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A couple of months ago I was at a client’s and found myself waiting in the reception area. I was pointed in the direction of a kitchenette so I could grab a coffee. When I got there I found myself face-to-face with a wicked little machine, the Keurig B2003. It was simple to use, remarkarable fast (about 30 seconds to brew), left no mess and tasted great. I liked it so much that we had one installed at our office.

It uses K-Cups. Single serving containers of coffee that require no opening or filters. they look like oversized creamers. You simply place one in the machine, put your cup under the nozzle and press “Brew”. In less than a minute you have a tasty cup of coffee. The spent K-Cup is automatically ejected into a bin so the next in line doesn’t need to deal with your waste – brilliant. It’s also hard plumbed into the existing water lines so there’s no need to measure out appropriate amounts of H2O.

I noticed they have models available for home purchase as well, though these versions aren’t directly plumbed and don’t include self disposing.

I have a week spot for chinese food. Yes, the north american stuff. I do enjoy more authentic stuff as well but there are times when all I want to do is tuck into a little beef chow mein, chicken fried rice and an egg roll.

There are also times that i wish some of my local chinese haunts would come correct and use decent quality ingredients. I’m not saying that what they cook with is bad. It certainly isn’t. The produce always seems fresh and the beef, seafood or chicken is always good, but it’s certainly a lower quality product.

This got me thinking. What if I take the food style I love and use some really great ingredients. Well, aside from a fairly expensive dish you get one hell of an egg roll.

Here’s what you’ll need [photo 1]

• 1½ lbs of king crab
• ½ avocado – not to ripe, not to firm
• 1 celery rib
• ½ small onion
• egg roll wrappers – you can find these at almost any grocery store these days
• 1 cup cornstarch and water mixture
• 1 jalapeño
• ½ cup oyster sauce
• Vegetable oil for frying

  Other stuff you’ll need

• Large pot
• Metal grill to set the fried goods on – a grill from the toaster oven works great
• Paper towel

  Prep the crab by removing the meat from the shells (I reserve all of the shells in freezer bag for making stocks). Julienne the avocado, celery and onion. Very thinly slice the jalapeño, remove the seeds. [photo 2]

  Take an egg roll wrapper and lay it on a flat clean surface at 45˚ so you have a diamond [photo 3]. Arrange the vegetables in a rectangle on the center of the wrap and spoon over some oyster sauce [photos 4+5]. Place a healthy amount of crab meat on top of the vegetables and add some fresh ground pepper [photo 6]. Dip you finger in the cornstarch mixtures and spread a small amount around the perimeter of the wrap. Fold in the two sides, then fold the top down, then the bottom up [photos 7,8+9]. This is likely confusing to understand so it’s best to refer to the photos.

  Take a couple of paper towels and make them damp, not wet. Drape one over the egg rolls as you finish them and another over the unfinished ones so they don’t dry out [photo 10].

  Heat the oil to 375˚F. Place a few in at a time making sure not to overcrowd them. Turn them once or twice and ensure they are golden and delicious. When they’re done place them on a rack covered with a sheet of paper towel – this will keep them nice and crispy [photos 11+12].

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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I really don’t think I can get enough red meat. Whether it’s a steak or a roast I love how simple the prep and cooking of it is – In my opinion the value far exceeds the effort.

I hesitate to even call this a recipe because it involves so few ingredients, such little technique and so little prep. It’s basically a seared steak that’s finished in the oven. However, the cut of beef and the temperatures at which it is cooked make or break the end result.

I found an absolutely amazing strip-loin [photo1 ] at Witteveen Meats in the St Lawrence Market [photo 2]. Though I didn’t measure it, it was well over an inch thick, likely closer to two. The final weight of this beauty was a shade over 20oz. It was well trimmed, well marbled and aged 21 days.

Without further ado…

Here’s what you’ll need [photo 3]

• 20oz Striploin, well aged and marbled trimmed of excessive fat (a little is okay)
• Vegetable oil – don’t substitute oil that has a low smoke point like olive oil
• Kosher salt – in this case I cracked out the Camargue (Fleur de Sel)
• Ground pepper

  Other stuff you’ll need

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Tin foil

  Preheat your oven to 550˚F (500˚F if that’s its max). Crank your burner to high and get the skillet really hot. Don’t put oil in the skillet.

