My Perfect Thanksgiving Day Authentic Puerto Rican Pernil Recipe

So if you have read this blog over past holidays you know that I am obsessed with cooking pernil for the family.    Pernil is the quintessential holiday roast from the Puerto Rican side of my family.   I LOVE PERNIL.    Garlicky, salty, porky goodness.    YUM YUM YUM

You can witness my obsession with pernil recipes by visiting my Pernil Pork Party.

Ok ok ok.   So over the last few weeks I have been experimenting with ideas for a better pernil recipe than what I put together last year.   I have been messing around with the brine, the cure, the timing of brine and cure, and a custom injection for the pig.

The recipe I developed this year ended up being the best pernil recipe I have ever come up with.    I have maintained all the authentic puerto rican essentials while applying a few tactics to dial up the flavors and perfect the crispy chicharron.

Ok so without any further notice here is my perfect pernil recipe for pernil al horno....

Lets start with the meat.   Get a nice 9lb picnic cut pork shoulder.  It's the perfect meat for pernil.    The better the pig the better the pernil.   Go for the good stuff and get it from your local butcher.    The picnic cut is the lower part of the shoulder as depicted here in this cool butcher pic:

The next step it to prep the meat by scoring the skin with nice long and deep lines across the skin as seen here:

My Tio Benny taught me this scoring technique.    In Cocina Criolla (the best Puerto Rican cook book) it tells you to score the skin with diamonds.    The lines going across the back of the skin from one side to the other is way better.   When the chicharron crisps up it ends up being little chicharron candy sticks.   It is awesome.   Crispy, salty, sticks of pork skin.  YUM

Now it's time for the flavor.  Pernil is all about the flavor.   For pernil al horno the authentic ingredients for flavoring are:

oregano

cider

black peppercorn

garlic garlic garlic

salt salt salt salt :)

You will see this ingredient combination over and over again in my recipe.   It is the foundation of the pernil flavor and an absolute requirement for an authentic pernil.

The first flavor step is the brine...   Here is my perfect pernil brine recipe:

Pernil Brine Recipe:

6 bay leaves

3 stalks of oregano

25 mixed peppercorns

2 halved heads of garlic

16 cups of water

3 cups of salt

2 cups of sugar

A healthy sprinkle of Goya Adobo 

I left it in the cold brine for 24 hours sitting in the frig.   Once that was done I removed the pig from the brine and dried it off in preparation of the marinade/cure.  

Here is my recipe for the perfect pernil marinade/cure:

(Designed for a 9lb picnic cut pork)

With a mortar and pestle mash up the following:

15 cloves of garlic
2.5 tablespoons of fresh chopped oregano (a couple fo sprigs)
16 black peppercorns
12 teaspoons of kosher salt
the meat of 2 reconstituted new mexican drilled chillies

Once that is mashed up add in the following and mash it up some more until it is a nicely integrating marinade/cure

2 1/4 teaspoons of cider vinegar
2 1/4 teaspoons of olive oil

Rub down your pig with 2/3 of the marinade.   Get the rub all over the pig.   Every inch must be coated in it.    Stab the pig with a long knife to make some deep cuts in the pig that are about big enough to fit your finger in them.   Shove the remaining marinade/cure into these holes to ensure you are infusing the flavor into the meat.

Here is a pic of my marinade and my pernil after I applied the marinade/cure

Once that is all done cover it up and stick it in the frig.   Don't touch it for 3 whole days.   The longer it sits the better.  I like 3 days.

The next step is the injection.    I whip up a quick injection by making a soup from the following recipe:

2 roasted garlic heads (45 minutes in the oven at 400)
8 black peppercorns
2 sprigs of oregano chopped up
pinch of salt
splash of cider vinegar
1 cup of water

I boil it and then strain it out so I have the liquid only for the injection.   Prepare it the night before you want to cook or put it in a quick ice bath the day of to cool it down.  The injection must be cool.

Take the meat out of the frig 30 minutes before you cook it and inject about 3 injection needles worth of the soup mixture.   This gets more of the essential flavor into the pernil and also makes sure it is nice and juicy.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and stick the meat in for 35 minutes for every lb of meat.   Make sure it is covered.  About 45 minutes before its done take off the cover.   In the last 10 minutes turn it up to 450 and get that chichiarron nice and crispy.

What you get is friggin amazing.   Pure deliciousness.   The perfect pernil!

SALTY

GARLICKY

YUM YUM DELICIOUS!

