Don't Be So Crabby!

Now I'm not a big fan of recipes. In fact, I HATE recipes. This is why I don't BAKE. Baking is all about recipes because if you're missing one item or if you're off by a tablespoon or so, you need to start all over. Cooking is about making the food taste the way you want it to taste. If it tastes too much like this then you add a little bit of this to balance it out.

I've gotten a few complaints from people that I never give them recipes. I always tell them to put a little of this in, and toss in some of this. Well, what is THIS???

So for your enjoyment I will share with you a recipe that I actually measured out and tested myself. 

I call this the  

New Jersey-Asian-Maryland Crabcake

Haha. Just kidding. I don't have a name. But here it is!

2 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab
1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
1.5 T Worcestershire
2.5 T Tabasco
1 Egg
1 T Old Bay
2 Cup Break Crumb
3/4 Cup Sm. Diced Red Pepper (Optional)
1/2 Cup Cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

- If you decide to use the Bell pepper, saute it with a little oil and salt and pepper for 8 min and keep it to the side.
- Make sure the oven or toaster oven is preheated to 400 degrees.
- Combine Mayo, Mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco and Old Bay.
- Add crab meat to wet ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula or spoon.
(Traditionally a Maryland Crabcake is folded so that the Lumps stay nice a big but if you want to break them  up and have little shredded pieces of crab that's fine.)
- Add the egg and chopped cilantro. At this point you can taste the mixture. Check for seasoning, or spice, or too much of this and that etc. It's OK to eat it, the crab meat is already cooked.
- Add the bread crumbs and fold/mix till all is incorporated.
- Make desired crabcake size/shape. But make sure the crabcake is no more than about 3/4 inch thick.
- Put a pan on medium high heat and add some clarified butter. Yes, I said clarified butter.
- Once the pan is hot, sear the crabcakes on one side for about 3-4 minutes. You can life the bottom of it to see how brown it is. Make sure it's nice and golden brown!
- Flip over and sear but only for about half the time (so about 2 min).
- Transfer onto baking sheet and toss into the oven.
- Let cook in the oven for about 7-8 min.
- Take out and enjoy!

If you want a sauce, check out my salmon cake blog and look for the Lime Aioli. Any questions? Shoot me a message! I told you I wasn't quitting!

bien manger

-cwis

See you "later"

I'm not quitting...i'm just taking a break. How long? Not sure but i'll let you know!

bien manger

-cwis

Answer sheet

CONGRATULATIONS TO SHAWN JUN FROM FULLERTON, CA!!!

1. Mise en place is your prep before you start cooking such as chopped onions, sliced peppers, cleaned spinach, etc. It literally translates into "set in place" or "put in place". It's French :)
2. Aborio Rice is the grain used in traditional risotto. Risotto is the way it's cooked by adding a liquid a little bit at a time and letting it reduce which concentrates the flavor of the liquid.  Risotto is not only made with Aborio Rice, it can be made with Barley, Regular white rice, Cous Cous, or even Cauliflower!
3. Al dente usually describes pasta when it's not cooked all the way, which is how you want it cooked. If you bite into pasta and it's completely soft, it's overcooked.  Al dente translates into "to the bite" in Italian which means you want a little bite when you bite into it.
4. NO! Pickles are cucumbers that have been pickled. haha!
5. Mirepoix aka the trinity is the mixture of Carrots, Celery, and Onions. You will almost always see these 3 vegetables in soups and stews.  The ratio is 2 part onion, 1 part celery, and 1 carrot.
6. Both a Julienne and a Chiffonade are strips.  But a Julienne is a cut for Vegetables and larger foods as a Chiffonade is a cut for herbs such as mint, parsley, and basil.
7. A roux is a cooked mixture of flour and fat used to thicken a liquid such as soup or a sauce.  Butter is typically used but you can also use oil or even bacon fat.  The ratio is equal parts.
8. Braising is used more for larger pieces of meat.  Liquid is filled only halfway up the meat and requires a longer cooking time.  Stewing is used more for smaller uniformed pieces of meat.  Liquid is added just to cover the meat and does not require a very long cooking time.
9. Sulfur is released from the onion when it is cut.  The sulfur rises in the air and mixes with the moisture in your eyes creating Sulfuric Acid.
10. Clarified Butter.
11. Simple syrup is made of sugar and water.  Equal parts Sugar and Water, but some people beg to differ as they believe the ratio is 2 parts sugar and 1 part water.  Either way water and sugar and heated to a boil and cooled down.
12. Puff pastry is made of layers of flour and butter.
13. Similar to Aborio Rice and Risotto, Squid is the ingredient to make Calamari and Calamari is the ring shape the squid is cut into.
14. Searing is the process of creating an even crust on the outside of the meat which will lock in all the juices in the meat.
15. Prime, Choice, and Select. Not a lot of people know about the prime grade of beef because it's just too expensive for the public and can only really be found in high end restaurants and very gourmet grocery stores.  Not sure if Wegmans or Whole Foods sells it.