  Put a liberal amount of salt and a moderate amount of pepper, too much pepper at this high a heat and it will burn. Do this to both sides of the meat [photo 4]. Oil the meat on both sides [photo 5] and begin to sear it [video 6+7]. This is healthy size steak so you can leave it for a couple of minutes on each side – careful not to disturb it.

  After the meat has been seared on both sides transfer the skillet to the oven. The time it takes will depend on you oven’s settings and how thick the steak is. An instant read digital thermometer will work or just push on the meat with your finger. the firmness will tell you how done it is, more on this below.

  Once it’s “done” place it on a warm plate and tent it with foil [photo 8]. This will allow the pressures trapped inside the steak to distribute the juices evenly. If you’ve cut into it or excessively poked the steak you’ll be left with a fairly dry piece of meat sitting in a pool of juice. You don’t want that until you start to eat this [photo 9+10].

  I must admit this turned out tasty but it was overcooked for my liking. I’ve never used this method on a steak this thick so hopefully I’ll learn from my mistakes. Namely, thinking it was done before it was, which meant taking it oven of the over, testing it, then placing it back in. I think this was giving me false readings on my thermometer as the meat had time to cool slightly.

  Here is an excerpt from Culinary Institute of Smoke-Cooking book by Charlie & Ruthie Knote

  bq. You use both of your hands. The muscle between your left hand’s thumb and first finger becomes the “meat” (this is for right-handed people). Hold the left hand very relaxed with its first finger and thumb drooped and parallel to each other. Use the first finger of your right hand for your “doneness tester.” Push against the “loose” muscle (not the loose skin) between your thumb and finger on your left hand. This soft feel compares to the center of your meat if it is raw up to rare. Next, straighten your thumb and finger out straight, push against the same muscle. This springy feel equals meat cooked medium. Next, make a tight fist; test the same muscle area. This firmness equals meat cooked well-done.

  As for temperatures here is what you can look for:

• 120 to 130˚F for rare
• 130 to 145˚F for medium rare
• 145 to 155˚F for medium

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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A few days ago a friend asked me if I had a good recipe for bouillabaisse. I didn’t. In fact, I’ve never even made it before. I had preconceived notions that it was incredibly difficult to make and that the ingredients were somewhat unobtainable. I was wrong on the first count.

Before I set out to buy an assortment of produce and seafood I did my research. It seems there is a good deal of debate over what seafood comprises an authentic bouillabaisse. Tony Bourdain explains disagreements over what fish to use and whether or not lobster is a part of this dish. Further reading uncovered there was such debate that a charter signed by 11 restaurants (La Charte de la Bouillabaisse Marseillaise) dictates ingredients of an authentic bouillabaisse. It seems as though they were able to agree on everything except for the inclusion/exclusion of lobster.

My recipe is a conglomeration of recipes I’ve perused (Including Tony Bourdain’s) while researching this dish. It doesn’t include the impossible to find fish that the charter outlines but it does include lobster and a few other tasty eats.

Here’s what you’ll need: [photo 1]

• 2 leeks
• 1 vidalia onion
• 1 anise bulb (or fennel)
• 3 roma tomatoes, seeded
• 12 fingerling potatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• ½ peel of a blood orange (or orange)
• 3 pistils of saffron
• 12 shrimp (large, de-veined with shell on)
• 1¼ pound lobster
• 1 king crab leg
• small filet of cod
• small fillet of halibut
• 1 baguette
• bouquet garni
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups fish stock

  Other stuff you’ll need:

• strainer
• ladle
• rolling-pin
• large pots

  Boil a large pot of water and submerge the lobster head first. Cook for 3 minutes [photo 2]. Remove the lobster from the water and let it cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle twist off the tail, claws and legs. Halve the tail lengthwise, crack the knuckles and claws with the back of your bad-ass knife and set aside. If it still looks a little rare that’s good – we’ll be finishing it later [photo 3]. Take the small legs and use a rolling-pin to extract the meat [photo 4]. Grab a small spoon and dig out the guts from the lobster’s main body cavity – reserve the hollow body and what’s left of the flattened leg shells.

