. In a saute pan, brown your chorizo in a small amount of olive oil, and remove it from the pan. In the rendered fat, caramelize your red onions, bell pepper, and garlic. 

Deglaze with red wine and add to your cheese sauce, along with the chorizo. Season the sinful concoction to taste with salt, pepper, cayenne, and cilantro.

9. Combine your cheesey, chorizo-y mixture with the cooked pasta and fill your favorite baking vessel. Spread the reserved topping and toss in the oven for 15-25 minutes, or until golden brown (and delicious)

10. ENJOY!

Do yourself a favor...

... and go here, and make these.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/the-baked-brownie-spiced-up/#comment-263726

They're fantastic. Best brownie I've ever had.

Thank you, Bonnie

http://www.bonnieslotnickcookbooks.com/

Teeny and I stopped by Bonnie's bookstore during our trip to NYC, and to say we were amazed would be a huge understatement. When I crossed the threshold of her shop I felt I had stumbled into some sort of Mecca for culinarians. It was as if the Library of Alexandria's section on food had been mystically transported to a tiny storefront in Greenwich Village. I felt like a Chef version of Gandalf, pouring over the texts there, searching for tasty, forbidden secrets.

We stared at the shelves packed with culinary knowledge for quite some time, marvelling at what we found. Books we knew about and those we didn't. We even found books we didn't know, we didn't know existed. I picked up a translated copy of Escoffier's works and the Les Halles cookbook (I'm a big Bourdain fan). Teeny, the ever aspiring baker, picked up a cookbook too, and I'm looking forward to the results. 

As if I wasn't already in shock and awe, Bonnie was wonderful. She dug through the piles of books to find me a more intact version of the Escoffier book and then, realizing we were out of towners, offered to ship our books on the cheap. 

I'm writing this post to let you know about this magical place, and encourage you to visit if you ever find yourself in the city. But more importantly, I'm writing to say "Thank you, Bonnie. I can't wait to visit again"

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks

(212) 989-8962

163 W 10th St, 

New York, NY 10014

http://www.bonnieslotnickcookbooks.com/

Molto Mario, indeed

If you plan on heading to New York City in the foreseeable future, I urge you to make reservations at Babbo, Mario Batali's Italian version of the Elysian Fields. Teeny and I celebrated her birthday there and were absolutely stunned by the food, service, and atmosphere. We both agree that it was, quite literally, one of the best meals of our lives.

I'm not gonna lie, we went all out. Did I mention that as part of the service at Babbo, a sommelier comes to your table and offers his pairing suggestions for your order? Well, I've always appreciated a nice glass of wine with dinner, but that effect is quadrupled when the wine actually matches the meal.

I apologize for the lack of pictures... I felt it would be slightly disrespectful to take photos in the middle of the meal here. It's a pretty classy establishment. I'll do my best to paint you a picture with the wonder of the English language.

Enough babbling though,  here's the menu from starters to dessert:

~ Grilled Octopus with “Borlotti Marinati” and Spicy Limoncello Vinaigrette ~

I'm not sure if you've ever had octopus, but it's a magical animal. To be honest it tastes like beef, but has the texture of chicken, as if through some cosmic coincidence the two had a lovely date, went back to beef's place, and some months later their love child got lost at sea and grew eight delicious arms to adapt... but seriously, it was amazing. The citrus vinaigrette complimented the mesquite flavor of the grill quite nicely.

~ Armandino’s Salumi – Finnochiona and Lamb Prosciutto ~

House made charcuterie (sasauage makin') is a beautiful thing, especially when it's served with freshly baked bread and drizzled with olive oil. The meat was sliced razor thin and wonderfully spiced.

~ Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage ~

Mint and lamb is a classic combination, and for good reason. The "love letters" are tiny, postage stamp shaped ravioli filled with a minty puree and topped with a spicy, lamb sausage ragu. I think Teeny may have developed a tiny crush for Batali after this course. I know I was in love with the man by the end.

~ Barbecued Squab with Roasted Beet “Farrotto” and Porcini Mustard ~

So, a squab is a tiny game bird that's been a delicacy for ages (to be honest, it's just like a pigeon... a tasty, tasty pigeon). The squab at Babbo was sweet and smoky and served over a bed of "Farrotto" (Farro wheat prepared with the risotto method). The farrotto was a deep shade of red, due to being prepared with roasted beet, and paired with the vibrant, yellow, Porcini mustard; the plate was like a work of art.

