culinary flights of fancy

Home Cooking Adventures in Berkeley Heights

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Charles Phan’s Pho Beef

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The Pho Beef that I mentioned about a week ago can be found here.  This is a wonderful cookbook that certainly makes starting to tackle Asian cuisine seem accessible and doable.  The toughest thing about making the soup is acquiring the ingredients which include various spices and a bunch of different types of beef bones to make the broth.  The good news about the broth/stock however is that it makes a ton and you can freeze a lot of it in quart containers.  So, you can make the dish a number of other times without having to remake the broth.  I found the bones at a meat market and I’m pretty sure you could ask a grocery store for bones as well with a least some limited success.  I was able to find all the other ingredients, condiments, etc. at our local Asian market (I went to the one on Route 22).

This particular version, I didn’t have mung beans, so I substituted long, thin Japanese mushrooms for them.  It didn’t have the same crunch but it was certainly good.  The first time I made this soup, I couldn’t find Thai basil, one of the garnishes, and used regular basil instead.  It tasted great that way, but have since been able to use actual Thai basil and have to say that using it made a big difference.  So if you can find Thai basil I would encourage you to use it!

Here is a link to the actual recipe.  However, I would strongly recommend the cookbook if you are at all interested in learning more about cooking Asian cuisine!  http://www.bonappetit.com/people/chefs/article/get-to-know-a-chef-2

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Roasted Carrots with Toasted Walnuts, Shallots, and Golden Raisins

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So this is super easy.  I found the multi-colored carrots at the Summit farmer’s market.  Simply set your oven to 375 degrees.  Wash and dry your carrots and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Roast the carrots for 20 minutes, turn the carrots in the pan, add diced shallots, and return to roast another 5 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Toast the walnuts and place carrots and shallots on a platter.  Add the toasted walnuts.  Sprinkle a few golden raisins across the top.  Add a bit of crunchy, flaky sea salt (I used sel gris), and drizzle a little more olive oil over the top of the entire thing.  Serve while warm.

Super easy, fresh, and very good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Jersey Blueberry Crumble

Blueberry Crumble using fresh blueberries from New Jersey

Blueberry Crumble using fresh blueberries from New Jersey

This blueberry crumble is super simple and fairly healthy.  I made it for a kiddo visiting us but the adults liked it as well.  There’s no sugar added…just a tablespoon of honey.  I didn’t really measure anything, so everything is approximate.  I used homemade granola but you can use store bought too (though not sure why anyone wouldn’t make their own given how easy and tasty it is…plus you know what’s in it).  Anyway, I almost decided not to post this but given that we are in blueberry season and, if you are like us and have a TON of them right now, you might want an easy recipe to use them.  So, here ya go!

Ingredients:

2 Pints New Jersey blueberries

2-3 Tablespoons unbleached AP flour

2-3 Tablespoons butter (unsalted)

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1/2 Cup granola

Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch of kosher salt

1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Place blueberries, honey, corn starch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in bowl and toss to coat blueberries.
  • Take butter and flour and place in another bowl.  Take a fork and mash the flour and butter together until it gets to be incorporated and crumbly.  Add the granola and toss everything to coat.
  • Place blueberry mixture in ramekins, divided equally among four bowls.  Top blueberries with some of the granola/flour mixture, equally dividing it amongst the ramekins.
  • Place in oven and bake.  I baked mine for 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes for doneness.  You want the blueberries to look thickened and bubbly.  The crust should be hardened.  Once that’s achieved, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. 
  • Serve while warm.

 

 

 


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White Bean and Fennel Sofrito Stuffed Piqillo Peppers with Tomato and Garlic Bread

This is the newest recipe that will appear in the Alternative Press tomorrow.  Enjoy!

White bean and fennel sofrito stuffed piquillo peppers with Spanish tomato and garlic bread, Serrano ham, and dried hot Chorizo

White bean and fennel sofrito stuffed piquillo peppers with Spanish tomato and garlic bread, Serrano ham, and dried hot Chorizo

With summer produce season in full swing and farmer’s markets around the area full of new and interesting choices each week, you may be wondering what to do with all the vegetables that you’ve purchased. This recipe packs a large number of summer vegetables into one recipe. It can be served as an appetizer (Tapas) or as a main dish coupled with a salad.

