Author: emily (Page 10 of 20)

Dining on a Dime: Lori’s Diner, San Francisco, CA

It was a cold, foggy San Francisco morning and Heidi and I wanted a hot meal before the Fancy Food Show. I know what you’re thinking:

“Wait–you wanted food before a FOOD show?”

Well, YEAH! Trust me, the first 5-10 samples are a lot of fun, but pretty soon you’re very thirsty and regretting your decision to chase that truffle-butter crouton with the newest Jelly Belly flavor. We wanted a meal that required silverware–not toothpicks.

We walked out of our hotel and were suddenly overwhelmed by the scent of maple syrup, bacon, and all things greasy. As we crossed the street, we realized that this lovely aroma was coming from Lori’s Diner, a kitschy lookin’, 50s-style joint. We walked right in and sat right down in a red-vinyl booth. Our waitress, Karen (from Tennessee), greeted us warmly and gave us top-notch service.

I could eat breakfast any time of day, so I opted for the Sauteed Spinach Omelette. I eat (and make) a LOT of omelettes, so I’m a pretty harsh critic, I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with this one. The eggs were fluffy and tender, the the sauteed spinach and garlic were full of flavor, and the cream cheese added a burst of tang and creaminess that I couldn’t resist. Forget that calorie-counting nonsense! I ate it ALL. Besides, the spinach makes it all healthy, right?

Heidi went for the Cadillac Burger which included a big, greasy beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. She added a little mayo, and ketchup and ripped into it like a champ. She claims it was one of the best burgers she has ever had, and from the looks of her plate and the pile of napkins we had by the end of the meal, I believe it.

So next time your travels take you to San Francisco, keep Lori’s Diner in mind. Who knows? You might even get that VIP-seat next to the Cadillac. Don’t forget your cool-guy shades and leather jacket!

Click here for menu and location info. on Lori’s Diner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weekly Whet: The Moscow Mule

You know that saying, “Don’t quit your day job?” Well, I’m finally listening to the voice of reason and handing over the “Weekly Whet” reins to a professional.

I’ll keep my day job meddling in all of Into the Soup’s other affairs, but for the next few weeks, our buddy (and new favorite beverage director), Logan, is taking over this spot to show-off some of the delicious drinks you can get at The Vig and The Vig Uptown.

This week, he brings us “The Moscow Mule,” which was previously “served in a spectacular copper mug.” Unfortunately, he and the other bartenders learned the hard way that many of these Moscow Mule-fans had sticky fingers since “48 mugs went missing in the span of 2 months. Now they’ll get it in a regular pint glass and like it!” says Logan. 

Ingredients

  • 2oz Russian Standard Vodka 
  • 2oz Cock and Bull Ginger Beer (the original creators of the drink)
  • 1/2oz Fresh Lime Juice
  • Dash of Agnostura Bitters
  • Garnished with a lime wedge

1.) Fill a pint glass (or stolen copper mug) with ice

2.) Pour vodka over ice

3.) Add ginger beer

4.) Top off with lime juice and bitters

For a true, “Vig” cocktail, visit Logan and Adam at:

 

The Vegetarian Slow-Cooker: Arugula-Laced Carmelized Onion Sauce

I love the bittersweet flavor of caramelized onions but on the stovetop caramelizing onions is a laborious process of slow, constant stirring. Made in the slow cooker, caramelized onions require almost no attention. In this recipe, I have added sugar to the onions to ensure deeper flavor. Serve this luscious sauce over whole wheat pasta, Slow-Cooked Polenta or Basic Grits. Complete the meal with a tossed green salad topped with shredded carrots for a splash of healthy color.

Arugula-Laced Carmelized Onion Sauce

Vegan Friendly, Entertaining Worthy

Serves 4

•  Medium to large (31⁄2 to 5 quart) slow cooker

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp   olive oil                                                            
  • 6          onions, thinly sliced on the vertical (about 3 lbs)
  • 1 tsp     granulated sugar                                             
  • 1 tsp     cracked black peppercorns                            
  • 1 tbsp   white or red miso                                            
  • 3 cups   tomato sauce                                                  
  • 2 bunches arugula, stems removed and chopped (see Tips, left)
  • Cooked pasta, preferably whole-grain, polenta or grits

1.  In slow cooker stoneware, combine olive oil and onions. Stir well to coat onions thoroughly. Cover and cook on High for 1 hour, until onions are softened (see Tips).

2.  Add sugar and peppercorns and stir well. Place a clean tea towel, folded in half (so you will have two layers), over top of stoneware to absorb moisture. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, stirring two or three times to ensure that the onions are browning evenly and replacing towel each time.