Cooking 101

Here it goes! The first to answer all these questions correctly first WINS!  Please read the questions CAREFULLY before answering.  If you don't answer the QUESTION it will be wrong.  Results will be posted tomorrow.

PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS VIA BLOGSPOT COMMENT!

Ready...

Set...

GO!!

1. What is Mise en place?
2. What is the difference between Aborio Rice and Risotto?
3. What is Al dente?
4.  Can you grow pickles?
5. What is Mirepoix and what is the ratio?
6. What is the difference between a Julienne and a Chiffonade?
7. What is a Roux and what is the ratio?
8. What is the difference between a Braise and a Stew?
9. Why do onions make you cry?
10. What is the main ingredient in Hollandaise?
11. What are the ingredients in a Simple Syrup and what is the ratio?
12. What are the 2 main ingredients in Puff Pastry?
13. What is the difference between Calamari and Squid?
14. What is the purpose of Searing? 
15. What are the 3 top grades of beef? Starting with the best.

 BONUS QUESTION (2 part)

A. What are the 5 mother sauces?
B. Name a recipe where each sauce is the base.

Who Wants To...win a bottle of truffle oil?

Due to all of the annoying emails and facebook posts (just kidding!) about getting back on my blog, I've decided to come back with something fun.

On July 8, 2010, I will post my first Culinary Trivia game at 10pm my time which makes it 7pm for you West Coasters who want to play.

I will post a bunch of random questions that is very basic information in the restaurant world but to the home cook, you might say "That sounds familiar."  You can google the answers or if you know it just type it down and post.  The first person to answer all the questions correctly first will win 250mL (8.45oz) of WHITE TRUFFLE OIL. "What am I going to do with a bottle of Truffle Oil" you ask?  I'll post a few recipes of my own that will allow you to use the truffle oil.  Do as you please with it but all I ask is that you respect it.

If this goes well I have plenty of other stuff to give away :)  I'll be around www.Bunchedup.tv to remind you guys that night and I'll be posting on my facebook.  So if you want that bottle, I'll see you in 2 weeks!

bien manger

-cwis

PS- I forgot to mention. If you are a chef or in the food service industry you CANNOT play...sorry.

HOLD!

Sorry guys.  Unfortunately I've been very busy lately.  Clearly haven't had time to update my blog but that doesn't mean I don't have any blogs working!  I'll be MIA for a little bit to get situated and then I'll be back on the grind in no time...till then...

bien manger

-cwis

Happy Laos-Thai-Cambodian New Years!

Last week was New Years for the "dark" Asians. They do it up BIG with tents of food, music, clothing, etc etc. Everybody goes to a temple for celebration. All you need is a canopy and a seat and a table and you're set to sell. Most of the items weren't expensive. Sausages about 5 for $3 and HUGE chicken wings $2 for one. Not bad. I've always had Thai food and people always say Laos food is very similar. They are similar yet very different. It's hard to explain. They still use the same main ingredients like lemon grass, fish sauce, basil, lime and galangal which is closely related to ginger. One thing you will always get at every vendor is sticky rice. Sticky rice to a Laotian is like Naan to an Indian or Injera to an Ethiopian or Italian Bread to an Italian. They eat sticky rice with almost everything and they eat it with they fingers! Oh how I wish I had a big bowl of Laap (chopped up meat with fish sauce and lime juice and red onion and some other stuff) in front of me to eat right now as I write this...too bad I don't. But at least you get to see the pictures!

The very first tent that caught my eye was this tent that had this machine where they were feeding this plant through it. I immediately got in line to see what they were doing. Turns out they were extracting FRESH SUGAR CANE. I've only had fresh sugar cane to chew on at a kid but to see it as a drink was amazing. It was sweet and refreshing at the same time. I wish I had more with me right now!

Next I was taken to this tent where these 3 ladies were flipping little caps and cakes. They were QUICK. Pretty much they cook these little half balls of cake and when it's almost done they take 2 and stick them together to make one big ball. Coconut Cake they called it. Very mellow, just enough coconut to taste but not to overpower. This would be an awesome dessert. 

As we walk and eat I spotted from the corner of my eye this huge box of green liquid with what appears to be mangoes inside of it. From what I could taste and see they were unripened mangoes in salt water. The salt water is supposed to draw out the moisture of the mango making it hard and crunchy. Well, it was a success. The mango wasn't that unripe and it was served with this spicy salt to bring out some flavor of the mango. Every bite I took was a little sweet, salty, spicy and crunchy. Great for a hot day.

For the rest of the day we feasted on Chicken Feet, some Laap, giant chicken wings, rice cakes wrapped in banana leaf, and red bean sticky rice. What a great way to bring in the new year!

