Battle of the Bubbles

Homemade soda might be my next culinary experiement!

Have to try these places first!

Battle of the Bubbles.

Buy Me Some Peanuts, and Cracker Jacks and Rib Eye!

It’s been 13 years since the National League beat the American League at the All-Star Game but sadly we couldn’t cut it in the kitchen.   Dustin Miller, Executive Chef from Kansas City won the first ever battle of  ‘Baseball’s Best Ballpark Food.’  

The winning dish featured a seasoned rib-eye with cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, onion rings, Kansas City barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickle on a bun. 

Kudos still goes out to our hometown Chef Flavien Trichery for his Twisted Sausage and Pepper Sandwich.  A good meat choice in my opinion to represent New Yorkers.   

Here’s a list of the competing chefs and their dishes: 

Dave Dekker, Executive Chef at Angel Stadium (Halo Foot-Long Dog)  

Ron Abell, Executive Chef at Fenway Park (New England Lobster Roll) 

Dustin Miller, Executive Chef at Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Ribeye Stack) 

Rodney Nestegard, Executive Chef at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland A’s Dog) 

Margaret McBride, Chef at Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Maryland Lump Crab Dog) 

Dilup Attygalla, Executive Chef at Rogers Centre (Old Canadian Whiskey Smoked BBQ Beef Ribs) 

Flavien Trichery, Executive Chef at Citi Field (Citi Field Twisted Sausage & Pepper Sandwich) 

Glenn Richmond, Senior Executive Chef at Citizens Bank Park (Citizens Bank Park Summer Dog) 

Craig Luckmann,  Executive Chef at Coors Field (Blake Street Burrito) 

Jason Kohler, Executive Chef at Minute Maid Park (Texas-Style Pulled Pork BBQ Nachos) 

Rich Montini,  Executive Chef at PNC Park (Pittsburgh-Style Pastrami Sandwich) 

Orazio Lamanna, Senior Executive Chef at Turner Field  (Knucksie Open-Faced Southern Sandwich) 

Winning Recipie: 

Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals) 

KC Ribeye Stack 

6 ounces Ribeye 

1 ounce Onion 

2 slices Bacon 

1 ounce Button Mushroom Slice 

1 ounce Cheddar Cheese 

½ ounce Cattleman’s sweet BBQ 

1 Red Leaf Lettuce 

1 ounce Tomato 

2 Dill Pickle Chips 

1 Potato Bun 

½ gallon Cattleman’s Gold BBQ 

Method of Preparation 

1 Season ribeye with salt and pepper 

2 Place on grill until medium rare. 

3 Place grilled steak on bottom of potato bun 

4 On top of steak place two slices of cheddar cheese, cooked bacon, sautéed mushroom. 

5 Add one ounce of grilled onion rings 

6 Ladel ½ ounce of Cattleman’s BBQ Gold sauce over grilled onions 

7 Place lettuce, tomato and pickle on top of bun. 

 

 

Flavian’s Citi Field Dish! 

Citi Field (New York Mets) 

Twisted Sausage and Pepper Sandwich 

1 Italian Halo Griller 

1 Baguette Crispy 

Pinch Pepper and thyme 

1 ounce Frizzled onions and flour mix 

¾ ounce Onion 

¼ ounce Flour 

1 gram Old Bay Seasoning 

1 gram Celery Spice 

2 ounces Chipotle Mayonnaise 

1 ½ ounces Mayonnaise 

1 ounce Chipotle Pepper 

¼ ounce Lemon Juice 

¼ ounce Garlic, Chopped 

3 Bell Pepper Julienne (of course the French man would Julienne his pepper) 

Method of Preparation 

1. Make the chipotle mayonnaise by combining mayonnaise, garlic, chopped chipotle pepper, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. 

2. Slice the onions and coat with all purpose flour, old bay and celery salt. 

3. Fry the onions rings in a sauté pan. 

4. Julienne the bell pepper, chop the fresh thyme and sautéed until crunchy. 

5. Grill the sausage until cooked 

6. Assemble baguette, chipotle mayonnaise, grilled sausage, sautéed peppers and fried onion. 

 

 

 

What’s Your Beef

The all-star of summer cooking is definitely a big juicy burger hot off the grill.  And if you are looking to claim the title as King of the Grill or simply reign over your kingdom a little longer I thought I’d offer some tips and suggestions for your next man or woman meets grill challenge. 

