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! ;)
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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.