Upcoming Blogs:

- Risotto

- How to break down a bird

- Salt

bien manger

-cwis

Restaurant Eve

Thursday night I had a wonderful experience at a restaurant that one of my culinary school classmates works at. Restaurant Eve, located in Old Town Alexandria, delivers fresh and local ingredients. My friends and I had their 7 course tasting menu with 2 bottles of white. Quite delicious if I do say so myself. Serving women first, serving from the right side, changing silverware before each course, filling our glasses before they were empty, these are all qualities of the superb service we experienced last night. Everything was AWESOME except for a few "I wish this was a little bit more of this" etc etc...but overall the experience was great. Ok I'm going to stop talking, here are the pictures...

Palate Teasers

Starting Top Left Clockwise 

Venison Terrine, Rabbit Live Mousse, Deviled Quail Egg

Amuse Bouche

Lobster Tempura w/ Mustard Green Pesto

Intermezzo (Palate Cleanser)

Strawberry Sorbet w/ Lemon Grass and Champagne Gelée

Appetizer

Shimaaji (Japanese Horse Fish) w/ Compressed Orange

Carrot-Citrus Purée and Candied Ginger

Hawaiian Hearts of Palm w/ Mint Julep Purée and Pea Tendrils

Dober Sole w/ Spinach Pasta

Butter Poached Lobster w/ Heirloom Carrots

Ginger and Micro Cilantro

Pan Fried Sweetbread w/ Preserved Meyer Lemon Risotto

Fresh Garbanzo Beans and Veal Glace
(my favorite)

Venison Loin w/ Potato Gnocchi, Poached Morels and Ramp Cream

Cheese

Bayley Hazen w/ Pecan Pie and Nutmeg Cream

PreDesert

Profiterole w/ Coffee Pastry Cream

Desert
(I don't remember)

Petite Fours

From the Top

Macaroon w/ White chocolate Nougatines in the Center

Key Lime Pie

Homemade Marshmellow

Just like how mama used to make it.

This blog's menu:

Seared Pork Loin

Ginger Cabbage

Steamed White Rice

I remember the days of when my mom would cook pork chops at least twice a month and every time it would be the same but ALWAYS delicious. All she did was marinate it in SOY SAUCE. Maybe this is why I love soy sauce and fish sauce so much because my mom used them in EVERYTHING. She would marinate it with soy sauce and a little bit of garlic (at least from what I remember). 

I tried to replicate what my mom makes all the time because there's no sense in changing something that is already good. But when I was food shopping pork loins were on sale so of course I had to jump on that. Pork loin is almost like the Filet Mignon of the pig. It has little fat in it and you can eat it RARE. Yes I said it, you can eat pork loin Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, etc etc. 

Making this meal was simple and fast. First I marinated the pork loin with a little soy sauce and chopped garlic. As that marinates I worked on my cabbage. I grabbed a small piece of ginger about as wide as my thumb and as long as my middle finger. Peel it, cut it into small chunks, and toss it in a small pot with cold water and bring it up to a boil. Now for the cabbage, you can cut the cabbage anyway you want. Big, small, julienne, dice...whatever you want. I cut the cabbage in 4, took out the core and just rough chopped it into big pieces (I like big pieces of cabbage). I only used half cabbage for 2 people. When the water comes up to a boil throw in about a tablespoon of kosher salt. You want to put the salt in after it boils because putting the salt in while the water's cold will cause the water to take longer to boil. Well it doesn't really matter when you put in the salt but I'm used to that because when I'm at work I'm always pressed for time. So saving every little second counts. So back to the cabbage...toss in the cabbage after the salt and make sure everything has been submerged under water. Don't worry some of the cabbage will float up to the surface, that's ok. Just as long as everything has been touched by water. Once the cabbage is in the water let the water come up to a boil and bring the fire down to low heat and let it simmer.

Now that the cabbage is cooking you can start searing your pork. Get the pan hot and toss in a little bit of oil. I recommend a neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil. Using olive oil or sesame oil or any kind of strong flavored oil can taste weird with the soy sauce and plus...my mom always used vegetable oil. Depending on how thick the pork is and what temperature you want your pork at, adjust your heat so it doesn't burn before cooking the inside if you want a medium well or well done pork. But if you do that, I want you stop reading now. JUST KIDDING. My 2 pieces were about an inch thick and I always cook my pork loin rare. So I get that pan hot and toss my pork on without touching the high heat. I seared about 2 min on one side and 2 min on the other side and then I'm done.

Before you cook ANYTHING, make sure you have rice cooking. That's going to take the longest to cook. You'd know that if you were Asian. 

As soon as my pork was done, my cabbage was done as well. My pork was nicely seared while the juices were locked inside that delicious rare center and my cabbage was nice and tender with a hint of ginger. If my mom knew I had a blog and saw this I think she'd be proud. LOVE YOU MOM!

This is definitely a dish that is quick, easy, and CHEAP. Enjoy!

bien manger

-cwis