New Blog!

This blog has a new home. To follow my adventures visit http://zencancook.com . Come on, don't be shy!
See you on the other side and don't forget to update your links/readers. Thanks!

Zenchef

New Blog Coming Soon!!

No i didn't disappear although i was in HTML hell and i didn't know if i was going to make it back alive. It's a jungle out there! Okay let me spill the beans, I've been secretly working on a new blog, it's in Wordpress, it looks beautiful but i haven't finished vacuuming yet, and the paint is still wet. I also have to write a new post to validate the jump. So i will let you in in just a few days (it's at a different web address). If you have separation anxiety you can hang-out here as much as you want, doesn't bother me. I think there are some peanuts left in the cabinets if you get hungry. I hope you will follow me to the new digs and update your links / readers!

See you soon!

Z.

Ricotta Gnudi with Pancetta, Artichokes & Fried Sage

Those gnudi bastards gave me a bit of a headache to say the least. I had them for the first time at The Spotted Pig in New York City a few years ago and it was a revelation. Imagine a gnocchi with the light and pillowy texture of ricotta. There's no flour, no potato, no egg… nothing! It’s just you… and a dreamy little cloud.

It’s chef April bloomfield who started the craze and serves hers very simply in a sage brown-butter sauce, i’m sure many of you had the chance to sample this deliciousness. I’ve been trying to recreate the same texture ever since and failed several times. It reinforced my belief that the fewer ingredients there are in a recipe, the bigger the chance to screw it up. Since there aren’t any starchy/binding ingredients in the ricotta mixture, then there must be a little bit of magic involved in creating a dumpling that you can boil and sautee in butter. No, I’m not talking about molecular gastronomy [yawns] … It’s semolina flour magic my friends. Little nuggets of ricotta are piped directly onto a layer of semolina and then covered with more semolina. Someone should compose a song 'in homage' and name it semolina-semolina. You put your little project in the fridge and forget it for a few day. So far so good, right?

Wrong! Now the tricky part, you’re gonna have to make a pact with the devil.. You’re gonna have to trust your own…ju..jud.. judgement! Arghhhhhh...
Since ricotta come with different degrees of moisture, the process of turning blobs of ricotta into ravioli is not an exact science. It could take a day, or two, or three. What happens is the semolina absorbs the moisture of the ricotta and by doing so it creates a thin skin around it, once enough moisture has been absorbed and the ‘skin’ is strong enough you have a ricotta ‘ravioli’ that you can boil and gently sautee in butter, if not dry enough it will collapse into a pitiful puddle of cheese at the contact of boiling water or hot butter... believe me, I went there. Judgement!! you have to use your judgement my friends to decide when your lumps are ready to be cooked! Arrghhhhhhh… just the thought of it is too much to handle. (Ok a hint, they will feel firm and compact). Judgement!...Argghhhhhh…

Anyway, enough teasing. This is a fantastic recipe if you can pull it off. It’s not too hard really but use only FRESH ricotta, even better, use sheep’s milk ricotta if you can find it. The supermarket ricotta will take decades to dry since they inject it with all kinds of weird preservatives. Supermarket ricotta = not your friend.

To finish the dish I sauteed some pancetta and artichokes hearts and fried some sage leaves and they ‘partnered’ really well with the soft ricotta gnudi. I also grated a little bit of aged Comte over the top before serving to add some funk and a turn or two of freshly ground pepper. Geez, now you know all my secrets. Enjoy!

Ricotta Gnudi with Pancetta, Artichoke & Fried Sage

(inspired by the Spotted Pig)
(serves 4)

• 1 lb fresh ricotta
• ¼ cup grated parmegiano-reggiano
• ½ lemon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 cups semolina flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 slices pancetta, sliced finely
• 2 artichoke hearts, cleaned, trimmed and cooked
• 14 sage leaves, some fried, some chopped
• ½ cup canola oil, for frying
• Aged Comte, for grating

• Mix the ricotta, the parmigiano and the squeezed lemon juice in a medium-bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a shallow platter, spread out a third of the semolina. Put the ricotta mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a #9 or #10 tip and pipe blobs (the equivalent of 1 tablespoon) onto the semolina. Cover with the remaining semolina (it should look like the Saharian desert at this point) and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 24 hours. Use your judgement!!

