Barbecued Venison and Cheesy Elvis

Chocolate and [Insert edible noun here]

The only thing better than eating artisan chocolate, is eating it while listening to the person that made it. That's exactly what I got to do Wednesday when Michael Recchiuti, San Francisco's preeminent chocolatier, hosted a media-only event to announce The Taste Project.

The Taste Project is a series of multi-sensory chocolate pairings bringing together Recchiuti's confections with savory ingredients like salt, olive oil, beer, mushrooms, along with the people that produce them.

While listening to Michael explain his concept, it was clear how much he enjoys bringing together these kindred foodie souls. More than pairing products, he's pairing people, and that's what promises to makes these tastings unique.

The evening began with a brief tour of his kitchen. A large, bubbling kettle of candied citrus peel was steaming away, scenting the entire floor of the building. Against another wall, molten white chocolate poured from a spigot into a churning vat.

He showed us how the chocolates are coated and the intricate designs applied to the top. He also gracefully handled the inevitable "Oompa-Loompa," and "I Love Lucy" jokes (I'm sure he never gets tired of those).

Then it was on to the main event. You can see pictured here, in order, what we had to taste and savor while Michael explained each paring and the thought-process behind it.

We started with a "Dip-it-yourself" Graham cracker breadstick. A custom-blended 64% Valrhona chocolate was slowly melting on a warm block of Himalayan salt, just begging for one of those housemade Graham-sticks to be dragged through. Now that's how you start a chocolate tasting.

Next we were served the "Salt Course;" a stone fruit pizza made with peaches, cherries, and some of the best puff pastry I've ever had. This was garnished with something called roasted Korean bamboo salt. Over the top were shaved curls of a wonderful, custom-blended Mexican/Colombian chocolate.

Eating this in silence would have been pleasurable enough, but as I said at the beginning, to taste while Michael discussed the components of the plate took it to another level of enjoyment.

The "Spirits Course" was a tiny "cherry bomb" made with Kirsch-filled chocolates topped with a coated Amarena cherry. It was a great bite, and made more so when we were informed that due to its labor-intensive nature, this item would not be available for retail sale.

The most bizarre and interesting pairing was the "Mushroom Course," consisting of shiitake mushroom ice cream sandwiched between grilled slices of buttery brioche bread, topped with fried slices of shiitake. I have no idea how, but it worked. More so than anything else we had, this item best represented the mission behind The Taste Project.

We finished with the "Bread Course;" an Acme croissant soaked in rum custard, sitting next to a very light crème caramel. It came with a small vial of Stonehouse olive oil for drizzling over the bread pudding. The bitterness of the early harvest oil brought everything together and made for a very nice finish.

On our way out we were presented with a pint of Recchiuti's new "underground" ice cream. For fear of grave bodily harm, I really can’t give details about his mysterious new offering, but a very reliable source told me that if you check Michael's Facebook page you can learn how to get your hands on some.

If you would like to take part in any of the upcoming Taste Project events you can get more info and see a complete schedule of pairings on the Recchiuti Confections website. Enjoy!

A Look Behind the Scenes at Recchiuti Confections


Top Photo courtesy of recchiuti.com

Caramel Pork Belly - Understanding Unctuous Unctuousness

The only thing more popular than pork belly is using the word "unctuous" to describe it. If you're not familiar with the word, it has several definitions, but in a foodie context it's used to describe something rich, luxurious, and fabulously fatty - think bone marrow, foie gras, and of course, pork belly.

If you're a food writer, and you're doing a review or article about pork belly, you have to use the word unctuous or unctuousness whether you understand what it means or not. Ironically, another meaning for the adjective is, "Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness."

I wasn't really sure I understood the true essence of unctuousness, but after eating this caramel pork belly I'm pretty sure I get it now. Each bite was pure pleasure. I'm usually a very fast eater (aka former line cook syndrome), but I tried to eat as slowly as I possibly could. It was just so unctuous.

While I used a very intense Asian-influenced sauce to compliment the rich pork, this same technique could be used for many variations. Once the pork is cooked and crisped-up, I can think of dozens of other sauces that would be stellar.

By the way, if you are concerned about eating that much fat, don't be. The piece of pork belly I used made two fairly modest portions, about 3 1/2-ounces each, once cooked. That's about three tablespoon of fat. That Chicken Caesar salad you had last week because you wanted "something light" had way more fat than that, so relax and enjoy!



If the Vimeo Player isn't working, here is the YouTube version:



10-oz slab of pork belly (Berkshire pork if you can get it)
1 bunch green onions
salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp Asian fish sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ginger juice
4 cloves sliced garlic
4 whole dried red chilies (unbroken)
1/2 cup water

Foodie Note: I almost used this recipe from Michael Ruhlman for Chicken Fried Pork Belly Caesar, which looked and sounded incredible! Maybe next time.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This sexy beast is a caramel-glazed pork belly. I'm happy to announce the video recipe will air tomorrow.