THE PERFECT PERNIL

Gumbotto Recipe - My Rendition of a Gumbo Inspired Risotto

The other day I was watching Food TV and gumbo was featured a few times.   It was the day of Snotober in the NYC so I figured that I wanted to do something warming like gumbo for dinner.    Sadly then two shows later Food TV did something on risotto.  I wanted to make that as well!   It then hit me to try to make a gumbo inspired risotto.

Now I know there are plenty of recipes for Gumbo Risotto but I just wasn't in the mood for the tomato base.  I decided to just take the key ingredients I like of gumbo and incorporate it into some form of seafood risotto.   So here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

2 andouille sausage
4 diver scallops
6 tiger shrimp
2"x1" block of slab bacon
1 salmon fish head
1 extra large shallot
1 yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
bunch of fresh cilantro
chili flakes
4 cups fish stock
4 cups of water
2 pinches of paprika
1/2 stick of butter
2 cups of risotto rice
kosher salt
cracked black peppercorn
half of a fresh lemon
some parmesan reggiano
olive oil

Here was the plan.  I wanted to make my own fish stock base by putting a fish head in 4 cups of water and bringing it to a boil.    I removed the fish head and add 4 cups of store bought fish stock to it.   Whamo!   Fresh fish stock sorta.

I must admit the kid in me was excited to just be messing with a fish head :)

lol.

I then uncased the andouille sausage and cubed the bacon.  I tossed the andouille and bacon in the sautee pan with olive oil and made sure the sausage was brown and the little bacon cubes were nice and crispy.  I seasoned that to make sure the flavors come together.  Once the meat was done I took it from the pan and set it aside.   I added the shallots, garlic, and chili flakes into the sauté pan in the meat grease.   A little bit of seasoning to bring it together.  Once they were lightly sweated I tossed in the risotto rice and lightly toasted it for 2 mins.  I deglazed the sauté pan with two ladles of fish stock and began to work the risotto.

Good risotto is "worked."   You ladle in more and more stock and in between ladles you are tossing and moving the risotto.   When you do this the rice releases its starch and the risotto comes together much much more creamy.   "Working risotto" is a bit of a trick you need to practice and learn but once you hit your stride.  But when you do hit your stride you get AMAZINGLY creamy risotto.   This is why risotto is a comfort food....  it is made with love and care.

You work anywhere between 8-12 ladles of stock in to make a risotto.   You add some parmy cheese into it about 2x while you are working it.  Add enough cheese to add flavor but dont overwhelm it as you are going to put some cheese on it at the end.  You really got to make sure the risotto has the right creaminess and right texture.  This just takes practice!

I then heated up another sauté pan and dumped in the butter.    I tossed the scallops and shrimp in salt, pepper, paprika and a bit of fresh squeezed lemon.  I tossed them in sauté pan and spooned the hot butter atop them.    The shrimp I cooked to just done and took out.   I let the scallops get that perfect brown crust to them and took them out nice and done.   You really got to be careful not to overcook the scallop and shrimp.    The get rubbery if you over cook them.   This also takes practice.

I then finished the risotto by folding in som fresh chopped cilantro, the cooked andouile sausage and bacon.  

I plated the risotto down first with and on top of it put a bit of fresh parmy cheese and fresh cilantro.  I then added the scallops and shrimp to be served along side of it.

What I got was simply delicious.    It had the flavors of gumbo that I was graving and the risotto I was seeking.  Yum Yum Yum.   I have never made the gumbo risotto recipes that are online but let me tell you that this Gumbotto is worth making.

YUM YUM GUMBOTTO

Sable Kitchen and Bar (Gastro Lounge) - Heather Terhune's Vision in Chicago

Recently my favorite hotel the Hotel Sax was all booked up in Chicago for one of my business trips.  I love this hotel because of one and one reason only... BIN 36 :)  A great restaurant in Chicago I have come to frequent.   Their egg breakfast sandwich is definitely up there as one of my favorite restaurant egg sandwiches!  They also serve Grayson cheese which is stinky stinky goodness.

Instead of the Hotel Sax I booked my stay at the Hotel Palomar.  When I checked in I noticed a place called Sable Kitchen and Bar that described itself as a "gastro-lounge" on the first floor.   Now I usually don't really enjoy the term "gastro" being used to describe a bar or lounge.   It just seems weird to me and it is a carry over form England where the standard pub grub almost has a mandated pub fare menu.  I feel like most "gastro pubs" just need to call themselves a restaurant and bar.  Gastro this and gastro that is a recent trend.  To be quiet honest I feel like describing a place I eat as gastro is just trendy and not meaningful in any way shape of form.  I mean gastronomy means "the art and science of food eating."  No duh if I am in a restaurant.  Why is there a need to describe a place with it?!??

Anywho!   "Gastro Rant" done....