• When ready to proceed, pick up the gnudi from the semolina brushing off the excess, and roll them in the palm of your hands one by one to round them up (it also helps to ‘set’ the skin). Refrigerate until ready to use.

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, crisp-up the pancetta strips in a pan and drain on paper towels. Fry the sage leaves in the canola oil and drain on paper towel. Slice the artichoke hearts and reserve. Gently drop the gnudi in the water and cook until they start coming back to the surface, about 3 minutes. In a large pan, melt the butter and add the artichokes to sautee quickly, emulsify with a few tablespoons of the cooking water, add the chopped sage and carefully transfer the drained gnudi to the pan. They should hold their shape nicely. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently. Divide the gnudi and artichokes among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with the pancetta and fried sage leaves, grate some Comte over each portion and serve immediately.

Pheasant, Pork Belly & Foie Gras Terrine + Artisan Bread in 5 minutes

Arrghh... My internet connection hasn't been working for days. I almost feel like a normal human being again except that the real life is not as much exciting as this blogging world. I much rather be here with you and talk about how to make a terrine from scratch or about wrestling matches between pigs versus humans.

Imagine coming face to face with Conan the Barbarian in a narrow hallway... That's how the pheasant, the duck and the pig felt when they met me. Poor things! Why did they have to be born so delicious? What a curse... Oh well, get over it!!

It’s really not hard to make a delicious terrine from scratch, all you need is a good butcher, a little patience and of course... a serious dose of pork love. If you don’t know what pork love is you haven’t been looking hard enough.

The meat for the terrine is cubed, tossed in garlic, thyme, four spice, cognac and pink salt on the first day, then left to marinate and cure overnight. The next day the fragrant mixture is ground (that’s where it helps to have a good butcher, he can do this for you), then packed into a terrine and cooked at low temperature in a bain-marie for 2 hours. The hardest part is giving the terrine a rest in the refrigerator for the next 2 or 3 days before cutting a slice, it helps develop the flavor, but when you finally do.. oh wow. It's a valse of flavors.

I thought this terrine would be a great opportunity to try to make ZoeBakes bread after reading the great reviews it got everywhere on the internet. So i went ahead and bought her book (with co-author Jeff Hertzberg) Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and jumped right in the flour bin. I was rescued and revived a few hours later... that will teach me not to read a recipe to the end. I started a batch… It took me exactly 3 minutes and 12 seconds. Zoe and Jeff clearly didn’t take into consideration the 10 cups of coffee I drink everyday when they named the book. It was fantastic! Great crust and all. I was really impressed. No no.. don't count on me to reveal a blogger's secret. Go ahead and buy the book and you'll be making breads like this one in no time at all.

Pheasant, Pork Belly & Foie Gras Terrine

(serves a bunch)

• 1 whole pheasant, boneless, skinless, meat cut into strips. (you can have your butcher do this for you)
• 14 ounces pork belly, cubed
• 6 ounces fresh foie gras, denerved and deveined, cut in chunks
• 5 ounces chicken livers
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon cognac
• 1 sprig of thyme, leaves chopped
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pink salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon four-spice (ground black pepper, ground cinnamon, ground
• nutmeg and ground cloves in equal parts)
• 3 ounces country bacon, cut into chunks
• 3 ounces smoked bacon, cut into chunks

• In a large bowl, combine the pheasant meat with the pork belly, foie gras, chicken livers, garlic, white wine, brandy, thyme, pink salt, pepper and four-spice. Cover with plastic wrap and let meat marinate overnight in the refrigerator.


• Preheat oven to 250’F. Pass the meat mixture and bacons through a meat grinder set on medium (you can have a butcher do this for you)

• Place the meat in the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the mixture on medium-high speed for 15-20 seconds. Don't overdo-it or there will be spanking! That step is important in creating an 'emulsion' between the fat and the meat and in distributing the seasoning evenly.