~ Fennel Dusted Sweetbreads with Sweet and Sour Onions, Duck Bacon and Membrillo Vinegar ~

OK... you might be cringing, but I'll have you know, sweetbreads are a wonderful thing, especially served in Babbo's fashion. They were pan fried, and wonderfully crisp on the outside, but once you took that first bite... they immediately melted in your mouth. Served with duck bacon (duck - good, bacon - awesome, duck bacon - omg) and the duo of onions, this was a dish I'll remember for the rest of my life. 

We both had dessert, Teeny a banana, upside-down cake, and I a saffron panna cotta, and it was quite good, but didn't impact me nearly as much as the rest of the meal did.

I've been a foodie for as long as I can remember, and I'm motivated and ecstatic to be in school for my life-long passion. Eating at Babbo only added fuel to that brightly burning fire. I was so inspired by what I ate, I asked the maitre d' if they take externs in the Babbo kitchen. Unfortunately, the answer was no, however; he did tell me to inquire at Del Posto (Mario Batali's ENOURMOUS Italian expression). New York, here I come.

Babbo gets a 5 out of 5 (on easymode). I wish I could give it a 10... Oh wait, I can.

Babbo gets a 10 out of 5 =)

The District

I fell in love with Washington D.C. in August of 2008. I've been to the "big cities" before, but something about DC stirred something in my soul. It woke me up, and motivated me to do something with my passion for food. I enrolled myself in culinary school shortly thereafter; spiritually and mentally endorsed by the district, and my love for one of its residents.

I've been back and forth since, visiting Teeny, eating more amazing food then I can remember. We're little, foodie soul mates for the record. Sadly, I've only just now decided to talk about all this wonderful cuisine. but, better later than never. Amiright!?

We ate at Alero in Dupont Circle on Friday night with our very good friend Mr. A . We were all craving some Mexican food and margaritas, and found the place with the urban spoon app for the iPhone. It had decent reviews, everybody mentioning the margaritas we were thirsty for, so we went for it.

Alero looks and feels like your standard tex-mex locale with red and green walls, and some Mexican paraphernalia on the walls. It was quaint with maybe 30 tables and a small bar where the from scratch margaritas are poured from over sized, recycled, wine jugs.

We started with some ceviche and fried plantains. The plantains were soft and sweet and served with sour cream, which I've never encountered. I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to my platanos, but the sour cream did add a nice note of tangyness (sp?) at the end of the bite.

The ceviche was a different story... 

Now, everywhere I've been, ceviche, at it's most primal, is raw cuts of fish, cured in the citrus acid of your choice, and served with cilantro and greens. Dress it up how you like, but the fact remains that the fish is raw... And delicious. The ceviche at Alero is quite the opposite; cooked, rubbery, nigh inedible. Thankfully, the tequila was able to purge the texture from my pallet.

For entrees, I chose the brochette, Teeny a chicken chimichanga, and Mr. A, enchiladas.

My brochette was a skewer of alternating pieces of chicken, steak, and shrimp with slices of onion, green bell pepper, and cucumber in between. The whole thing was grilled and served with your standard rice and refried beans. Meat cooked over on open flame is a wonderful thing, until it's cooked too much. If you're going to serve something like that brochette, cook the meat separately, and assemble. Cook it together and you have to sit and watch your shrimp turn to rubber, while your steak dries up waiting for your chicken to finish cooking. I won't say it was horrible, but it was overcooked, and disappointing.

Teeny's chimi, on the other hand, was delicious. Fried to perfection and the meat inside, moist and flavorful. Mr. A's enchiladas were also a treat. He's on a bit of a vegetarian kick, so he stuck with cheese, but they were also oozing with salsa verde. Very tasty.

We didn't stick around for dessert. We were all exhausted and waking up to travel at 5:00am. All in all it was a reasonable meal, for a decent price. Two starters, three entrees, and a few margaritas for 70 bucks.

I give Alero a 3 out 5.

Babbo is next...

I highly recommend you check out the menu online and salivate with jealousy.

Filler? Or perhaps stuffing.

My dad and I have recently been heading out to eat, once a month, as a means of catching up with each other (read: so I can get lectured...). During one of our more recent excursions he made the wonderful suggestion that I, being the budding culinarian that I am, start writing about what I think of the places he takes me. "Eureka!" I thought. The full recipe posts take a fair amount of time and effort, and in order to keep you, the reader, involved, I need content. 

Rather than review every scrap of food I eat, which would prove both tedious and uninteresting, I'll stick with what you, once again, the reader, MIGHT find interesting: places you might actually be interested in going to and food that you wouldn't think about ordering before reading. Not that this is going to be some budgetless version of Bizarre Foods. 