Sable listed themselves as a "Kitchen and Bar" so despite some mention of the "gastro lounge" term I decided to give it a shot for balancing truth with trend :)

Now I had heard nothing about Sable and just discovered it out of convenience but it was clear to me that this place was either popular or trendy.    The place had a good amount of people in it and by 7pm getting a table or seat at the Kitchen or the Bar was kinda tough.  Luckily the Hotel Klimpton was kind enough to ensure I got a table at Sable to sit and eat as a hotel guest.

When I was seated the waiter handed me the menu and described it as "American Fare with a twist" and sat me right next to the exposed and on display kitchen.  I LOVE when restaurants put the kitchen on display.   I love seeing kitchens put out food and watching all the deliciousness come together.

The waiter explained that almost everything on the menu can be enjoyed as a full or half serving.   This was first signal that I was going to enjoy my meal.    Any place that advocates for smaller portions so you can order more things has a special place in my heart.   I mean tapas and sushi have been tremendously successful for a reason!  

I picked up the menu and my excitement started to build.   The menu was clearly something that they update seasonally and almost every item on the menu looked like something delicious, and creative or thoughtful.   The key to a good menu!

My eyes settled on something I was 1000% going to have to order as my appetizer...

Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds with Spicy Ketchup Glaze

Ummmm....YUM (!&@#

I friggin love when people put cheese curds on the menu and serve them in some melty form.  They are one of the perfect cheese vehicles for melting as they are all different shapes and sizes so each curd is a different level of melty.   I love when people serve them and Sable is serving them deep fried and with spicy ketchup.   I HAD TO HAVE THE CURDS! !*(@&#(

The Wisconsin Fried Cheese Curds (I really cant say that enough) showed up and I attacked it!   I slipped into a melty fried cheesy heaven and didn't look back.   This thing was so amazingly delicious.   I won't go into too much detail but will say the following six words about this dish:

WISCONSIN
FRIED
CHEESE
CURDS

SPICY
KETCHUP

I mean I think that about covers it.   Oh and if you have never eaten a cheese curd dont wonder about what it is or isn't   It's just a piece of fresh cheese in it's most simplistic form.  They are yum.

Here is a pic of this delicious dish as the presentation was also spot on.

It was served up in a little basket with parchment paper which reminded me that I fried em.   This is the perfect way for someone to serve up fried food.   REMIND ME you fried as that is was I ordered it.  Xoxo Sable.

I also order a half portion of the Moroccan Spiced Almonds.   A simple and delicious dish.   Almond slightly coated in what I think was Ras El Hamout.  A great spice and a great nut.   You simply can't go wrong.   If you haven't tried this spice mix I definitely recommend it.    Vibrant, earthy, spicy and delicious!   Put it on some crunchy nuts and you win my heart :)  Once again Sable I am impressed.

At this point in my meal I wanted to meat the Chef.   This is someone who clearly knows their food and someone who also clearly enjoys their food.    I learned that the Chef behind sable is someone named Heather Terhune who I discovered is now appearing on the latest version of "Top Chef."   This is going to be a good meal.  Not because she is on TV (as most celebrity chefs are proof to the opposite) but because she is recognized and based on my first two dishes she is someone with alot of talent.  Oh Heather Terhune you are making my belly smile.   What did you have in store for me as an entree?!???

I picked up the menu again and began looking for my entree selection.    Winter has started to roll in so I was definitely looking for something that screamed winter is coming winter is coming.    I eyed my options and one stuck out as the one for me:

Grilled Venison with sweet potato, bitter greens, and a cranberry gastrique.

Um Yes!

Venison is one of those meats that screams end of fall, beginning of winter, family feast meal option.   Venison has a very special place in my heart as one of the chefs in my family always serves it for the holidays and it makes me think of family.   It is amazing how much our perception of food is influenced by how we are introduced to it.

My venison came and it was quite a beautiful plate.    Brown, Green, Orange, and Red.   I felt like I was staring at a plate of fall goodness.    Once again the presentation was impecable.   I prepared my first bite with a little bit of everything and layered it onto my fork the same way the chef layered it onto my plate.    Sweet potatoes first on the fork, greens second, venison on top and a dip in the cranberry gastrique.

I took a bite and I can only describe it as "right".   You first get the sweetness of the gastrique followed up by the silky goodness of the sweet potato.  Then you get hit with the venison game yum and it finishes with the bitter greens breaking through and rounding it out.   This was absolutely and undeniably delicious.   This is one of the most balanced and delicious plates of foods I have had in recent times.   Perfection on a plate.   Oh Heather Terhune how I now am becoming a huge fan of your food.

