Husk!
“Confit Duck Leg, Black Garlic, Pan Fried Farro Verde, Pear Kimchi, Embered Cabbage, Virginia Peanuts…” Honestly, when I hear a menu description like that I usually excuse myself (“Where’s the men’s room?”) and head for the hills. It is a chef in a thousand who can pull of a menu promise like that. As Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine used to say, “Don’t write a check with your mouth that your body can’t cash.” That’s how I feel about menu prose. Sean Brock, author or Heritage and Chef/Partner of Husk Restaurant in Charleston is that one in a thousand who can cash that check. That duck, among many other dishes, was outstanding and delivered with style, hospitality and good old southern graciousness that made the entire evening stand out. I posted an album on Facebook of all the dishes we ate that evening. I want to go back. Now. Living in Jersey City makes that a little difficult but I’m sure we can figure it out. To the left is another beauty that added up to more than the sum of its parts: Conmeal Dusted NC Catfish, Summer Squash, Fennel, Toasted Sunflower, Husk Chow Chow, Dill. Go to Husk. Now if you...
read moreKeep the Barbecue Coming!
Best-of-the-Carolinas Barbecue Sauce Just because today marks the unofficial end of summer doesn’t mean that grilling should screech to a halt. There’s plenty of warm days ahead, and that means BBQ. This is my blend of the vinegary mop sauces, the mustard-based sauces and ketchupy sauces that hail from different parts of the Carolinas. All of the above are worth searching out and trying. I know this sauce is not authentic, but it is good. It’s simple to make and makes quite a bit so unless yours is a big group, you’ll get at least a few meals out of it. Brush this onto just about anything but toward the end of cooking so the sauce doesn’t burn. If you have a smoker, try this as a basting sauce on baby back ribs. MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS 1 cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup ketchup 2 tablespoons deli-style mustard 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes Kosher salt Bring all the ingredients and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer until lightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to two...
read moreSpicy-Cool Avocado Sauce (Cauliflower Version)
I used to make this all the time and then plain forgot about it. It is quick, rich in flavor and lots of good oils from the avocado. I use this on a lot of stovetop-smoked foods and most often with grilled fish or chicken. This summer I started pairing it more with vegetables, like these mini-cauliflowers from the farmers’ market. Sliced dead ripe tomatoes, grilled corn and wax beans are a few other suggestions. Or pan-broiled shrimp. Makes about 2 cups 1 ripe, but not mushy, Hass avocado 4 to 5 teaspoons fresh lime juice ¼ cup sour cream 1 teaspooon hot red pepper sauce, or to taste Kosher salt Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Add the lime juice, and process the avocado, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the avocado is very smooth. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl. Beat in the sour cream and red pepper sauce. Season with additional hot red pepper sauce, if you like, and salt to taste. The sauce can be prepared up to one day in advance and refrigerated with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly to the surface to prevent the top of the sauce from turning brown. Bring the sauce to room temperature before serving. Note: This makes a thick, dollopy kind of sauce with a velvety texture. If you’d like a thinner sauce, better suited for drizzling or dipping, beat 1 to 2 tablespoons water into the sauce just before serving. Check the seasonings and add additional salt and pepper sauce if you think it needs...
read moreSeariously!
Caramelized is a word that has been tossed around so often it has almost lost its meaning. Technically, the only thing that can be caramelized is sugar, all other foods get their rich brown crust from something known as the Maillard reaction. Caramelized onions are really Maillard-ized onions but that doesn’t sound so good on a menu. To put it very, very simply: When some foods are subjected to high heat, the sugar(s) and amino acid(s) they contain combine and from there a complex process leads to the kind of rich flavor we all love. If you want to know more about the Maillard reaction turn to someone who really knows all about it, Michael Laiskonis. Some foods that are Maillard-ized include crusty bread, sliced sauteed potatoes and seared steak. My personal favorite is a panful of dry sea scallops lightly coated with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The “dry” sea scallop part is important. They are the only kind that will give you that wonderful brown surface that you can see in the photo above. “Wet” sea scallops are wet due to taking a bath in sodium tripolyphosphate. (The only reason for using a 22-letter chemical on scallops is to increase their weight for market.) You can tell wet from dry pretty easily once you look at a few of each type. Wet sea scallops have a milky color and a blobby look. They will not sear at all because of all the liquid they have absorbed. Dry sea scallops look, well, dry and have a pale ivory color that can sometimes be tinged with pink. Each dry scallop holds its distinct shape. Scallops, like shrimp, are sold by size. And like shrimp, the bigger the scallop the higher the price. I use medium size scallops (10/20’s) and figure on 5 per person. Here’s how to make seared scallops: Remove the adductor muscle (otherwise known as the little thingy on the side of each scallop) and lay out the scallops on paper towels. Yes, they’re dry, but removing as much moisture as possible is a good idea with scallops and other proteins (pork, chicken, beef, fish fillets) if you want maximum browning. Pour a little olive oil into a dish and add the scallops. Season with salt and pepper and turn the scallops over in the oil a few times to coat them and distribute the s&p. Pour a very small amount of oil into a nonstick saute pan. This is one of the few times I use a non-stick pan instead of my trusty cast iron pans. Heat over medium-high heat until the olive oil is really thin and runs quickly from side to side. Tong the scallops into the pan one at a time and cook them until the bottoms are a deep rich brown. Flip them over and cook just until browned. Don’t overcook them. They should still be a little boingy when you poke them with your finger. Eat them as is or make a really quick pan sauce: Before you start the scallops, put about 1/4 cup chicken stock or water, the juice from a lemon and about a tablespoon of butter in a little bowl. Take the pan off the heat when the scallops are done and add the...
