For a profile of Chef Roux's restaurant in Sofitel's London St. James Hotel and articles about local, organic produce, please check out: Sofitel's Distinctive Vision Sprouted Broccoli from Green String Farm in Petaluma, California A Vegetarian Feast At the Santa Monica Farmers' Market Where's the Beef? Tracking Down Free Ranch, Grass Fed, Hormone Free Beef A Twofer: Roast Chicken with Fresh Rosemary & Chicken Stock to Use Later Villa Rental 101: A Visit to Beautiful Places in the Sonoma Valley
Inspired by California-Mediterranean cuisines and farmers markets, I cook healthy, flavorful dishes that are easy-to-prepare yet elegant. I write for Zester Daily, One for the Table, Luxury Travel Magazine, Huffington Post & New York Daily News. My latest Amazon eCookbook is 10 Delicious Holiday Recipes. My handcrafted chocolates are available at www.dchocolates.com. "Subscribe via email" and you'll get an email whenever I post a new recipe.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Award Winning Chef Albert Roux Sets Up Camp in Texas
Friday, June 10, 2016
Blasting Heat Sears in Flavor
When I ate Boudreaux's salmon filet with mushrooms, the charred skin was crisp as a slice of perfectly cooked bacon. A perfect contrast to the moist, sweet flesh.
He reveals the secret in the video. A carbon steel pan. That's it. The pan takes an incredible amount of heat. Up to 700F. The skin sizzles and in seconds is perfectly seared. A quick flip to char the flesh and then into a 350F oven to cook the filet on the inside.
After I bought a pan and seasoned it and used it successfully on a fish filet, I discovered the pan's other advantage. Easy clean up. Very much like a cut-down wok, the pan needs only a quick cleaning with a soapy sponge to remove the left-over oil, heated again on the stove top to burn off the water and that's it. No strenuously scrubbing to clean the pan the way I had done for years with the stainless steel pans I relied upon. Just a quick clean up and I was done.
A cast iron pan also works well at high heat, but from my experience the carbon steel pan does a better job. Both pans are relatively inexpensive. A carbon steel pan will cost half the price of a comparably sized, quality stainless steel pan. When you shop for a carbon steel pan, buy one that is made with a thicker gauge steel. I have been using de Buyer pans. Chef Boudreaux recommends Matfer Bourgeat. The advantage of the thicker gauge pans is they retain heat longer than the pans made with a thinner steel.
Cast iron pans are easy to find. Carbon steel pans, not as much. In the Los Angeles area, the only source for the pans is Surfas Culinary District. In New York, I have seen them upstairs at Zabar's.
Blast the Heat for For A Charred Vegan Salad
Chef Tips For Crispy Skin Pan Seared Salmon Filets
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Chef's Gathering in Support of Foie Gras
Last week I was in
time to sit in a cafe, enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and while away the day talking.
I knew I was going to bring back food that would memorialize the trip. Stopping in Randa's favorite cheese shop, I wanted to take arm loads of cheese, but I consoled myself with large pieces of Comté and Gruyère. From Le Bon Marché I bought two jars of Rillettes de Canard aux Olives and a large bottle of duck confit. From Goût, Thé et Chocolat near the Marché d'Aligre, a box of handmade chocolates.
Back in
Set up in the open-air courtyard of the Bel-Air Bay Club, the gathering was a celebration of fine food and wine. A who's-who of LA's gourmet chefs were there to taste generous offerings of foie gras from Rougié, Gourmet Imports amazing selections of cheese, smoked salmon and caviar from Universal Seafood, wines from W.J. Deutsch and Sons, Pommery champagne, and Yvan Valentin's petit fours and hand-made truffles.
Following Norm's lead, I filled my plate with foie gras in every form imaginable, duck prosciutto, smoked salmon with caviar, a piece of Puits d'Astie (a sheeps milk cheese from the Auvergne that Gourmet Imports ha
s just recently imported) and a slab of the very runny Snowdrop (a goats milk cheese from Boulder, Colorado
made by Haystack Mountain), petit fours, and handfuls of Yvan Valeni's truffles.
After we found a place to sit, Norm and I had the chance to enjoy the food, drink a glass of Pierre Sparr
Pinot Blanc from W.J. Deutsch and Sons, return for more samples of the foie gras and cheese, and because his good friend Pierre Sauveget (Executive Chef, Bel-Air Bay Club) had joined us, a parade of chefs stopped by to chat. Finally I was enjoying my Parisian experience, albeit only half a mile from our house.
Friday, June 17, 2022
Fish, Nothing But the Whole Fish - Encased in Kosher Salt
Hard to believe but the easiest way to cook a whole fish is to roast it encased in a dome of kosher salt.
Cocooned inside its salt blanket, the protein rich-fish cooks in its own juices. The technique is very low-tech. No fancy machines or tools required. All you need is kosher salt and water.
Some recipes call for egg whites and water to moisten the salt, but from my experience, water alone works perfectly. After the fish has cooked inside the coating of moistened salt, crack open the hardened salt and use a fork to effortlessly peel back the skin. A chef’s knife easily separates the meat from the bones.
When creating the salt coating, it is important to use kosher salt. Do not use table salt and definitely do not use salt that has been treated with iodine, which has an unpleasant minerality.