I finished up my entree and began to now dream about dessert!  I was in the mood for fall so I was hoping that the menu Heather put together for dessert had also been modified to reflect the season.   Low and behold it was!

I ordered the pumpkin panna cotta with candied pumpkin seeds and ginger bread cookies as my dessert with an espresso with lemon.   When I got the dish I wasn't quite sure how the chef intended me to build the perfect bite based on the plate.   I first tried dipping the cookie in the panna cotta and put pumpkin seeds on top.  This was delicious but it wasn't as complex and amazing as my previous dish.  I had to be doing something wrong.   My next bite I took a spoonful of the panna cotta with pumpkin seeds and stuck it in my mouth.   I finished it with a bite of the ginger bread cookie and suddenly the dessert began to make alot more sense.   The panna cotta was delicious and had wonderful texture but as all panna cottas are it needed something to keep me interested.   When I took a bite of the ginger bread cookie after the bite of panna cotta the peppery deliciousness of the ginger really came through.  It cleansed my palette and made my tongue feel like it was having a party.   This kept me eating and made the dish so enjoyable.

All in all sable is an amazing restaurant that puts out an amazing product.   The Palomar hotel better understand what they have going for themselves with Sable being a part of it.  The hotel was nice but I will book myself there again for the simple fact that I will get to eat at Heather Terhune's Sable Kitchen and Bar.

Next time you are in Chicago make the effort and go to Sable.   You will not be disappointed!

Apple Pie with A Cheddar Crumble

So recently I have been getting more and more into baking.    I have been traveling a lot so I have been enjoying baking because it allows me to leave some "goodies" behind when I take off for my loved ones.   Pie has been a particular focus for me as I friggin love pie.   Mmmm Pie.   hehe

Anywho!

I have made a couple of apple pies in order to lock into a REALLY great recipe.   I am not there yet but I wanted to start to share some food pics of some recent "wins" with my apple pie recipe hunt.  Specifically it is an apple pie with a cheddar crumble and it was DIVINE!   YUM YUM APPLE PIE!

 

The Finished Pie Untouched :)

The pie cut open.   YUM

OCCUPY MY REFRIGERATOR

LOLZ

Benton Park Cafe - Review

Today I flew into St Louis to attend some meetings.    I got here a bit early so I went down by the AB brewery and decided to go grab myself some breakfast.    I was looking for someplace close by and that was about my only criteria for a place to eat.  I checked google maps, found a spot and off I went!

I stumbled into a place across the highway from the brewery named Benton Park Cafe.    It looked like a cute spot so I started to get excited that it might just be great.    They had some outdoor tables and it seemed like a young but homey kind of spot.

When I first walked in I was greeted with the following sign:

Now being a NY Mets fan this made me laugh a little bit.    I had no idea until a few years ago but apparently the city of St Louis calls the NY Mets pond scum.   Pond scum was something from the 1986 series when the Mets took the world series.  Some local sports dude coined it and it stuck.   Of course this made me giggle.  We NY Mets fans are a proud bunch but this just makes me smile.    :)  Oh and St Louis....We might be pond scum but we still one the year you coined the phrase :) xoxo

Anywho I disgress.

The place looked awesome.   It was quiet cool and definitely seemed like a spot I want to start my morning with over breakfast and end my night with for a drink.   Spots like this are my fav.   The wait staff seemed cool so we sat on down and were ready to eat.   Based on the look of the place I began to have high expectations for the coffee and food.   It really looked like and smelled like this place was the real deal.  A place that cared about their ingredients, recuperation and recipes.   This is key for me.  Any creative force knows your idea is as strong as the thought and care you put into it.  This place looked cared for!

The staff was super friendly and all young and fun seeming.    Though I might of been dressed in a suit underneath is tons of ink and a sprinkle punk rawk.   My true me felt at home in this spot.

I ordered an iced latte and waited now with high expectations.   In the meantime I checked out the menu.   The menu looked amazing!   One thing on it really called out to me.  It was called the BP Slinger....

Here's the description:

Beer biscuits, cheese, bacon, over easy eggs smothered in their house made gravy.  

Um Yum.....So I ordered it.   When it came out it looked pretty amazing.   I posted a shot of it with the egg broken so all can see :)

I broke the egg and took my first bite.  So how was it you ask?   Allow me to summarize in a few key words:

*&!@# AMAZING

First off their gravy is just plane godly.   The gravy has a kick to it so it made my mouth tingle with joy.  It was the perfect flavor balance too.  The gravy was porky goodness without making me feel like i ate a bucket o'lard.  The consistency of the gravy was the best I have ever eaten.   This is quite possibly the best "breakfast" gravy I ever have tasted.  Thoughts of bathing in the gravy, living in the gravy and other such delusions entered my head as the gravy goodness bounced around in my mouth.

