Haute Leftover Gastronomy
It was an amazing day in the city of New Orleans today, rain most of the afternoon lead into a majestic sky over the drunken revelers of Bourbon Street. Taking the streetcar back to the house it became an improvisational dinner party with the guests from Louisiana, France, and Peru. The meal started with the fresh scent of bread coming from the oven. Whilst the air was filled with a yeasty aroma, the table was prepared with pate, salad and moutard. The bread was ready, and honestly homemade bread is probably the cheapest gastronomic high one can get. The warmth of the bread was met with a chicken liver pate, dabbed with moutard, meeting the palate as old friends having not seen each other in a while, enjoyable and satisfying. Served with the pate was a tourchon (simply means towel in French, because in the old days a towel was used to form it, and mostly refers to circular formed charcuterie). This particular tourchon was a coarse chicken liver forcemeat around apples and plums, wrapped in bacon then poached in the previous days hock stock. It was pretty neat and unexpected when the plum skin leached a pretty ruby color into the center of the tourchon. The palate cleansing salad was a simple celery, parsley and herb mix tossed with oil, vinegar, pepper, and sea salt. Tasting alongside the meal was a crisp refreshing champagne of beers, HighLife.....
Afternoon Rain, Cooking Some Pork
Well Monday was a good day off, it was a day of leisurely cooking, moderately drinking, and interesting conversations. Guests of the dinner party were representing Peru, Louisiana, California, and France. The menu was an evolutionary endeavor which made its way from inception to plate with many different meanderings but ended up creating a smile once reaching the palate. Then Menu contained:
Chicken Liver Pate w/ Plums, Apples and Leeks (Sake Plum Wine)
Salad Fresco
Hock Stocked Rice w/ Hock Meat and Leeks
Garlic, Rosemary, Plum Stuffed Pork Butt
Peruvian Bread Pudding
Berry Salad w/ Creme Anglaise
Vouvray
In purchasing all of the ingredients for a leisure day off meal, one must ensure the frugality of the day by spending more money on wine than on food. Holding true to this theory, the main protein of the meal came in at a whopping thirteen dollars and the hocks only add a few dollars more. Once the pork butt made its way into the kitchen, the marinade/stuffing needed to be made in order for the flavors to commingle amongst themselves. Crushed garlic, rosemary, flat leaf parsley, white pepper, salt, nut meg, clove and all spice where place together in a bowl and bound with olive oil. After taking out the bone out, the butt was butterflied into about one inch thickness. Spreading the mixture on the inside of the meat, then placing sliced plums on top of the pork, made it a happy little pig. Once the pig was tied, a vegetable rack was made out of fennel, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme. The roast was placed on top of the veggie rack and covered with plum sake. Placed in an over at 200F until it is ready, it was an uphill battle trying not to peak in and take a look, but the longer the door is shut, the better the food...Patience. The hock stock was simple. Rinsed off the hocks, placed in cold water with onion, thyme, garlic, leek tops, celery and allowed to gently simmer until all of the delicious porked smokiness was released into the water. After a few hours of hanging out in the pot, the vegetables and hocks had given away all the flavor they could and it was time to strain. The liquid was used in two different ways. First, medium grained rice was allowed to cook in the stock along with scalloped leeks, the hock meat was then added back providing more texture and smokiness to the rice. Second, a small bit of stock was reduced along with pan drippings from the oven into a glace, which was deglazed with the plum sake and garnished with sliced plums, and cilantro. I had almost forgotten about the chicken liver pate, it was simple. Brown butter, chicken livers until golden, vegetables, deglaze with plum sake, emulsify in blender with heavy cream, garnish with sliced fruit and blanched leeks, refrigerate and serve on house made bread. The salade was composed of Romaine spears, cabbage, chiffonade of Romaine, creole tomatoes, and an Italian style garlic vinaigrette. Dessert was brought by some of the guests; bread pudding was warmed and topped with Short Street Honey(from the neighbor), and a berry and fruit salad mixed with creme anglaise gave a nice goodnight kiss to the palate. All and all it was another gastronomic adventure with food being the glue, binding together people from different places, and holding there attention while life stories are swapped.