Is Authentic Beef Teriyaki Really Better?

You may really love beef teriyaki, and still be completely disappointed with this recipe. I know I'm usually a little more optimistic in my intros, but this is one of those recipes that I know will bring a few emails with messages like, "Thanks for making me waste a good piece of top sirloin - what the hell was that?"

The reason for this is real teriyaki sauce is quite a bit different than most food court aficionados are used to. Outside of your better Japanese restaurants, what's usually served as teriyaki is a very thick, very sweet, very salty, very one-dimensional sauce.

"Real" teriyaki sauce is fairly thin, and gets its signature taste from a heady combination of soy sauce, Sake, and Mirin, a sweet rice wine condiment. It's an extremely simple sauce, yet the flavors are much more complex that the familiar Americanized version; often made with just soy, brown sugar, and cornstarch.

But just because this recipe is more authentic, and contains classic Japanese ingredients, doesn't necessarily mean you will enjoy it anymore than the thick sweet goo they splash on your meat at Tugboat Tommy's Teriyaki Terrace.

I really hope you give it a try and I'm very anxious to hear what you think. By the way, assuming you do like it, this same sauce can be used on virtually anything with equally delicious results. Enjoy!

Note: this beef teriyaki video recipe was produced for About.com and can't be played on the blog. When you click on the video a new window will open and the recipe will begin.

Santa Maria Beans - Little Pink Beans for Big Red Meat

Santa Maria, California might be famous for its barbecued beef tri tip, but for local aficionados it's all about the beans. Classic Santa Maria style beans are made with a special variety of pink beans called pinquitos.

These "little pink" beans are prepared in a spicy, smoky, tomato/chili sauce that's spiked with not one, but two kinds of pork. Santa Maria beans have come into my life relatively late, so I plan on making up for lost time this barbecue season.

One thing I forgot to mention in the voiceover, do not salt the beans when you simmer them. Adding salt at the beginning when you cook beans is said to cause them to become tough.

Having said that, I have no idea if that's true since I've never tried it the "wrong" way. But, hey, why would someone makes up something like that?

Don't worry if you can't find the authentic pinquito beans - the recipe you see here was made with regular pink beans, and pretty much any dry bean will work. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 pound dry pinquito beans, pink beans, or pinto beans Legumes
2 strips pepper bacon, diced
1/2 cup smoked cooked ham, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper, optional
pinch of dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water


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Peach and Blackberry Flognarde - As Delicious to Eat as it is Fun to Say!

I was looking around for a name for this unusual clafouti-like combination of peaches, blackberries, thyme and black pepper, when I saw an article that said in France, a clafouti that uses fruit other than cherries is called a flognarde.

A flognarde? Yes, a flognarde. I enjoy saying flognarde so much, I think even if this recipe hadn't come out as well as it did, I would have still made it regularly - just to say, flognarde. As I mentioned in the video, I couldn't find a proper French pronunciation, so please enlighten me on how it should really sound. Until then, I'm going with "flog-nard."

This recipe is dedicated to the more adventurous among you. I knew going in that the thought of adding black pepper and thyme to a dessert-ish recipe would freak some of you out. But, that's okay.

The pepper gives this a very subtle hint of heat, and the thyme adds an almost unperceivable herbaceous, slightly lemony aroma. Is this something you will enjoy? There is really only one way to know. Enjoy!



1/2 cup wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
pinch of salt
1 tsp butter
1 pint blackberries, rinsed
1 ripe peach, sliced

Hoisin-Glazed Barbecued Ribs - No Photos, but Many Delicious Memories

One of the victims of my recent hard disc crash was a roll of photos taken during the filming of this Hoisin-Glazed Barbecued Ribs video recipe. Usually as I cook and film, I have my camera at my side to snap shots along the way. This is especially important at the end of the recipes when I like to get what we call in the business "the money shot."

All those sharp, well-lighted, color-corrected still frames you see in my videos are done with a digital camera, as my cheap camcorder doesn’t perform nearly as well. Here you can see a huge difference in quality, as I had to rely on some frame captures instead of photos.

Adding to the problem is the dark red color of the Hoisin glaze (a very hard hue to film), and the distortion the heat waves add. The result is one slightly annoyed video recipe producer. Thus concludes the venting portion of today's recipe post.

Notwithstanding the photographically challenged nature of this recipe, it sure tasted good. When I do pork spare ribs I usually go with the standard American barbecue rub and sauce, but an abundance of leftover Hoisin sauce and a stray can of pineapple juice nudged me further east.