But wait....They needed to do more...Having quite possibly the best gravy I have ever eaten was simply not good enough for these guys so they chopped up crispy bacon and put it in the gravy.   (&!*@#   WHY HAVE I NEVER THOUGHT OF DOING THAT?!??!??   Bacon chunks in gravy.  OMG YUM.

The put this 7th wonder of the world gravy on top of a perfectly cooked egg and a biscuit that was simply delicious.

After literally destroying my plate of food and having to hold myself back from ordering another plate I got the chance to talk to some of the wait staff.   They were social, friendly, and just plain chill.

So...What's the lesson here all?

IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE WITHIN 500 MILES OF ST LOUIS GO TO BENTON PARK CAFE.   Order anything with the biscuits and gravy.   I am seriously making Benton Park Cafe a regular go to spot when I come to the STL.

Benton Park Cafe = Awesome
Benton Park Cafe Biscuits and Gravy = A 100% MUST EAT...

YUM! 

Lake's Edge Blue Goat's Milk Cheese Review

While walking around Brooklyn I passed one of my favorite shops "BKLYN LARDER."  They had a sign that read "VERMONT CHEESE SALE."  I could not resits.  I mean any sign that says Cheese + Sale is going to get my attention.  

I stumbled inside and decided to take a look at the selection of cheese from Vermont.   I ended up selecting a cheese called Lake's Edge Blue Goat's Milk Cheese.    I was in the mood for something creamy and light and this cheese looked like it fit the bill!

I brought the cheese home and decided to dive right in.    The cheese was amazing!  It was tangy, creamy, and had the essence of ash in it.   This was a truly delicious cheese!   If ANYONE runs into this cheese out in the market do yourself a favor and pick it up.    I am defintly going back to BKLYN Larder to go get myself some more!

Grilled Stickies! A Sinfully Sweet Pennsylvania Treat

On a recent trip to chitown a friend told me about a sinful treat that she loves from Pittsburgh.  The treat was called "Grilled Stickies."  When I heard the name I HAD to learn more.  I mean anything that is grilled and sticky can't be too bad!

She described them to me as a sinful french toast esque treat served with ice cream and caramel.   I HAD TO LEARN MORE!!!!!

I looked them up online and what I found was disturbingly delicious sounding!  Grilled Stickies are day old sticky buns that are sliced into 1/2" slices that are buttered and grilled.   I was sold.  I had to make em!

I ran to my bakery and got some sticky buns.   I picked up some sweet condensed milk and some vanilla ice cream and the Grilled Sticky party began!

Using sweet condensed milk to make caramel sauce is super easy.    I combine 4 parts sweet condensed milk and 1 part water and just whisk it while on low heat.   It turns into a nice thick caramel sauce.  YUM!

I applied clarified butter to each side of the 1/2" slices of Sticky Bun.   I put butter on a skillet and set it on low heat.   I put the slices of sticky bun on the skillet and browned each side.  I plated them with a scoop of ice cream and drizzled my caramel sauce on top.  YUM!

What I got was silly, stupid, absurd and delicious.   Grilled Stickies are AMAZING.   BEWARE THOUGH!  They are heavy!   This is definely a treat that should be enjoyed every once and a while.

Mmmmm Grilled Stickies!

Check out the pics:

My Best Ever Steak - Yum!

Steak is something that I think ever single male begins their cooking journeys with.   Despite the fact that we start with it the fact remain that getting it right it actually something you have to spend a lot of time working on!

Steak is quite the obsession of mine and I have tried lots of different things.    In these trials I have begun to lock into a formula for success.   My formula is quite simple:

Good Ingredients + Time + Accuracy + Patience = YUM







So why don't I talk about the ingredients first....

1 Dry Aged Steak Sirloin Cut (Dry Aged = FLAVOR and is WORTH the cash)
Black Truffle Infused Olive Oil
Butter (The fat of the gods)
Garlic Powder
Salt
Black Pepper
Soy Sauce

One of my first steps is the rub.   I use a very simple rub that is garlic powder, black pepper and a pinch of salt per side.  I rub down the steak in this and then move it to the refrigerator.   This is where TIME really becomes important.   I like to leave my steak in the frig for about an hour and then take it out of the frig one hour before I cook it to allow it to come to room temperature.   Rushing this step of it will only result in a sub-premium product.  DONT RUSH THIS!!!!!

I then move to making a savory fat mix.   I melt some butter about half a stick and combine it with 2 tablespoons of truffle oil and one tablespoon of soy sauce.    The more premium soy sauce the better the flavor.   I use a black aged soy sauce.

