Napa in a day

 

My husband is two days older than me, and I love to remind him he is my older man. Every year for our birthdays we run away to the greater San Jose area. We are huge hockey fans and every year as a birthday treat the San Jose Sharks play back to back home games around our birthdays. This year we went to a game on Thursday and Saturday which left Friday open to escape to Napa for the day.

 

Our day started the best way possible with a Parisian breakfast at Bouchon Bakery. Every rich and savory treat you could wish for was ordered and paired with a heavenly salted caramel latte. The ivy covered building and seating area outside provided the perfect backdrop to allow for my fantasy of sitting in Paris somewhere.

 

 

From there we stared our day of wine tasting. My favorite by far was taking the tour and tasting at amazing Domaine Carneros. Every girl should have a little bubbly on her birthday.

 

 

We ventured downtown Napa and stumbled into the coolest place, The Oxbow Market.  This market place had several restaurants with communal seating so we got some treats from a few places. Our favorite was Hogs Island Oysters.  We then did some light shopping through the market at Whole Spice and Napa Valley Distillery where we got some unique bitters for cocktails. If you go to downtown Napa, I highly recommend this place.  

 

 

After some more wine tasting, a dream came true, we had dinner at Ad Hoc. For anyone who knows me, I am obsessed with Thomas Keller, and specifically this cookbook created after this restaurant. The cover of the pig was painted on our dining room wall...that's obsession.

Ad Hoc's menu changes every day, you will never experience the same meal there twice. They do a 4 course family style menu with one optional supplement; if you go, get the supplement.
 

 

Our meal was amazing and lived up to all of our expectations. My husband, being the smooth talker he is even got us a tour of the kitchen and we got to talk to the head chef. Words cannot express enough the high level of service and amount that extra attention and we got after they learned it was not only our birthdays, but how utterly food-geeky we were for being there!  Dreams do come true for these foodies.

Atlantic Salmon with Leeks

I decided to dive into another cookbook to change things up a little...what housewife doesn't enjoy a good challenge here and again? Thomas Keller's book, Bouchon, is french cooking simplified. The art of true cooking is taking the simplest and purest ingredients and elevating them to excellence. Have I sold you yet??? Lets begin.

What You'll Need

1 1/2 pounds of leeks

Sauce (Beurre Blance)

1/4 Cup thinly sliced shallots
1 large thyme sprig
1 large parsley sprig
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
2/3 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)
1/3 cup champagne vinger
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small chunks and chilled
2-3 tablespoon chicken stock
1 teaspoon minced chives
1 teaspoon tarragon

Salmon

Four 6-ounce piece of salmon fillet, pin bones removed
Kosher salt
Canola Oil
1/2 cup chicken stock

The beauty of this dish is the variety of textures. By searing the salmon on only one side, you will pair a crispy side with the near raw texture of the other side. If you prefer your fish cooked a little more, preheat your oven to 325.

For the leeks:

This recipe only calls for the light green section of the leeks; the darker green parts can be reserved for another use. Cut off the dark green leaves and remove and discard the outer tough layer. Cut the light green sections crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. (you should have approximately 4 cups)

Place the rounds in  a large bowl of warm water and swish them around gently to remove any dirt, careful do not break up the rounds.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Prepare an ice bath. Add half the leeks to boil for about 5 minutes, again careful to not break the rounds. Once leeks are tender, with a slotted spoon, remove from pot and add to ice bath to stop the cooking...this is quick, no more than 15 secs. Set aside and drain on paper towels. Repeat for the other half of your leeks.  If the centers have fallen out you can use these leeks for another use later, for example a salad or soup.

For the Beurre Blanc Sauce: 

Put the shallots, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a medium sauce pan and add white wine and vinegar. Bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce. 

To finish sauce, add the heavy cream to the reduction, place pan over medium heat, and summer to reduce the liquid by half. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Begin adding butter one piece at a time, whisking constantly to keep sauce emulsified; add each new piece of butter before the previous one has completely melted. The sauce should remain warm to the touch but never simmering. 

For the Salmon:

For crispy skin, you want to remove all the moisture from the skin. Take a knife and rub it back and forth against the skin drawing up liquid. Be sure to only apply light pressure as you don't want to flatten the fillet. Repeat till you knife doesn't draw any more moisture. 

Season the skin side down of the fillets with salt and pepper. Season the other side with salt only. Heat 1/8inch of canola oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, place the fillet skin side down in hot oil and cook one side only for about 5 minutes. The fish is done when the bottom is crisp and the fillet is cooked about half way up the flesh; the top should be rare. If you liked your fish cooked a little more, this is where you can place in heated oven..I wouldn't recommend it though. 