Sofrito is a Spanish base sauce of sorts and is used in many, many dishes in Spain. Generically, it consists of a few basic ingredients: garlic, onion, peppers, tomatoes, and olive oil. It is usually seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and Spanish paprika (Pimenton). This recipe includes all of that plus some fennel, crushed white beans, and parsley. The sofrito is then stuffed inside a mild, Spanish pepper, called a piquillo pepper. Feel free to substitute a roasted red pepper if you can’t find the piquillo peppers. The beauty of a sofrito is that you can add or subtract any number of ingredients to suit your taste and what sort of vegetables you have on hand. As long as you have garlic, peppers, onion, and olive oil, you can play around with the amounts and types of ingredients you use. The amount of sofrito this makes will be way more than what is required for simply stuffing the peppers. That said, it can be frozen and used in another dish at a later time. I also, from time to time, serve this sofrito with a bit more beans and make a dip out of it and serve it with crusty bread and vegetables. You could also flavor rice with it…really imagination is your only limit here!

The tomato and garlic bread is also a typical Spanish preparation. Although similar to bruschetta, this bread has a soft pink/red color and, though toasted, the texture combines a softer top with a crunchier bottom portion. This coupled with Serrano ham (similar in taste and texture to prosciutto) and some Spanish chorizo, you have a wonderful Tapas/starter Spanish-inspired dish. Add a salad to it and enjoy it as a main course. The stuffed peppers are completely vegetarian and you can certainly keep it that way by simply skipping the Serrano ham and chorizo sausage.

I hope you enjoy this dish inspired by Spain and I also hope you enjoy all the wonderful vegetable offerings available to us right now here in New Jersey.  Recipe follows after the jump: Continue reading →


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Coming soon- beef pho

I’ve been experimenting with Charles Pham’s cookbook, Vietnamese Home Cooking, which is a great cookbook! Charles Pham is the famed cook/chef from San Francisco’s Slanted Door. This is basically his recipe with a few modifications. We had this for dinner last night- turned out great! I purchased all the ingredients locally though I did have to run to an Asian market for a few! This recipe plus a bunch of others coming next week. Last week was slow as we just returned home from Alaska. I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and for local BHers- enjoy the festival! image


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Update on Berkeley Heights’ Garden of Eden: Not Closing Sunday!

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Garden of Eden Berkeley Heights

So, I just spoke with Shawn, a manager at Garden of Eden in Berkeley Heights.  Spoke to him for some time and he made it clear that the store hopes to remain open.  They are looking at a good number of options to improve the store and to improve foot traffic into the store in order to increase business.  They have a survey circling around Facebook and other places and, if you haven’t done so, go ahead and take the time to complete it.  I think they are taking the results very seriously and using it as a guide for where to take the store from here.  Shawn said that he thinks it’s safe to say that the store WILL NOT CLOSE ON SUNDAY as originally reported.  He didn’t have a lot of answers as to when or if it will close eventually as the situation is fluid and the actual decision is ultimately up to the owner.

If you haven’t been to Garden of Eden, you should go before it’s too late.  For one thing, we should support a business that took a risk to open in Berkeley Heights.  For another, they offer such great gourmet items.  We do not purchase the prepared hot foods, etc. mainly because if we are home, I cook.  However, I can say that the food is made using whole foods and is of a higher quality than you would normally find at a generic grocery store.

I made it a point to let Shawn know that they should seriously consider doing something special for the festival here in Berkeley Heights in the coming days.  However, regardless of whether they do that or not, if you are from the area, go in and check the place out as you stroll to or from the festival.  Everything is still discounted at 20% off, so there are deals to be had.  While you are there, if you end up liking it as much as I do, stop by and tell Shawn or whoever is managing at the time that you are local and appreciate what they are doing.

In my opinion, Garden of Eden is a great addition to Berkeley Heights and the surrounding area.  It’s local (based here and in NYC), they offer a great selection of difficult to find items, and have some quality premade food and deli items.  It would be a shame if they went away and we who live locally are forced, once again, to travel to different towns (or order on-line) to find items that are currently in our own back yard.

There’s my two cents.  Hope it helps persuade a few of you to try Garden of Eden and I certainly hope Garden of Eden listens to the many people from the area that have already expressed their support for the store.


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Garden of Eden, Berekeley Heights- Closing after 3 Months or so!

Garden of Eden, we hardly knew you. My wife and I were super excited that you opened late last spring and it seems that you are closing way, way too soon. Sadly, though, Garden of Eden in Berkeley Heights has announced that they are closing after only a few months of being open. They shutter their doors on Sunday the 12th and between now and then they are offering 20% off across the store…so go and stock up! Sad, sad, sad…not to be judgmental, but how can a business that opens not be prepared to weather the storm of opening in a new area for at least six months to a year? I just don’t really understand.