I set my oven to 400 degrees and then get a skillet heated to medium high.  Once the pan is nice and hot i toss in the fat mix after giving the steak one quick coating of it.  It will start to bubble and spit and be ready for a little smoke to come up.

I then toss the steak in the pan with the bubbling hot fat mix and let it sit on one side to achieve the perfect sear.  The sear is a very step.  It helps keeps the steaks juices in but also really makes your steak look BEAUTIFUL.   Eating is about all senses.   Don't neglect beautification!  Also don't always check your steak!  Let it sit for 5-6 minutes and get that sear.   Patience and time are your friends.

While working to achieve the perfect sear I tilt the pan and get some of the bubbly fat spooned onto the top of the steak.   Once the sear is right on the bottom side  I flip the steak an then move the pan to the oven.

Now how long you leave your steak in the oven is all about how you like your steak cooked.   I like Medium to medium well so depending on the size of the steak I leave it in their for 8-12 minutes.   Size matters in how long you leave it.   I use my tongs to check how "firm" the steak is by pressing into it and that always help me really nail the time perfectly.

Once you are happy with how long its been in the oven take the steak out and let it rest for 5 minutes and let the fats redistribute themselves throughout the meat.  Slice the steak and make sure you are working with the grain of the meat and not against it.   Once the steak is sliced hit it with a slight pinch of salt to button up all the flavors and VOILA!

The soy sauce and truffle oil bring a earthy umaminess to the steak.   The garlic is straight savory and the meat stands on it's own.   Nothing over powers and they all work to make it beefy beefy goodness.   I call this steak recipe my bubble gum steak recipe because if they made steak flavored bubble gum I would want it to taste like this :)


Here are some of the pics:

Steak Cooking

 

Steak Cooked

 

Steak Sliced #1

Steak Sliced #2

YUM YUM STEAK!

Truffled Sausage Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes and Sage - MY FIRST PIZZA!

So in my travels I ran into a pizza stone at a buddies house.   This thing was awesome.   I never thought I could make my own semi-legit pizza at home.  YAY!   God help my belly because I am going to do this all the time now!  hehehe.  

Since discovering this I went to my local kitchen store and picked myself up a nice pizza stone.   

The first thing I needed to tackle was figuring out how to deal with a ball of fresh pizza dough.   To be quite honest I am went through 3 pizzas before I really had something that was "ok".   I need to continue to improve it.    I think the key is to put a little olive oil on the pizza when you are spinning it out.    For some reason this made the pizza easier to stretch.  

This brings me to another point.   Spinning a pizza is possibly the most fun thing in the world.    I have stared in awe at  my local pizza spots for years and I employed the techniques I witnessed in doing it at home.  it is easy and fun!    use your fists.   Stretch it out slowly.  It is easy as pie and super happy fun times :) 

Now I have to admit I still need to do work here but the olive oil discovery on the dough definitely changed things for me.   I am going to try again soon and see if I make an improvement.   In this pizza the crust was still too thick but was super close to wonderful.   Almost there!

Ok now let move on to what I put on the pizza :)

Here is an ingredient shot:

 

I used simple goodness....

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Sage

Sweet Italian Sausages

Vine Ripened Tomatoes

Red Chili Flakes

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Black Truffle Infused Olive Oil

Simple!  

I started by heating up a pan and tossing in some truffle oil.  I took the sausage out of its "casing" and tossed the chopped up meat in the pan.  Once it began to brown I put in about 1.5 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage and salt to add a nice flavor to the meat and balance the truffle flavor.  

I coated the dough in a thin layer of truffle oil.   Put on nice thing pieces of mozzarella everywhere.  Layered on the sausage and then thin sliced vine ripened tomatoes.   From there I put on the chili flakes (about 1 teaspoon) and then tossed it in the over until it was nice and crispy.

I finished it with more sage, more chili flakes, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  

What did I get?   Deliciousness!  I need to improve the crust but I am well on my way to a perfect pizza at home!  YUM YUM PIZZA!

Finished Product:

Panko Crusted Fried Squash Blossoms with a Mustard Summer Salad

This morning I walked up to the Grand Army Plaza Farmers Market.   When I got there I saw a stand that was calling my name.   What you ask???  SQUASH BLOSSOMS!

These are such a pretty vegetable or flower or whatever they are.   They have the brightness of a squash and the hint of their flavor.  Their couldn't be a more perfect little blossom to cook with.

So what could I do with these squash blossoms and only one thing came to mind.  Stuff and Fry!  Stuff and Fry!

