I made the Butterscotch Banana Cream Pie but it came out too thick and too reminiscent of the cornstarch (I’m not even going to tell you the recipe). When I tried this recipe I thought about putting Crème de Banana in it for extra punch. However, when I tasted it I found the vanilla brought the banana taste to the forefront without any added help. It is based on a recipe by Emeril Lagasse.

I use vanilla bean paste (I bought mine a Sur La Table) rather than vanilla bean seeds as it is more economical, easier to store and adds the same flavor and look as the seeds (it is made from real vanilla beans and has vanilla seeds in the paste). You can substitute the seeds scraped from the inside of a vanilla bean for the paste.

This is the pie I am going to enter in the San Diego County Fair for Pie Day (June 28).

Ingredients
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
1 baked pie crust
3 large bananas cut into ¼ inch slices

Recipe
1) Combine the egg yolks, cornstarch, and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Whisk to blend well. Set aside.
2) Combine the remaining 2 cups cream, the sugar, and the vanilla bean paste in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to dissolve the sugar and bring to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes.
3) Temper the egg mixture with the hot sugar mixture (tempering means to use a small amount of the hot mixture to slowly raise the temperature of the egg mixture so it doesn’t curdle). Slowly add the tempered egg yolk mixture to the sugar mixture, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. This mixture will break and look slightly curdled.
4) Pour the mixture into a glass bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap down over the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely at room temperature. 5) Use an electric mixer or food processor with a whisk attachment to combine the mixture. Whip until you have a thick and creamy custard.
6) Spread about 1/2 cup of the custard to cover the bottom of the pie crust.
7) Place banana slices over the custard crowding them close together but not overlapping. Spread custard over the bananas until they are covered. Repeat until pie crust is filled making sure you end with a layer of custard.
8) Chill for at least 24 hours to allow banana taste to permeate the custard.

Once again I was inspired by an episode of Alton Brown’s Good Eats. This time the episode was called A Grind is a Terrible Thing to Waste and it was about grinding your own hamburger. Since today was the official start of the summer grilling season in the United States I wanted to try it. Best of all you don’t need a grinder, just a food processor.

You use sirloin for tenderness and chuck for the fat content. The burgers come out lean and tasty. They weren’t cheap at $5.00 a pound but they were worth it.

Ingredients
8 ozs. (230 g.) beef chuck
8 ozs. (230 g.) beef sirloin
½ tsp. salt

Recipe
1) Put the metal blade into the food processor.
2) Trim off the excess outer fat and cut the chuck into 1 inch cubes and process using he metal blade by pulsing 10 times for 1 second each. Remove from work bowl and put on work surface.
3) Repeat step 2 using the sirloin.
4) Gently mix the two meats together with the salt.
5) Divide into four equal portions and gently form each portion into a ball.
6) Carefully flatten each ball into a disk. Make sure you don’t overwork the meat.
7) Grill over a very hot grill 5 minutes on each side (for medium rare).

It’s almost time for the San Diego County Fair. I haven’t made time to enter the fair in the last few years due to work commitments. However, this year I decided I would make the time and see how well I could do. The fair runs from June 8 – July 4 this year.

There are two ways to enter the Baked Foods section of the Home and Hobby Department:

1) Pre-registered entries need to be brought to the fair on June 6^th and are judged in private and set up for display before the fair opens on June 8^th. The entry fee is $6 and you don’t find out if you were awarded anything unless you go to the fair and find your entry displayed.

2) One-day contests are held on a specific day when you bring your entry and have it publicly judged. Bringing your entry in for a one-day contest gains you free admission to the fair for that day.

This year I will be entering baked goods in both sections. I will be posting the recipes to the blog and would appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have. If you happen to be at the fair during one of the one-day contests, let me know.

Pre-registered Entries
Cake: Triple Chocolate Threat (chocolate torte with chocolate-Kahlua ganache and chocolate covered espresso beans)
Yeast Bread: Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

One-Day Contests
Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship (June 10): Chocolate Pecan Pie
Lotsa Pasta Contest (June14): Macaroni and Cheese with Black Forest Ham
Pie Day (June 28): Butterscotch Banana Cream Pie

I needed to use the chain from my beef tenderloin last night so I decided to make Beef Stroganoff. This is a hearty beef dish with egg noodles and a tangy sour cream sauce. When I was making the sauce I found that I needed some more liquid. Instead of using just water to deglaze the pan I decided to use some Zinfandel along with the water. It tasted fine, but the sauce was a lovely lavender rather than it’s normal light brown from the beef drippings.

