Beef Carbonnade (Beef in Beer)

5.22.11 : 142/365

This:

Turned into this, Beef Carbonnade:

We used an adaptation of the Beef in Beer recipe from Laura Calder's 'French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating' cookbook.
Beef in Beer
Makes: 6 Servings

2 tbsp butter or beef drippings, more as needed
1 tbsp olive oil
3 pounds sirloin tip, cut into fat strips
3 large onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 c beef stock
2 c dark or amber beer
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme sprig, a few parsley stems)

Heat the oven to 325F. melt butter with the oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, and, working in batches, brown the beef strips on both sides. Remove from the pan. In the same pan, fry the onions until soft, about 15 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the pan. (Check if there is fat in the pan. If not, add a good tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Add the flour and sugar to the pan, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to make a roux. Gradually whisk in the stock, and bring to boil, stirring. Add the beer and the vinegar, and bring back to boil, cooking until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a large casserole, layer the onion mixture alternately with the beef strips, seasoning each layer as you go with salt and pepper. Tuck in the bouquet garni, and pour the liquid over. Cover, and bake for 2.5 hours. If you can wait a day before eating*, cool the dish completely when it's out of the over, and refrigerate overnight. The flavour will be even better when you reheat.

*we couldn't wait!!*

When we were in Belgium several years ago now, we had this 'sauce' with beef remnants in it smothering famous Belgian fries... out of this world... I can't make that up!!

A party for everything

5.21.11 : 141/365

As I mentioned in my last post, we headed up to North Bay for the weekend as there was a big party planned for the mister's aunt and uncle's birthday(s) and 40th wedding anniversary. It was a party-of-everything and it went off wonderfully. I have a ton of awesome pictures but I don't like including people or their children on the blog since they may prefer to avoid being broadcast... so I'll have to ask you to pretend that you saw a lot of awesome pictures! :)

Spotted!

5.20.11 : 140/365

A moose crossing the road!


This was on a drive up to North Bay, Ontario for the weekend. We were minding our own business driving up highway 17, when this big cutie decided that they were ready to cross. Truth be told, they didn't seem to be in much of a hurry either!

Gourmet Cooking Preparation Techniques

  Gourmet cooking involves precise techniques. These techniques can be as varied as gourmet cooking styles and cuisines. Mastering gourmet cooking techniques will only come with practice. As in many things, first you need to learn basic techniques and methods in gourmet cooking.
  Gourmet cooking can make use of any cooking style. When stir-frying meat, you need to cut the meat into uniform pieces. You do this by cutting the trimmed meat at right angles across the grain and then cut the meat crosswise into strips of about 5 mm thick each. If you are roasting a whole chicken, rinse and dry it first and then remove the fat pockets and giblets from the cavity. Once the chicken is prepared, place the chicken breast down on the grill. Doing this will keep the chicken's meat moist. Halfway through cooking be sure to turn the chicken.
Salmon and prawns are popular ingredients in gourmet cooking. You should learn how to handle them. Use large tweezers to pull out the pin bones to bone a salmon fillet. Needle-nose pliers will also do the trick. To shell and de-vein green prawns, hold the prawn with one hand and twist off the head with your other hand. You can now easily remove the shell of the body and the legs. You can take off the tail shell or leave it on depending on your preference. You can remove the back vein using your fingers or you can use a small paring to knife which will make the task easier.
There are certain ways to cut and peel vegetables when preparing them for your gourmet cooking. For example, if the recipe calls for carrots or any vegetable cut into julienne, you should first, cut the carrot into 5 centimeter long pieces and then cut these pieces lengthwise into 5 millimeter slices and then cut these slices into julienne strips again about 5 millimeters wide. If you need to peel tomatoes, you can drop them first into a pot of boiling water and blanch for about 30 seconds or until you see the tomato skin splitting. Take the tomatoes out of the boiling water and let stand for about a minute to cool. The skin should be loosened and it will be easy for you to peel off with your fingers.
Proper preparation of ingredients is crucial to gourmet cooking. This is why you need to learn how to properly prepare meats, vegetables, herbs and other ingredients. Freshness is one of the vital aspects of gourmet cooking. You should learn how to shop for the freshest ingredients. Gourmet cooking may be overwhelming at first but be patient in learning and you will soon find yourself preparing, cooking and serving fantastic gourmet meals!

