Fish Collar!

Our friend John was in town and he brought some wonderful very old wines that we had with dinner.

Scott and Tom came to our house for dinner and Scott cooked for us. This was a real treat, food that we had never eaten before. Scott cooked Yellowtail Collar. He explained that they had tried the shoulder from both a Chinese market and from a Japanese Market and the Japanese version was FAR better. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make. Scott simply lightly salted it and then grilled it under the broiler until it became slightly charred. He then squeezed some lemon juice on it.

You eat the shoulder like fried chicken, picking the pieces up with your hands. The fish is almost creamy. It was fantastic! I made Scott promise to take me to the Japanese Market so I could see exactly what fish he bought.

We started with Dynamite Crab and Rice. This dish is our go to starter. Everyone loves it. You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 5, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

Scott also made a fresh Tofu with Ginger and Soy.  I showed him a ginger grater that we had purchased in Tokyo and he fell in love with it! Hopefully he can find one here.

We ended the dinner with a Lemon Curd Brule Tart from Proof Bakery. It was quite an evening!

Zucchini Pasta

Zucchini Pasta is one of our favorites! It is from a recipe by Mark Bittman from the New York Times. We make it every summer when Zucks are at there best. You WILL see this again, because we are patiently waiting for our FAVORITE Zucchini's to arrive at the Hollywood Farmer's Market. They are an heirloom zucchini and are only sold there for a very short period. Every week we ask are they there yet? They tell us to cool our jets. The zucchini is sliced very thin and sautéed until dark and crisp. They cook down to very little, so start with a lot of zucks. You can find the recipe for this simple and delicious pasta in our blog of: June 19, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.


We started with a Nectarine Salad with Prosciutto and Saba. We love that salad!

Chicken and Figs

Figs showed up at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. One of our favorite dishes to make with figs is Chicken and Figs. Crispy chicken skin, sweet figs and onions and a wonderful sauce - what a winner!

We always serve it over Cous-Cous. It is easy to make and delicious. We highly recommend this dish, we have made it many many times. The key is to get fresh figs! The recipe is from The Zuni Café Cookbook. You can find the recipe on our blog of: June 27, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Sturgeon

Disaster! Sometimes you make a mistake so bad there is NO recovery. We ruined this dish. For a long time we have wanted to buy Sturgeon and grill it. We finally found fresh sturgeon at an Armenian / Russian grocery store in Glendale.

We were very excited.

We made a brine, that turned out way too salty. The fish texture was great, however it tasted like the drink you have to take before a colonoscopy. We couldn't eat it! Oh well, the corn was good!

Best Chicken Ever

Browning on top of the stove

After Baking in the Oven

Perfect potatoes!

My kind of Chicken Salad

We missed going to a Chicken with Lyonnaise Potato Dinner at Papilles. When I read the menu on-line I was very disappointed we that we hadn’t gone there. We decided to cook the entire menu at home to make up for it. It turned out to be delicious. We had never made this recipe for Roast Chicken before. It was great! In fact, this is probably the BEST chicken recipe we have eve found!

The recipe is called: Roast Chicken for Two and is from The Balthhazar Cookbook by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hansen. Balthazar is a wonderful French Bistro in Manhattan. If you are in NYC you must eat there!

To accompany the chicken we made: Wolfgang Puck's Lyonnaise Potatoes from Wolfgang Puck's Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen. This is a classic preparation. Crispy potatoes at home; how wonderful is that!

Roast Chicken for Two

The Balthhazar Cookbook

Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hansen

This dish has a devoted following and is a favorite among regulars who don't bother to look at a menu before ordering, in the restaurant, the chicken is served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and a selection of Pan-Roasted Root Vegetables. At home we suggest throwing in some diced vegetables—like carrots, celery root, and mushrooms—along with the chicken, making it a very simple supper.

SERVES 2

3         sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped

6         sprigs of thyme, finely chopped

8         sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

4         tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature

1/8         teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8         teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1         3-1/2-pound chicken, rinsed and dried, wings snipped at the elbow

1         head of garlic, split horizontally

3         tablespoons olive oil

Roast Chicken Jus warm, optional

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

In a amall bowl, combine half the rose­mary, thyme, and parsley with the softened butter, using a fork to blend the herbs and butter. Season with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Going through the neck opening, slide the herbed butter under the skin of both breasts. Stuff the cavity with the remain­ing chopped herbs and the garlic. Truss the chicken with butcher's twine and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

Over a high flame, heat the olive oil in a heavy ovenproof saute pan (or, if making 2 chickens, a roasting pan) until it smokes. Place the bird on its side, searing the leg and breast. Leave it untouched in the pan for at least 4 minutes, turning only when the bird is burnished brown.

