I ended up grabbing lunch today with my buddy @stesla, to chat over some personal stuff as well as to brainstorm some ideas for work.

He’d been talking up Udupi Palace, as have some other friends, so he suggested we go there.  I’ve been in The Mission helping out a friend this week, and was having coffee at Philz at the time, so it was nearby.

We were hungry and the food was compelling and it wasn’t until I was half way through that I though “Oh… I should have taken pics for a blog post”.  So no pictures… but I need a post and the place rocked.

From what I’ve been told, Udupi Palace is known for it’s dosa, but the menu was nicely varied, but not uncomfortably long.  We started with madras coffee, followed by samosas that were just perfect.

As I was looking through the menu for the main event, I commented on the curries (for example: Channa Batura!) and @stesla said “Dude, you can get curry anywhere… get a Dosa!”. And so I did, specifically: “Udupi special spring dosa (Mysore Masala Dosa stuffed with fresh vegetables)”. @stesla got the same, as it was his usual, he really likes it, and he’s a creature of culinary habit .

(ok.. so I ended up grabbing some pics off Udupi’s site so that this post won’t be completely lame. Our dosas weren’t served on banana leaves.)

They even have dosa serving dishes (I really should have taken a pic) with hollows for 4 different sauces. I point this out since @stesla’s serving dish had those 4 hollows filled with sauces. Mine however only had 1 hollow filled. WTF?! This was the one black mark on the meal. Thankfully he had more than enough of the sauces and promptly invited me to help myself to those on his plate.

Overall, lunch rocked. The food was excellent, and the service attentive.

Tuesday @stesla and I visited Google headquarters where he was giving a tech talk on a framework he wrote in/for  Google’s new Go programming language.  The talk went smashingly well and is already available on YouTube, see it if you’re interested in BDD or Go.

After the talk (and why I’m bothering to write it here) we had lunch in Google’s main dining hall.  A few things have changed in the six months or so since I’ve been there. Notably big displays showing the day’s menu, and no more Italian section. After surveying the menu we decided that the Indian station looked good.  Lines were insane.  It was far busier than I recall it being. But then, when I worked there I would try to time my meals at non-peak times.  I’m not sure what the lunch hours are now, but the last time they shortened then there was a noticeable increase in congestion and line lengths.

In the end, the lines & wait were worth it.  Paneer Tika Masala was one of my favorites when I worked there, and it did not disappoint.  A great bryriani and sambar as well. Also it was nice to see some of the food services folks I knew from the old days.

It’s always fun to visit for lunch and catch up with old friends.  Have to do that more often.

Cod is not really one of my favorite fishes. There are many other fish types that are richer in taste which I enjoy much more than this Atlantic fish.

Still I decided to bake cod that I bought at a local market  today (it is really difficult to find good fish variety in England, specially if you where brought up in Spain).

For this recipe you will need the following ingredients (light dinner for 2 people):

• 2 Cod fillets (boneless and clean)
• 2 tomatoes (I used vine ripened claret tomatoes which have a sweet and juicy aroma)
• 1 onion (in this instance I used a small shallot onion)
• 1 garlic clove
• Dired oregano
• Black pepper
• Salt (I used sea salt flakes; a natural occurring sea salt)
• Virgin olive oil (I was tempted to use my newly acquired ‘2008 Frantoio Gulielmo di Malavalle‘ oil, but I will leave it for another dish)

Preparation

1. Sprinkle the cod filets with the salt and pepper to your taste.
2. Place the fillets on the oiled baking pot.
3. Chop the tomatoes, garlic and onion into small pieces and mix them.
4. Spoon the mix on top of the cod fillets.
5. Sprinkle the top with the oregano.
   
6. Bake at 450ºF for around 30 minutes (possibly less ~20 minutes)
7. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 2 minutes before serving.
   

You could also serve it with a nice mediterranean salad as it will mix very well with the taste of this cod recipe.

I hope you enjoy trying it out as much as I did eating it tonight

I missed posting today, as I’ve been busy helping out a friend that, well, could use some help just now.

This is a great meal for fall or winter. I tend to pair it with Broccoli Raab if I can find it, and wild mushroom risotto.

• 6 T olive oil
• 4-6 lamb or veal shanks – traditional is veal, I’ve had good luck with both
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb of fresh mushrooms – a mix of whatever is available – crimini, shiitake, chanterelle, wood ear, lions head, porcini, the more the merrier, rough chopped
• a few oz of dried mushrooms – porcini, etc
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup each of diced carrot and celery
• garlic minced
• a bay leaf or two
• 2 cups dry red or white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups or a can of of chopped tomatoes depending on season
• couple of Ts of fresh basil
• couple of Ts of fresh oregano
• Coriander, cumin, other spices to taste

Ideally use a nice dutch oven or something similar . I’ve got a le Creuset dutch oven that I use all the time for various recipes and will last a lifetime, well worth it and it is one of the tools of the kitchen I highly recommend.