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Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs with Chanterelle Brandy Jus, Duck Fat Crisped Potatoes, and Simple Spinach Salad

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This will be published in the Alternative Press tomorrow.  Hope you enjoy it!

I’ve been writing this weekly column for a number of weeks now and realized that I really haven’t done anything particularly French yet. Since I trained in classic French cuisine, I need to rectify this particular situation. This dish utilizes classic French ingredients and techniques, but it’s rather rustic. I would say it’s definitely more of a French country dish rather than something more sophisticated and Parisian.
The chicken is cooked on the range to crisp the skin and brown and then finished in the oven with a few herbs and vegetables and a splash of wine. The sauce is a simple au jus reduction using pan juice, chicken stock, mushroom stock, and brandy and it’s paired with incredibly crispy potatoes. Add a baby spinach salad seasoned only with salt, pepper, and chives and dressed simply with olive oil and you have a meal that is both healthy and well rounded (not to mention incredibly delicious). Even the duck fat isn’t too bad for you as it contains high levels of ‘good’ fat…nutrition information on that is widely available on-line.
All the ingredients can be found at any grocery store or market expect for the duck fat. I purchased my duck fat at Kings and I keep it in the freezer. I break it out every once in a while and simply return it to the freezer for another day. I never use a lot…just a few tablespoons at a time. If you are really ambitious, you can make a duck dish, reserve the fat and use your own. Either way, a little goes a long way. Bon appetite! Continue reading →


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Housekeeping

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So, I won’t be posting anything new until around the 8th of July.  Stay tuned though as that week will feature a rustic French country chicken dish with duck fat potatoes and a simple spinach salad.  I will also start a series of posts about kid friendly vegetable dishes and who knows what sort of fun stuff I’ll find in the Just Farmed box of produce, etc.  So, lots more to come.  Enjoy your 4th of July holiday! 


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Grilled Corn with Honey Lime Butter, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco

 

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Grilled corn with honey lime butter, cilantro, chili, and queso fresco:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

 

This simple dish is a great side dish during a meal or eaten as an appetizer the same way you would at a street fair. Loaded with flavor, this sweet and savory dish, should please children and adults alike! Since Jersey corn is plentiful, inexpensive, and delicious, this is a great option to feed the family a budget friendly dish that tastes great.

Ingredients:

4 ears of Jersey Corn (husked, silks removed)

4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter

Zest of one lime

1 generous tablespoon honey

1 bunch fresh cilantro- chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder (ancho or chipotle is ideal)

6 Tablespoons queso fresco

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Kosher Salt and Fresh Pepper

Instructions:

Preheat grill to 450 (or so)- about 20 minutes if using a gas grill.

Gather all ingredients as the grill comes to temperature.

Remove husks and silks from ears of corn.

Cut each ear of corn in half.

Combine zest of one lime, with softened butter, honey, and a touch of salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. (if the butter is not soft enough to easily combine, simply put it in microwave on 15 second intervals until it is virtually melted and can be whisked). Set aside.

Take a handful of the cilantro and chop coarsely.

Take Queso Fresco and grind it up between your fingers leaving small to medium sized balls or chunks. Set aside in bowl.

Take vegetable oil and rub all over hands. Then use hands to rub the ears of corn to coat all sides. After that, add salt and fresh pepper to coat.

Take Corn and bring to grill. Place the seasoned corn halves on grill and grill for around 10 minutes turning occasionally so that it doesn’t burn. However, you want there to be grill marks and a small amount of blackening as it brings out the natural sugars in the corn and makes for a nice presentation.

Once ten minutes have elapsed, check the corn for doneness. You can either poke the corn to see if a fork easily enters the corn or simply taste an ear. Remember that the corn will continue to cook even after it is taken off the grill so cooking this just through is fine. If corn is done, take off and bring inside. If not done, continue to cook, testing every couple of minutes for doneness until completely cooked through.

When done, take the corn and bring to your prep area with remaining ingredients waiting. Take honey lime butter mixture and whisk again, reincorporating ingredients that may have separated.

Place each half ear of corn on a small piece of tin foil (enough so that it can fold across the top of each ear).

Take a brush and brush butter, honey, lime mixture over each ear of corn. You don’t need a lot for each individual piece of corn; you just need enough to coat each piece.

Take the chili powder and sprinkle across the top of the corn. If you like it spicier, you can sprinkle the powder on all sides of the corn.

Add a little cheese across the top of each piece of corn.

Finally, sprinkle cilantro over each piece of corn and serve corn half wrapped in foil so that the ingredients stay in the foil as the corn is picked up and eaten.

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