Considering it's where the idea for more of my blathering was brought up, first up to bat is the recently opened J. Alexander's Restaurant in Orlando, Florida. All though, I assure you, chains will not be the focus of these reviews.

J. A.'s at first glance seems like a pretty classy establishment. It's lined with leather trimmed booths, a lot of dark wood furniture, and the mirrored bar is actually quite impressive. The servers are dressed in white oxfords, dark pants, and slacks, and they provided some solid service. I was slightly impressed by what I saw, but had a nagging voice in the back of my head saying "you're at a chain". I assumed the food in the back was all pre-portioned, hermetically sealed, and probably prepared by neanderthals... I wasn't entirely wrong.

The first thought that popped into my head upon glancing over the menu was "This is kind of like Friday's DELUXE". The dishes are uninspired, slightly dolled up versions of things you'll find at your local Chilis or Bennigan's. 

We started off with the Huevos Rolls, which are essentially deep fried, corn tortillas, stuffed with all manner of things from the Southwest: black beans, corn, peppers, herbs, and cheese. The rolls are served with your atypical sour cream and salsa, and are actually quite tasty. The only problem with the rolls is that I can buy them at Chili's for five bucks less.

The server informed me of a fish sandwich special, which I ordered... and regretted, as it was like trying to ingest an oil slick. I had trouble picking the sandwich up due to it being so lubricated that the grease had soaked through the bun, making it literally difficult to hold on to. The broccoli I ordered on the side was mysteriously greasy as well. It was like they dropped the entire plate into the fryer.

My dad got a New York strip sandwich that he seemed to enjoy. It was served with french fries and came with a side of horseradish sauce. I was slightly envious if only because his steak sandwich was magically devoid of the oil that consumed my plate. Maybe they wrung his sandwich out over my fish, and drained his fries over my broccoli.

In conclusion, I'll give J. Alexander's a 2 out of 5 for being overpriced and notthatgreat. Dad, if you're reading, I'm picking next time.

An aside, with a side of Risotto.

I know what you're thinking... and you're right. I've been shoving French down your throat so far, and now I'm about to throw some Italian your way. I should make up my mind, right? 

I think not.

While I do attend a French culinary school, it's a widely known fact that those Italians know a thing or two themselves about how to make some pretty handy food. Let's not stop there either, because cuisine is global. As such, I'm going to squeeze every ounce of culinary information from as many cultures as I'd like, and you're gonna understand what I'm saying because of some FRENCH dude by the name of Auguste Escoffier.

He gave the French the one thing that separates them from all the other great food cultures on our tiny, little planet. He set a standard by simplifying and defining nearly everything you can think about doing in the culinary world.  

You'll thank me for all this knowledge at some point, I assure you. It'll probably be when you're on Jeopardy.

Back to the topic at hand... Let's put some of that chicken stock to use, shall we?

As the title implies we're going to be making a risotto. If you've never had risotto, you're in for a creamy, delicious adventure in Italy. The main principle behind the dish is the constant stirring and slow incorporation of stock. This agitation and introduction of liquid forces the rice to shed it's excess starches, which will naturally thicken the liquid present. It's all about friction, baby. You should never, ever leave your risotto alone. Love it, nurture it, and you shall be rewarded. Abandon it, if even for a few minutes to check the score of the big game, and it's going to scorch the hell out of the bottom of your pan.

So without further adieu...

Wild Mushroom Risotto

(serves 4)

4 ea. slices of pancetta (julienned (cut into strips 1/8" x 1/8" x 2")

8 oz. thinly sliced mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)

1 ea. medium yellow onion

2 ea. cloves of garlic

8 oz. Italian arborio rice

6 oz. white wine

chicken stock (as needed)

2 tbsp. butter

2 oz. parmesan cheese (grated)

2 tbsp. parsley

salt and pepper (to taste)

olive oil (as needed)

1. Place the julienned pancetta in a COLD saute pan and place over medium heat, until the fat has been rendered and the pancetta is crispy.

2. Reserve the crisped pancetta, and saute the sliced mushrooms in the rendered fat, deglazing with half of the white wine.

3. Reserve the sauteed mushrooms and their liquid. Wipe down your pan and drizzle it with enough olive oil to coat the bottom.

4. Saute the onion until soft, but do not brown (sweating). Add the garlic until it is aromatic (just a few seconds) and then add the arborio rice.

5. Saute the rice until it is well coated with fat, and deglaze with the remainder of the white wine.

6. Once the wine has been absorbed by the rice, begin the process of SLOWLY adding the chicken stock. I would most definitely recommend investing in a 2 oz. ladle for this venture.