What will I change for next time? My wife didn’t like the color of the sauce so I will use beef broth instead of wine in the sauce. Also, I will add the mushrooms when I simmer the meat so they are cooked through and absorb more of the beef flavor.

This recipe is adapted from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook.

Ingredients
1 tbsp. butter
1 lb. steak, cut into bite-size pieces
1 shallot, sliced
¾ tsp. salt
¾ c. water
½ c. red wine
8 ozs. mushrooms, stems removed and cut in quarters
8 ozs. wide egg noodles
1 tbsp. flour
½ c. sour cream at room temperature

Recipe
1) Melt butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium hot heat.
2) Cook steak until browned (don’t worry about cooking it through)
3) Add salt, ¼ cup water and ¼ cup red wine and bring to a boil.
4) Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until steak is tender. Cooking time will vary from 45 minutes to 1¼ hours depending on the cut of steak used.
5) Add mushrooms and cook until heated through.
5) About 20 minutes before the steak is done cook noodles. Drain (do not rinse) and put on a platter in a 200° oven to keep warm.
6) Using a slotted spoon place steak and mushrooms on noodles and put back in oven.
7) Stir flour in ¼ cup water to make a slurry.
8) Deglaze pan with ¼ cup water and ¼ red wine.
9) Slowly add slurry and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens.
10) Stir in sour cream and cook until heated through (do not boil).
11) Spoon sauce over steak and noodles and serve.

I was going to make this for Easter dinner but at the last minute we were invited to spend Easter with a friend’s family. So I made this on Saturday night and served it with roasted asparagus and béarnaise sauce.

The most efficient way to buy filet mignon is to purchase a full beef loin PSMO (peeled, side muscle on). I bought a seven pound PSMO at Costco for $9.95 per pound and cut it up. I ended up with two 1 ½ inch steaks (from the ends), five 3 inch thick roasts (each suitable for Beef Wellington or cut into two 1 ½ inch thick steaks) and an extra part called the chain (I will use this for Philly Cheesesteak, steak risotto or stir frying).

It took me several tries (this is the fourth time I’ve made Beef Wellington) to roll the beef, mushroom and ham mixture tight enough (and I still can’t do it every time) so don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Also, although Gordon Ramsey’s original recipe calls for Parma ham (prosciutto here in the U. S.) we found the flavor too overpowering. I found that thinly sliced smoked Virginia ham works very well.

Ingredients
1 lb. filet mignon (it will look like a mini-roast)
12 ozs. mushrooms
8 slices smoked Virginia ham (enough to roll around the filet)
1 sheet (approx. 8 ozs.) puff pastry
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. water

Recipe
1) Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
2) Heat olive oil in a pan and sear the filet on all six sides. Move to a separate plate to cool. You want to get the outside nicely caramelized. Don’t worry about cooking the inside at this point. Move to a separate plate to cool.
3) Chop the mushrooms and blend in a food processor until very finely chopped. Doing this by hand is nearly impossible as you want the pieces to be as small as possible and all the same size.
4) Move the mushrooms to a hot pan and cook until all the water evaporates stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Move to a cold burner to cool.
5) Lay the slices of ham on plastic wrap two slices wide and four slice long. It will need to be a rectangle of ham slices that is large enough to wrap around the filet (you may only need one wide if your ham is very wide). Spread the chopped mushrooms over the ham.
6) Put the filet on the bottom of the ham and mushrooms and use the plastic wrap to tightly wrap the filet inside the ham and mushrooms. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
7) Roll out the puff pastry so that it is large enough to wrap around the wrapped filet. Depending on the size of the filet you may not need to roll out the puff pastry at all.
8) Mix the egg yolk and water to make an egg wash.
9) Remove the filet from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap.
10) Brush the egg wash on all four edges of the puff pastry, put the wrapped filet towards the bottom of the puff pastry and roll the filet in the puff pastry. Use the egg wash to seal the seam and fold the ends over the seam (you can trim the ends if necessary) using the egg wash to seal the ends to the underside.
11) Place the puff pastry package seam side down on a plate and egg wash the top. Refrigerate for five minutes.
12) Egg wash the top and score the puff pastry with “V” cuts from one end to the other (do not cut through the pastry). Bake for 35 minutes or until center is 130° F for medium rare (40 minutes or 140° F for medium). Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

I led a Passover Seder this evening and made the charoset. While this is normally made with apples, walnuts, cinnamon and wine I found a recipe using apricots, pistachios, mint, wine and honey. It was interesting and provided an appetizer that was more interesting and not as sweet. Although my wife didn't like it as much, the people at the Seder liked it a lot (we didn't need to worry about taking any home). 