3.  Remove towels, add miso and stir well to ensure it is well integrated into the onions. Add tomato sauce and arugula and stir well to blend. Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes,
until mixture is hot and flavors have blended. Serve over hot whole-grain pasta, polenta or grits.

Tips

If you’re pressed for time you can soften the onions on the stovetop. Heat the oil over medium heat for 30 seconds in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the stoneware and continue with Step 2.

If you prefer a smoother sauce, combine the arugula with 1 cup of the tomato sauce in a food processor and pulse several times until the arugula is finely chopped and integrated into the sauce. Add to the onion mixture along with the remaining sauce.

If you are halving this recipe, be sure to use a small (11⁄2 to 31⁄2 quart) slow cooker.

Make Ahead:

Complete Steps 1 and 2. Cover and refrigerate onions for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to complete the recipe, in a saucepan, bring tomato sauce, miso and caramelized onions to a simmer over medium heat. Add arugula, return to a simmer and cook until nicely wilted and flavors meld.

Excerpted from The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to purchase this week’s cookbook: The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson

Questions? Contact:

Martine Quibell

Manager, Publicity

Robert Rose Inc.

120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800

Toronto, Ontario   M4P 1E2

Phone 416-322-6552 x 3133

Fax 416-322-6936 

mquibell@robertrose.ca

 

Food Science: Temper Tantrums

by Chef Joe LaVilla

In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, you probably watched your favorite TV Chefs prepare chocolate-dipped fruit more times than you’d like to admit. Maybe you even invested in the ingredients to try it yourself. It’s easy, right?

 Easy Steps?

1.) Melt chocolate.

2.) Dip fruit.

3.) Place on wax paper and refrigerate.

4.) Consume finished product in an immaculate kitchen.

I hate to break it to you, but you are one of the billions who have fallen victim to television deception.

Entertaining as they might be, these chefs gloss-over the detailed process of producing chocolate that snaps at room temperature, but melts on the tongue. In short, they avoid telling you about chocolate’s temper. I am not suggesting that there is some evil side to chocolate (unless you’re dieting), but it is a relatively “moody” substance that must be melted carefully to avoid a lumpy, runny, or dull result.

So why, you ask, is chocolate so fussy? The answer lies in its chemical structure. Grab your pocket-protectors folks: today, we’re going to learn the science behind a proper tempering technique.

A good, basic dark chocolate bar should contain only 3 ingredients. These are cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and sugar. The bitterness of the chocolate is dependent on the percentage of cocoa present in the bar. Many higher-end chocolate manufacturers will include percentages on their bars indicating the percentage of cocoa bean the bar contains. For example, a 74% bar contains 74% cocoa bean and 26% sugar; likewise, the higher the percentage of cocoa bean, the more bitter the bar will be.

While sugar and cocoa-content impact the flavor of the bar, the cocoa butter controls its appearance. Cocoa butter is the fat in the cocoa bean which forms crystalline structures, giving a chocolate bar its firm texture and smooth, shiny surface. These crystalline structures make for a chocolate that “melts in your mouth—not in your hand.”

Tempering is the word we use in the culinary world for the process of melting and cooling chocolate in a controlled manner. Taking melted chocolate and putting it in the refrigerator will set the cocoa butter into soft-form crystals which will be hard when removed from the fridge, but as they come to room temperature, will be soft, dull and pasty-feeling on the palate. If you’ve ever put a candy bar in the fridge after you left it in the car on a hot day, you’ve experienced this. Nobody likes a heat-stricken Snickers.

If you invest in one tool for your personal chocolatiering, make it a good candy thermometer. You’ll need it to keep track of temperatures as you temper your chocolate.

The first step in the process is to chop the chocolate into small pieces reserving ~1/3 of the chocolate for later use.

Next, you can begin the melting process. This can be done using a double boiler or in a microwave. If you’re using a double boiler, it is important to keep the water at a very low boil to prevent any droplets of water from getting into the melting chocolate. Water will cause the chocolate to “seize”, becoming a clump of grainy, stiff putty that will not melt. Take care in using the microwave as well.  Only microwave the chocolate for about 10 seconds at a time as it is easy to burn and there is no way to revive it. The optimal melting temperature for chocolate is between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit so keep that thermometer handy!

Once you have melted the chocolate, stir it until there are no lumps, then set it aside so that it can continue melting the remaining sugar and fat crystals.

