Pie For Breakfast!

It's obvious that I love cooking, since I'm a chef. But one of the best things that I do is cook with my sons.
Yesterday, when I asked my four year old, Kaleb, what he wanted for breakfast,  he said "PIE! What four year old wouldn't! While he ate a bowl of cereal, we put the ingredients together to make breakfast pie!

We decided we wanted to put apples in our pie, so I let him help me peel several Fuji apples. I hate peeling apples!

Kaleb loves adding the ingredients. This makes me a little nervous since baking requires precise measurements and I'm a control freak, but he rarely spills! 

There is always time to play Peter Pan! Argh!  

Now for the kneading!  Then I realized that I left my roller at work.  Never fear, you can always use a can as a roller,  just be sure to clean it first. 

I thought it would be fun to make personal apple tarts. Just lightly sprayed the muffin tin with pan spray. 

I couldn't find  Mom's cookie cutters so we used Kaleb's Play dough cutters. Again, I washed them first! :) 

We made apples and hearts and used these to top off the crust. 

After sprinkling with cinnamon sugar, this is our final result! 

What a delicious and fun way to start my day! 

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave

"A Romantic Picnic " Valentine's Day Edition

With Valentines Day coming up, I thought it would be fun to share a picnic that I did for my sweetie.
A picnic is the best because you can pick the scene to have the picnic and you can build the picnic basket with a wide array of treats and surprises. Here is a picnic that I created recently for my Valentine and some tips for making a picnic into a romantic moment for you and the one you love.

• Pick a spot with awesome scenery but private enough to enjoy each other and not feel uncomfortable. I picked my favorite beach near our house and we went after sunset.  The view was amazing and the sound of crashing waves created nice mood music. 

• Consider possible disasters like bugs, weather and do what you can to plan for such a situation. 
• Bring Blankets, to sit on and to snuggle in case it gets cold. The beach is perfect for a picnic but got very cold by dark having an extra blanket gives a good excuse to get closer. 
• Bring entertainment, we always used to bring a book we called "The Happy Book".  This gave us dialogue and created a romantic tradition. Poetry or even coloring books or games to have fun and dream and to be childish can make a moment special. 
• Be thoughtful: a flower arrangement, a handmade card or a sentimental gift will be valued more than something even more costly creating a magical memory is the way into a woman's heart. 
• Picnic menu ideas: Layer the picnic so that you don't unveil food from the basket all at once. Use the basket like a magicians hat and create surprise and spread out the moment. 
• Appetizers: Bring  fruit, berries, honey, Greek yogurt and granola or dried fruit and nuts.  Put this into a bowl and layer it with the yogurt on the bottom, then the fruit and granola, dried fruit such as cranberries and nuts. Be sure and bring spoons, a knife, a cutting board, some bowls, cups, plastic wine glasses are super convenient. 
• Here are some suggestions pick a few to build your basket:

1. Crackers: Triskets, Bagel chips, crostinis, crackers, tortilla chips, pita bread
2. Dips:  hummus, salsa, cheese spread like boursin
3. Meats: Pate', sausage, salami, vegetarian tofu 
4. Artisan cheeses: Aged cheese such as Reggiano Parmigianno, Manchega, Montaccio. Fresh Cheese such as goat cheese, chevre, mozzarella balls, cilleginis, prosciutto wrapped provolone. Blue veined cheese, Gorgonzola or Maytag blue. Herb cheeses, drunken cheeses or other flavored cheeses, such as cranberry laced cheese. 
5. Whole fruit and berries: cut the fruit and arrange it on a sharing platter. Make little samples for her to taste and do all the work. 

6. Drink: If wine is allowed Champagne is great or Moscato di Asti. Brachetto di Aqui is what I brought to our last picnic. It is slightly sweet with some bubbles and is red sooo,  yum! Sparkling water and with lemon and lime. Make sure you chill the drink and put it in a wine cooler or thermal container if you are going far. 

7. Sweets: Make something if you can, remember finger foods are best, go with cookies, brownies, bites chocolates, even chocolate covered strawberries.

• Don't forget to bring napkins, corkscrews, forks, spoons, knives, blankets, Shade like an umbrella if necessary, bug spray if you live in Florida, and anything else you may need. 
• Remember to make it fun, if you are not comfortable with artisan cheeses and pate' bring something simpler, delicious and thoughtful. 
• A handwritten menu on pretty paper rolled and tied is a nice touch.  