First off, get yourself familiar with ground meat.   With any ingredient you strive for consumption at the peak of freshness.  The best possible burger meat would be to have your butcher grind up ground chuck (80% lean) grass-fed beef.  Your next choice would be to select pre-packaged meat based on it’s ‘pull date’ striving for the date taht’s farthest from the present.  And if hell freezes over the meat department and you simply cannot go on without a hamburger, use frozen beef.  This is not recommended simply because as the meat defrosts it looses moisture and your burger will be dry. 

Ground chuck from the shoulder and neck area of the cow is usually very fatty but also has an immense amount of flavoring.

Ground beef it cheaper due to the extra fat (usually 70% lean).  This extra fat content can cause grill flame flare-ups, which makes for a temporarily amusing pyrotechnic show, but will resut in a charred burger with a raw interior. 

Burger Tips

• Make all burgers equal size so they’ll cook evenly
• Salt draws out moisture so season either right before hitting the girll or right after
• NEVER press down the burgers with a spatual, this will only draw out moisture
• Use a bun that will hold up to the juicy creation – Kaiser rolls or even whole wheat

Get creative with your toppings

• Cheese – Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Feta, Soft Goat, Gruyere
• Lettuce – Arugula, Boston, Watercress, Radicchio
• Veggie -Cucumber, Caramelized Onions, Grilled Peppers, Avacado, Pickeled Onion, Grilled Fennel, Squash, Eggplant 
• Herbs and Spices – Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Cumin, Taco Seasoning, Coriander
• Beef alternatives- Lamb, Turkey, Sausage

The Year in Meatballs

After visiting the Meatball Shop I was completely inspired but their approach.  Do one thing and do it good!  Although I did tell the chef that the spicy balls needed some more heat.  Coming from a little white girl I think he took me seriously.

The Year in Meatballs.

Eater’s 12 Epic New York meals to Try Before You Die

According to Eater I better not die anytime soon!  I have a lot to cover!

Meeting Chefs – I’m star-struck

I finally crossed ‘A Voce’ off my list of restaurants last night!  Missy Robbins has been all over the foodie press these days, even on the cover of Food and Wine Magazine!  I have been especially drawn to her as she is a graduate of the same culinary school as me!  Dinner was obviously amazing but I was more excited to get the chance to meet Missy!  I really didn’t think she would be in the restaurant but I caught her paying a visit to the table next to us.  My heart beating out of my chest and Scott, my dining partner looking at me like I was a nut job, I asked the waiter if she could come by.  With a slightly stained chef coat and blue jeans, the down-to-earth care-free chick was really friendly, modest and diplomatic about her favorite menu items. 

What we ate:

Ricotta
cows milk ricotta, extra virgin olive oil, mint
thyme, chilies

Strascinati
almond shaped pasta, guinea hen sausage,  morel mushrooms, pecorino 

Goat Cheese and Proscutto Ravioli with pistachio nuts, and shaved leeks

Dorade in a lite chili sauce over a bed of escarole

And dessert!!  Which we enjoyed outside with a glass of port wine on a comfortable lounge-style couch and the soundtrack of New York City’s Flatiron district.

Zuppa Inglese
gianduja mousse, chocolate cake, hazelnut brittle

What’s Popping Up

Nothing is better on a hot summer day than the taste of a pure fruit ice pop.  Just as you manage to get over the frozen numbness from biting in too fast, a single strand of liquid pop makes it’s way down your hand.  Well if you haven’t re-lived this classic frozen dessert moment it’s time to roll-up your sleeves and have a wet napkin near-by. 

With the cupcake craze  taking it’s final bows it seems ice pops are the new ‘it’ dessert.  I was first attracted to this notion when I heard about a group called People’s Pops opening in the Chelsea Market in Manhattan.  I thought what a smart business venture and they even source local fruits and herbs!  The Queen of Trend herself, Martha Stewart has even featured them on her show and published her own ice pop recipe in this month’s issue of ‘Everyday Food.’  Another budding entrepreneur is Mexican inspired  company La Newyorkina which plunge into my favorite sweet and spicy combination!  Their spicy mango pop put my taste buds into pure chaos!
Aside from all this buzz I even walked by Williams-Sonoma the other day to find a window display devoted to tools and cook books for the pops! 