I took pictures and will put up the recipe and cookumentary this weekend. 

I love Alton Brown’s Good Eats on the Food Network (here in the United States). He not only tells you how to execute a recipe, he tells you why the ingredients are important and what they do (his motto is, “Science it’s what’s for dinner!”).

Earlier this week he spent the entire show (“Tuna: The Other Red Meat”) on how to buy, prep and cook grilled sesame crusted tuna. Since I don’t put up any recipes until I’ve tried them, I’m not going to put this one up yet. I got home early from work yesterday and tried to buy a tuna loin on the way home. Alas, when I tried my neighborhood supermarket, they were sold out. Unfortunately, I probably won’t have another chance to barbeque until late next week.

If you have any hints about cooking tuna, please post them in the comments so we can all benefit from them.

The first and best tarte tatin I ever had was from Chef Michael Hutchings of Michael’s Waterside Inn in Santa Barbara, California (which, sadly, closed in 1993). I have been trying to recreate that exquisite taste ever since (I found Chef Michael’s recipe when researching this blog entry). The closest I’ve come so far is this recipe based on a recipe from Curtis Stone, the Take Home Chef. The next time I make it I will use Chef Michael’s recipe and let you know how it comes out.

There is a photo cookumentary for this here. You can also click on each step in the recipe to see a photo for that step.

Ingredients
7 tbsp. butter at room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste or the seeds from the inside of 1 vanilla bean
2 apples (I like Fuji)
1 sheet of puff pastry (defrosted but kept in the refrigerator)

Recipe
1) Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. I use an apple corer / slicer to slice it into eight sections and then I cut each section into thirds.
2) Turn a 8 – 9 inch skillet upside down and use it to cut a circle out of the puff pastry.
3) Using your fingers spread the butter over the bottom of an 8 – 9 inch skillet.
4) Sprinkle sugar evenly over butter.
5) Add vanilla on top of sugar.
6) Cook over medium heat until the sugar and butter melt and turn golden brown.
7) Remove from heat and add apple slices building up in layers from the bottom.
8) Top with puff pastry and dock (prick holes) with a fork and tuck edges down sealing in the apples.
9) Cook in a pre-heated 375°F oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the pastry is browned.
10) Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Return to high heat just until the caramel bubbles. Remove from heat, invert serving plate over skillet and quickly turn over onto serving plate.

Last night I took my basic sabayon recipe and used Wilson Creek almond flavored sparkling wine as the liquid and added 1/4 cup of crushed almonds after I took it off the stove. It came out with a wonderful yellow color and an interesting texture. We served it in margarita glasses. My wife suggests using fewer almonds next time, but I liked it the way it came out. We both agreed that sabayon is a dessert that showcases the wine so make sure you use one you really like.

  I had a picture of late harvest grapes and my recipe for Steak in Red Wine Sauce published in the February / March 2007 edition of the Wilson Creek “Extended Family” Wine Club News. You can find the picture on page 9 and the recipe on page 11.

Not only do they have great wines but the winery is a fun place to visit as well. We go out there every other month to pick up our wine club shipment and taste the new releases.

My wife recently made Teriyaki Salmon and it came out great. Unfortunately, it's hard to buy salmon for two so we always have some left over. I decided to try something spontaneous so I made Teriyaki Salmon Pasta. No recipe for this. I just used what I had on hand and eyeballed everything.

Ingredients
Spaghetti
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
Olive oil
Teriyaki marinade
Leftover teriyaki salmon, cut into bite sized pieces
Sesame seeds

Recipe
1) Cook spaghetti and drain.
2) Heat oil over medium heat until fragrant.
3) Saute garlic and shallot until tender.
4) Add teriyaki marinade, salmon. Cook until salmon is heated through.
5) Add spaghetti and toss to coat.
6) Put into bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

This recipe is from Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans where Bananas Foster was created. At a restaurant it is usually prepared tableside but even if you prepare it on the stove, turn down the lights when you ignite the rum for full effect.

As always you can click here for my pictorial Cookumentary.

Ingredients
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. banana liqueur
2 bananas
2 tbsp. dark rum
2 portions of ice cream

Recipe
1) Put ice cream into bowls and store in freezer.
2) Melt butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a skillet stirring over low heat until melted.
3) Add banana liqueur and bananas (cut side down) and cook for two minutes.
4) Turn over bananas and continue cooking until tender.
5) Turn down the lights to increase the dramatic effect.
6) Add rum, bring to a boil and ignite.
7) Arrange four banana pieces in each bowl of ice cream and spoon syrup over all.