  Slice the leeks using only the white part, slice the anise bulb and coarsely chop the garlic. Heat some olive oil in a large pot and cook the mixture down for 5 minutes [photo 5]. Dice your seeded tomatoes, add them to the pot with the blood orange peel and cook it down for another 3 minutes [photo 6]. Add the stock, lobster shells, bouquet garni and saffron [photo 7]. Put the heat on low and let it simmer for about an hour [photo 8].

  Remove the lobster shells making sure there are no liquids hiding inside. Strain the soup base through the sieve making sure to press every last drop from the spent vegetables [photo 9]. Set aside.

  Boil the fingerling potatoes until cooked, it’s okay if their on the firm side – they’ll be simmering later for another 15 minutes.

  Prep the seafood by cutting the crab leg into 1½ inch sections leaving the shell on. Cut the fish fillets into large pieces (I regretfully cut mine into bite size cubes, but think it would have been better with larger pieces) [photo 10].

  Place the fish on the bottom of the pot and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you pot is big enough so the fish aren’t sitting on top of each other. Add the potatoes in and amongst the fish. Depending on the size of your potatoes you may want to cut them in half. Ladle enough of your delicious liquid to cover the fish and potatoes. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes. While that is simmering slice off some rounds from the baguette and brush liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Toast them until crispy and golden brown. While they are still hot grab a clove of garlic and rub it over the bread – make a few extra these things are delicious.

  When the fish is nearly done add the shrimp, lobster, crab and the remaining liquid. Simmer it until everything is cooked through [photo 11].

  Get out some nice big bowls and place a healthy amount of seafood and potatoes in them. Ladle the hot liquid over and serve with the fresh croutons [photo 12].

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Seeing as I made a gigantic portion for two, I was curious about how this would reheat. The next night I slowly brought it to a simmer and de-shelled everything (I was feeling slightly less rustic). My wife couldn’t do another night of garlic croutons so I oiled them up and sprinkled them with some Hawaiian red salt. it was equally tasty.

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The St Lawrence Market is one of my favorite places to shop in the city. Today’s visit was like any other, save for this is the Saturday of Superbowl weekend, making it slightly more crowded than usual. I suppose the $8 for parking, insane crowds and a few relentless sales people could be seen as potential drawbacks over your local Supermarket – I think it’s just part of the charm.

Your supermarket simply doesn’t have half of the goodness stocked at the St Lawrence. Need a skate wing? no problem. How about fingerling potatoes? Yup. Buffalo steak? what cut?

Aside from the product offering, the service level far surpasses any grocery store. Want to hold that lobster to make sure its got a nice hard shell? Just ask. Veal bones for Demi-glace? you bet. Want a 20oz cut of Alberta’s finest? Ask. Blood oranges, heirloom tomatoes, orka? Ask, ask, ask. The vendors at the market are more than willing to help you locate whatever it is your looking for. Today I couldn’t find a fennel bulb. When I asked one of the guys who was restocking some tomatoes he pointed out some anise. He noted it was very similar but is typically a little stronger in flavour. Think the teenager at Loblaws could have done that?

On a side note, this trip really had one purpose – pick up ingredients for TBD Bouillabaisse recipe as requested by some good friends.

Four favorite dishes

• Mom’s fusilli with lamb sauce
• O’Carroll’s dublin lawyer lobster
• Seared Ahi Tuna at Harbour 60
• Barbecue Shrimp served with a Petite Rosemary Biscuit at Emeril’s

  Four great restaurant experiences

• O’Carrolls – Halifax, NS
• Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House – Las Vegas, NV
• Famous Ray’s Pizza – NY, NY
• House of Chan – Toronto, ON

  Four places I need to give a second chance

• Delmonico – Las Vegas, NV
• Susur – Toronto, ON
• Amuse-Bouche – Toronto, ON
• Peppino’s on the Beach – Toronto, ON

  Four kitchen tools or appliances I love

• my knives
• Instant reading thermometer
• Cast iron skillet
• Coffee maker

It was -12°C today in Toronto, that’s 10°F for those of you resisting to adopt the metric system. Either way it’s bloody cold. To compensate for this I’ve decided to post one of my favorite things to cook and eat, though I could do without the prep.

