Beef, It's What's for Dinner

I love a good piece of steak. I'm not so particular on the cut, this depends on my mood, but if it's more than Medium when I sink my fork into the middle, you will see a tear run down my cheek.

So, when I got a craving for some red meat this afternoon, I told my roommates I was cooking. As the summer months begin to wind down, I feel this urge to use my grill as much as possible before the summer is officially over.

Now I know people have their preferences when it comes to Gas or Charcoal, but I truly like both. I use a Gas Grill at work, because, well that is what we have, but it is also much easier to control the level of the heat on a Gas Grill. When I am grilling at home though, I use my Weber. I love my Weber, but I love whomever it was who invented the Chimney Starter even more. Whenever I have friends over, they usually ask me what it is, because most people light their charcoal with lighter fluid, but once you try a Chimney starter, you will never go back, I promise! I've also tried the Matchlight, no lighter fluid need, charcoal, and while it does light up fast, it doesn't burn very hot. So, I'm sticking with my Chimney Starter.

I got mine at my local hardware store, but when you see it, you will be confused. Here's the gist of how you use it(I'll take a picture of mine and post it tomorrow):

1. There are two main compartments inside the cylinder, one is below a wire rack, and has some openings on the side. This is where the crumpled up newspaper is to be placed.

2. The upper compartment is for the charcoal. I use Kingsford, but use what you like.

3. I like to place the Chimney Starter with crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the grill before I pour in the charcoal. This way if you spill a little, it will eventually light with the rest of the charcoal in the grill.

4. Light the newspaper, and wait a few minutes to make sure some of the charcoal begins to ignite.

5. When all the charcoal is grey, with a bright orange glow, you are good-to-go.

6. Using gloves, an oven mitt, or some towels, pour the charcoal into a nice mound in the center of the base of the grill.

7. Place the top grate on, and you are ready to grill with the best of them.

Marinating is my middle name. Okay, okay, you caught me. It's actually Marie, but pretty close don't you think?? Well, tonight was an impromptu invite for my roommates to join in my steak centric dinner, so my marinade was more of a rub with Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic, Scallion, and Lime Juice. Usually I marinate my meat overnight for the best flavor, but today I had about an hour, not eight. I decided to make guacamole and a corn salad as well.

When I figured out a "theme" for my dinner, I finally settled on Flank Steak, and bought some corn tortillas to throw on the grill as well, to make my version of tacos.

The steak was juicy, the salad crisp and fresh, and we did have a little pre-dinner snack of chips, salsa, and guacamole. I had enough for leftovers, so this will be my dinner tomorrow night.

Plus, you all know by now that I love chocolate, but I am a firm believer if you are having people over for dinner, you have some dessert or a little something sweet to end the meal. So, I bought some vanilla ice cream, butter waffle cookies-these taste like a waffle cone, and these milk chocolate macadamia nut lace cookies! Ahhhh. . . bliss!

Sure I could have baked a batch of my own cookies, or made brownies to go with the ice cream, but I believe it's okay to have somethings that are not homemade and from scratch every once in a while. It's helpful to have one less thing to worry about when you are having people over, and well those cookies are just so damn good!

Chocoholic Not So Anonymous

I am not sure there is a day that goes by, in which I don't indulge in my purest addiction-CHOCOLATE! For me, the darker the better. Some days just a few chocolate chips will cure the craving. Other days I need to sink my teeth into a chocolate cupcake with whipped chocolate ganache frosting.

When I am in my hometown in Oregon, it is the semi-sweet hot chocolate from our local coffee shop that starts my day off just right. Internationally, It was the Pain aux Chocolat in the South of France, the Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato in Italy, the Chocolate Truffles in Belgium, and the Churros con Chocolate in Spain that left my heart aching for future trips across The Atlantic.