Aspen: Day 1

June 17
I’m in Aspen for the 29th annual Food & Wine magazine Classic. It used to be the classic AT Aspen, but they changed the name a few years ago to make it less pretentious.

I’m not sure it worked, but despite the need to periodically run the gauntlet of celebrity chef groupies to do the networking I’m here to do, it’s a fun event — basically a three-day party, sponsored by many beer, wine and spirits companies, interspersed with cooking demonstrations and panel discussions.

During the kickoff reception on Friday night I ran into Belinda Chang, whom I’d just met during the James Beard Foundation Awards last month. She won the award for best wine service as sommelier of The Modern in New York, and then, her mission accomplished, she quit.

“I’m a sprinter, not a marathon runner,” she told me last night.

I ended up hanging out with her and her friend Justin Warner, who was a captain at The Modern and left to open his own place, Do or Dine, in the decidedly ungentrified Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Justin says his new place is a dive American izakaya, which is to say a bar with great bar food (as opposed to a gastropub, which is a bar with good food that’s not necessarily intended to facilitate drinking).

Do or Dine doesn’t have a liquor license yet, so for now it’s BYO, but Justin, whose beverage people come from PDT and Pegu Club, plans to offer delicious cocktails priced at less than $10.

So that should be fun.

The big post-reception party in Aspen is a barbecue sponsored by Wines from Spain and hosted by José Andrés, but Belinda, Justin and I instead went to Isis, where there also was a barbecue but with fancy American wines and the added appeal — always desirable at Aspen — of not being where the masses were.

It’s probably obvious, but Belinda and Justin are in the picture that accompanies this blog entry.

The Art of Cooking Takes Skill and Practice

  A healthy dish is the first start to cooking a great meal and about finding the right balance of ingredients to create a succulent meal, which will leave your taste buds craving for more gourmet meals. If you have always dreamed of becoming a culinary chef there are endless possibilities in making your dreams come true.
You can take advantage of cooking schools located across the world which will provide you with the tips and pointers on how to make a great meal. It is about knowing how and when to baste turkey to make moist and juicy or how to sift your flour to get your biscuits nice and fluffy. All of this and more you can learn from an accredited cooking school based on the fundamentals of cooking to help master your culinary feats.
   Most cooking schools will provide you with the understanding that getting started isn't easy and will provide you with information and resource so you don't feel overwhelmed about cooking. Cooking is enjoyment in life and indulging in fine foods that enhance your senses to a new level. You should love every minute of cooking and enjoy the time and preparation it takes to make the perfect meal.
A healthy dish is the first start to cook a great gourmet meal and will leave you feeling good about yourself after you are full from a dish of nutritious value. It is about taking the time to invest in the research to help you succeed in cooking in the right cooking school that will teach you the important basics to healthy eating. Cooking is a lifestyle and you should understand the basics of nutritious content in each meal you cook.
At the cooking school you select they should keep you motivated to explore new dishes and try new flavors in all of your meals. A great chef understands the value of a good recipe and the right resources to make you're cooking great. It is about taking the time to learn the small tricks to enhance the flavors of your foods, and how to cook them slowly to bring out the best taste in aromatic spices.
   Almost all cooking schools are accredited throughout the world and will train you to be the head chef of your own fabulous restaurant. They will not only teach you the necessary skills to making a great meal but also provide the basics to running your own business. If you are ready to make a career choice in cooking you need to do the research to decide which school is right for you and how it will help to be the best chef in your own restaurant.
The valuable resources you will learn from cooking school are priceless in teaching you about the necessary tasks to succeed at being a great chef in your own home or restaurant. They understand the importance of cooking and love to cook themselves which is why they provide you with the best resources to learn to cook satisfying meals.

