Archive for November, 2008
The fragrance of a big pot of steaming Pho simmering in the kitchen is always a welcome aroma. The scent of Star Anise, Cinnamon, Garlic and Onions gently bubbling away with some Ox Tail is very alluring.
It seems that everyone has their own recipe to make Pho, and their own preferred ways to flavour it when it is served. I have never seen a dish change so much when it arrives to the table.
We don’t serve Pho “as we know it” in the restaurant, though sometimes we do make Mini Pho, served in small bowls as an Amuse Bouche.
The Spanish have many recipes for Ox Tail, so it is readily available here and served in many restaurants either stewed with tomato and aromatics or cooked “a la casa” style, with the recipe a closely guarded secret.
Because it is a tough piece of meat, it benefits from gentle cooking, much like in our Pho´s.
We have made Pho Croquettes before, however this time we decided to make them a little bigger to imitate the regular sized Croquettes that are commonly available.
Once breaded they can be frozen for later use. In fact, all Croquettes are best cooked when they have been chilled beforehand.
Our Croquettes are made with the meat from the Ox Tail, flour, butter, onions and the Pho broth. Because we want a creamy-like interior, we make sure to add some of the fat from the tail, otherwise the Croquettes can end up dry after being fried.
In the restaurant business we usually call the humble Pancake by its French name, the Crêpe.
Crêpes come in all shapes and sizes and can be served with sweet or savoury additions. They can be seen in many cuisines and have many different names, though in essence they are a flat bread (though some also use yeast).
My first memory of Pancakes stem from my school days. We used to make them on Pancake Day (our name for Shrove Tuesday), and I remember partaking (and winning! 
) at the school Pancake Race, a race where I had to run whilst simultaniously flip a Pancake from its frying pan!
Back at home, proud of my “Gold Star Pancake Race Medal”, I would then make Pancakes for my family, (Showing off!). I recall a laughable moment when I “flipped” to hard and the Pancake got stuck on the kitchen ceiling!. Luckily those days are far gone!.
It was Emilie´s idea to cook up some Crêpes for the restaurant. We decided to fill them with Sautéed Wild Mushrooms and Leeks.
We served them with some Yakitori Suace and Shallot Toast “Migas” (Crumbs).
These are served warm and were very tasty, in fact I ate three! ;)
***
Foie Gras Brûlée.
Yep, a fattened duck liver “flan” given a topping of brown sugar and burnt. Sounds strange, tastes lovely!! :) .
Most of use have encountered Crème Brûlée´s on dessert menus. The Spanish have their version called Crema Catalana (literary “Catalan Cream”) which is made a little differently, and in my opinion is heavier and sweeter than its French cousin.
Not so long ago, I swapped the hazy New York nights for the multi-coloured sunsets of the Sunshine State, Florida.
Skyscrapers gave way to Coconut Palms, the roads got bigger and there was less honking from the drivers.
The view from my hotel room changed from a busy avenue scene to a more refined and tranquil one.
The food changed too.
Salmon.
We serve Salmon in a variety of ways at the hotel. We smoke or marinade it for breakfast, we use it for Sushi and Sashimi, it is also grilled “a la plancha” at the Brasserie by the Pool.
When I was younger, Salmon Steaks were the “in dish”. These were normally cut through the body, so that it had a small piece of bone in the middle and the skin was always intact. I remember ordering them in restaurants and always finding them overcooked and the meat flaky.
Nowadays it is rare to see Salmon Steaks on menus, the former ruler of the Royal Family of Fish has given way to a new monarch, the Tuna.
However, saying that, I still enjoy a Salmon Steak now and then. At the restaurant we use some Sushi Cuts for our Salmon Steaks. These are the cuts that are normally reserved for our Sushi cooks. The best cuts.
Instead of grilling the Salmon, I roast it.
Roasted Salmon, Pak Choi Sauce and Coconut Milk Foam.
The “Pak Choi Sauce” can also be served as a soup. Pak Choi, more green part than white, are sweated with onions, then cooked in a light Chicken Stock before being placed in a blender then passed through a sieve, at this point if you add cream or milk, you have a soup.
Everyone knows that I hate overcooked food, and they way that we cook the Salmon, means it is never overcooked.
We thought that it would be a novel idea to serve our Crackers a little longer than normal as bar snacks.
They are made in exactly the same way as our normal Crackers, they are just cut in to long strips. The hot oil made them curl whilst being cooked, but with some careful prodding with a long pair of chopsticks, it was possible to get some unique shapes.
The idea of serving them like this came about after seeing the branches of trees that had shed their leaves. We had tried some that were cut thinner, but they were too fragile and would snap too easily.
***
A few days ago it was Sous Chef Khamsene´s birthday. A friend of ours kindly gave us some Venison for the occasion.
Why are holidays always “too short”?
Yes, I am back from my trip to the USA, well relaxed and fresh and ready to get back behind the stoves.
New York, New York, as the song goes, “So good they named it twice”.
We decided to stay in Midtown, right next to the Empire State Building and 5th Avenue. The way the roads are named makes it very easy to get around, especially on foot.
NY has sooooooo many places to eat. In fact, at every turn you can find some kind of eatery serving an array of food (or a Starbucks, so much money for selling Coffee, only in America…. ;) ).
With so many places to choose from, I think I gained a few kilos during this trip!
Food highlights included a dinner at Wylie Dufresne´s WD-50. When dining at such a restaurant, choosing the Tasting Menu is always a good option as you get to taste smaller versions of some of the best creations from the menu, in this case 12 small plates, which included…
Aerated Foie Gras, Brioche, Tamarillo Molasses.
WD-50 is listed in the guides as American Cuisine, which I think is a little misleading, I mean, what is defined as “American Cuisine?”, I think that the Spanish have a better name for this type of restaurant, “Cocina de Autor” or “Creative Cuisine”.
Scallops, Tendon, Endive, Parsley, Hazelnut Oil.
The lovely soft textures of the Scallops and Tendon were really smooth.
Caramelized Brioche, Gala Apple, Sage, Brown Butter.
The Brown(ed) Butter Ice Cream had a wonderful nutty flavour, and the inside of the Brioche was warm and soft whilst the outside had a crispy texture.
After dinner and drinks I was invited in to the (small) Kitchen to have a look around. On any given day, there are around 10 to 13 cooks under the leadership of the Chef.
Chef Wylie and I share a joke.
Hola!
I am on the last week of my holiday, and have the usual
“Holidays are too short”
feeling.
New York was sunny though chilli, coat required…
Whilst only three hours away…
You need sunblock in Florida.
:)
***
Now its time to return to NYC for a few more days before heading back to Spain.
Have a nice day..