When I was in elementary school, long before I knew I wanted to cook for a living, I would often come home and experiment in our kitchen. I think one of my first successful attempts at any experimentation would have been these chocolate-peanut butter frozen candies. It was nothing mind-blowing, but rather, simple, straight-forward, and just plain good. If I can figure out how to make these tasty little confections cookbook worthy, I will.

Once, I gave up Chocolate for Lent, and I think that could have been the most willful experience of my life! Please wipe that look of shock off your face all you chocoholics out there. It was only 40 days, I did it, and I will never attempt it again!! From that experience there is one thing I know for sure: There will be some killer CHOCOLATE recipes in my book.

De-stressing with Mojitos

My love for Mojitos started several years ago when I dated a bartender who made really tasty ones. He's no longer in the picture, but I certainly still love a good one-a Mojito that is-I'm through with bartenders!

So, anytime I have a really stressful week at work, I like to snip some mint from my garden, and make that magical drink. If you've never had a Mojito, it's a Rum based cocktail from The Caribbean, with hints of lime, mint, and a great balance of tart and sweet. I use a golden rum, because that is what I like, but you are welcome to try my recipe with any rum you like. Here is the recipe:

Hayley's Mojito

Servings: 1

1 each Fresh Lime

1/4 cup Simple Syrup, recipe follows

1 Sprig Fresh Mint

2 shots Golden Rum, such as Mount Gay

Soda Water

Crushed Ice

Muddler(this is the wooden stick used to make the drink, you can also use the handle of a wooden spoon)

Shaker

Tall Glass

1. Squeeze the lime into the shaker.

2. Add the Simple Syrup and Mint, and begin to muddle everything together by bruising the mint leaves to release their essential oils.

3. Pour in the shots of Rum, and add a small scoop of ice to the shaker.

4. Shake, shake, shake!

5. Pour the cocktail into a tall glass, and top it off with soda water.

6. Garnish with a sprig of mint, and enjoy!

Simple Syrup

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

4 Cups Cold Water

Makes 1 Quart

1. Combine sugar and water in a 2 quart sauce pot, and stir to dissolve sugar.

2. Place sauce pot on burner on High heat, and bring to a boil.

3. Boil for 1 minute, remove from heat, and cool to room temperature.

4. Place in an air-tight container, and store in the fridge for up to one month.

Thank Yous and Baking

When you have little disasters in life, and people do amazing things to help you out, the best way, in my opinion, is to say thank you with some home baked goods! I am testing out my sweet skills in the pie department today. I've had several pie dough recipes handed down to me over the years, but in all honesty, the best ones have at least a bit of butter.

To have a super flakey crust, I like to use Crisco or some kind of shortening. I don't feel as guilty using shortening anymore, because they have changed their formula and are now Trans Fat Free. I am still not a fan of hydrogenated fats, and I would much rather use all butter and all natural ingredients. But, the best crust has butter, shortening, good quality flour, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon or two of sugar, and is barely bound together with the iciest of all ice-waters. I heard from one of my grandma's about adding in a splash of white vinegar to the dough, so I am going to try it in my pie dough this time.

Some people like to use a Cuisinart to mix pie crust together. Others like to use a pastry blender or a fork. When I was in Culinary School, my Baking and Pastry Intructor, Kim Smith taught my class to use a box grater. Once I tried this trick, I was hooked. Keeping the butter and flour in the freezer only ensures that the crust will stay cold.

Well, talk about dry dough! I had the hardest time rolling out my dough. It kept cracking on me just as I was about to place it in the pie pan. I think I am going to re-work my recipe with a bit more fat and a bit more water. I did manage to make a decent looking Blackberry Pie, even with the cracks- those can be covered up by extra pieces of pie dough cut into pretty little leaves. I'll let you all know how the pie tastes when I hear from my cousin. The pie is for him!

Breakfast for Dinner

You most certainly will find a section in my cookbook on Breakfast. It is absolutely my most favorite meal of the day. But, sometimes, I just want to have breakfast for dinner. Just like every so often a piece of pizza is really great for breakfast.