• Pack the mixture into a terrine mold. Even the top with wet fingers, yes it's just like play-doh. And if it's pork fat, it's gotta be fun! Don't lick your fingers though. Wrap the terrine in aluminum foil and place in a shallow dish, pour warm water to come halfway up the sides.

• Place in the oven and cook until the temperature inside the terrine reaches 165'F. I know, i screwed up. Mine reached 166.3F... I was too busy chatting on twitter.

• Remove the terrine from the water bath and let it rest for a few minutes. Remove the foil. Cut a piece of cardboard the size of the top of the terrine and wrap it in aluminum foil. Wrap the terrine in plastic wrap, place the cardboard on top and weight it down with cans, weights.. whatever!

• Place the whole thing in the refrigerator and forget about it for at least 2 or 3 days before cutting the first slice. I know it's hard, but you can do it! Enjoy with Zoebakes's bread!

Wasn't too scary, was it?

Grilled Octopus Salad with Chickpeas, Wild Arugula and Preserved Lemon

I got a big craving for octopus after seeing the beautiful octopus salad We Are Never Full made recently, and after sampling some delicious versions at Pylos and Esca i couldn't wait to get my tentacles on their hands. Yesterday, i found some nice small octopus at the fish market and we had that 'instant connection'. I looked at her and she looked at me... time stood still.. we walked out together. The rest of the story is in the plate below. I won't tell you how i tenderized my beloved octopus but We Are Never Full has some great tips here.

The octopus was boiled in a light court-bouillon, cooled, cut in chunks and grilled quickly on an improvised 'grill'. It was a tender tentacle miracle...

For the salad i went for chickpeas, wild arugula, braised sweet pearl onions finished with a touch of agave syrup and roasted piquillo peppers with a few strips of preserved lemons, and a lemon vinaigrette to go with that. I had some parsley oil that needed loving too so i invited her to join the party and it provided a grassy bite that brought the whole thing together nicely. Do i really need to write a recipe? Can i.. just this one time?.. No?... Fine!!

Grilled Octopus Salad with Chickpeas, Wild Arugula and Preserved Lemon

(serve 2-4)

Court-bouillon:

• 6 cups water
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbs black peppercorns
• 1/2 lemon, cut up
• 3 parsley stems
• 2 tbs salt

Salad:

• 1 small to medium-sized octopus, cooked in court-bouillon
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 4 cups wild arugula, cleaned
• 1 cup pearl onions, peeled
• 1 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbs agave syrup
• 1 piquillo pepper, roasted, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 preserved lemon, skin only, sliced
• 4 tablespoons parsley oil (blend 1/2 cup olive oil with 1/4 cup parsley leaves)
• 1/2 cup lemon vinaigrette (1/2 clove garlic, salt, 2 tbs lemon juice, 6 tbs olive oil)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients for court bouillon in a pot and bring to a boil. Add octopus, reduce to simmer and cook for 15 minutes (depends on size). Remove octopus, pat dry and let it cool. Toss in olive oil and lemon juice.

Meanwhile, melt some butter in a small pan and add the pearl onions. Season with salt and pepper and sautee until they start to color. Add chicken stock and cover, cook until tender and liquid has evaporated. Remove cover and add the agave syrup and glaze the onions until golden brown. Set aside.

Place the chickpeas, arugula, piquillo peppers in a bowl and dress with the lemon vinaigrette. Arrange on a platter. Garnish with the sweet onions and drizzle some parsley oil. Grind some fresh black pepper over the salad.

Okay.. this is not recommended at home unless your crazy, then your excused. Set your speed dial to 911 and grill the octopus chunks (preferably over charcoals, otherwise improvise). Don't overdo-it or they will turn tough. Arrange the octopus chunks over the salad with thin slices of preserved lemon. Enjoy!

How to make a perfect Cheese Soufflé

Making soufflés scares the cheese out of people, but we aren't gonna be intimidated by a couple of egg whites, are we?