The thick mahogany broth, the velvety caramelized onions, the crisp toasted baguette and the sharp gooey cheese work in perfect harmony in this near fool-proof recipe. I’ve tried so many variations of this, but I keep coming back to this one. I’d say it is loosely based on sound advice from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook and a recipe I experienced at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain in New York last fall.

Ingredients you’ll need: [photo 1]

• 3 red onions
• 3 Vidalias or Sweet Onions
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• White wine – I can’t say how much, though expect to use about 450ml (2 cups) for the soup and likely a glass or two for drinking while your cooking. In short, you’ll need a bottle – yet another reason why you don’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink.
• 2 liters of stock – Beef stock is preferred. Half beef, half chicken is a nice alternative, or vegetable stock if you want to keep this one vegetarian.
• Bouquet garni – thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley
• 1 Baguette
• Splash of Cognac – a fine quality one. I know it’s expensive but you’ll cook with it a lot in small amounts so it will last quite awhile.
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Parsley – picked from stems
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher Salt
• Ground black pepper
• A big hunk of good quality old cheddar – yes, cheddar. While imported Gruyère makes for traditional French Onion Soup, this is a little modification inspired by Bar Americain is a wicked little twist.

  Other stuff you’ll need:

• Large pot
• Oven with a good broiler (a propane torch is a good substitute)
• Ovenproof crocks
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Box of tissues

  Cut the ends off the onions then peel off the first couple of layers. Thinly slice them from end to end. Over medium heat, melt the butter and begin adding a layer of onions – enough so you can no longer see any of the bottom of the pot and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Add another layer of onions then a dash more salt, do this until you’re out of onions [photo 2]. Resist the urge to stir until the onions REALLY start to caramelize – don’t worry about a little burning. Sweat the onions down for about 20 minutes then you can stir occasionally [photo 3]. This next part takes awhile, open the wine and have a glass, keep it handy because it’s the next ingredient. What you are looking for is a dark mahogany colour. It should take about an hour and requires occasional stirring. Again, don’t fret if it burns a little bit, and don’t worry if it takes more than an hour – just wait for a nice even dark colour [photo 4].

  Once your comfortable with the colour add enough white wine to cover what’s left of the onions and stir. Now is a good time to take the wooden spoon and scrape up all the delicious little bits that have stuck to your pot. Reduce the wine down to a syrup [photo 5]. Add the stock and bouquet garni. Set the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. [photo 6]

  Slice a few rounds off the baguette and brush a little olive oil on them – toast lightly.

  Place the garlic cloves in some tin foil and drizzle them with olive oil. Roast them at 260°C (500°F) until soft to the touch, about 15 minutes. Finely chop the parsley and roasted garlic, incorporate into 100ml of olive oil.

  Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Splash a little cognac in. Ladle the soup into crocks, but leave a little space at the top. Place your toasted baguette round on top of the soup and top with the cheddar. I suggest thin slices that overlap the edge of the crock. That way you get the sticky goodness on the outside of the crock and it prevents the cheese from submerging in the soup. Broil the crocks until cheese is bubbly and golden. Spoon on a little of the garlic, parsley pesto before serving [photo 7].

  
  
  
  
  
  
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Quick, easy and delicious – this is the perfect storm of appetizers.