To finish:

Put leeks in a medium sauce pan, add 1/2 cup chicken stock, salt and pepper, and cooked till heated through. 

Gently warm beurre blanc and stir in tarragon and chives.

Divide the sauce among four plates, spoon a band around the center of each plate and then rotating the plate to spread the sauce. Using a slotted spoon, mound the leeks in the center. Top each with a salmon fillet. 

Bon Appetit

Beef Stroganoff

Continuing to work through my Ad Hoc cooking book by Thomas Keller, I was so excited to find a recipe for Beef Stroganoff. There are so many interpretations of this dish, some made with beef stock, some made with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup; Thomas Keller's recipe is a dressed up version of the classic and is just as much about the mushrooms as the beef. 

What You'll Need:

Cream Sauce

1 pound cremini mushrooms, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups heavy cream
1 sachet of 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 10 peppercorns
1/3 cup créme fraîche (you can substitute with sour cream if you need to)

Mushrooms

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons  canola oil
1 pound  cremini mushrooms sliced 1/4 inch thick
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

braised beef ribs, chilled
pappardelle noodles (or whatever flat noodles you prefer)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
gray salt or coarse sea salt

To make the Cream Sauce

Process the mushrooms for the sauce in a food processor until finely chopped. (Can I just say I LOVE my food processor! If you don't have one yet it is worth investing in...easier to prepare dishes and you can rinse off quickly and put in dishwasher.)

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.

Pour in the cream, add the sachet and bring to a boil. To make a sachet, use cheese clothe (or you can you gauze) and put your ingredients in and tie with cooking string. 

Reduce to a medium-low and simmer until the cream is reduced by about one-third, about 35 minutes. When the cream has thickened, discard the sachet, and strain the mushroom bits out. Heat the sauce on medium low heat, stir in the créme fraîche and add 3/4 of the sautéed mushrooms. Keep the sauce warm over very low heat. It will be very thick.

To make Mushrooms and Beef

Heat a large frying pan over medium-heat and add the butter and oil. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and brown without stirring for about 3 minutes. Flip and brown, about 1-2 minutes.  They key here is not to crowd your mushrooms so work in batches to cook them all. Also, if you toss or turn your mushrooms too early or often, they will steam instead of brown. 

Bring a giant pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pappardelle  or other noodles according to package directions. Drain.

Heat the oven to 350˚F. Cut the chilled short ribs into 2-inch cubes and brown in an oven safe pan, presentation-side down for about 2 minutes, flip and then transfer to the oven and heat for about 10 minutes.

Toss the pasta with butter and sauce. 

Arrange pasta on a platter and top with the remaining 1/4 sauteed mushrooms, browned short ribs, flat leaf parsley and salt.

I hope you all love this recipe as much as I did! It's a much more elegant version of this family style meal! 

Bon Appetit! 

Scallion Potato Cake Recipe

I am continuing to work through some of Thomas Keller’s recipes from his cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home. In full disclosure, I felt a very un-confident in cooking this recipe. This is not something I would typically make so I didn't know if i was doing it right, or what its supposed to look like. However, now having done it, I am excited to make it again and realize how silly I was being. Rule number 1 in the kitchen is have fun, and for wahtever reason, my insecurity with this dish I lost that. However, proud to report after finishing this recipe, I have move past it. PLEASE try this recipe and don't let my silliness scare you! 

What you will need: 

1 large russet potato
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
canola oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Food Processor
Frying pan

Peel and grate potatoes by hand and wash.  Get out you food processor with a coarse shredding blade. Add 1 peeled potato at a time till all the potatoes are shredded. Transfer the shredded potatoes to a large bowl of cold water and swirl and rinse the potatoes. Lift them from the water and dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with paper towel and transfer to a large dry bowl. Sprinkle the cornstarch around the sides of the bowl and toss the potatoes to coat. From here, I spread all the potatoes on the counter and separated into thirds as you will be making 3 potato pancakes.

Heat some canola oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Turn down the heat to medium. 

Take 1 of your 3 piles of potatoes and divide in half; spread that half to the frying pan and spread into a 5 to 6 inch circle. Do not press down on the potatoes; you want to keep the cake light and airy. Sprinkle a generous amount of green onions on the cake, season with salt and pepper and top with the other half of your potato pile. Cook for 6-7 minutes to brown the bottom. If needed, add a bit of canola oil to the pan; you want to hear the potatoes sizzling. 

Carefully turn the pancake to brown the second side and cook until it is browned and crisp. 