Eggs Benedict. Need I say more? Remember how I told you about my love for Hollandaise? Yes, that luscious sauce is what brings the dish of toasted English Muffin, Canadian Bacon, and poached eggs together into one harmonious bite of culinary bliss.

Well, years ago, a friend-chef of mine also taught me that a croissant was actually an even better base to use instead of an English Muffin. I tried it, and I will say the rich butter laden flaky layers of golden brown pastry are such a revelation. Croissants add an elegance to a very homey dish. If you are going to truly turn this breakfast favorite into an upscale dinner version, the addition of some sauteed asparagus makes it a complete meal. Not to mention that Hollandaise goes so well drizzled over asparagus.

Onto my sauce secrets: It's all in the wrist. Truly great Hollandaise Sauce is light, fluffy, almost airy, with a perfect balance of vinegar, lemon, a hint of spiciness, and a subtle flavor of shallot and black pepper.

You will have to wait for my official recipe, but here are my best tips for creating the most luxurious Hollandaise Sauce.

~A balloon whisk is best for producing the most air, but any whisk will do.

~Grasp the handle of the whisk with your palm facing down, and keep your grip strong, but your wrist loose.

~Quick back and forth motions produce the most air, but every so often stir the contents of the entire bowl so that the heat is distributed evenly.

~Keep whisking! You want your base mixture to be as airy as possible before adding the clarified butter, but be careful not to overcook, or curdle the mixture, or you will have to start the process all over.

~Don't let emulsion style sauces intimidate you. In it's most simple form, Hollandaise is just some egg yolks, flavorings, and butter. If you make a mistake, use it as an opportunity to learn, so that you will be able to make it right the next time.

Basic Vinaigrettes

Vinaigrettes, might possibly be my favorite of all Sauces. The only other sauce that could out-rank a vinaigrette in my book, is Hollandaise, but I will address my love of the luscious culinary version of liquid gold another day. It is summer, and my mind is pre-occupied with all of the seasons bounty of vegetables.

The most basic Vinaigrette can be summed up to a simple recipe such as this:

1/4 Cup Vinegar

3/4 Cup Oil

1-2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 ea Shallot minced

Salt and Pepper To Taste(I will commonly refer to my shorthand version as S & P TT)

The most common rule of thumb is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. My biggest tip of the day, though, TASTE EVERYTHING! This is the most important part of cooking. Learn to train your taste buds. Does it taste too acidic? If yes, add a little more salt or a little more canola oil. Both salt and fat(oil) cut acidity. Does it taste too salty, not acidic enough? Add a couple more splashes of vinegar, and TASTE again. Seasoning with S & P is very important, but you also want to make sure your food is balanced.

If you were a true-blue-old-school chef, you would chop everything by hand, and whisk the oil in by hand. Sometimes I feel like being old school, and other times, I like using my kitchen gadgets like a blender or Cuisinart, and turn what is known as a "Broken Vinaigrette" into a nice smooth emulsion. I'll leave the choice up to you, but here are a few of my favorite vinaigrettes:

Asian Style:

1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar, buy the seasoned one if you can

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

1/8 Cup Toasted Sesame Oil

1/8 cup Chili Sesame Oil

3 Tbs Soy Sauce or Tamari

3 Tbs White Sugar

3 Tbs Fresh Ginger, peeled, minced (you can also use a Microplaner-my preferred method)

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

S & P TT

1. Place the vinegar and soy sauce in the base of a blender. *For this Vinaigrette I like to use a blender.*

2. Add the ginger, garlic, sugar, S & P, blend to dissolve all sugar.

3. Combine all oils in a liquid measuring cup, and while the blender is running, pour the oil in a slow, streaming motion, into the blender.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

This is a very versatile vinaigrette, that can be used as a dressing for a cabbage and carrot slaw, is great on Romaine lettuce, great on cold ramen noodles, and is even a great marinade for chicken or salmon.