In this bleak economy you'll appreciate to see something finally go up, even if it's for a fleeting moment. My promise to you is that by the end of this post you'll be able to levitate cheese with the power of your mind (okay, and with an oven at 350'F) so put on your magician hat, stretch your fingers and give your bunny rabbit a day off... or serve him as a second-course.


A soufflé is a fantastic way to begin a meal and the truth is, it's not difficult to make at all. Photographing it before it collapses is way harder. The prepared batter can even sit for a while without loosing too much of it's 'puffing power'. Just pop the prepared ramequins into the oven when you're ready to go and watch the magic happen.

The only thing that could go wrong is having guests away from the table when the soufflés arrive. You could velcro your guest's buttocks to their respective chairs as one of many options. Tasers and whips work well too. Email me if you need more creative ways to keep your guests in check.

If you still consider a classic soufflé the culinary equivalent of walking on a tightrope over a snake pit check out my goat cheese souffle for the challenged post. Enjoy!

The perfect Cheese Soufflé

(serves 4)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• a pinch of nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 10 ounces (total) of gruyere, comte and/or emmenthaler, grated
• 3 eggs, separated
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup parmegiano, grated

• Preheat the oven to 350'F. Butter generously the inside of four 8-ounce ramekins or crocks with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. Divide the grated parmesan among the ramequins and rotate them so the cheese adheres to the butter all around (see picture above). Tap the excess cheese out and set aside. This step ensures that the souffles will rise properly.
• Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons in a medium size saucepan. Whisk in the flour and 'cook' the flour for 2 or 3 minutes. Do not brown it. Add the nutmeg and salt and whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally. After 5 minutes the mixture should be thick and form ribbons when lifted.

• Stir in the grated cheeses stirring until smooth. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks until fully incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
• Put the egg whites in the bowl of a mixer, add a pinch of salt and beat at medium speed until stiff peaks have formed. Do not overwhip the whites!

• With a rubber spatula mix a quarter of the whites into the cheese mixture and fold the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Divide the batter amongs the ramequins (3/4 full) and tap on a flat surface to even it out.
• Put the ramequins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Foie-Gras 'Burger' with Candied Kumquats & Frisee with Pistachio Vinaigrette

A foie-gras burger!? What was i thinking? I feel the urge to apologize but really... it was the duck's fault! A lonely slice of fresh duck foie gras was leftover from a dinner party and i had a little too much time on my hands and i was hungry.. and... and it just happened for chrissake!

This post is more a tutorial on how to eat this little sucker than a recipe, it's so simple anyway. Let's start the festivities with a buttery and slightly sweet baby brioche toasted in clarified butter on the cut side, that's our burger bun. A slice of foie gras is criss-crossed and seasoned with salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper and seared on both sides in a hot pan until it forms a crust. When the fire alarm goes off, it's generally overcooked.

Our 'burger' is then ready to go onto the bun with a sprinkle of sel de guerande. I like cheese on my burgers but in this case the 'cheese' is some tangy and sweet candied kumquats to cut through the richness of the foie-gras. Everybody say: mmmmmm!

I know you're about to ask for some ketchup to go with your burger, don't you always do? Pomegranate molasses does the trick here, just a touch of this delicious middle eastern specialty with a tart-sweet flavor will bring any foie-gras dish to new heights. How high you asked?.. err.. shit, i'm not good at this..err.. (x+17)2=x2+2x+42.. umm.. Very high!

Did you eat your green vegetable today? I went for a frisee salad on the side but since we're going over the top i dressed it up with a rich pistachio vinaigrette - a puree of pistachios with a touch of lemon and sherry vinegar and emulsified with pistachio oil and some whole pi-stachio nuts too just because it starts like pi-ckle. I didn't use any notorious P.I.G on this one but the idea of grilling a thin piece of pancetta to turn this into a bacon-cheeseburger did cross my mind...

Close the lid and take a big bite. Chew. Feel your knees go weak. Close your eyes. Enjoy a moment of bliss. Repeat.