Tonight's Dinner

 A lovely dinner for the Noddins between the holidays.

• Leeks vinaigrette David
• Mozzarella, Cantabrian anchovies, home-made chilli oil
• Beet-stained gravadlax on seed bread & the works: labneh, shallots, chives, lemon zest & oven dried capers
• Robuchon mash with fontina & confit wild mushrooms (souvenir de ma grand-mere)
• Foie gras, slow cooked onion compote on toasted baguette
• Boudin blanc aperitivo style, calvados-flamed & caramelized apples
• Brie de Meaux stuffed with a mix of truffle, Brillat de Savarin & creme-fraiche 
• Herb sald with chicken broth reduction vinaigrette 
• San Sebastian burnt cheesecake

Steak Diane

It took a Steak Diane to re-engage me. Loving what this dish represents: grand old dining devoid of pretension, tired hotel restaurants serviced by life-long devoted staff, in this case more likely an elderly gentleman in bow tie and apron cooking table-side in absolute control of cognac-induced flames, drizzling spoonfuls of sauce in repeated fashion, little by little over delicate little cuts of caramelizing filets. 

beef filets 

sliced brown button mushrooms

1 red onion

2-3 shallots

2 cloves of garlic, mashed to a paste with salt 

fresh tarragon, thyme, parsley, chives

maldon sea salt, ground black pepper

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup Madeira

Cognac

1 TBS sour cream

1 TBS dijon mustard

butter

1/3 cup home-made fond de veau or 1/2 cup chicken stock

1. flatten out steaks between parchment paper, to about a half to 2/3 of an inch thick
2. saute onions, followed by shallots and then mushrooms once the latter have caramelized somewhat
3. add salt to draw moisture out of mushrooms, add some (not too much) chopped tarragon and 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
4. when mushrooms have let off their water, add Worcestershire sauce, followed by Madeira and cognac; light the latter and let burn off before reducing sauce gently; add fond de veau or chicken stock, season with salt and pepper to taste
5. caramelize the filets on high heat in a separate pan until desired done-ness, let rest 10 minutes while sauce is reducing
6. right before adding the steaks to the pan with sauce, stir in a little mustard and sour cream until well incorporated, followed by some butter
7. let steaks warm through for no more than a minute to avoid further cooking
8. add a tiny drizzle of cognac and stir through to give a little contrasting bite to the fat
9. serve up on a warm heated platter with chopped chives and parsley on top

 

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

We know that risottos need to creamy and smooth. Typically that's done with butter, but here I've made a mushroom veloute which is both delicious and creamy.

combination of mushrooms, whatever looks good
EVOO
butter
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
garlic
chives
onions
arbrorio
best chicken stock
dried porcini
parmesan

1. soak porcini and eliminate sand
2. put garlic and mushrooms in a pan and saute with some EVOO
3. keep sauteeing until some caramelization sets in
4. deglaze with some what wine
5. add some porcini water to pan
6. season again and whizz up in a blender until you get a smooth veloute
7. saute chopped onions in butter and olive oil in a separate pan until golden but not browned
8. add rice (one handful per person) and let get sticky in pan
9. add white wine and once boiled down, add stock slowly and stir for about 18 minutes
10. toward end, add veloute to rice and fold in gently
11. ready to serve when desired consistency reached

Carta Musica, Bottarga, Chilli

Udon Mentaiko

From my favorite Japanese resto in Hong Kong. Secret recipe so the restaurant will remain nameless!

starch, best quality Udon
mentaiko
good quality vegetable oil
butter
fresh lime
fresh lemon
shiso
korean chilli powder

1. boil udon and save the water; heat oil on low heat, then add mentaiko and butter
2. add udon, turn heat up and add udon water until creamy and rich
3. add a couple of squeezes of lemon and lime
4. once plated, add shiso and chilli powder, as well as some extra mentaiko for garnish

Los Angeles Observations

Oh that blue sky and uplifting optimism that permeates everyone and everything. It'a a pity there's never enough time to sample more. I guess these little teaser trips keep us going back. Only regret is not going to Animal to this time, but still lots of highlights:

• Trois Mecs: luckily got a table, with the standout being the black truffle grilled cheese. 
• Rustic Canyon: our top dish here was better than anything at Trois Mecs: the Clam Pozole Verde
• Gjelina's: what's there not to like about riding your bike from Santa Monica via Venice to Abbot Kinney for lunch at Gjelina's? Highlight was ricotta gnocchi, beluga lentils with squid and salsa verde and the gob-smacking butterscotch pudding with salty caramel.
• Bestia: hugely popular Italian run by a charming young couple who have just gone for it. The gent is Israeli so traces of the Middle East in some of the dishes including the chicken liver which was spread around the interior of a terra cotta bowl like one would do with hummus in Beirut.
• Tasting Kitchen: around the corner from Gjelina's and feeling a little more grown-up. Smart crowd and Med fare not bad at all. Interesting that Jonathan Gold puts Gjelina much lower on his top 101 resto list. Although maybe slightly less refined than Tasting Kitchen, the flavors are gutsier at Gjelina.

Fusilli & Squash

I couldn't resist jotting this down following a quick glimpse of Gennaro's tube channel. How nice it would be to have his little garden terrace overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Don't overdo the rosemary.

freshly-made fusilli pasta
orange squash
red chili
garlic
rosemary
vegetablie stock
olive oil
maldon sea salt

1. cut squash into cubes, about the size of a thumbnail
2. boil water
3. saute garlic in a lighter olive oil, then chili and rosemary (2-3 sprigs for 400 grams of pasta)
4. let develop some color before adding stock
5. cook for about half our or until soft
6. add pasta into when 1-2 minutes short of finish time
7. give a nice stir, add more olive oil (perhaps an extra virgin this time)
8. taste, season and serve