I decided to stuff them with an herb cheese.   I got two parts fresh ricota, one part tangy goat cheese and some farm fresh thai basil.   I dipped them in some milk then rolled em in flour.  I then dipped them in milk again and layered on some wonderful panko bread crumbs.  I fried em up in some vegetable oil and got them golden golden brown.   YUM

I picked up some mustard greens, fresh jersey tomatoes, and some fresh cucumber.   I whisked together some olive oil, dijon mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper.   I tossed all the greens in dressing with the chopped up tomatoes and cucumber.

With did I get?  Sinfully fresh, summery delicious, nutritious and slightly bad while absolutely delicious lunch!  YAY!

Food pics below:

YUM YUM

Fromage d'O'Cow Review - Cato Corner Farm Cheese

Ok so I tried a new cheese this weekend and for the first time in a while I was let down!   The cheese was the Fromage d'O'Cow from Cato Corner Farm.   It had a weird start that I could only describe as ammonia like.   I was really not a fan at all!   Total shame because this cheese is the slightly more aged version of Hooligan from Cato Corner Farm which I love!   Oh Well.   Try and Try Again!  Onward and Upward!!!!!

My First Outdoor BBQ of the Year - Baby Back Ribs Galore

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure and privilege of "first use" of my parents bbq in the catskill mountains to kick off my summer outdoor bbqing.   YAY!

I decided I wanted to make baby back ribs and make them nice and slow.   I had picked up a pork baby back ribs with the loin on them.    This is the first time I cooked these style of ribs so of course it was an experiment!

The house I was cooking at had just a plane ole gas bbq and I love smoking with hickory wood chips so my first step was to fabricate a way to infuse some hickory smoke into a normal bbq.   I decided that I can fabricate one by taking a frying pan and covering it with some tin foil.   I would put that pan over the direct heat to keep the chips smoking after I got them started on the stove top.  I used the tin foil to make almost a pipe to where the meat was to ensure the smokey goodness was getting to the meat.    In my pan i placed about 10 hickory woodchips that were tossed with about 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Ok now that I had fabricated a smoker it was time to turn to the meat.   I used my traditional rub:

Salt
Black Pepper
Yellow Curry
Cumin
Cayenne
Paprika

I then made a sauce to baste the ribs with that had the following in it:

Mustard
Ketchup
Brown Sugar
Stubbs BBQ Sauce

I spent about 5 hours cooking them at a low temperature and the result was amazing!  I would say though that if you get baby back with the loin on them I would recommend an 8 hour cook time instead.  It could of been more tender.

Pic below!

Lobster Roll From The Red Hook Lobster Pound Food Truck

Yesterday while walking around Park Slope we noticed something wonderful!  The food truck from the Red Hook Lobster Pound. 

We couldn't resist hitting it up as we have been to the Red Hook Lobster Pound to get fresh lobsters and they were amazing. 

We decided on getting the Maine style lobster roll and hurried home with our bag of goodies.

What did we get?  PURE SINFUL GOODNESS.   I have never had a lobster roll like this.  Now I must admit I have only had lobster rolls 2x.  The first time was delicious and from the Brooklyn Fish Camp.   But this lobster roll from the Red Hook Lobster Pound Food Truck is something else.   It lasted about 2 minutes in my possession but I was able to snap some pics before devouring it.   Enjoy

 

YUM YUM LOBSTER ROLL

GREAT JOB RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND FOOD TRUCK!

Healthy Eating Challenge - Part Tree

For my healthy eating challenge I have been using the MyFitnessPal app for iPhone which btw is AWESOME.  I have been tracking my food consumption and looking how many calories that turns into as well as the nutritional value of the food I eat.   I realize that I am not getting enough vitamins and minerals in my system.  Time to fix that too!

I went to GNC and picked up the following:

Cardio Health Program (my family has ticker issues)
Mega Man Performance & Vitality

I am curious to see what that does to me energy wise.   My initial reaction is workout + vitamin is giving me a ton more energy.   I woke up at 445am this morning and was bright eyed and bushy tailed.   Time will tell though.   :)

Healthy Eating Challenge - Part Deux

Yesterday I posted about creating a healthy eating challenge for myself.  Now with that of course comes not only healthy eating but I realized that I should expand that to include a healthy exercise program.  After all I can eat good but if I am a lump on a log I will make no progress really!   After all the more progress, the more the indulgence factor in my foodventures becomes "ok."

Now for those of you who know me I am not known as the "workout" kind of guy but actually in my youth I quite was.   I did weight lifting, swimming, and baseball as an adolescent and as a teen I did football.  However in recent years I have been so obsessed with the media side of myself that I have neglected this side of myself.

So its time to regiment a work out plan I can follow to ease myself back into the healthier way of life....

