Small Bites: Honoring a father/son chef team for Father’s Day and embracing kitchen contraptions

The award-winning father-and-son chefs Michael and David Cordúa and wonderfully weird kitchen gadgets are subjects of recent USA Character Approved Blog posts.

Having Esquire magazine call your first restaurant one of America’s best new restaurants is no small feat. Having them follow that by naming your second place the “Restaurant of the Year” means you really must be doing something right. Chef Michael Cordúa definitely is. The Nicaraguan-born, self-taught chef and restaurateur is credited with introducing Americans to upscale, inventive Latin cuisine. Through his growing group of award-winning restaurants in Houston, he is expanding our palates as he explores the diverse culinary cultures of the Americas. Continue reading “Small Bites: Honoring a father/son chef team for Father’s Day and embracing kitchen contraptions” →

One versatile spice rub, two recipes, part 1: Tandoori-spiced Grilled Salmon

A spice rub of cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and cayenne teams with fresh ginger and garlic to create an aromatic marinade for Tandoori-spiced Grilled Salmon. Recipe below.

Quick note: This is the first of two recipes using this fragrant, flavorful, slightly spicy rub. Check back next week for a one-pan dinner recipe.

For no good reason I can think of, I often consider grilling a peculiarly American cooking method. It is, of course, not. The basic technique was pretty much born when early man learned to build a fire, and just about every culture has embraced it and created its own spin on it. Continue reading “One versatile spice rub, two recipes, part 1: Tandoori-spiced Grilled Salmon” →

Small Bites: Drinking (and dining) with dinos and artisanal ice cream goes big

Wine Enthusiast invades the Field Museum this Friday night with 500 wines and 45 restaurants for Toast of the Town 2012. And on the USA Character Approved Blog, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams keeps growing, but keeps it real.

We are serious museum geeks. Marion refers to the Field Museum’s annual Members Night event as “the happiest night of the year.” Not only do you get to go behind the scenes, talk to real scientists and poke around in their offices—you can do it with a drink in your hand. So when Wine Enthusiast asked us if we’d like to attend Toast of the Town Chicago at the Field, with 500 wines from nearly 60 wineries and foods from more than 45 restaurants, well, let’s just say we were excited. Continue reading “Small Bites: Drinking (and dining) with dinos and artisanal ice cream goes big” →

A classic French salad, by way of Manhattan: Salade Frisée aux Lardons

Crisp, pleasantly bitter frisée is dressed with a simple vinaigrette and topped with bacon and a poached egg for this classic French starter inspired by a recent visit to New York. Recipe below.

What is it with the French and salads? Granted, they do most food things well, but salads are an example for me of why their more complex dishes are so transcendent. It is because even the simplest things are treated with respect and done just so.

Several years ago, Marion and I were in Paris. Suddenly famished one afternoon, we stopped for a quick lunch at a frankly nondescript sidewalk cafe—the kind of place charitably described as “this will do”—along Rue de Passy. We ordered quiche and salad, expecting an okay slice of the former accompanied by a miserly handful of mixed greens. What arrived at our table were generous slices of quiche, each teetering atop an abundant salade composée. Continue reading “A classic French salad, by way of Manhattan: Salade Frisée aux Lardons” →

Small Bites: New York ate my homework and playing Character Approved catch-up

Two sisters fighting cancer with cupcakes and a mother/daughter chef team are the subjects of recent USA Network Character Approved Blog posts.

We just spent four amazing days in New York City, eating, drinking, seeing tons of art, hanging out with friends and walking, walking, walking. Totally fun, totally exhausting. So despite my best intentions of having a recipe based on those experiences to share now, I just couldn’t get it together. Instead, I’m going to catch up with a couple of posts I’ve written recently for USA Network’s Character Approved Blog. I promise to have a recipe again next week.

Eating cupcakes is always a good thing. And when you can say you’re fighting cancer by doing it, so much the better. Cupcakes for Courage is a Chicago-based food truck that donates a portion of its proceeds to support cancer research and Ride Janie Ride, a foundation that helps individuals struggling with the financial burden of cancer treatment. Continue reading “Small Bites: New York ate my homework and playing Character Approved catch-up” →

Top this: Blackberry Thyme Compote tops pound cake, ice cream, waffles, pancakes…

Five ingredients—blackberries, lemon juice, sugar, water and fresh thyme—cook quickly into a compote that can be used to top homemade or store-bought desserts beautifully. Recipe below.