After letting it rest for ~ 10 minutes, it’s time to add the reserved chocolate shavings little by little to the melted chocolate, stirring until they melt. The shavings are providing building blocks or “seed crystals” for the melted cocoa butter to align with. This “seeding” helps the cocoa butter form the proper crystal structure while gently reducing the temperature of the mix. Continue adding the shavings until the temperature of the mixture is 86 degrees. 

At this point, you must reheat the entire mixture to 89 degrees.  Do NOT exceed 90 degrees or you will ruin the batch.

Testing whether you have properly tempered the chocolate is easy. Simply drizzle some on a piece of parchment paper or dip a paring knife into the mixture. After ~5 minutes at room temperature, the chocolate should be firm, shiny, and ready to enjoy.

Bon Appétit!

To see additional Food Science features click here: FOOD SCIENCE

About Joe LaVilla

Chef LaVilla is the Academic Director for the Culinary Arts programs at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Phoenix. Besides being a Certified Executive Chef, Chef LaVilla also holds a certification from the International Sommelier Guild (ISG) as a Certified Sommelier. In addition, Chef LaVilla is experienced in food styling, food and wine pairing, the hospitality industry, culinary arts management, and more.

Before joining The Art Institute of Phoenix, LaVilla had been Executive Chef for Tucchetti restaurant in Phoenix. He has worked for Mark Tarbell as well as Wolfgang Puck. His credits include, “Faculty of the Year” award at The Art Institute of Phoenix; finalist in the Arizona Pork Council Taste of Elegance Competition; and author of the textbook “The Handbook of Wine, Beer and Spirits: A Guide to Styles and Service”.

Chef LaVilla received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Rochester and his Bachelor of Arts degree, Cum Laude, in Chemistry from Cornell University. He also received an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America, where he graduated with honors.

The Weekly Whet: The Sour

It was recently brought to my attention that too many of my cocktails involve the use of a cocktail-shaker (oops). I deeply apologize to those of you who are not equipped with this fine bar tool.

However, I also must point out that a similar result can be achieved by pouring the ingredients into a glass full of ice, placing a tupperware lid over the top of that glass, and holding it securely over the opening with the non-mixing hand, while the “mixing hand” shakes the MacGyver-like contraption. You can use any kind of cooking strainer–or hell, a piece of your screen door–to strain your drink into a new glass (can you tell I went to college yet?)

But seriously folks, go ahead and just mix this one up with an old-fashioned spoon (or chopstick, or the end of that old flute you’re never going to play again). I won’t tell.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 oz light rum
  • 3/4 oz lemon or lime juice OR pre-made sour mixer
  • 1/4 oz grenadine
  1. Pour rum into your drinking vessel
  2. Add a few cubes of ice (or for those of you in cold climates, a few shards of icicle)
  3. Add the lemon, lime, or sour mixer
  4. Add grenadine and stir it all up!

Enjoy:)

 

The Yogurt Bible: Baked Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

You could serve this easy chicken and creamy risotto as a luncheon dish or as a main-course dinner dish with a green salad or steamed vegetables. Don’t be tempted to omit the grated lemon zest because it really sets up the taste.

Baked Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Serves 6

Preheat oven to 400°F

9 x13 baking dish, lightly oiled

  • 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts ~1 lb
  • 2 tbsp  olive oil                                                            
  • 1 tbsp  butter                                                               
  • leek, white and light green parts, sliced                      
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms                         
  • 11⁄2 cups Arborio rice                                                  
  • 4 cups chicken broth                                                  
  • 1 tbsp  grated lemon zest                                           
  • 1⁄2 cup frozen peas                                                     
  • 1 cup plain yogurt                                                       
  • 1⁄2 cup crumbled goat’s cheese (Feta)                       

1.  Slice chicken breasts into 1⁄2-inch wide strips. In a skillet, heat oil and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer to a plate and set aside.

2.  Add leek and mushrooms to pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until leek has softened. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes or until transparent. Scrape vegetables, rice and browned bits from bottom of pan into prepared baking dish. Stir in broth and lemon zest. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

3.  Add browned chicken pieces and peas to rice mixture and stir well. Cover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from oven and stir in yogurt and goat’s cheese.

Excerpted from The Yogurt Bible by Pat Crocker © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to purchase this week’s cookbook: The Yogurt Bible by Pat Crocker

Questions? Contact:

Martine Quibell

Manager, Publicity

Robert Rose Inc.

120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800

Toronto, Ontario   M4P 1E2

Phone 416-322-6552 x 3133

Fax 416-322-6936 

mquibell@robertrose.ca

Also check out Yogurt, the Ancient Wonder Food by Katie Haarala

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