Workout Plan:

5 days a week of hitting the gym

Day 1:
30 minutes of cardio
5 minutes of stretching
30 minutes of strength training - upper body
5 minutes of sauna

Day 2:
30 minutes of cardio
5 minutes of stretching
30 minutes of strength training - core
5 minutes of sauna

Day 3:
30 minutes of cardio
5 minutes of stretching
30 minutes of strength training - lower body
5 minutes of sauna

Day 4:
30 minutes of cardio
5 minutes of stretching
30 minutes of strength training - core
5 minutes of sauna

Day 5:
30 minutes of cardio
5 minutes of stretching
15 minutes of balance routines
10 minutes of sauna

Now while I am not a trainer and have no idea whether or not this will be effective, I do know that this is what is comfortable for me and will cover most of the bases I need to cover core, balance, cardio. detox, and muscle growth.  Will let you all know how I do....

Onward and Upward!

Healthy Eating Challenge

So anyone who reads this blog should be well aware that I LOVE TO EAT!   But as of late things like my love of cheese, meat, and butter have been getting the best of me.   I have started putting on too much weight.   So I wanted to begin a thread on a healthy eating challenge I am giving myself.   It's ok to indulge but I need to do a better job balancing.  Here are some choices I made this morning and what I switched from to show how better choices can begin to make a difference....

Breakfast

Old Choice:  Sausage, Eggs, and Cheese with Jalapenos on an Everything Bagel

Why I chose it:   Eggs and Jalapenos with Sausage is one of the most amazing things in the world to eat.   NUFF SAID

New Choice: Eggs Whites, Sausage, Jalapenos with Wheat Toast

Estimated Calorie Savings:  ~200 kCals


Lunch

Old Choice:    Tuna Melt w/Chips and an Orange Soda

Why I chose it:  Savory, Crunchy, and Sweet

New Choice:  Healthy Salad with Fat Free Dressing and Water

Estimated Calories Savings: ~300 kCals

Snack

Old Choice:  Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffin

Why I chose it:  UMMMM....

New Choice:  Chobani No Fat Blueberry Greek Yogurt

Estimated Calorie Savings:  ~450 kCals


Choices before dinner estimated calorie savings:  950 kCals  NICE!!!!

Time to get a bit more healthy so I can indulge as I like :)  I know I know.... lol

Edible Print Ad - MUNCHEDIA FOR REAL!!!!

Apparently Volkswagen has created an edible print ad.   Awesome.  Truly Munchies and Media so I must commend.    I love the idea of how creative print can be.   Print is such a great vehicle and hopefully more disruptive creative units will enter into the print vehicle and showcase that it is a great platform and not a dying one.    Long Live Print!

Here is the scoop on adweek

Farm Fresh Cheese From The Cato Corner Farm

Yesterday I visited the Grand Army Plaza Saturday Farmers Market and ran into a stand from the Cato Corner Farm.   What did they have at this stand you ask?  CHEESE GLORIOUS CHEESE!  Now cheese is something that I have really started to understand and enjoy.   I have given myself lots of cheese experiments and have really begin to love all types of cheese from sweet and subtle cheese to the naughty stinky cheeses.   In fact the naughty stinky ones are now the ones that I am beginning to love the most!  But I digress so allow me to get back to the matter at hand...the cheese I found in the farmers market.

I asked the cheese monger at the Cato Corner Farm stand to give me two nice cheeses and told him that I wanted one to be harder and one creamier but both robust and perhaps even bold.   I then explained I am not afraid of stinky cheeses as those are usually the best :)  The cheese monger gave me the following two cheeses:  Dairyere and Hooligan.

Dairyere was a wonderful little cheese.   It was a nice mildly sharp cheese that resembled a nutty Gruyere cheese.   Its finish was fantastic as the taste really stayed around.   I must say I love this cheese as an every week cheese that I would regularly buy.  I definitely recommend it as a cheese for all peoples as it was easy to eat and enjoy.  Here is a pic:

Cato Corner Farm Dairyere Cheese

Then I tried the Hooligan.   Oh Hooligan What Can I say About Thee?   Hooligan is a naughty cheese.  I mean REALLY naughty cheese.   The kind of naughty that makes you giggle quietly and makes you want to hide your desire for it from people.    This cheese was EPIC!  It is a creamy, stinky, salty cheese that if you put a tiny bit of honey on with a piece of thin bread you will find yourself experiencing an absolute mouthgasm.   Good lord GO EAT THIS CHEESE!!!!!

Cato Corner Farm Hooligan Cheese

Good job Cato Corner Farm.  I Heart Your Cheese!