Tips On Cooking With Wine

  Many of us have fond memories of the late Julia Child enthusiastically adding wine to many of her most popular dishes. Europeans, particularly the French and Italians, have been creating culinary masterpieces with wine for centuries. Americans, in recent times, have started adding wine to popular recipes. Acheiving success cooking with wine is relatively easy, provided one follows some basic guidelines.
  The "rule of thumb" when selecting a cooking wine is to select a wine you wouldn't mind drinking. Definitely avoid selecting a wine you prefer to drink. The truth of the matter is that all fine wines lose their wonderful characteristics during the cooking process, anyway. It is a good policy to avoid "cooking wines" from the grocery store, as they are often laced with additional sodium. In fact, it is perfectly acceptable to use whatever wine you have on hand. The type of wine used for cooking does not have to match the wine being served with the meal.
The great fun of cooking with wine is the experimenting! Their are very few hard and fast rules. Generally, white wines are better for cooking with poultry, fish and pork. Red wines are generally better with beef. Your taste buds are always the best judge. White wines can add some needed acidity to rich, creamy sauces. Unless it is specifically noted in the recipe, use dry wines for cooking rather than sweet wines.
  The amount of wine you add to your dish depends on personal taste and the volume of food being prepared. You want to be sure that the wine has the opportunity to "cook off"during the simmering process. Too much wine will make that process take too long. Once you have determined the right amount of wine to add to a particular dish, definitely make a note on the recipe of the amount. Voila! the trial and error is done.
Knowing how to cook with wine will greatly enhance the flavors of many of your favorite dishes. Ultimately, experimenting is the key to your success. Oh, and what fun that is!!

Longer Smoker Cooking Adds Different Flavor

  Some outdoor cooks prefer barbecue while others prefer the slower method of smoking. While both methods have their advantages, many swear by the distinct flavor advantages of smoker cooking. While cooking with heated smoke will take considerably longer than with straight heat, it is a more flavorful way of cooking.
Typically, smoker cooking has an offset fire chamber, which provides a means of the heat and smoke from the burner to pass over and through the meat. The flame itself never comes into contact with the food and therefore will not burn it. Neither will the oils and juices that drip from the cooking meat ignite short bursts of flame that can cause flare ups and scorched food.
The type of wood used in smoker cooking also helps determine the flavor with most people using hickory to provide a heavy smoky flavor to the meat. Apple and pecan wood is sometimes added to lighten the wood smoke flavor and wood from fruit trees will make for a slightly sweeter flavor.
Smoker Cooking Not For The Impatient
When smoker cooking it must be realized that this type of cooking cannot be hurried. It is going to take time to properly cook your food in a smoker. On average, depending on the cut of your meat and temperature at which you maintain the grill, smoker cooking a four-pound piece of meat will take over two hours. By comparison, the same size slab on a conventional grill will take less than an hour.
   There is no limit to the types of meat you can cook in a smoker, beef, pork, poultry and fish and there are many recipes available to offer instruction on how to prepare them all. Some of the more popular meats for smoker cooking are spare ribs, large fish fillets as well as beef briskets. A four pound whole chicken will take about four hours to be thoroughly cooked in a smoker. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to insert a thermometer into the thick part of the bird without touching any bones and making sure it reads 165 degrees.
You can rub the chicken or other meat with spices to prepare it for smoker cooking and add other sauces during and after. If you a smoker cooking without an automatic turning device, you will need to turn it occasionally to ensure even cooking and browning.