Yooo
Chicken Liver Pate w/ Plums, Apples and Leeks (Sake Plum Wine)
Salad Fresco
Hock Stocked Rice w/ Hock Meat and Leeks
Garlic, Rosemary, Plum Stuffed Pork Butt
Peruvian Bread Pudding
Berry Salad w/ Creme Anglaise
Vouvray
In purchasing all of the ingredients for a leisure day off meal, one must ensure the frugality of the day by spending more money on wine than on food. Holding true to this theory, the main protein of the meal came in at a whopping thirteen dollars and the hocks only add a few dollars more. Once the pork butt made its way into the kitchen, the marinade/stuffing needed to be made in order for the flavors to commingle amongst themselves. Crushed garlic, rosemary, flat leaf parsley, white pepper, salt, nut meg, clove and all spice where place together in a bowl and bound with olive oil. After taking out the bone out, the butt was butterflied into about one inch thickness. Spreading the mixture on the inside of the meat, then placing sliced plums on top of the pork, made it a happy little pig. Once the pig was tied, a vegetable rack was made out of fennel, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme. The roast was placed on top of the veggie rack and covered with plum sake. Placed in an over at 200F until it is ready, it was an uphill battle trying not to peak in and take a look, but the longer the door is shut, the better the food...Patience. The hock stock was simple. Rinsed off the hocks, placed in cold water with onion, thyme, garlic, leek tops, celery and allowed to gently simmer until all of the delicious porked smokiness was released into the water. After a few hours of hanging out in the pot, the vegetables and hocks had given away all the flavor they could and it was time to strain. The liquid was used in two different ways. First, medium grained rice was allowed to cook in the stock along with scalloped leeks, the hock meat was then added back providing more texture and smokiness to the rice. Second, a small bit of stock was reduced along with pan drippings from the oven into a glace, which was deglazed with the plum sake and garnished with sliced plums, and cilantro. I had almost forgotten about the chicken liver pate, it was simple. Brown butter, chicken livers until golden, vegetables, deglaze with plum sake, emulsify in blender with heavy cream, garnish with sliced fruit and blanched leeks, refrigerate and serve on house made bread. The salade was composed of Romaine spears, cabbage, chiffonade of Romaine, creole tomatoes, and an Italian style garlic vinaigrette. Dessert was brought by some of the guests; bread pudding was warmed and topped with Short Street Honey(from the neighbor), and a berry and fruit salad mixed with creme anglaise gave a nice goodnight kiss to the palate. All and all it was another gastronomic adventure with food being the glue, binding together people from different places, and holding there attention while life stories are swapped.
Yooo
My Words On Food
It has been a short while since I last spoke with the internet and now thanks to a new living arrangement, we are able to enjoy a dialogue about food...and so it goes. moved back to New Orleans about three months ago and have just now begun to get my culinary legs under me. Being away for a little while was tough, but the "yattastic" characteristics of being a native new Orleanian have slowly come back. We will start the gastronomic narration with Friday evening's meal. Attending the party where Louisiana, France, Peru, Michigan.
Provencale Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Short Street Rosemary Honey
Sage Soaked Seared Bone-In Pork Loin
Brussels Sprouts with Hock Meat
Smoked Hock Stock
Gratin of Potato with Cashew Riverbend Basil Pesto
Brussell Sprout Quick "Kimchee"
Rustic Housemade Bread
Peruvian Cookied Napoleon Dessert
The stock was clear and flavorful by the time guests arrived, thanks to a long undisturbed gentle simmer in the afternoon. Garnishing the stock where Asian Egg Noodles, biased celery, mushrooms, Brussels sprout "Kimchee". The noodles where cooked in the broth, placed in the bowls followed by the vegetables and thin slices of the saged pork. Celery leaves completed the final aesthetic appeal to the dish. Following the noodles, where the fried chicken drumsticks. The chicken was marinated in buttermilk, salt, herbs d'Provencale, onion, garlic, and thyme. Fried off in oil, then coated with fresh honey, you can never go wrong with the flavors of fatty, salty, sweet, and fried...same premise as dipping french fries in a frosty at Wendy's. Served with the chicken was a potato gratin made with herb steeped cream. Once cooked, a neighbors donation of basil was combined with cashews, olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese then spread on top, leaving the final product with a textured herbacious crust. For the Brussels sprouts, we just simply browned a little butter, added the sprouts, seasoned and finished the hock meat, and deglazed with the hock stock. The dessert was a layered pastry of vanilla cookies, chocolate chunks, caramel and cream, very fine ending to a very fine meal. Keep your ears open, if you happen to like food and know how to read, I also like food and am learning to write. Bon Night!