7. Add one ladle of stock at a time, stirring consistently until the rice has absorbed the majority of the liquid. Continue to repeat this process until the rice is al dente ("To the tooth" in Italian, translates to tender, yet firm). It should be very moist, creamy, and easily spread on a plate, but not so fluid that the liquid would run (on said plate).

8. Remove the risotto from the heat and add your butter, parmesan, mushrooms (with their liquid), crisped pancetta, and parsley (save a little to garnish). The residual heat from the pan and the risotto will melt the butter and cheese, as well as force the arborio to absorb that last little bit of liquid from the mushrooms. The whole process should take roughly 20-30 minutes.

9. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with the rest of the parsley.

The Basics

Have you ever wondered what they put in the tomato soup at le bistro locale that makes that can of Campbell's sitting in your pantry seem like watered down ketchup; no matter how much you dress it up? Well, the answer is simple my friend, think stock.

Stock makes food better.

A stock is a spectacularly flavorful liquid made from water, bones, and mirepoix (more silly french, I know, but this way you'll be able to impress the hell out of your friends). Mirepoix is a combination of onions, celery, and carrot; 50%, 25%, and 25% respectively. Obviously the flavor of the stock comes from the types of bones you use to make it; veal bones make veal stock, chicken bones make chicken stock. Stocks are separated into two categories: brown and white. The difference between the two is the roasting of bones and the addition of tomato (usually paste) to the mirepoix, when making a brown stock. 

The actual process of making stock is quite simple. In a large stockpot, combine your bones and mirepoix and cover them with water. Bring the liquid up to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer. Veal stocks cook for 6 to 8 hours, chicken 3 to 4, and fish only 30 minutes to an hour. During the cooking process, all the impurities present in the bones and mirepoix will float to the surface, and it's your job to get rid of it or (yes, more french) Depouillage. Just use a sieve to skim off all the nasty bits.

When your stock is finished simmering, strain it, and cool it off for later use. You can reuse the bones to make a less flavorful type of stock known as a Remouillage (re-wetting of the bones), just repeat your recipe with the used bones and new mirepoix. 

Stocks will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, but you can easily freeze and thaw them as necessary. I would most definitely recommend getting a few ice cube trays and freezing the stock in there and transferring the cubes to a plastic, zip top bag. This way you can just grab a few cubes when you need them, rather that hacking away at a block of frozen flavor. 

Below are two recipes, one for a brown veal stock, and the other a white chicken stock

Chicken Stock

(Makes 1 gallon of stock)

8 lbs.  Chicken Bones

1 gal. Water

1 lb.  Mirepoix (Medium Dice)

1 ea. Sachet (3 parsley stems, 1 sprig of thyme, 1 bay leaf, 3-4 cracked black peppercorns)

1. Rinse the bones under running water and place them in a stockpot. 

2. Add water until the bones are covered by about 2 inches.

3. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, skimming (Depouillage) as necessary.

4. Add your mirepoix and sachet and simmer for another hour.

5. Strain and cool/use.

Brown Veal Stock

8 lbs. Veal bones

1 gal. Water

1 lb. Mirepoix (Medium Dice)

5 oz. Tomato Paste

1 ea. Sachet

2 oz. Red Wine

Vegetable Oil (as needed)

1. Place your bones in a roasting pan and place in a 450F oven for 30 to 45minutes, turning the bones occasionally.

2. Transfer the bones to a stockpot and add water until the bones are covered by 2 inches.

3. Simmer for 4 to 5 hours, skimming (Depouillage) as necessary.

4. Place the same roasting pan over medium-high heat and coat with oil.

5. Add the mirepoix and cook until caramelized (15-20 minutes).

6. Add the tomato paste and cook until a rust color is achieved (1-2 minutes).

7. Deglaze the pan with red win and add the mixture to your stockpot, along with the sachet.

8. Simmer the stock for another hour. 

9. Strain and cool/use.

Amuse Bouche

I suppose introductions are in order, so here goes...

Hey everybody! My name is completely irrelevant, but if you'd like to tell all your friends about this blog: full of ideas, improvisations, and improvements on delicious food, then I suppose you can just call me Oso. 

I've been cooking since I could see over the stove at my Grandmother's, and just recently decided to mold this life long passion into a career by enrolling myself in culinary school. My motive here is to educate and inspire you, the reader, about the wonderful world of cuisine, and maybe empart a shred of the passion and joy I have for food. 

Our first lesson, is a vocabulary lesson... *groan*

An Amuse Bouche is a one bite preview. It's something a chef has put together to "amuse your mouth", to prepare your palette for the goodness to come. I hope this first post amuses you (if ever so slightly) and makes you stick around for the main course.