Heat the oven to 300 degrees, and get a burner up to med high with the dutch oven or oven proof pot.
Add some olive oil – a few tablespoons.
Season the shanks with salt and pepper, brown them on each side, 10 mins or so and then pull them out.
Add the mushrooms and saute them for a few minutes to pull out the moisture on the stove top, add some salt and pepper. Around 5 mins and pull them off.

Dried mushrooms are a great addition – heat up a cup of water to boiling in the microwave, add some dried mushrooms and let them sit for 1/2hr, strain out the mushrooms, and use the mushroom water along with the broth, strained while you make the dish.

Add some more olive oil, put in the garlic for a minute, until slightly browned, then put in the onion, carrot and celery. Cook til translucent, 7 or 8 minutes.
Put in the wine and bay leaf, bring to a boil, reduce by half or until you don’t get alcohol on the nose while smelling it, but just savory hints of the wine. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, bring it to a boil.

Add the shanks, salt and pepper to taste. And then place it in the oven to braise for around 3 hours. It will be done when it’s falling off the bone. This is mostly a one pot dish and surprisingly easy, but impressive and great for cold days.

I’m considering my first dinner party a success. The food went over well, although the crème brûlée didn’t set right. That figures: 2 perfect practice runs and it fails when it’s in the limelight. Oh well… there will be more crème brûlée. In any event, it provided great entertainment for one my guests who appointed herself sous chef and manned the torch.

Here’s the menu:

Appetizers:

Mixed olives

Not much to say about this. Olives in a nice dish, and a place to discard the pits. Done.

Sun-dried tomato & bocconcini skewers

Again, trivial to make, and only takes a few minutes. I’d thought I saw this in The French Laundry cookbook. I was mistaken… I have no idea where saw it, I’ve flipped through so many cookbooks in the last 2 weeks! Both my own and at bookstores. It could have come from anywhere.

Take a tub of cherry sized bocconcini, a jar of oil packed sun-dried tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Take small skewer (cocktail style) fold a piece of tomato in half and skewer it. Add a piece of bocconcini and a second piece of tomato. Done.

Chunks of sweet baguette

This was from The Acme Bread Company in San Francisco, my preferred source of bread. I put this out at the beginning and left it out through the main course.

Main course:

Potato gratin

I used the Classic Potato Gratin recipe at Fine Cooking. I can not emphasize how much I appreciate my mandoline now: consistent extremely thin slices. Yes, I could see though them. It took about 5 minutes to slice half a dozen or so potatoes.

Boeuf bourguignon

This is the centerpiece of the meal, in my opinion. Julia Child’s famous recipe. From start to putting in the fridge for overnight, this took 7 hours to make:

• ~1 hour to prep & saute the various random bits
• 2 hours to brown all the beef
• 3 hours bubbling in the oven
• ~ another hour to finish the gravy, and let it cool enough for the fridge

Not something I’d make frequently, but I will be making it semi-regularly. It is Just. That. Good.

Brussels sprouts

Trim, wash, quarter, saute in plenty of butter with a bit of olive oil, freshly ground pepper (is there any other kind?), and a sprinkle of Sel Gris. Slowly sauté until the sprouts are golden brown and just caramelizing.

Roasted cauliflower and garlic

Again, pretty simple. Trim, clean & chunk the cauliflower. Trim, peel, and crush the garlic. Crush with the side of your chef’s knife… repeatedly, scrapping the spine of the knife over it mashing the garlic into the cutting board. Give is a course chop if required. Melt, butter and oil in an oven-safe skillet. Add a bit of pepper and a sprinkle of salt (these days I use sel gris for pretty much all my cooking). Add the garlic and let it soften a bit. Add the cauliflower and slowly sauté until it starts to brown. Pop it in the oven until it’s nicely roasted. (I put it in with the gratin in the 400F oven)

Dessert:

White chocolate crème brûlée

This recipe was also from Fine Cooking.

Ongoing:

A selection of cheese and fruit

Apple, pear, a mild gruyere, emmental, and a triple cream brie that seemed popular.

General comments

Pretty much everything on the menu was organic, local and/or seasonal, primarily from WholeFoods. Their pastured beef is amazing. The butter was standard off the shelf unsalted stuff, but will be better next time. I don’t think the olive oil is organic, but it’s from a family operation in Modesto: Sciabica.

As I said, this was my first time having more than a couple people over for dinner in a LONG time. And certainly the first time being so adventurous and experimental with the menu. As I was on my way home to start the cooking, I experienced the trepidation… “What have I gotten myself into? What if people don’t like my food?” But once I got home and starting doing prep, any anxiety evaporated. I was in my element. I got into the zone. I was cooking.

I’m already having ideas about next month.

The kitchen elves are hard at work (nod to JK Rowling). Ok… that’d be me. The boeuf bourguignon has been bubbling away in the oven for about 2 hours. I just topped it up with a bit more wine. Mushrooms are sauteing merrily.