Provencale Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Short Street Rosemary Honey
Sage Soaked Seared Bone-In Pork Loin
Brussels Sprouts with Hock Meat
Smoked Hock Stock
Gratin of Potato with Cashew Riverbend Basil Pesto
Brussell Sprout Quick "Kimchee"
Rustic Housemade Bread
Peruvian Cookied Napoleon Dessert
The stock was clear and flavorful by the time guests arrived, thanks to a long undisturbed gentle simmer in the afternoon. Garnishing the stock where Asian Egg Noodles, biased celery, mushrooms, Brussels sprout "Kimchee". The noodles where cooked in the broth, placed in the bowls followed by the vegetables and thin slices of the saged pork. Celery leaves completed the final aesthetic appeal to the dish. Following the noodles, where the fried chicken drumsticks. The chicken was marinated in buttermilk, salt, herbs d'Provencale, onion, garlic, and thyme. Fried off in oil, then coated with fresh honey, you can never go wrong with the flavors of fatty, salty, sweet, and fried...same premise as dipping french fries in a frosty at Wendy's. Served with the chicken was a potato gratin made with herb steeped cream. Once cooked, a neighbors donation of basil was combined with cashews, olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese then spread on top, leaving the final product with a textured herbacious crust. For the Brussels sprouts, we just simply browned a little butter, added the sprouts, seasoned and finished the hock meat, and deglazed with the hock stock. The dessert was a layered pastry of vanilla cookies, chocolate chunks, caramel and cream, very fine ending to a very fine meal. Keep your ears open, if you happen to like food and know how to read, I also like food and am learning to write. Bon Night!
Gastronomic Thoughts
What is the difference between food and art? Some say none, some may say a little, but I say that there are more similarities than differences between the two. Sure, food is art, but when was the last time you ate a painting or smelled a picture? That is the major difference, to me, food becomes more personal since you are actually ingesting the creation and not simply admiring it. Food can be heightened to the level of art, but can also remain on the level of simple sustenance. When food becomes art it should appeal to all of the senses. The visual flavor of food should make your eyes salivate; the aroma should build the anticipation of the first bite; the sound of a good conversation served over a meal should enhance the flavor of the food, and finally the last part, you ingest the first bite and the piece of edible art finally consumed can either be a Monet or a Monot, but that is the beauty of it all. The autonomy of art related to food is once a dish is created the cook's opinion is null and void, but it is up to the consumer to decide. Not sure why I decided to write this little rant, but I did. So eat whatever you want to eat, and trust your own opinion.
Heading Home
Been away for a while, in the midst of a suspension and redirection of the culinary journey a few things have developed. New Orleans, the place I call home, is the next stop on this adventure. Been out of New York, and in Boston for the last two months, honing my cooking and mannying skillz with the family. Whilst in Boston, I have had the privilege of creating meals seven nights a week for a family of six, seven including me. The dishes have ranged from boxed macaroni and cheese to deconstructed fried risotto (think fried rice, but not all together). The volume in the house has ranged from above shouting to the simple quiet of a family enjoying a good meal with each other. Moving forward the next stop on the proverbial food train is New Orleans. Not sure what type of employment will present itself, but I have a place to live, a dog, and some developing gastronomic ambitions. The food on this evening's menu is a bit out of season, but taking advantage of some stale bread, decided to make an oyster mushroom bread pudding. The savory baked delight will be served alongside grilled tuna, poblano vinaigrette, and some sauteed broccoli. So cooking is continuing, traveling is on the horizon, and the future holds itself to be quite interesting. It will be a festive weekend in the land of the baked bean (Boston; Beantown)...birthday, first communion, and mother's day. Hope all is well out there.
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