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave

Vinegar 101

When you are cooking and layering elements of flavor, a vital ingredient is the acid. This excites your palate and and makes the flavors jump out. Ascetic acid is this important part of food also known as vinegar.

How is vinegar  made? I'm glad you asked! It's all in the sugar. Anything containing sugar can be made into a vinegar. Two processes take place before the final product of vinegar occurs; Alcoholic fermentation and acid fermentation.   Some common types vinegars are cider vinegar made from apples; white wine, red wine, balsamic vinegar, all made from grapes; and rice vinegar.

My favorite, Balsamic vinegar, is traditionally made from the trebbiano grape. This grape is also blended to make  Conqac in France, where it is known as the ugni blanc. Trebbiano is a white grape but in the process of making balsamic, it is reduced and often thickened using ingredients like corn flour and even color is added with caramel. In the modern production of balsamic vinegar the aging process may not include wood barrels, but traditionally the grape juice is placed into barrels and aged. The types of wood used would often change as well as the size of the barrels. So a very old 100 year balsamic would end up in a small barrel.  Some of the traditional techniques are not adhered to because the demand is so high.

                                                         

By combining oil and vinegar a simple vinaigrette is produced. The ratio of oil to vinegar is usually about three parts oil to one part vinegar. This is a general ratio and may vary with the style of vinegar and personal taste. Since a balsamic vinegar is softer because of aging, when making a balsamic vinaigrette, you might do a ratio of half balsamic vinegar to extra virgin olive oil and then add salt, black pepper and dried oregano.

Here are a couple of recipes where the vinegar is part of the flavor component.

Grilled Bruschetta Two Ways

Slice Crusty French bread thinly, using a bread knife. Lay the bread slices in and drizzle more 

oil on top. Continue to stack the bread with oil in between. Then follow one of the following to 

recipes or both!

Tomato and Avocado Bruschetta:

6 Plum Tomatoes diced

2 ripe Avocado diced

2 Cloves of garlic minced

6 leaves of cilantro coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Shredded Mozzarella

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Balsamic syrup for garnish



Directions: In a stainless bowl combine the ingredients except for the mozzarella cheese and 

season with salt and pepper to taste. Place into a plastic container, cover and refrigerate. 

Place Mozzarella on top of the bread once it is grilled. Place remainder of ingredients on top  

and finish with a drizzle balsamic syrup.



Tri-Color Pepper Bruschetta:


2 Red bell peppers (seeded and sliced)

2 Yellow bell peppers (seeded and sliced)

1 Green bell pepper (seeded and sliced)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 Red Onion Sliced

1/2 cup Pure olive oil

1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar

6 leaves of basil cut into chiffonade or sliced thinly

Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste


Directions: In a saute' pan heat the oil then add the minced garlic and cook until aromatic, next 

add the onions and saute' until translucent. Then add the peppers and cook until slightly soft. 

Add the salt, pepper, Basil and red wine vinegar. Store the pepper mixture in a plastic 

container and refrigerate. Top the peppers over the sliced French Bread.

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave

A Seal's Tale

 Being a Chef in San Diego I have come to enjoy some awesome views like this:

 and this...

The weather in SoCal is nearly perfect year round and people come from all over the world to visit. I work in Coronado, right on the bay overlooking the city and which is known to have one of the best beaches in the world. But one day I was surprised by a strange visitor and an unexpected view.

 One afternoon just after the lunch rush, I went out on the deck of the restaurant to admire the view of the city and watch the water, which I enjoy doing daily. There is a small beach that goes underneath the restaurant and when I looked out I saw a large lump in the sand. After closer inspection I was surprised to see it was a harbor seal.

I cautiously approached the seal to see if it was ok and it's skin appeared to be very dry and pale. I wasn't sure if it was alive.  I decided to call Seaworld to ask them for advice. They suggested that we spray water on the seal and it should bring it back to life, so to speak. So, I asked my dishwasher, Carlos, if he could take a hose under the restaurant and help me with this strange endeavor that was definitely not part of his job description. Of course he agreed excitingly.

Not the view I was expecting to see while I took a break. 

I supervised as Carlos gave the seal a bath and to our amazement, the seal perked up immediately. 