I’m making a slightly larger batch this time… starting with nearly 5 pounds of beef rather than 3. That’s a lot of beef. It took over 2 hours just to brown it all! It’s amazing really.. it starts out as a pot full of beef & wine and transforms into a pot full of awesome in a mere 3 hours. That water to wine trick has nothing on this.

Another hour or so will finish it for tonight. Then I’ll grab a few hours sleep before heading out to Sur la Table & Whole Foods (this seems to have become a weekly pilgrimage) to get the final few things I need. Then home to make the custard for the creme brulee, get the gratin going, finish the bourguignon, make the side dishes, and assemble the appetizers.

It’s going to be a busy day, but hella fun! I’m already planning out next months’

My first dinner party is in a couple days.

OMG THAT HAPPENED FAST!!

I think I’m ready. It’s been a long time since I did a dinner party, and this is my first one solo. I’ve practiced the main dishes very successfully. I did another practice run of the creme brulee tonight and had some friends over to test & critique. It passed muster with flying colors.

I picked out some southern european appetizers (utilizing olives, sundried tomatoes, and Bocconcini) to kick off with, then we’ll slip into buffet-style with potato gratin, boeuf bourguignon, a side vegetable (I’ll see what’s good/local/seasonal Saturday morning), and a simple salad of greens. Add bread, oil, and wine and finish up with white chocolate creme brulee and coffee.

Seven guests are lined up. It’s going to be loads of fun.

I thought I’d share a bit about what I have in my kitchen.

Knives: a collection of Wüsthof Grand Prix II.

The ones that get the most use: 8″ Chef’s, 8″ slicer, and pairing knives. The 5″ santoku gets occasional use. The matching steak knives are the best I’ve had. These are simply beautiful knives, well designed and nicely weighted. The Grand Prix II line is reasonably priced as well.

Pots & pans: assorted Le Creuset (red).

A couple round dutch ovens, fry pan, and a saucier. These are my workhorses. The cast iron fry pan is brilliant for steak. They’re great for things that go from stovetop to oven. I use the 5.5 qt dutch oven for the Boeuf Bourguignon. I recently got a couple All-Clad french skillets that I absolutely love.

There’s a small, cheap no-stick for scrambling eggs and such. The beauty of the Le Creuset and the All-Clad is not that work so damn well (and they do), but that they clean up so easily. They’re amazing! Those pans are all pretty general purpose, while the final pan is for one thing and one thing only: a de Buyer blue steel crepe pan.

It’s for making crepes, and making crepes only. It does it very, very well. The most amazing thing is that it was almost as cheap as the little no-stick.

Misc.: Of course I have a collection of random other kitchen bits & pieces. A few things stand out either for their general utility or their ability to do one thing so well that they justify a place. First is microplane graters.

A box grater as well as some individual, classic rasp style ones (above). I’ll never use any other kind of grater again.

Last weekend when I made Potato Gratin, thinly slicing 3 huge russet potatoes, I truly understood the value of a mandoline. It’s simply brilliant at what it does. It does a perfect, consistent job of slicing things thinly, very thinly. 1/16″ in this case… and this weekend I’ll slice the potatoes even thinner. And the slices will be even and perfect.

These are my main tools. Sure, there are other things that get pulled out of their place in my cupboards or drawers occasionally to do their thing. But the tools above are what get heavily used.

When I set up my current apartment I started from scratch with decent sized signing & relocation bonuses. I figured I’d get good tools and do it right. That was one of the best decisions I made. I expect them to serve me well for many years to come, working as well in 10 years as the day I brought them home.

Since I got appreciative comments on my tweet of my Christmas brunch (including offers of semi-nudity), I figured I’d blog about it.

Here’s the end result:

I made the apple topping first:

• 2 Honeycrisp apples (more if you want to, you know, make more of it)
• butter
• some sort of sugar
• scotch

Core & peel the apples. Slice thinly. Heat a skillet to low-med. Melt a generous amount of butter in said warm skillet. Add the apples. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until they are soft. Add sugary goodness. I used honey, but would have used brown sugar if I’d had some. Cook a bit more. Add some scotch (unlike the toast batter (later) I’d stick with scotch here for that lovely butterscotchy flavor you get). I used about an ounce. Continue cooking until the apples are browned & slightly caramelized. Keep warm.

Then the french toast itself:

• sliced, dayish old French Bread
• eggs
• eggnog
• scotch

As I was just cooking for myself and the egg nog is think & rich already, I used just one egg. Beat the egg into ‘nog (I don’t know how much… enough… maybe a cup). Mix in some scotch. I think it gluged twice. With your skillet hot (low-med), soak a piece of bread on both sides in the egg mixture. Fry to perfection. Repeat.

Serve topped with the apples, a handful of pecans, and a dust of cinnamon. Feel free to add a dust of powdered sugar and/or whipped cream as you like.

Enjoy! I know I did.

Note: I used scotch because a) I really like scotch, b) the bourdon I have it too good not to sip straight up, and c) I didn’t think to buy any rum to have over xmas.