Kitchen Guy

Video: Cornbread-Sausage-Apple Stuffing

Posted by Chef Jim on November 26, 2008  |  Comments Off

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Blog Topic: Cranberry Sauce

Posted by Chef Jim on November 23, 2008  |  Comments Off

Thanksgiving is coming and the folks at Ocean Spray are canning cranberry sauce like crazy because millions of people think that it just won’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce that has indentations from a tin can. It also comes out of the can in one tower that jiggles like a hula dancer.

May I convince you otherwise?

Those same folks at Ocean Spray (and maybe some other lesser known brands) also offer 12-ounce packages (it seems to be an industry standard) of fresh cranberries. They’re really very easy to work with, which is the premise of my first convincing argument. After all, you’d rather serve something fresh rather than canned – wouldn’t you?

Here’s an interesting fact (it is not my second convincing argument) – cranberries are also known as bounceberries, because the ripe ones actually bounce. This would be very amusing for a four year old in your family who could test every berry in the bag, but I fear your kitchen would never be the same.

Another great reason to use fresh cranberries is that they’ll keep for two months, tightly wrapped and refrigerated, or a year in the freezer. I stock up starting in October, because the season lasts only until early December. There always is at least one bag of frozen cranberries in my freezer because I find them to be quite versatile. Have I convinced you yet?

Making an interesting and very tasty cranberry sauce is pretty easy. Surely your family and guests deserve it, don’t you think?

I’m in favor of layering flavors and I start my cranberry sauce with caramelized onions. After all, cranberries are one of the sourest of fruits. Caramelized onions are sweet. To enhance the sweetness I use red onions.

To balance my flavors and add some additional sweetness, I also add brown sugar. To counteract any possible over-sweetening, I also add orange juice and balsamic vinegar. These add acid, but they also add enhanced color to the dish.

When cranberries are heated, they pop, so be prepared for that while you’re cooking them. And just make sure after everything has been added to the pan, that you let it simmer long enough so that the mixture thickens. Pour it into a bowl and let it sit at room temperature for a while until it cools down. Then cover it and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve at Thanksgiving dinner.

I promise you at least one memorable made-from-scratch element of your Thanksgiving dinner. And if you have any left over, it makes an excellent spread for the next day’s turkey sandwiches.

Here’s the recipe for Kitchen Guy’s Cranberry Sauce:

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium red onions, cut in quarters, then sliced very thin
1 bag of cranberries (12 ounces)
1/2 cup orange juice 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water

Here’s how to make it:

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until onions are dark brown and tender, stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat to medium high. Stir in the cranberries, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and a half cup of water and a half cup of orange juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered 12 to 15 minutes or until most of the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens slightly.
You can make the sauce thicker by adding a slurry of cornstarch and water.
Spoon the sauce into a serving bowl; cover and refrigerate until well-chilled.

Video: Kitchen Guy’s Breakfast Strudel

Posted by Chef Jim on November 19, 2008  |  Comments Off

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Video: Best Brownies Ever

Posted by Chef Jim on November 12, 2008  |  Comments Off

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Blog Topic: That’s a Wrap

Posted by Chef Jim on November 11, 2008  |  Comments Off

There’s a sort of unwritten and unspoken code among chefs that as long as you give credit where credit is due, sharing a recipe is no big deal. Most of us have no problem. Note that I said most.

There are a few exceptions. One restaurant where I was co-executive chef actually made me sign a contract that I would never reveal their “secret” recipes for any dishes on the menu. That was ludicrous because all (not most) of the dishes were fairly well-known and recipes for each abounded in many sources. The owner was especially concerned about what he alleged were family recipes brought over from “the Old Country.”

We debunked that myth when a supply truck brought in manufactured frozen versions of the supposed secret family recipes.

Then there was the time I visited a pan-Asian restaurant in Scottsdale where the eclectic menu included a very interesting dessert. Essentially, it was a sweetened and filled eggroll. I really enjoyed it, so I asked the owner if the chef would mind sharing the recipe.

You would have thought I had asked for the secret formula for the atomic bomb. There was a crash of pans and dishes in the kitchen and a lot of screaming and yelling in Chinese (I think). But the answer was a firm, “No. The chef does not share his recipes.”

So I ordered a second one and took it apart. I’ll share the recipe I figured out at the end of this column.

The thing is that egg roll and won ton wrappers are two of the most versatile products available, usually in the produce department of your supermarket. Essentially, someone has gone to the trouble of making pasta sheets for you. And from those pasta sheets you can create ravioli and other occidental style meals with a classic Asian component.