read moreGrilled ‘Half-Crocked’ Pork Chops
So they’re ‘half-crocked’ because there is far less salt in this brine than most. It still flavors the chops and keeps them moist but it isn’t the salt-fest that most brines are. I also don’t like the super juicy effect that a heavy brine gives. It reminds of those hams in a can. Orange zest, thyme and honey round things out. Use the same brine for pork tenderloins, chicken breasts or shrimp. (Cut the brining time for shrimp to 3 to 4 hours.) Makes 4 servings 4 cups water 1/3 cup kosher salt 1/3 cup aromatic honey, such as acacia or buckwheat 3 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns Zest from 2 oranges, removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler 1 bunch fresh thyme 4 1-inch thick pork loin chops Bring the water, salt, honey, peppercorns, zest and thyme in a 3-quart pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and honey. Cool to room temp. Place the chops in a container large enough to hold them and the brine comfortably but snugly. (A 2-quart container that is about as tall as it is wide works well.) Pour the brine over the chops, cover the container tightly and refrigerate for 8 hours. Drain the chops and pat them dry. (You can cook the chops at this point, or wrap and refrigerate them for up to 2 days.) Lightly oil a gas or charcoal grill. Cook the chops, turning them only once, until well browned and uniformly cooked with a slight trace of pink near the bones, about 12 minutes. If you have an instant reading thermometer, this is a great place to use it. A safe temperature for pork is 145° F. Pay attention to the area along the bone, it is usually the slowest to cook. That’s why the chops in the picture are doing a head stand; I always finish off the cooking by standing them on their bones to make sure everything is good to go. If it’s not grilling weather, try a seasoned or non-stick griddle over two burners set to medium high. Adjust the heat under the griddle as necessary so the chops brown slowly but...
read moreTips on Working with Filo (Phyllo) Pastry:
Filo is usually sold frozen in 1-pound boxes. A package of filo dough may be defrosted at room temperature (about 2 hours) or in the refrigerator (about 24 hours). Remove only remove the number of sheets called for in the recipe from the defrosted package. Immediately return the remaining sheets to the plastic bag they were sealed in and wrap the plastic bag tightly in aluminum foil before returning to the freezer or refrigerator. Work with one or two sheets of filo at a time. Top the remaining sheets of filo with a sheet of waxed paper (my favorite) or plastic wrap and cover completely with a lightly dampened cloth to keep them moist. Uncovered filo sheets dry out and become impossible to work with in a matter of minutes. Filo can only be defrosted and refrozen a few times before it becomes brittle and very difficult to work with. As most things made with filo pastry freeze beautifully, it is better to make a little extra filling and freeze the finished product than to defrost and refreeze the filo sheets. These instructions are for using the Spanokopita filling, but 2 cups of any moist (not wet!) filling, like sauteed mushrooms, finely chopped and mixed with cheese and herbs, can be used To Make Triangles: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Uncover the filo sheets and carefully remove the top sheet. Place it on the work surface in front of you with one of the long sides closest to you. Recover the remaining sheets. Lightly brush the whole surface with melted butter. Cut the filo from top to bottom into 6 equally wide strips. Place 1 tablespoon filling on the end of the strip closest to you. Fold the end of the strip closest to you over the filling and flush with the long side of the dough strip, forming a triangle that encloses the filling. Continue roll-folding the strip of dough, as you would to store a flag, keeping the triangle shape intact and making sure the spinach filling is completely enclosed. Transfer the triangle to a non-stick or lightly greased baking sheet and repeat with the remaining filo and filling. Brush the tops of the triangles with melted butter and bake until golden brown and crispy, about To Make Individual Open-Faced Pies: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Uncover the filo dough and carefully remove the top two sheets. Recover the remaining sheets. Lay one of the sheets on the work surface in front of you with one of the short sides closest to you. Lightly brush the half of the sheet nearest you with melted butter. Fold the other half over the buttered portion. Repeat with the second sheet. Brush the top of the first folded sheet with butter and place the second folded and buttered sheet on top of it, squaring the sides to form an even rectangle of four layers. Cut the rectangle of filo lengthwise into 3 equal strips, then crosswise into 4 equal strips to form 12 squares, each about 2 x 2 inches. Gently press each square into a compartment of a mini-muffin tin, making sure the bottom is completely lined and the edges that extend over the compartment are equal on all sides. Place a tablespoon of filling into each...