Turn to brown the other breast side, and then the top and bottom of the bird so that it is well-browned on all sides.

(Note: If including diced vegetables in the pan for a one-pot meal, lower the flame to medium and add the vegetables to the pan now. Stir to coat with the olive oil and rendered chicken fat. Brown and soften the vegetables, about 10 minutes, then continue with the directions below.)

Spoon out the excess fat and transfer the-pan to the oven. Cook for 40 minutes, basting occasionally. The bird is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 155°F. or when the juices run clear from the joint between leg and thigh. If the bird's skin begins to burn, cover with an aluminum-foil tent for the remainder of the cooking time.

Serve with the jus passed on the side.

Wolfgang Puck's Lyonnaise Potatoes

Lyonnaise Potatoes 
From Wolfgang Puck's Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen

You must do this in a nonstick pan; otherwise the potatoes will not unmold properly.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
4 Tbsp clarified unsalted butter 
3 large Idaho or baking potatoes, peeled 
1-1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).

Sauté sliced onions in 1 tablespoon butter until lightly golden brown. Reserve.

Cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices. (Do not soak in water when sliced.) Immediately mix with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter, salt, and pepper.

In a 10-inch nonstick baking pan, arrange half the potatoes in one layer. Cover with the sautéed onions and top with the remaining potatoes.

Bake approximately 30 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy. If the underside of the potatoes is not browned when the potatoes are tender, finish over high heat on the stove top.

Note: Potatoes may be baked in individual 4-inch pans for 12 to 15 minutes.

Yield: To serve 6

Ragu of Shank

We had left over Beef Shank from the Bouf a la Mode. Cathy made a Ragu from the meat with Carrots and Onions. It was delicious! In addition we had a White Nectarine Salad with Almonds, Procutto and Saba. White nectarines are at their peak in the market right now.

Lasanga

Melon’s are fantastic right now. We started with a Melon Salad with Prosciutto, Lime Juice, Cashews and Almonds. It is really refreshing. For some reason one of our cats (Polenta) loves melon and licks the interior of the rind after we have eaten the fruit.

We made a Lasagna of Eggplant, Tomato, and Basil

from Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters.

This a wonderful lasagna, full of the tastes of summer. You don’t always need meat in lasagna. That is a lesson my father never learned!

Lasagna of Eggplant, Tomato, and Basil

Chez Panisse Cooking

Paul Bertolli with Alice Waters

8 to 10 servings

I think of lasagna as a dish naturally suited to improvisation, expressing typical Italian exuberance in the kitchen. Lasagna is a comfortable, filling dish that combines pasta, sauce, and other ingredients to make a meal by itself. The possibilities for lasagna are endless. Variations might include assorted wild mushrooms set upon layers of noodles and bechamel sauce; or a stew of sliced sausages, onions, and greens, with tomato sauce; or chopped veal cooked with onions and herbs, then mixed with chopped calf's brains (which enrich and lighten the layers), spinach, and Parmesan and moistened with a Marsala-flavored bechamel. The elements that make up the layers of a lasagna must be well seasoned and each layer, particularly if there are many, must not be too thick; otherwise, the whole will be too heavy and the noodles—after all, this is pasta—will be lost.

This recipe is a light, meatless lasagna that features tomato, basil, and eggplant. It can be made a day ahead and covered and refrigerated until you are ready to finish it in the oven.

Basic Pasta

globe eggplants (3 pounds)

4 tablespoons pure olive oil

Salt and pepper

Water

1 pound mozzarella cheese

3 cups Tomato Sauce

3/4 cup loosely packed coarsely chopped fresh basil

3/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Make the pasta, wrap it up, and set it aside to rest for at least 45 minutes.

