where the image is meant to titillate and inspire the cook
As an old magician friend of ours used to say, “I’m going to blow your mind!”
How about a mouth-watering, restaurant-quality dish of braised lamb shanks with a pomegranate-fig sauce over boursin cheese polenta on the table in about 10 minutes?
Is it magic?
Continue reading “Slow-Braised Lamb Shanks, Boursin Cheese Polenta”
L’Shana Tova Tikatevu
May Your Name be Inscribed in The Book of Life
For a Good Year
My tried and true, tender and tasty, umami-rich, oven-roasted beef brisket has a new look for Rosh Hashanah and the celebration of the New Year 5783. The brisket recipe hasn’t changed much, but the presentation has…
This year our beloved brisket is paired with horseradish polenta. I know that spicy pungent horseradish is not for everyone but horseradish lovers will certainly swoon. Everyone else can enjoy it with traditional polenta and be just as happy.
After the brisket is cooked, I add carrots to the sauce for flavor, texture, and color and as another symbol of the holiday. To observe Rosh Hashanah, traditional foods sweetened with honey, apples and carrots are served. They symbolize sweetness, blessings, abundance and the hope for a sweet year ahead.
What started out as an idea to make a deconstructed pork tamale, morphed into one extremely mouth-watering dish. Creamy polenta with fresh corn is topped with a pumpkin seed kale cilantro pesto. Braised pork shoulder is fried in a bit of oil to give it crispy edges, then piled on top. A dizzying array of garnishes make the dish come alive – avocado, somewhat spicy pumpkin superseedz, pickled radish and red jalapeño, cotija cheese, mexican crema, cilantro.
I am so pleased to be working with SuperSeedz and their marketing team to develop recipes utilizing their amazing pumpkin seeds. SuperSeedz is an innovative snack company that has reimagined the pumpkin seed – adding flavors like cocoa, cinnamon & sugar, cayenne, curry, and more.
Leg of Lamb Medallion, Dijon Mustard Anchovy Crust
Polenta Cake, Spinach, Parsley, Tomato
Warm Anchovy – Pine Nut Vinaigrette
I’ve been testing leg of lamb recipes for an upcoming event. One of the requirements of the challenge is that the entire recipe use no more than 10 ingredients (not including salt & pepper). So my goal is to get as many colors, textures, and memorable flavors into the lamb main-course dish as possible. Another guideline stipulates that all ingredients must be commonly available – so no Italian summer truffle, no foie gras (now banned here in California).
Continue reading “Lamb Medallion Stack, Warm Anchovy-Pine Nut Vinaigrette”
You’ve heard the expression “like a kid in a candy store?” Well that kid was me this past weekend at the Farmers’ Market in Palos Verdes. If it looked tasty, I bought it. No restraint whatsoever. From Japanese eggplant to okra to heirloom tomatoes. And asatsuki, carrots, red serranos, beets, patty pan squash, spinach, garlic, Anaheim chiles, Thai basil, mitsuba…I had no plan, no recipe in mind. I was simply vegetable-crazy.
8-layer farmers’ market fantasy
curried fresh carrot juice sauce with blanched okra & mitsuba
grilled green & yellow patty pan squash
sautéed spinach with sesame, garlic, soy sauce
crispy polenta cake
fire-roasted anaheim chile
fresh goat cheese & asatsuki
cumin dusted grilled beet
spicy smoky heirloom tomato & thai basil
roasted japanese eggplant, maldon smoked sea salt flakes