read moreSpanokopita (Spinach-Feta Triangles)
(Greek Spinach Pies) Buttery, crispy/flaky and addictive, these require a little practice to get right but are worth the effort. And once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty quickly. If this is your first time working with filo (or phyllo if you’re from uptown), start with double the number of sheets listed below in case you run into problems. In time you’ll realize that as delicate as filo is, it is just as reparable. If a sheet tears, overlap the two torn pieces and brush with butter as you normally would. Makes about 25 individual triangles or pies or one 8 x 8 inch pie Two 8-ounce bags frozen chopped spinach, defrosted 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or as needed) 1 bunch scallions (green onions), roots and shabby green parts trimmed, sliced thin (about 1 cup) ½ cup, lightly packed, chopped fresh dill 1 cup crumbled mild and creamy feta cheese (about 5 ounces) Salt, if necessary Freshly ground pepper Freshly ground nutmeg, (optional) 1 egg, beaten 6 sheets filo dough or as needed* With your hands, squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the spinach. Pour 2 tablespoons of the butter into a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté just until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and dill and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Scrape the spinach mixture into a medium mixing bowl and cool completely. Stir the feta into the spinach mixture. Taste and add salt, pepper and, if you like, nutmeg to taste. Add the beaten egg and mix in thoroughly. Using the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the filo sheets, prepare the triangles: For notes on making individual pies or one large pie check this out. To Make Triangles: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Uncover the filo sheets and carefully remove the top sheet. Place it on the work surface in front of you with one of the long sides closest to you. Recover the remaining sheets. Lightly brush the whole surface with melted butter. Cut the filo from top to bottom into 6 equally wide strips. Place 1 tablespoon filling on the end of the strip closest to you. Fold the end of the strip closest to you over the filling and flush with the long side of the dough strip, forming a triangle that encloses the filling. Continue roll-folding the strip of dough, as you would to store a flag, keeping the triangle shape intact and making sure the spinach filling is completely enclosed. Transfer the triangle to a non-stick or lightly greased baking sheet and repeat with the remaining filo and filling. Brush the tops of the triangles with melted butter and bake until golden brown and crispy, about * Filo is usually sold frozen in 1-pound boxes. A package of filo dough may be defrosted at room temperature (about 2 hours) or in the refrigerator (about 24 hours). Remove only remove the number of sheets called for in the recipe from the defrosted package. To make life interesting, filo used to be a standard 10 x 18″ size. It is now also sold in a smaller size sheet (9 x 14″ or so). You don’t really know which size you’re getting until you open the box. Not to...
read moreYou Can’t Always Get What You Want
Grilled Spring Onions with Parsley and Mint Here’s one great thing about farmers’ markets: People who grown stuff bring it to you hours after it’s picked. Here’s another thing: This reminds you that what you have on your mental menu has nothing to do with what has just been picked. Even after all these years I sometimes still head out to the market with an idea in mind instead of letting the market put the idea in my mind. Last Monday that idea was wax beans with a simple sauce of parsley and mint, something I look forward to every summer. I didn’t realize until I was halfway there that wax beans are not on my schedule, they are on their own. I looked around and saw the last of the spring onions—some white, some red—and they were looking fine, so that’s what I ended up with. This is a pretty and refreshing side dish or first course. Ordinary garden mint can have a grassy, overpowering taste. It’s worth the extra effort to search out some milder tasting mints like spearmint or pineapple mint. Serves 6, more as part of a grilled veggie appetizer 2 or 3 bunches red and/or white spring onions ¼ cup (packed) Italian parsley leaves 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup mint leaves, preferably spearmint or pineapple mint 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1½ teaspoons kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper Trim the tips of the stems and any brown or wilty stems from the spring onions but leaves the stems as long as you can. Nip off just the thinnest piece of the root end. Rinse the onions pat them dry with paper towel. Lay them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over them, season with sea salt and pepper and rub the oil into the onions. Process the parsley and mint leaves, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a food processor until the leaves are finely chopped (you don’t want the sauce to be super-smooth, unless you do, in which case keep going). Do this as close to grilling time as you can. The lemon juice will start to turn the bright green herbs dark in a couple of hours. Heat a gas grill to medium high or light your coals. With a pair of tongs, lay the onions across the grill bars (so they don’t fall through). Wait until you see the ends of the stems start to char, then carefully flip the onions. Cook until some of the leaves are charred and the bulbs are lightly browned. All in all, this shouldn’t take more than 4 minutes. Lay the onions out on a platter and spoon the sauce over and around them. The stems should be charred in some places and the bulbs still slightly crisp. Both are very good things. ...