Cooking Tofu for Vegans

  If you are cooking tofu for vegans, it is not difficult, but it is a matter of science just as any other cooking is a science. Including tofu in your diet is a good way to supplement your meals. It acts as a replacement for that which meat would normally provide, as far as essential vitamins and minerals go. Many of the non-meat products that you buy in the grocery store are actually made with tofu; that is how commonplace and important tofu is in many aspects of the Vegan diet.
Is cooking tofu imperative for Vegans? Probably not. Tofu is a soy bean product, and soy beans are packed with protein. Protein is the important part of meat that makes it so imperative in our diet, so replacing meat with tofu in your diet is a great way of keeping the protein and eliminating the dangerous animal fat. The problem with being a vegetarian lies in the dangers of not having enough protein in your diet, but tofu can help to eliminate this as a risk at all if you regularly include it in your diet as you would meat.
   Many vegans out there choose not to include tofu in their diets, simply for reasons of taste. Not everybody is going to like everything and let us face it; tofu is not one of the tastiest foods out there, but it can be worked with. Cooking tofu is an art. Tofu can definitely ruin a meal, but not if it is prepared right.
It is often said that when you cook with tofu, it does not maintain a taste of its own, but it does tend to take the taste of the food it is prepared with. For example, if you were to include tofu in a Vegan tofu stir fry, it takes the taste of the noodles and soy sauce in the stir fry; if you include tofu in spaghetti, it would take the taste of the vegetables and/or the marinara sauce.
   For Vegans, cooking tofu can be rather intimidating, but it doese not have to be. If you are considering become a Vegan, or just want to learn about cooking tofu for a Vegan you love, there are ways to learn. The internet is chock full of great recipes for tofu-cooking beginners, from the tofu spaghetti and stir-fry that was already discussed to great veggie burgers, hot dogs, and other things.
Cooking tofu for Vegans doese not have to be a chore, and with proper information and a bit of practice, you should not have to live with results that are less than pleasing for very long.

Low Carb Cooking versus Low Fat Cooking

  If you want to get in shape, exercise is a great way, perhaps the best to start. However, if you really want to improve your body, then losing fat will often be an integral part of your plans. While there are literally hundreds of diets and eating plans out there that claim to help you lose weight, two of the most popular diets have for a long time revolve around eating less carbohydrates and eating less fat.
The problem with these diets however, is that if you really adhere to them for an extended period of time, then you run the risk of failing to get all the proper food you need to have a balanced and healthy diet. There is little point in getting in shape if you are harming your body by eating an unbalanced diet so you have to pay a lot of attention to what you are cutting out and making sure that you are getting everything that your body needs to remain healthy. If you are exercising a lot you will also want to make sure that you have the energy to really exercise and repair your body after intensive workouts so that your muscles have what they need to grow and develop.
   Most diets therefore recommend that you eat plenty of protein but cut down on fat or carbohydrates or both.
Fatty foods include red meat, cream, avocadoes, oil and plenty of other foods that we enjoy eating. If you want to make sure that you reduce your fat intake then the best place to start is to cut down on butter and oil. Fried foods are a definite no-no. You should also keep a close eye on your red meat and try only to eat high quality meat like steak, and less low quality meat like hamburgers and sausage. Many salty snack foods such as chips are also very high in fat.
Carbohydrates are important energy providers but reducing the intake of these is a great way to reduce weight. White bread, white rice and pasta and sugar are high carbohydrate foods. Reducing these is the best way to make sure that you aren't over eating carbohydrates. You should also be aware that many very healthy foods like fruits and vegetables are high in carbs but most nutritionists do not recommend that you drastically reduce your intake of these. If you find that you are losing weight very quickly or are out of energy then review your eating habits.
As always, please consult your doctor before taking any big steps towards changing your diet or exercise. bali cooking class

Presenting the new bbq...

5.19.11 : 139/365

Told you she was shiny and pretty!!

Summer in a bowl?

5.18.11 : 138/365

Here's a tasty idea for a nice light summer side, it's just simple vinaigrette with tomatoes and artichoke quarters. Simply fresh!

Simple vinaigrette
(to taste)

White vinegar (or another type to change the taste)
Dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
(you can splash a little lemon juice, Herb de Provence, other herbs of choice or even some minced garlic if you wish)
Enjoy!

Grey Skies

5.17.11 : 137/365

We had our fair share of grey skies in May, probably due to the delayed spring. So here's my pictures, just another cloudy day.