In the meantime, peel the eggplants and slice them into round pieces 1/4 inch thick. Brush both sides of the slices lightly with the olive oil, salt and pepper them, and place them in overlapping rows on several baking pans. Add enough water to the pans to just cover the bottom. (This creates steam, which will keep the eggplants moist and help them to cook quickly.) Cover the pans with foil and bake the eggplants for 30 minutes, until they yield easily to the tip of a knife. When the eggplant is done, pour off the liquid in the pan and allow the eggplant to cool. Press the slices gently between the palms of your hand to remove excess water (otherwise the lasagna will be soggy) and pat the slices dry with paper towels. Slice the mozzarella as thin as possible.

Roll out the pasta dough, but not too thin (several times through the next-to-last setting on the machine is about right), and cut it into roughly 5-inch squares. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and in it cook three or four squares of pasta at a time, leaving each in the water for about 45 seconds, so that it is still somewhat firm to the bite. Have a pot of cold water next to the stove. Refresh the cooked dough squares in it a moment and transfer them to a large towel spread out upon the counter. (The most efficient method to prepare the dough is to have two people involved—one cooking the pasta, the other putting the lasagna together. If you are alone, you may wish to cook the dough squares as you need them, otherwise the preparation of this dish may present a space problem.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To assemble the lasagna: You will need a baking pan, roughly 16 by 9-1/2 by 2 inches. Spread about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the pan. Set squares of the dough in the pan, slightly overlap­ping . Arrange eggplant slices side by side in an even layer over the dough, spoon a little sauce on each slice, sprinkle with basil and Parmesan, and top with slices of mozzarella to complete the first layer. Begin the next layer with a layer of pasta followed by sauce, then eggplant, and repeat what you did from the first layer. Repeat the second layer, to form three layers in all. To finish the top, arrange a layer of pasta, spoon lA cup of the sauce over it, sprinkle with basil and Parmesan, and cover with slices of mozzarella. Dab each slice of cheese with sauce and bake the lasagna in the oven for 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Shanks for the Memories

Nate with Shank

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We called up Nate at McCall’s Meat and Fish to order some fish. While we were talking to him, he told us he had a Beef Shank that was very special. It was from Jim Niman of Niman Ranch, who now has his own farm. He strongly suggested that we would should take advantage of the shank’s availability.

So we went over to McCall’s and saw this gigantic leg. I asked Nate to trim it down to something we could fit in our oven and he did. We planned to cook it on Sat. That night we had Shu, Robert and Darryl over for dinner and we mentioned the shank. I showed it to the group. Robert immediately replied he knew exactly how to cook it. Bouf a la Mode. Cathy immediately said “Ok, you take it home and cook it for us”. Robert did. He brought the finished Bouf back to our house and finished the meat by repeatedly glazing it with the sauce every ten minutes until the meat was glistening black, and looked like it was lacquered. The meat was delicious, tender and simply fell away from the bone with a serving fork. It didn’t even need to be cut with a knife. Nate was right. We are really glad we got the meat. Huge kudos to Robert for cooking this for us!

We started the dinner with a new Salad for us: Watermelon and Feta from Plenty by Yotam Otttolenghi. We first had a similar salad for my Birthday at Palate (which unfortunately is now closed). Robert and Darryl then served us this version, which is just great. The salad is a HUGE hit. Everyone loves it!

Cathy made Polenta to go with the meat.

For dessert we made a White Nectarine Crisp that we served with a new delicious brand of ice cream that is available from Gelson’s: Jenis. This is a wonderful ice cream!

Watermelon and feta

Plenty

Yotam Otttolenghi

This you must eat on the beach, or at least outdoors, on a hot day, with the sun's rays unobstructed. It reminds me of hot sweaty nights on the seafront in Tel Aviv, when everyone is out enjoying beer, loud music and often a heated conversation. The sweet juiciness of the watermelon and the crumbly saltiness of the feta give this salad all its character. So make sure you choose the best possible of both.

Serves 4

10 oz feta

41/2 cups large chunks of watermelon

3/4 cup basil leaves

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced (optional)

olive oil

Slice the feta into large but thin pieces, or just break it by hand into rough chunks.

Arrange all the ingredients, except the olive oil, on a platter, mixing them up a little. Drizzle over some oil and serve at once.