The key to understanding how to use egg roll or won ton wrappers is that they have virtually no flavor. And it becomes your job to add flavor on, to, or in them. Then they must be baked, boiled or fried.

If you’re making ravioli, here’s one way to flavor a won ton wrapper. Take two of them and place one basil leaf or a sage leaf in between. Press together with a rolling pin. Put the filling of your choice on another won ton wrapper, place the pressed wrapper(s) on top and, after following traditional ravioli-making instructions, voila, you’ve got extra flavor in your ravioli. It’s a stunning look, so serve the sauce separately so everyone can see the shadowbox effect.

That’s a savory way to use the wrappers. Now here’s the sweet one I mentioned earlier:
And just for fun, let’s call it Chef Jim’s Banana-Pecan Egg Rolls

1 package egg roll wrappers
2 bananas, not overripe
1/2 cup pecan pieces 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Toast the pecans in a hot dry sauté pan, being careful not to burn them. Set the toasted nuts aside. Slice the bananas thinly.

Melt the butter. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Place one egg roll wrapper in the “diamond” shape. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place two or three banana slices just below the center of the wrapper and sprinkle with some of the toasted nuts.

Take the bottom point (the one closest to you) of the wrapper and gently pull it over the banana-nut mixture. Pull in both sides and finish rolling to the top point. If the butter has dried, brush the top point with a little more butter to help seal the spring roll. Place seam-side down on a cookie sheet or shallow baking tray. Continue making the rolls. Brush each spring roll with more melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

You can either bake the spring rolls in a 350 degree oven or sauté them lightly in butter. They’re done when the roll is golden brown.

Video: Steak Chimichurri

Posted by Chef Jim on November 5, 2008  |  Comments Off

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Blog: Apres Moi Le Deluge

Posted by Chef Jim on November 2, 2008  |  Comments Off

I get the impression that the French don’t like being outdone by anyone, especially the English and Americans. But that rule of thumb now appears to apply to Italians as well.

In my last column I wrote about the “scandalous” way I used rotini instead of spaghetti in making a pasta frittata. I got all sorts of e-mail originating in Italy that took me to task for – to their way of thinking – destroying a traditional Italian dish. Apparently, every single one of the hundreds of types of pasta has a specific use.

Not to be outdone by their neighbors to the south, the French have begun to weigh in. It seems that in France it’s okay to use whatever pasta you have to make a frittata. BUT…

…if you decide to make an omelet, there had better not be one eensy-weensy speck of evidence that the eggs began to brown. I consider myself warned.

And then I got scolded for my crepe-making.

If you watch one of my videos, YouTube gives you links to others that I’ve posted, so I guess my French viewers searched for things that looked or sounded like anything that vaguely might be French.

So they found my crepes. And soups. And egg dishes. And custards.

Wait a second. Do you have any idea how many tens of thousands of cooking videos there are on YouTube? I’m obviously wondering if other video cooks are getting the volume (both quantity and tone) of mail I am. You know, I’ve always welcomed constructive criticism. I believe it’s one important way to grow and learn new things. But the anonymity of the Internet and e-mail somehow empowers people to say some pretty nasty things that you know they would never say to you face-to-face.

On the other hand…

This is a so much more fun than ham radio! When I was a kid I lusted after a ham radio license and went to the trouble of learning Morse Code and lots of other electrical nonsense that didn’t even relate to what the hobby was about. The Federal Communications Commission decided we should know about tubes and connectors and circuits and antennas. Blah blah blah.

All I wanted to do was find new friends in other parts of the world. The thought of being able to sit in my bedroom with a transmitter, receiver, microphone and headphones, and broadcast the catch all, “CQ – CQ – CQ,” searching for anyone anywhere who could pick up my signal was so alluring.

As with so many other pursuits in my teenage years, however, that one quickly went by the wayside after I discovered girls.

Now after all these years, I am kind of realizing my dream because of the Internet and YouTube. It’s a kind of ham radio for the 21st century. (Not really, but you catch my drift.)

For the most part, my fellow Americans are much kinder and even respectful when they send an e-mail. So I wonder if our country’s tarnished image abroad gives my correspondents in other countries a sense of license to be over-the-top in their criticism.

I should tell you that it’s not all negative. I’ve actually received some very nice messages and new subscribers to my weekly e-mail newsletter. I’m quite proud of my new-found worldwide audience.

But I must tell you that when you’ve been cussed out in Italian one week and French the next, it could give you a Louis XV complex, hence the title of this week’s column.

I wonder whose national cuisine I’ll be offending next.