read moreHigh-Class Mixed Nuts
Sounds like one of the summer party scenes from The Great Gatsby, but it’s not. These oven-toasted mixed nuts are probably the easiest thing you can make for your own party, poolside or not. They come together in a minute and toast at a pretty low temp, so if you overshoot by a little bit they won’t burn. There really is no recipe involved here, more like an overview. Take a heavy ovenproof pan (my choice, as usual, is a cast-iron skillet) and pour a tiny amount (1/2 teaspoon?) of oil into it. Add enough mixed nuts to cover the bottom of the pan in a single but full layer. My 12-inch cast-iron skillet holds about 2 cups mixed nuts. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt (Maldon is perfect for this) and toss to coat the nuts with oil. They should be barely glistening—too much oil makes them difficult to eat in a party setting. Add a few springs of rosemary (or thyme, or summer savory, or a mix) and put the pan in a preheated 250° F oven. Stir them once or twice until they are nicely toasted, about 45 minutes. I leave them in the oven for up to 30 minutes. After that, turn the oven off and leave them in for longer. The rosemary will get very brittle and the leaves will fall off the stem. That’s a little added flavor bonus. I like to serve these spooned into the kind of cone-shaped paper cups that used to be on the side of every water cooler. They’re not that easy to find, except online and at big-box stores. I like these nuts a lot but not enough to commit to 1,000 paper cups. So now I spoon them into little bowls and let people pass them around. You can, of course, use whatever blend of nuts you like. Walnuts, pecans, cashews and Brazil nuts are good choices. Pistachios and hazelnuts, not so much. There’s nothing for the salt/oil/rosemary to grab...
read moreBK’s Soy-Sesame Dressing (in this case on broccoli and cauliflower)
For many years I worked with Barbara Kafka, food maven, trend originator and predictor and one hell of a cook. Several years ago I had the pleasure to work with BK on Vegetable Love, the magnum opus of the vegetable world. Barbara had such an impact on my professional (and personal) life that when Food Arts magazine was looking for someone to write an article to coincide with the publication of Vegetable Love, they gave me a call. I was more than happy to oblige. Barbara and I worked on everything from fine dining to a national root beer/fast food chain. The process was always the same. Come up with a thousand ideas, discard them, and start all over again. It drove some people crazy; I loved it. This dressing was a kind of running joke, not in a bad way but because it kept cropping up. No wonder, there are very few foods you can’t use it on. I amped up the sesame oil from the original version. Play with the amount of oil and other ingredients—except the tarragon, that I’d leave pretty much where it is—to see what works for you. Makes about ½ cup (can be easily doubled) 3 tablespoons lemon juice Large pinch each of salt and ground black pepper ½ teaspoon dry mustard (if you have it) ¼ teaspsoon dried tarragon or minced fresh tarragon leaves 1/3 cup olive oil 1 ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil Put all the ingredients in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Use right away or store in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature and shake well before using. A few ideas for using soy-sesame dressing: Spoon over steamed vegetables. Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, carrots and parsnips, or a mix of any of the above are particularly nice Add a little dab to your next batch of sautéed mushrooms Spoon over grilled or broiled swordfish* fillets, pan-seared scallops, or sautéed salmon fillets Use as a dipping sauce for shrimp or dressing for chicken salad Oh, and salad dressing. Goes very well with just about anything but a mix of Boston, Bibb and romaine is my fave. *As a species, we haven’t been very good at sustaining the remarkable variety of food fish in our oceans. In fact, we seem to have made a practice of cleaning out whatever we can and moving on. Mark Kurlansky, in his excellent book Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World chose this quote from Alexandre Dumas to open chapter 2: “ It has been calculated that if no accident prevented the hatching of the eggs and each egg reached maturity, it would take only three years to fill the sea so that you could walk across the Atlantic dryshod on the backs of cod.” He was right in one sense, overfishing was not an accident. I feel bad for the fishermen who, as Kurlansky says, “are at the wrong end of 1,000-year fishing spree,” but perhaps everyone can learn from Alaska’s Sustainable Fisheries Trust. It can be confusing to keep track. Swordfish, for instance, can move back and forth between the “good” and “bad” lists. One very easy way to keep track is through Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Follow them on Twitter for regular...
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