I mention in the video that Hoisin sauce has an interesting story behind it. I probably should have said confusing, rather than interesting, but here it is. According to my extensive research (5 minutes on Wikipedia), "Hoisin" is a romanization of the Cantonese word for seafood. What? Why? It's traditionally served with pork, isn't it?

That was all they had. So, if you have any ideas why Hoisin means "seafood," please let me know (even if you have to make something up). Enjoy!



Ingredients:
Full rack of pork ribs

For the marinade:
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
6-oz pineapple juice
1 tbsp sambal chili sauce or hot sauce

For the rub:
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
pinch of cayenne

For the basting sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce

Silent Saturday

Orzo with Chicken and Asiago - Just Like the One You Saw in the Grocery Store Line

If this recipe looks familiar, there may be a good reason for that. This easy Orzo with Chicken and Asiago recipe is from the website myrecipes.com, which is published by Time Inc., the creative force behind all those cooking magazines you thumb through while standing in line at the grocery store.

Time Inc., which publishes the popular periodicals Southern Living, Cooking Light, Sunset, and Real Simple, recently contacted me regarding there new recipe website. They asked me to check it out to see what I thought.

I decided to surf the site as if I was looking for an easy weeknight dinner recipe. I found this Orzo with Chicken and Asiago recipe and decided to give it a try, pretty much as printed. It came out very well, which for many recipes printed online, is a rarity.

I really like how the site is organized, and I encourage you to check it out. I may actually be doing some guest blogging for myrecipes.com, and hopefully I can eventually publish some videos for them.

So, check out this recipe, and for the full, written recipe with ingredients, go to myrecipes.com. Tell’em Chef John sent you. Enjoy!

Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic - Have a Little Chicken with Your Garlic

There's a famous roast chicken recipe you may have heard of called "chicken with 40 cloves of garlic." While the amount of garlic in that recipe seems impressive, the fact that the garlic cloves are left whole results in a sweet and fairly mild garlic experience.

This chicken with 20 cloves of garlic isn't quite so subtle, and features the "stinking rose" in a pungent one-two punch. The fistful of garlic is first pureed and used as a marinade, then used as a sticky glaze as the chicken roasts. The result is chicken as a very effective garlic delivery system.

As you'll hear in the video, I recommend throwing a handful of chopped Italian parsley on top when you serve this delicious chicken. Fresh parsley really does freshen the breath when large amounts of garlic are consumed. In fact, this is the origins of the ubiquitous sprig of parsley that sits uneaten on so many plates.

By the way, that reminds me of one of the first dirty kitchen jokes I ever heard, and still one of my favorites. Since I get a fair share of minors on the blog, you'll fill in the blanks yourself, but it really shouldn't be too hard.

"What's the difference between parsley and ________? Nobody eats parsley." Enjoy!



Ingredients:
20 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 large whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Parsley Photo (c) Flickr User Joylitas

Eggplant Parmesan Casserole - Killing Two Food Wishes with One Delicious Stone

I've received a ton of requests for eggplant Parmesan, and I finally got around to filming my "low-fat" version. Speaking of requests, the most common request I get is for fried foods - fried chicken, onion rings, tempura, french fries, et al - and I always send the same basic reply; great fried foods requires a large commercial deep fryer to really give you the results you crave.

You can do a few things small scale at home with a fry-daddy, but for the most part those deep-fried delicacies you want me to demo are best ordered out. Normally, eggplant Parmesan would fall under this "needs to be fried to be good" category, but in this video recipe you'll see my method for a much easier casserole-style version.

One problem with eggplant is they soak up and incredible amount of oil. They can't help it, it's their nature. To counter this, we reserve the crispiness for the top crust. By using a nice thick layer of crunchy Parmesan breadcrumbs, we get a very similar fork full of food, but at significant caloric savings. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 eggplants
olive oil as needed
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup shredded pepper Jack
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 cups tomato sauce (prepared pasta sauce is best)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
for the topping:
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbsp olive oil

"Potted Plant" Ice Cream Cake - Giving Mom the Gift of Edible Dirt

The potted plant has always been a popular Mother's Day gift. Available at any grocery store, this foil-wrapped afterthought does a great job showing just how little effort you spent. Well, this year's going to be different.

This "potted plant" ice cream cake is so easy to make, and it's as beautiful as it is delicious. No matter how disappointed your mother is in you, one look at this creative cake you made for her, and she is guaranteed to be slightly less disappointed.

By the way, do a little research and use her favorite cake, ice cream, and flowers in its construction. I really hope you give this a try, and show her just how much you really do care. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
ceramic flower pot(s)
pound cake
ice cream
oreo cookies
flowers
straws

Thanks to a commenter, we have identified the website where I first saw this. You can see the original post here on thepioneerwoman.com.