Yes, it’s labor intensive. However, it is definitely worth the work. Risotto has everything: taste, texture, aroma and it makes its own sauce. You can make it as a side dish for nearly anything or serve it as a hearty one dish meal. Best of all risotto is great for experimenting. In the recipe below simply substitute any two or three ingredients for the steak and mushrooms, change the broth if needed and you have a brand new dish. For example, use chicken broth with chicken, pine nuts and spinach for chicken risotto.

The secret to risotto is to add just enough broth to cover the rice and wait until it is completely absorbed before adding more. As it cooks, the starch in the rice will form a rich creamy sauce that will bind the dish together. As you go, you will need to taste it to make sure the rice is cooked through yet remains firm (al denté).
Try it and let me know what you think.

You can find the photo Cookumentary for this recipe here.

Ingredients
½ lb. steak cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup white wine
1 cup arborio (or other short grain risotto rice)
1 tbsp. ricotta cheese
8 ozs. sliced mushrooms
1 clove of thinly sliced garlic
1 diced shallot
1 tbsp. olive oil
? cup grated paremsan cheese

Recipe
1) Sauté mushrooms in a little olive oil until tender. Set aside.
2) Cook steak in a little olive oil to desired doneness. Set aside.
3) Bring 32 ozs. of beef broth to a simmer.
4) Sweat shallots and garlic in olive oil until shallots are translucent and garlic is tender.
5) Add rice and stir, Make sure the rice is completely coated with oil. Continue stirring until the rice is translucent and the center is white.
6) Add wine and stir until it is completely absorbed.
7) Add enough of the hot broth to cover the rice.
8) Stir until broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth to cover rice and stirring until rice is al denté.
9) Stir in mushrooms, steak, parmesan and ricotta.

 

Last Thursday I went to an Essential Knife Skills class at Sur La Table in Carlsbad, California. It was taught by Chef Cindy Mushet who started at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse and went on to become an accomplished pastry chef and cookbook author.

She started by talking about knife safety and then went on to explain and demonstrate the parts of a knife, the different types of knives and their uses. But this was a hands-on class and she wasted no time in getting down to business. There were fifteen of us, five to a table. Each place setting had a cutting board, chef’s knife, paring knife, vegetable peeler and an apron.

First she taught us how to hold a knife and how to grip food using the claw technique. That’s the method where you curve your fingers under and extend the knuckle of your middle finger forward a little so you can use it as a guide (you’ve seen this whenever you’ve seen a professional cut anything).

Then she showed us how to dice an onion without it falling apart (it works on tomatoes and shallots as well). We also learned how to julienne and dice carrots, peppers and potatoes. We used our chef’s knife to strip the leaves off parsley and mince them. We got to chiffonade (cut into long strips) basil and Swiss chard. As we finished each group of vegetables Cindy and her helper collected them and put them in a stock pot with chicken stock and some extra tri-tip they browned and added.

Finally, she showed us how to use the paring knife to peel and section citrus fruit (grapefruit and oranges) so that each section was perfect without any pith.

After the lesson, we took a break while she finished cooking the vegetable soup. During the break we could do some shopping with the reusable coupon we had for 15% off that night and 10% off for the next seven days. After the break we had the vegetable soup and fruit while we listened to Tom Budinger, Sur La Table’s resident knife expert, give a talk on what to look for in a quality knife, the difference between German and Japanese knives (German knives have a wider angle of attack) and how to sharpen your knife. He also answered questions truthfully:

Attendee: “What do you think of this Rachael Ray knife?”
Tom: “To be honest, that’s the one knife everybody brings back. The orange handle has a tendency to crack.”

When the evening was over we got to sample some wonderful cookies that Cindy was making to include in an upcoming Sur La Table cookbook on items you find in a bakery. The initial draft is due to the publisher in November, so it probably won’t be out until late next year.

The evening was worth the $65 (especially when you include the value of the coupon). I will probably sign up for the Next Level Knife Skills class the next time it is offered.

This post is in response to a comment left by Pomiane. When updating the blog I found a defect in the Townhall software and accidentally deleted my original post. My apologies to Pomiane.

Pomiane suggested I use Marsala to bring more “edge and depth” to the party (plus it may be less expensive than champagne).

Yes, Marsala is the traditional choice. However, the F-Word used Champagne and I thought that was interesting. I was originally going to use an almond flavored sparkling wine from Wilson Creek (both inexpensive and flavorful), but alas, I only had their Grande Cuvee on hand. Other choices for the next time (from my current stock):

• Chocolate port
• Cream sherry
• Muscat Canelli