Mushrooms

We bought beautiful Chanterelles Mushrooms at the Hollywood Farmer's Market. Cathy sautéed them with Butter and Shallots. We served them over toasted brioche. Wonderful!

Bengali Curry and Ribs and Figs

The door project was over. We invited Robert, Darryl and Shu to join us for dinner. We had lots of of leftover Ribs and I was sure everyone would enjoy them. In addition Shu brought a Bengali Chicken Curry he made. He was afraid it would be too hot but it wasn’t it was just great. In addition he made a Riata to cool the Curry.

Cathy and I baked a Fig Upside-down Cake. We hadn’t made one since fig season had started. I love this cake, it is easy to make and a winner. If you aren’t into baking cakes, here is a great one to start with. You can find the recipe in our blog of Sep 4, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe.

Robert the cement contractor, stopped by and joined us for dinner. This is the first time he saw the finished project at night. I know he was happy with the results.

Ribs!

Summer means Barbeque Ribs! We purchased 5 racks from McCall’s Meat and Fish to smoke. I smoke them in the egg, standing them on edge separated by Aluminum foil. We followed a recipe that Cathy found in License to Grill by: Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. The recipe is called: Chinese-Style Baby Back Ribs with Ginger-Scallion Sauce. You can find it in our blog of: June 21, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a salad of White Nectarines and Fresh Cherries from the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

With the ribs we served SIGNORA BIMBI'S PEPPERS (I Peperoni delta Signora Bimbi). I very much like this pepper recipe. You can find it on our blog of: May 19, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the ribs we served Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice

License to Grill Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby You can get the recipe from our blog of: Aug 2, 2010. Click the Date to get the recipe.

Killer Porterhouse

This is it. The best damn Porterhouse Steak we have ever made. We got a huge piece of Porterhouse from McCall’s Meat and Fish. We first grilled the sides of it to give it a char, then cooked it standing up on the weber. It was delicious! With the Porterhouse, we served Corn on the Cob and Grilled Porcini Mushrooms we had purchased at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market.


Cathy also made Potato Salad with Rosemary and Garlic from Tender by Nigel Slater. This is our new favorite Potato recipe. You can get the recipe from our blog of: June 2, 2012. Click the Date to get the recipe.This was a better steak than you could get at any restaurant in LA. It was phantastic!

Smoked Salmon

We finally were at the end of the door project. Pat came up for a final few adjustments and we made dinner for all of us.

We smoked a salmon in the egg. We got a beautiful Copper River Salmon filet from McCall’s Meat and Fish. We used the recipe for Honey-Cured, Smoked Salmon from Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Jan 15, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. This requires the salmon to be cooked low and slow in the egg. Unfortunately, due to problems beyond my control (effects of too much wine on me), I over cooked the salmon. It was smoky and delicious, but unfortunately too dry. Oh well, sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn’t.

With the salmon we made a Fennel, Cherry Tomato and Crumble Gratin. This is a tasty recipe. I really liked it and will definitely make it again. I like the contrast of the fennel and the sweetness of the crumble. This is a wonderful gratin. You can find the recipe on our blog of: July 24, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the left over salmon we made Salmon and Dill Fish Cakes from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater. They were fun to make, we usually don’t eat fried food like that. They were tasty and I had some cold ones for my subsequent lunches.

Salmon and Dill Fish Cakes

The Kitchen Diaries

Nigel Slater

Salmon 2-1/4 Lbs

A large egg white

Dill a small bunch

Flour a generous tablespoon

Grain mustard 1/4 teaspoons

The juice of half a lemon

Olive oil or peanut oil

To Serve

Lemon wedges

Thick yogurt with dill and grain mustard

Remove the skin from the salmon, and then chop the flesh finely. Put it in a bowl with the egg white, a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped dill fronds, the flour, mustard and lemon juice, then mush together with a

generous grinding of salt and black pepper. Squash spoonfuls of tit mixture together lightly with your hands to make ten small balls. Flatten each one slightly and set aside for a few minutes.

Get a little oil hot in a shallow pan. Place the patties in the hot oil (I do this in two batches) and leave them for two or three minutes, until they have colored on the underside. Turn them over with a spatula and color the other side. Cut one in half to check for doneness. Hit fish should be lightly cooked within and golden and crisp on the out­side.

Eat with wedges of lemon and the mustard sauce.

Enough for 3