Allow to cook for 5 to 6 more minutes. Once golden brown, remove from oil and place on a cooling rack to allow to drain. Since I had two more pancakes to make, I kit hot in the over on low heat. 

Take your 2 pile of potatoes and divide in half. Again, add half to oil and spread into 5 to 6 in circle. Repeat above steps for this pile and pile 3. 

Take your three pancakes and cut into wedges and serve hot. I served as a side dish with chicken. 

Bon Appetit!

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon and Fennel

My amazing husband bought me Thomas Keller's cook book, Ad Hoc at Home. I am in love with it because all the recipes are rustic, (which I have learned that is what my cook style leans towards) and pretty easy to navigate through. I am excited to work my way through this cookbook and share some tips and recipes with you all along my way! 

What you need:

3 large fennel bulbs
12 chicken thighs
kosher salt
canola oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
¼ cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc (I used Robert Mondovi and then served the rest with the meal)
1 cup large green olives
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 fresh or 2 dried Bay leaves
4 strips lemon zest – removed with vegetable peeler
8 thyme sprigs
1 cup Chicken Stock
about ¼ cup flat leaf parsley leaves (I didn't have so I used dried parsley)

Directions:

Cut off the fennel stalks. Trim the bottom of the bulbs and peel back the layers until you reach the core; reserve the core for another use. Discard any bruised layers, and cut the fennel into 2-by-½-inch batons. You need 3 cups fennel for this recipe; reserve any remaining fennel for another use.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan or roasting pan that will hold all the thighs in one layer over medium-high heat. Its really important to make sure your oil is hot and sizzling when you add your chicken. Add the thighs skin-side-down and brown on the skin side, about 4 minutes. 

Turn the thighs over and cook for about 1 minute to sear meat. Transfer to cooling rack.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onion to the pan and cook for 1½ minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in the fennel, turn the heat up to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the fennel is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Stir in the olives, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, lemon zest and thyme, then pour in the chicken stock. Increase the heat, bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook until the fennel is tender, about 1 minute.

Taste the stock and season with salt, as needed. I didn't add more salt at this point because I felt it was salty enough, but I did add a little ground pepper. Return the chicken to the pan skin-side-up, in a single layer. When the liquid returns to a simmer, transfer to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn on the broiler, and put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp and brown the chicken skin. Remove from oven, and transfer to a plate, spoon sauce over each chicken. Garnish with parsley leaves.

This meal was a HUGE hit at my house. The suggestions I got was to add a little bit more fennel to the sauce so each person could have more than a fe slices because it complimented the chicken so well. I served with a side salad and potato pancakes. 

Let me know what you think! 

Bon Appetit! 

Easy Lasagna

Steven's Italian grandma taught be how to make Italian lasagna the way her family has been making it for years. Its quite a process and sometimes you just want something a little different and simpler...yet with amazing flavor. I was flipping through Thomas Keller's "French Laundry" cookbook and came across their staff lasagna recipe.

Staff meals are simple meals the chef of a restaurant makes for their crew around 3 or 4pm before the nights service begins. These meals have to be easy enough to whip up quickly without impeding on the restaurants service, but has to be packed full of flavor. I thought I would give it a try

Here's what you will need:
Olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup tomato paste
8 cups peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped oregano
2 tablespoon basil
1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup parsley
1 pound lasagna noodles
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper


For the filling:
Combine Ricotta, eggs, parsley and a dash of salt and pepper. Whisk till combined. Cover and refrigerate.

For the sauce:

In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir frequently till turns oragnish...about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir. Let simmer on low for about and hour to let the flavors melt together. Stir frequently to make sure the bottom of the pot doesn't brown. When the sauce is done, it should be thick, chunky, and reduced down a little. Add oregano and basil and let cool to room temperature. 

Cook your lasagna noodles as specified on the box and allow to cool slightly. 

To assemble:

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your 9 by 13 baking pan. This will help prevent your noodles from sticking. Lay down some noodles, slightly overlapping. I cut some noodles in half to make the perfect size to cover the dish. 

Spread some sauce over the noodles paying attention to the edges so they don't burn and stay moist. 

Top with your ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat another layer on noodles, then sauce then the remaining ricotta mixture. Add one more layer of noodles, sauce, then top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. 

Put in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until mozzarella is golden brown. 

I liked this recipe because it was pretty easy to make. I feel like Steven's granny's recipe has more flavor to it and is more moist, but this was a hit and even she liked it when I served it. 

For a traditional Italian feast, why not serve it with a salad and my minestrone soup?

Bon Appetit!