Ingredients you’ll need: [photo 1]

* 1 beef tenderloin (about 1½ inches thick)

• 1 baguette, sliced into ½ inch rounds (about 8 pieces)
• olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• kosher salt & ground black pepper
• a few sprigs of thyme

  Other stuff you’ll need:

• Pastry Brush
• Cast iron skillet

  Generously brush each baguette round with olive oil. Bake or toast until slightly golden. Rub the garlic onto the tenderloin [photo 2]. Put enough olive oil in the skillet to to cover the surface area of the tenderloin and set the burner to high. Once the oil is nearing it’s smoke point, place the tenderloin into the skillet. When the garlic starts to brown flip it over, remove the browned garlic and reserve (Make sure the garlic doesn’t burn, because there’s no saving it). Do this for the other side as well. Once all the garlic is browned and removed you’ll want to focus on browning the beef – this may take another minute or two a side [photo 3].

  Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the tenderloin until it reaches desired doneness (120˚C – 130˚C for rare). Remove the tenderloin to the cutting board and tent a piece of tin foil over it for about 5 minutes. Thinly slice the beef [photo 4] and place on top of the bread rounds. Garnish with thyme, browned garlic, kosher salt and pepper [photo 5].

  
  
  
  
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WinterCity offers up Soup’s On this weekend (it’s on next weekend too) at Nathan Phillips Square. It starts at Noon and runs to 6:30 both days. Sample free soup and music from around the world.

Azure Restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine, Jonaton Lome cooks up Lobster Chupe on Saturday 4-5pm.

I’m not sure if the recipe is Ruth Fertel’s own but Chef Jess Ostlund will be serving up Ruth’s Chris’ Louisiana Seafood and Sausage Gumbo – This stuff is gold I tell ya.

This was going to be my first video recipe. However, I quickly found out that cooking and filming at same time require more hands than I’ve got. My next thought was to setup a mini tripod (which I don’t have) on my counter to attempt this but I’m not sure I’d get the angles necessary. I really need to do some thinking about this – I’m not sure how my wife would feel about a ceiling rig. In the end I resorted to my digital camera.

A few things to note on the quality of the photos. I opted for longer exposures over flash photography which sometimes resulted in slightly blurry shots – apologies in advance while I work out the bugs.

This recipe is as simple as the title. It should be enough for four servings, but I typically make a ton more and freeze it. It’s awesome to use for lasagna, pizza sauce, or in this case, a simple sauce over pasta. I should note that this sauce certainly has some kick to it. It’s equally good without the spicy ingredients, so feel free to omit.

Ingredients you’ll need: [photo 1]

• 2 cans of whole tomatoes – Not surprisingly, a good red sauce is all about the tomatoes. Don’t waste your effort looking for fresh tomotoes for a red sauce, especially in January. Good canned tomatoes will do the trick. Pastene is what my local guy stocks.
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• ¼ red onion
• 1 shallot
• 1 stalk celery
• fresh parsley
• 2 ounces olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup red wine
• Kosher salt and black pepper

  Other stuff you’ll need:

  * oven proof sauce pan – I use a cast iron skillet

• wooden spoon
• strainer
• saucepot

  Open the cans of tomatoes and strain them into a saucepot [photo 2]. Get a little rough with them and make sure you stain them of all their liquid. It may take a little bit of time and effort but it’s worth it. Try and remove any excess seeds from the tomatoes – set the tomatoes aside for now. [photo 3]

  Add the brown sugar, red pepper and parsley into the tomato juice [photo 4]. Get the juice simmering and reduce them by about half.

  Dice the onion, shallot and garlic. Slice the jalapeño and combine them in the skillet. Pour in the olive oil and toss. Sprinkle a little salt on top and roast them in the oven at 350˚F until the onion becomes translucent – about 15 minutes. [photo 5]

  Now that your tomatoes have likely sat in a bowl for a few minutes you may notice a little juice at the bottom. just pour it into the juice that simmering. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and set the oven to broil. Keep an eye on these. You want them to brown ever so slightly [photo 6]. Once that happens place the skillet on a low burner and add the red wine – cook for a minute or two. [photo 7]

  Incorporate the goodness from the skillet into the sauce pot and stir. [photo 8]

  By now I’m sure you’ve tasted this a few times, taste it again and add salt and pepper to your liking.

  The rest is up to you, in this case I put it over some rigatoni. [photo 9]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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