It started looking better in no time and it's color came back to the familiar dark grey. Carlos and I really enjoyed this break from reality.  We joked about making it our mascot but we expected that Sea world may be coming soon to take it away to make sure it was healthy. 

After about thirty minutes, it was apparent that Seaworld wasn't coming. Carlos gave his own diagnosis of the seal's health and began dragging the seal to the water. I watched him a bit concerned but since Carlos was obviously the "seal whisperer" I let him do his thing. When the seal was in the water it gave Carlos a look as if to say thank you and then slowly swam away. I was so excited to have come so close to this seal and very relieved that it survived.

Working in the restaurant business as long as I have, I have come to understand that no two days are ever the same. And this day in particular, will remain one of the most unique.

Live to Cook!
Regards, Chef Dave

Tailgating: An American Tradition

Tailgating. Is this a world wide practice or exclusive to the United States? I'm not sure. But I

do know that people can take the art of tailgating pretty seriously. No ones knows the exact

date the first tailgating party took place, but I think it's safe to say that it has evolved over 

the years.
                                                    


For those not native to the U.S. of A, tailgating is basically an informal pre or post game 

party that takes place in the parking lot of a sporting event or concert. It can be as 

elaborate or as simple as the participants are feeling it. Alcohol is usually involved.

Car loads of fans will start filling the parking lot hours in advance of the kick off, first pitch

or opening band. They will open their trunks or hatchbacks and remove portable grills and 

coolers, tables and chairs. The tailgaters surrounding each parking space become like long 

lost friends that have been invited into your temporary dining room!

I'm lucky enough to live in San Diego which is considered the 5th best tailgating City in the US! Peohe's, where I am the Executive Chef, is privileged to cater food for our home team. It's safe to say that I am rooting for them tomorrow;  But doing so carefully since one of my sisters and her family are die hard Bronco's fans. (Go Chargers! )

San Diego Chargers Tortilla Crusted Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

6 filets of tilapia 5 oz
6 soft corn tortillas
3 Avocados
1/4 cup of cilantro chopped
2 limes juiced
Kosher salt, Black pepper to taste
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Tortilla Chips
1/2 cup flour
4 Eggs

Directions before the game:

Place the tilapia on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper on each side.
In a food processor puree tortilla chips until the size of bread crumbs.
In three bowls place 1/2 cup of flour in one bowl, break and whisk 3 eggs in one bowl add a 2 Tbsp water, then place tortilla breading in one bowl. Dip the fish in the flour until coated, next in place the fish in the egg mixture, then place the fish in the tortilla breading. 

You can fry this at home and keep warm for the game. Or light up the Coleman gas grill and fry with 1/2 inch of hot oil. Cook approximately 1 minute on each side.

Guacomole Ranch Dressing:
1 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
3 Avocados, skinned, pitted, mashed
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Follow the directions for Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Package
Place the mashed avocado in a bowl and add the lime juice and mix, next add 1 cup of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and season to taste.

At the Game:

Grill corn soft tortillas on both sides, place tacos on a platter.
Top taco with shredded cabbage, drizzle Avocado Ranch on the cabbage, place fish in the taco, add chopped cilantro, chopped roma tomato and shredded jack cheese. ( hot sauce optional.)

Serve with and ice cold Stone Brewing Company Arrogant Bastard Beer.


                      

Denver Bronco Buffalo Burger with Green Salsa Aioli

Ingredients:

Two pounds of ground buffalo
1 pkg onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Directions before the game! In a mixing bowl, combine the buffalo, soup mix and salt and pepper. Form into eight 1/4 pound patties. Place in plastic container layered with parchment paper an and refrigerate over night.

Green Salsa Aioli

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cilantro chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 green onion chopped
1 serrano pepper
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup mayo
juice of 1/2 of lemon

Tabasco (optional)
Splash of Worcestershire
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions before the game: In a food processor (or mixing bowl, if you must), combine all ingredients and season to taste. Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate over night.

At the game: Place your burgers on the well oiled grill. Cook to your desired temperature adding pepper jack cheese, if you like, at the end. (I like mine a little pink inside). Slightly grill your Onion Rolls and place your buffalo burger on top with green Salsa, add your favorite toppings like red onions, iceberg lettuce and juicy tomato.

Serve with an ice cold New Belgium Brewing Company's Fat Tire beer!

                                                                 

Provided by Nationwide Insurance