Italian Style Balsamic Vinaigrette:

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

3/4 Cup Olive Oil, I prefer regular to Extra Virgin, because I feel Extra Virgin can become bitter tasting

1/4 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley loosely packed, and chopped fine

1 Tbsp Fresh Oregano, chopped

1 1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped

1 1/2 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped

S & P TT

1. Place a wet kitchen towel in a small ring on your kitchen counter, and a medium bowl in the center of the towel ring. This will keep the bowl in place while you are whisking in the oil.

2. Place the vinegar, herbs, garlic, cheese, and S & P in the bowl, and whisk to combine.

3. In a slow, steady stream pour in the oil while continuing to whisk the vinaigrette together.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I like this vinaigrette on pretty much any type of green or lettuce, but I absolutely love to combine baby mixed lettuces with frissee, radicchio, Romaine and a little bit of red cabbage. Add some shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, and top it off with home-made croutons, and you have the start to a great meal. I will blog soon about my home-made croutons, please make them yourself once you learn how, they are so much better!

French Style Vinaigrette:

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Tbs Dijon Style Mustard

2 Shallots, minced

1 clove Garlic Minced

2 Tbs Chives, minced

S & P TT

1. Place a wet kitchen towel in a small ring on your kitchen counter, and a medium bowl in the center of the towel ring. This will keep the bowl in place while you are whisking in the oil.

2. Add the vinegar, mustard, shallots, garlic, chives, S & P.

3. Combine Canola and Olive Oils in a liquid measuring cup, and in a slow, steady stream pour in the oil while continuing to whisk the vinaigrette together.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

This is a lovely light vinaigrette which is great simply tossed with baby mixed greens. This transforms into a perfect side salad to a rich dish such as a Croque Monsieur(French Ham and Cheese sandwich), or a nice fillet cooked perfectly medium-rare.

These are just a few of my favorites, but my book will have more that are just as delicious.

Summer Salads

One of my favorite dishes this summer has been a salad of Romaine Lettuce, Canned Tuna, pre-steamed and peeled Beets(a great find at Trader Joe's), and Marinated Three Bean Salad(another TJ's find). The three bean salad consists of Red Kidney Beans, Chickpeas(also known as Garbanzo Beans), and Ramano Beans that are in this delicious sweet and tangy marinade with hints of Garlic, Onion, and Italian Herbs. This may sound like a wacky combination of sorts, but it tastes great, I promise! The crunchiness of the Romaine in contrast with the tenderness of the beets keeps your taste buds guessing. The meatiness of the tuna and the creaminess of the beans adds a richness to the dish. While the marinade acts as this great vinaigrette that ties the whole dish together.

I can make this in a matter of minutes, and it is a light and refreshing meal for the hot and humid summer nights in DC. I know it's not a from scratch kinda recipe, but all in all, there are some nights I need a quick meal after a long day in the kitchen. Here is my recipe:

1 ea Small head of Romaine Hearts, washed, dried, and chopped

1 can Tonggul Tuna, or brand of Tuna you prefer

4-5 ea Baby Beets, steamed or roasted, peeled and quartered

1/2 can TJ's Marinated Three Bean Salad

1. Place Romaine in the bottom of a wide salad bowl or plate.

2. In a separate small bowl combine the tuna, beets, beans, and enough marinade from the can to coat everything evenly.

3. Spoon above mixture over the top of the Romaine and enjoy!

*Note* You can always use the whole can of beans, the whole package of beets(about 10 each) and add in another can of tuna. You have half the mixture for dinner, and the other half is lunch tomorrow.

Reviews

After chilling overnight, my cheesecake was ready to sample at 7:00 am for breakfast with my fellow chefs at work. They all liked the texture, and not-too-sweet flavor. I made two cheesecakes, in two different size spring form pans. One was about 10" the other maybe 8". I preferred the 8" cheesecake, because there was a better cheesecake to crust ratio, the layer of sour cream topping was just thing enough to coat the top, but not takeover in flavor. My recipe is not quite perfection yet, but it is well on it's way.