Using a traditional mold from a local baking goods store I made some really fun mango kiwi pops; even added a little vanilla yogurt to some.  The trick, however, is to really have some nice ripe fruit and to add a healthy amount of a sugar depending on your audience.
What I like best about this new cooking project is you don’t have to be a pastry chef or even follow a recipe!  Cooking is all about being creative and trial and error; making the traditional, non-traditional!  You may even want to try an ice cube tray and pack them in a cooler for the beach.  Keep ‘em simple or make ‘em crazy.  Maybe even a little coconut rum would make for a great flavor affinity to a mango or pineapple pop!  Either way, hope you get your sticky hands on one soon! 

Vanilla Mango Kiwi Pops 

Blend
2 ripe mangos pealed and chopped
1 small container of vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup of sugar 

Slice and peal 2 kiwis and place 1 slice in pop mold
Pour blended mix into mold and freeze for about 3 hours.
Let mold defrost slightly before pulling out of mold. 

Variations: mango+chopped mint+coconut rum, 

strawberry+vanilla yogurt+kiwi, 

mango+lime+rum, 

watermelon+mint. 

Adjust consistencies with more liquid or solid ingredients.

Taste before freezing to ensure desired outcome!

Giada’s Italian Ice Pops

Jasmine Pear Pop

 

Spicy Mango from La NewYorkina

 

Ice Pops in 7 minutes

 

Perfect for the beach!Jasmine Pear Pop

Grandma’s Pasta Water out the Window

If culinary school is teaching me anything it’s that cooking isn’t a culinary bible according to grandma.  Chicken doesn’t have to be washed, butter won’t kill you and this article from Serious Eats tells me that pasta does NOT have to be cooked in a large pot.  This is quite fitting as I was on the train this morning prepping from class tonight on starches. 

The article pretty much debunks every myth about why pasta needs to be cooked in a large pot.  And a little secret, I’ve definitely cooked pasta in a small crowded pot and I’m still here to tell the tale.  The gods of Italian cookery didn’t strike me down with a wooden spoon. 

Some interesting highlights:

• When adding the pasta to boiling water in a larger pot it will take longer to return to a boil due to the larger surface area. Thus making the pasta cook longer and ruining any chances of a nice al dente noodle.   I’m always so anxious to eat that this is a good deal for me!  I think aside from the digestive benefit of a dente noodles I think I’ve grown accustom to the texture because I can never wait long enough! 
• Myths about the pasta sticking together in a small pot don’t really apply.  You need to stir a few times in the beginning no matter what size pot you have. 
• The water that remains from cooking pasta in a smaller pot is more starchy which is very helpful in binding the pasta to a sauce and can also be used as a thickening agent. 

Keep in mind the author’s ‘final notes’ as this method doesn’t exactly apply to all.

Jamie Oliver defends UK McDonalds

Recently, Jamie Oliver has made it his personal mission to change school lunch programs across America.  I have yet to see the Food Revolution on ABC but it seems to go without saying that this is a very nobel and much-needed endeavour.   As I was going through my regular blogger emails the other day I was linked to this article in the Daily News about how Jamie’s claiming British McDonald’s is healthier than the US one.   He mostly credits the use of free-range chicken eggs, organic milk and quality beef.  Well we all know that the term ‘free-range’ is about as controversial in the food world as Obama’s Healthcare plan.  But I have to wonder what was the motive behind a man who’s made it his life’s mission to change the way kids look at food to make such a statement?!  I will say however that while traveling Europe in college I did notice that the McDonald’s were a rare sight but a definite guilty American pleasure.  The food WAS different.  I remember being in Switzerland and seeing a big juicy Cheese Fondue burger on the menu.  I also found this site with some other random international influences on those famous golden arches.

McLobster lobster roll from Canada

Pasta out of a Chinese take-out box

Are we really in so much of a rush these days that we can’t sit down to a nice bowl of pasta?!  Three French men, yes that’s right FRENCH have come up with the Chipotle of Pasta fast food.  ‘Hello Pasta’ is set to open this summer at a few Manhattan locations.  All I can picture is overcooked pasta sitting in salad-bar-like compartments with parts of the noddle breaking off, and then a ladle of mass-produced sauce dripping on top of it.  Maybe they’ll come up with some unique mixing method like the guys at ‘Just Salad.’  Maybe they’ll prove me wrong.  I mean, I’m sure there was some cultural upheaval when Anita Lo created Rickshaw Dumplings.  But FRENCH?!?!

Here’s a link to the WSJ aritcle