vox over

american chicken liver pate

as inspired by my mother, shapiros, and bourbon (kosher variation would replace butter and cream with rendered chicken fat):

• fresh chicken livers, cleaned of gallbladders and fat, 1 pound
• one large sweet apple, peeled and grated
• high-fat butter, 10 tablespoons
• onion, diced
• bourbon whiskey, 4 tablespoons
• cream, 3 tablespoons
• pickles, full sour

melt butter over medium heat in a large pan and cook livers until lightly browned on both sides.

remove livers, add onions, and cook until softened.

add apples, and cook until softened.

add bourbon whiskey, ignite, and swirl until alcohol is burned off.

transfer all cooked ingredients to a food processor, add cream, and process.

while processing, add the remaining butter piecewise, until smooth, and salt to taste.

scrape into a bowl or terrine lined with sliced pickles and refrigerate before serving.

 

 

great squash soup

• squash, 2-3 medium size seeded and quartered
• heavy cream, 8-16 ounces
• chicken stock, 6-8 ounces
• butter, 2 tablespoons
  

place squash with half a cup of water in a stock pot with tight lid and roast in oven at 400 F until the water is fully evaporated and remaining liquid caramelizes (about 1 hour). remove squash from pot and let cool. peel skin and return peeled squash to pot.

deglaze the pot on low heat with cream and stock and puree using a blender with butter, adding cream or stock for desired consistency.

season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

steak (ssam)

as modified from david chang's momofuku ssam bar:

• steak, well-marbled
• soy sauce, 1/2 cup
• manischewitz concord grape wine, 1/2 cup
• lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
• sesame oil, 2 teaspoon
• onion, 1, chopped
• garlic, 6 cloves, chopped
• ginger, 1 tablespoon, chopped
• napa cabbage
• scallions, chopped
• chilis, seeded and sliced
• rice vinegar
  
• cooked rice

marinade steak in soy sauce with wine, lemon juice, sesame oil, onion, garlic, and ginger.

remove onions from marinade and saute until tender. cook steak as desired, rest, and slice thinly.

combine scallions and sliced chilis with vinegar, and layer with rice, onions and steak in the center of each cabbage leaf.

roll up and serve. 

salmon (sous vide)

the most important reason for cooking great fish is simply having great fish. in this case, we are grateful for a large gift of truly wild, personally tracked and freshly hand caught salmon from northern alaska. thanks to the frankenbergs!

• salmon filets, 2 pounds
• large lemon, zested
• dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon
• horseradish root, grated with vinegar, 1 tablespoon
• sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon
• salt, 1/2 teaspoon

emulsify lemon zest, mustard, horseradish root, and sesame oil in 100 ml of cold water until smooth.

hand dry salmon filets, place them in a plastic bag along with the emulsion, and vacuum seal.

cook in a 50 C water bath for 20 minutes.

serve immediately.

beet borshch

as adapted from my mother's and grandmother's versions:

• ox tail, 1 pound, chopped
• onion, 1, chopped
• garlic, 4 cloves, minced
• hot thai chili peppers, 5
• water, 10 cups
• beets, 4, peeled and cubed
• canned san marzano tomatoes, 4, whole
• tomato paste, 1 tablespoon
• sugar, 1 teaspoon
• red wine vinegar, 1/8 cup
• potatoes, 4, peeled and cubed
• cabbage, 1/4 head, chopped

brown ox tail in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large heavy pot on medium heat and set aside.

to hot pot, add onion and stir for 3 minutes or until wilted. add garlic and pepper and stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.

add water, beets, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar and ox tail, bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or until beets are fork tender.

add potatoes and cabbage and cook for 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

season with salt and pepper to taste.

serve hot with dill, sour cream or creme fraiche.

cod (sous vide)

• cod filets, cut into serving pieces and salted
• lemon, zested and 1 tablespoon juiced
• cilantro, 1 tablespoon ground
• yolk of 1 egg
• hazelnut oil, 1 cup

blend lemon zest and cilantro in 2/5 cup or so of water and let rest for several hours at room temperature. vacuum seal each filet in plastic bags with 2 tablespoons of lemon cilantro infusion and cook in a commercial or self made water bath at 60 C for 20 minutes. while fish is cooking, whip the egg yolk with lemon juice in a bowl over the hot bath water until pale yellow, then slowly poor in hazelnut oil until emulsified. remove fish from bags and serve over or along this hazelnut mayonnaise, garnished with cilantro leaves.

great fried egg

as modified from gordon ramsay:

• eggs, 2 large, at room temperature
• butter, 1 table spoon, at room temperature
• sour cream, 1 table spoon, cold
• chives, chopped

on low heat, gently stir eggs and butter until emulsified but not solidified. place the pan off and on the heat to slowly thicken the mixture over about 7-10 minutes. once adequately thickened to your taste, stir in sour cream and heat through. take off the heat, add chives and salt and pepper to taste. serve immediately.

great roasted cauliflower

as assessed by comparing 4 identical preparations, involving boiling, steaming, frying, and roasting:

• cauliflower, 1 white, cleaned of leaves, and cut into 4 large pieces along the stem
• butter, 5 tablespoons
• breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons

season cauliflower with salt and pepper, and arrange in roasting pan with butter. roast undisturbed at 425 F for 10 minutes or until browned. turn to the other side and repeat. toss with breadcrumbs, re-season and serve while hot.

great fried potatoes

as inspired by joseph's table:

• fingerling potatoes, half pound, cut uniformly into bite-size pieces
• duck fat, 1 teaspoon, stored frozen after rendering (from duck breasts)
• butter, 1 tablespoon

melt butter and duck fat and heat over medium-high heat until foaming. add potatoes and fry each side undisturbed and uncovered until golden. cover for 3 minutes. drain. salt. serve immediately.

chicken hash

as modified from ina garten:

• fingerling potatoes, 1 pound, cut into bite-size pieces
• red bell peppers, 3, deseeded and cut into bite-size pieces
• chicken, 2 pounds of thighs, breasts or legs
• fresh basil leaves, 1-2/chicken part
• smoked spanish paprika, 1 tablespoon
• tomato paste, 2 tablespoons
• butter, 3 tablespoons
• olive oil, 3 tablespoons

season chicken with salt and pepper; stuff basil leaves under skin; rub chicken with olive oil. roast at 425 F for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.

season potatoes with salt and pepper and fry in butter on low heat until golden brown.

season peppers with salt and pepper and fry in olive oil on low heat until softened. add paprika and fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. add tomato paste; mix and remove from heat.

cut roasted chicken into bite-size pieces. mix chicken, potatoes and peppers. serve while hot.