*One tip I forgot to mention in last night's blog was this: When pressing the crust into the pan, instead of using your hands to apply the pressure, us the bottom of a measuring cup. You will have a perfectly even crust all the way around, and you will not be covered in butter laden crumbs.

I Heart NY

After returning form NYC for a quick weekend trip, I was left craving a city staple: cheesecake. I wanted something a little different than just plain old cheesecake, so I decided to make a chocolate cheesecake. I have a recipe from my Aunt Cheryl that I wanted to adapt to my own liking, and I have always tweaked recipes a bit to make them my own. Subbing out melted chocolate for cocoa powder, and cutting down on some of the sugar. Sure, baking is a science, but sometimes it is all about trial and error.

After I made the filling, I decided that I could have nearly doubled the recipe. It wasn't coming up quite high enough with the edge of the crust. Some people like to just have a bottom crust, but I like to bring my crust up to the outer edges of the pan. I also prefer a graham or cookie style crust to a pastry style crust. It's also important to pre-bake the crust for about ten minutes. Having higher edges, and pre-baking ensure that the filling will bake in a protective "shell," and not leak out into your oven.

I also use a spring-form style pan, because once the cheesecake is cooled you can take the outer ring off, and cut beautiful even slices. My favorite cheesecakes are usually a cross between the richness and dense cheesier texture of a New York Style, and the lightness of an airier texture of a French Style. It's basically the best of both worlds in one single bite.

I'll let my readers know how the cheesecake turns out tomorrow after they set up in the fridge overnight.

Have a Few Stand-by Favorites

When I think of summers in DC, ice-cold beer, charcoal barbecue, and potato salad come to mind. Now, sure you could buy some potato salad from the grocery store, pre-made and loaded with who knows what, or you could buy some baby red potatoes, and make your own. I learned some basic tricks from a friend while I was in Culinary School, but I have since adapted her style with my own. One thing I know for sure: Always dress your potatoes while they are hot! This lets the flavor of the dressing soak in. I add hard-boiled eggs to my potato salad, because I simply like hard boiled eggs. I also use light mayo, and use equal parts mayo and sour cream in my dressing. It makes for a creamier, but also tangier dressing, and acid will always boost the flavor of any dish. My potato salad is my signature summer side dish, and I like to have a few for each season.

Testing Recipes at Work

When you are one of two females in a professional kitchen, it is most likely to be assumed that you will be either a. Baking, or b. Making the Salads. Yeah, I like to do both, and I am not one of those chefs who claims to not be a baker, I actually really love to bake, but when it comes to killing a lobster or roasting a beautiful chicken for dinner-bring it on!

I've learned from a lot of talented people, some with decades in professional kitchens, and some from my hometown-this is to include both Grandmothers and my Mom. So when my abilities to make a killer mac and cheese where questioned the other day at work, I laughed, and thought to myself, "I learned that years ago from my mother."

See there are some secrets that she taught me, but then I have also adapted our family recipe to make it my own. Here are two of my personal secrets:

~Undercook the pasta

~Top it with Buttered Bread Crumbs

These two tips make for a mac and cheese that is perfectly al dente when it comes out of the oven, and has a nice textural contrast between the crunchy buttery topping and creamy cheesy sauce.

I am still perfecting the exact amounts of cheese and pasta, but my recipe with definitely be in my book. Especially considering the next day I got rave reviews from a Southern Grandma who devoured my Mac and Cheese the night before!

My Ahh Haa! Moment

After years of personal success and failure in the cooking world as a twenty something female chef, I finally decided that today will be the day that I start my cookbook. From time to time my recipes will be shared, but for the most part I want this blog to be a journal for my friends and family to follow.