When you buy the fish, ask to have the guts and gills removed but there is no need to have the fish scaled because the skin will be removed before serving. If the only whole fish available in your seafood market is larger than you need, a piece without the head or tail can still be used. To protect the flesh, place a small piece of parchment paper across the cut end, then pack the moistened kosher salt on all the sides to completely seal the fish.
Even though the fish is cooked inside salt, the flesh never touches the salt. The result is mild tasting, moist, delicate meat.
After removing the salt-roasted fish from the oven, let it rest on the table on a heat-proof trivet. The sight of the pure white mound, warm to the touch and concealing a hidden treat is a delight. Before serving, take the fish back into the kitchen to remove the salt casing, head, tail. skin and bones.
What kind of fish to use?
So far I have used the technique on trout, salmon, sea bass, salmon trout and pompano with equally good results.
Choose a fish that is as fresh as possible, with a clean smell and clear eyes. When you press the body, the flesh should spring back. Cooking time is roughly 10 minutes per pound but will vary depending on the size and thickness of the fish.
In general, a whole fish weighing 3 to 5 pounds will require a three-pound box of kosher salt. Since that is an estimate, it is a good idea to have a second box of kosher salt on hand.
Salt-Roasted Fish
Use only enough water to moisten the kosher salt so the grains stick together. Too much water will create a slurry, which will slide off the fish. Because kosher salt is not inexpensive, use only as much as you need. A quarter-inch coating around the fish is sufficient.
Placing herbs and aromatics inside the fish’s cavity can impart flavor and appealing aromas when the salt dome is removed. Sliced fresh lemons, rosemary sprigs, parsley, cilantro, bay leaves or basil all add to the qualities of the dish but discard before platting.
Depending on the density of the flesh, generally speaking, one pound of fish requires 10 minutes of cooking at 350 F.
The mild fish can be served with a tossed salad, pasta, rice or cooked vegetables. The fish goes well with freshly made tartar sauce, salsa verde, pesto, romesco, chermoula or pico de Gallo.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes if the fish weighs 3 pounds, 50 minutes if the fish weighs 5 pounds
Resting time: 5 minutes
Total time: 45 or 65 minutes depending on the size of the fish
Yield: 4 to 6 servings depending on the size of the fish
Ingredients
1 whole fish, 3 to 5 pounds, with the head and the tail, cleaned and gutted but not necessarily scaled
1 3-pound box kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ to 1 cup water
2 cups fresh aromatics and lemon slices (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Wash the fish inside and outside. Pat dry and set aside.
3. Pour 2 pounds of the kosher salt into a large bowl. Moisten with ½ cup water. Mix with your fingers. If needed, add more water a tablespoon at a time until the salt sticks together.
4. Select a baking tray that is 2 inches longer and wider than the fish. Line with parchment paper or a Silpat sheet.
5. Place a third of the moistened salt on the bottom of the lined baking tray.
6. Lay the whole fish on top of the salt. Place aromatics and lemon slices inside the fish, if desired.
7. Carefully mold the rest of the moistened salt over the entire fish. If more salt is needed, moisten an additional amount of salt.
8. Place the baking tray into the pre-heated oven.
9. After 30 minutes for a 3-pound fish and 50 minutes for a 5-pound fish, remove the baking tray from the oven and allow the fish to rest for 5 minutes.
10. Using a chef’s knife, slice into the salt dome on the back side of the fish, along the fin line. Make another slice on the bottom of the fish. Lift the salt dome off the fish and discard. Using the knife, make a cut across the gills and the tail. Insert a fork under the skin and lift the skin separating it from the flesh.
11. Have a serving platter ready. Using the flat side of a chef’s knife, slide the blade between the flesh and the skeleton along the fin line. Separate the flesh from the bones. Try as best you can to keep the entire side of the fish intact, but no worries if the flesh comes off in several pieces. When you place the flesh on the serving platter, you can reassemble the fillet.
12. Turn the fish over and repeat the process on the other side.
13. Discard the head, tail, bones and skin.
So delicious. So easy to make.
And email me photographs of YOUR FISH when you make it.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
A Young Chef Practices His Craft in an Art Gallery
Chef Shoemaker comes out of the kitchen to talk us through his first dish. He has a great smile. He avoids the traditional toque and chef's whites. Appealing and friendly, he wears a baseball cap and a brown apron. His first presentation is visually stunning.
The Edible Cocktail is a Meyer lemon icy-foam gin martini sharing a block of charred wood with two Asian spoons. We raise our glasses to salute the chef and each other. The cocktail is delicious and fun like eating a best-ever lemony snow cone. Then we feast on the spoons, enjoying the mix of textures, temperatures and flavors. Sweet, frozen, crunchy, spicy and acidic sensations roll around in our mouths. The evening begins with a “wow”.
The foie gras is exactly what I want from a fine dining chef. He should have a mastery of technique. Display flawless execution. Present artful platings. Cook with inventive parings of textures. From the beginning to the end, Shoemaker delivers in all those ways.
Talking about the meal, everyone has their favorite dish. Mine is the pork belly. A fat triangle of pork skin is fried to airy crispness. Which contrasts perfectly with the fork-tender, apple cider poached pork belly served with a sunny-side up quail egg, the yolk still runny, and pureed sweet potato flavored with maple syrup and bourbon. As we eat, all conversation ends. We're all too busy savoring each bite to talk. I am careful to maximize the deliciousness of the dish. I swab bits of pork belly into the richly sweet sweet potato, being sure to add a bit of egg yolk and maple syrup.
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