Barbecued Santa Maria Tri-Tip - Black is the New Golden-Brown

The town of Santa Maria, California, is home to one of America's most delicious barbecue specialties - the black-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside, grilled beef tri-tip steak. The tri-tip is cut from the bottom sirloin, and if cooked properly produces a very flavorful, extremely juicy piece of beef.

My version isn’t exactly authentic, since I didn't grill it over hot coals made from Central Californian red oak. They say it's the red oak that gives this style of barbecue such a great flavor. One day I'll travel down to Santa Maria and taste this for myself, but until then regular hard wood charcoal will do just fine.

One of the signature characteristics of this barbecued beef is the spicy, charred crust outside, and the juicy, medium-rare meat inside. To achieve this we use a very hot grill, along with a continual turning and basting with a garlic and red wine vinaigrette. This basting sauce is another modern addition, as the original relied on just the dry rub and red oak for its flavor - again with the red oak.

Tri-tip a very common cut of meat around these parts, but any butcher worth his or her mustache will be able to cut one of these triangular roasts from the bottom sirloin. If they're confused, just bring in your iPod and play the video for them so they can see what you want.

In Santa Maria this tri-tip is traditionally served with beans, salsa and tortillas, but in the video you'll see the succulent slices sitting next to some unbelievably delicious eggplant Parmesan, which I also filmed and will edit soon. Yes, another tease. Enjoy!



Ingredeints:
2 to 2 1/2 lb beef tri-tip roast
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 cloves crushed garlic

Here are some more delicious video recipes I've filmed on the grill:
Asian-Marinated Skirt Steak
Grilled Paprika Chicken
Grilled Lamb Chops with Fresh Mint Sauce
Grilled Lemon Yogurt Chicken
Fennel-rubbed Flank Steak with Grilled Oranges

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Here's a collection of video recipes featuring fantastic food inspired by the cuisines of Central and South America. You never forget your first love, and when it comes to ethnic food it was the foods of Mexico and points south that first captured my heart and imagination some 28 years ago, as I began eating my way across San Francisco. I realize Cinco de Mayo is a bigger deal out here in California, but no matter where you live, I hope you give some of these festive recipes a try. Enjoy!



Salvadorian Chicken Stewed in Cream







Chicken Chili (or Chile) Verde









Pineapple Pork Al Pastor








Mexican (Spanish) Rice








Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops









Chicken Chimichanga








Scallop and Mango Ceviche

Fresh Asparagus with Ham, Garlic and Lemon

If I had a farm, this is how I'd eat asparagus. I would plant lots of asparagus, and every spring I would collect bunches of beautiful green spears.

I would ignore the calendar - for me, spring would begin each year on the day I cut my first asparagus.

I would plant rows and rows of garlic. I would never have to buy garlic, or worry about being out. I would never stop being amazed at how every year's crop tasted a little different from the last.

I would raise hogs for so many reasons, not the least of which would be to cure my own ham. I would hang them in a dark cool cellar, and peak at them every day.

I would plant a lemon tree in just the right spot, so the warm summer breeze carried the blossom's sweet scent through the kitchen window. If I had a farm, this is how I'd eat asparagus. Enjoy.



1 pound fresh asparagus
2 tbsp olive oil
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto ham, or any ham, roughly chopped or torn
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, halved
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, optional

Making Margaritas for Fun and Profit

When I was in culinary school, I worked at a Mexican restaurant called Casa del Sol (Spanish for Casa "of" Sol). I was a line cook, but on weekends the owner let me get some extra hours working behind the bar on the restaurants outdoor patio (you can see the umbrella in the old photo below).

I didn’t have any bartending experience, but luckily 95% of the orders were for beer, simple mixed drinks, and the Casa del Sol's famous margarita. The food was very, very good - the owner had actually sent the chef down to Mexico for a month before opening to taste the real thing - but, the restaurant's claim to fame was its perfectly concocted margarita.

Like many bars that feature the margarita as the signature drink, the recipe was a secret. Not only was the recipe a secret, but the owner, Harry Tucker, would make the mixture across the street in his home, and carry over a bucket to the bar when needed.

It was quite a show (done intentionally, no doubt) - we would "run out" of margarita mix, and everyone would sit, wait, and watch, as the mix-master himself walked across the street to return a few minutes later with a 5-gallon bucket of his secret potion. Sloppy clapping and drunken hoots of joy would fill the air. Good times.

Here is my "secret recipe" for margaritas, presented in a video recipe I recently did for About.com. Remember, I can't embed the video, so when you click on the video, a new window will open. Enjoy!

Casa del Sol Photo (c) bunksplace.com