I was surprised when I bit into some fresh blackberries last week. Okay, partly because they weren’t just good, but really wonderful (I guess even the ever bountiful California has its seasonal differences). But the big surprise was that I immediately thought of dessert.

Dessert doesn’t see a lot of action at our house. I mean, we always keep something sweet in the house—dark chocolate bars, rice pudding, the occasional package of cookies. But after dinner, we don’t usually think of dessert as a course, as something that needs preparing. More often, it’s “I could use a little something sweet.” And that need is frequently met with a couple of squares of chocolate or even a piece of bread with some apricot jam (we are never without apricot jam).

In fact, when we’re putting together a small dinner party, we sometimes have to remind ourselves to plan a dessert for it. So that those juicy, sweet blackberries made me think of dessert surprised me. Continue reading “Top this: Blackberry Thyme Compote tops pound cake, ice cream, waffles, pancakes…” →

Compound interest for steaks: Cilantro Jalapeño Compound Butter

Simple pan-seared steaks are topped with a compound butter made with cilantro, jalapeño peppers, shallots and lime juice for a lively flavor boost. Recipe below.

Julia Child famously said, “If you’re afraid of butter, just use cream.” We’re not afraid of butter. It sees a lot of action in our kitchen, if in moderate amounts. Sometimes, it’s just a pat added to oil in a pan to give something a little buttery goodness.

So compound butters already have something going for them in my book because, well, they contain butter. Simply put, compound butters are butter with something added for flavor. Those herb butters that come with dinner rolls in some restaurants are an example.

Often, though, compound butters are used as finishing sauces for fish, meats or vegetables, a dollop placed on the still hot food just before serving, melting into and onto it as we eat. Continue reading “Compound interest for steaks: Cilantro Jalapeño Compound Butter” →

Multicultural mashup: Falafel-crusted Potatoes with Red Sauce

Mashed potato patties are coated with the Middle Eastern staple falafel, baked and served with Italian red sauce. This delicious, versatile meal can be made vegetarian or even vegan with a couple of minor tweaks. Recipe below.

We frequently talk about what inspires our cooking here. Marion actually got the idea for this hearty meal from some finger food. I’ll turn the kitchen over to her to tell you about it.

Last year, at one food-related event we attended, the standout for me was a low-key, earthy vegan dish: Potatoes, cut into discs and coated with falafel. Alongside the dazzling array on the several buffet tables, this dish was almost the country cousin, quiet and shy in its simplicity. But when I remember that evening, this is the only dish I actually recall. There were a lot of other very wonderful things, sophisticated and clever and fun; I distinctly remember saying “Wow, this is great too!” several times, but this homely little presentation really fastened itself into my head. I don’t remember who made it, but I remember it. Continue reading “Multicultural mashup: Falafel-crusted Potatoes with Red Sauce” →

French 75: A cocktail blast from the past

This classic cocktail, made here with gin and champagne, has a storied past, albeit with many versions. And it packs a wallop that lives up to its artillery-based name. Recipe below.

We’ve been drinking more cocktails lately, and I blame Michael Romane. Yes, cocktails have been the new black with the drinking crowd for a while now. But except for the occasional martini or gin and tonic, Marion and I have tended to reach for the wine list in bars or restaurants. Until our friend Michael started telling us about his cocktail making—and drinking—adventures. Continue reading “French 75: A cocktail blast from the past” →

Small Bites: Seamless launches iPad app and Chef José Andrés takes to the streets

An iPad app that makes ordering restaurant deliveries seamless and a new food truck from an award-winning chef are the subjects of recent USA Character Approved Blog posts.

When it comes to ordering in, I am a Luddite. Menus stuck to the fridge with magnets and the Google are my go-tos. Programming our neighborhood Chinese place and The Brown Sack into my cell phone was a technological breakthrough for me. So imagine my excitement, skepticism and trepidations when I ordered dinner on an iPad recently. Continue reading “Small Bites: Seamless launches iPad app and Chef José Andrés takes to the streets” →