A Great Culinary Reference

When I am either listening to cooking demonstrations, reading cooking articles, or watching television, I always come across one culinary word that I have never heard.  I feel like most people, even professional chefs and foodies, have this same issue.  When I was attending culinary school, one of the chefs taught basically a whole lesson on how using the resources around us will make us great culinarians.  

He continued by showing us examples of where we can find different forms of information, recipes, demos, etc.  But the one piece of information that has never failed me is a culinary dictionary called Food Lover's Companion compiled by Sharon Tyler Herbst & Ron Herbst.

This has every culinary term known to man-kind I am pretty sure.  The crazy thing is:  the authors keep discovering more and more, and create newer editions to stay up-to-date.  Anytime I am doing research on a different recipe or menu, I always have this right by my side for those times that I need a more solid understanding of a particular term when cooking. 

Another thing I have found out throughout my culinary adventures is that chefs perceive different terms in different manners.  Just the other day when I was watching a demo on how to make cassoulet, the chef insisted that the recipe wasn't a true cassoulet without duck or goose.  I found this quite odd, so I decided to open up this valuable resource so I might understand this classic French dish better.  Come to find out, it is a "classic French dish... consisting of white beans and various meats... The combination varies according to regional preference."  It did give examples of different meats that could be added like goose or duck, but wasn't limited to this particular type of poultry!  It's times like these that I consider "Aha!" moments!

In summary, I thoroughly suggest any foodie, chef, or even at-home cook to purchase this book.  It is a great reference for even the simplest dishes, and will expand the horizons of even the most trained chefs. Never turn down knowledge!  You never know when you will need it!

Christmas Dinner! Yum!

So for Christmas dinner this year, I took a page from my future mother-in-law's cookbook (mantias.blogspot.com) and put it to the test for our family get-together.  Rib roast (aka - prime rib) is quite an easy dish to prepare.  It definitely requires patience and knowledge of meat temps.  You can do this roast two ways, which I will put in here.  Now I will say this, I am copying and pasting the recipe for you because Chef Alyce is great at writing them!  For the seasoning recipe, I totally suggest making a batch to keep in the pantry.  This "house seasoning" would go well on any red meat, potatoes, and on steamed veggies.  I would even add it to home-made pasta dishes for extra flavor.

I cooked the rib roast the first way listed.  It turned out beautifully!  However, we did have to cook it longer and at a higher temperature after the last 30-45 minute cooking cycle to get it to temperature.  I would highly suggest getting an oven probe to temp the meat out so you know it will be perfect!

Prime Rib Roast (Alyce Mantia Price)

Ingredients

• 1 (5-pound) standing rib roast
• 1 tablespoon House Seasoning, recipe follows

Directions

Allow roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Rub roast with House Seasoning; place roast on a rack in the pan with the rib side down and the fatty side up. Roast for 1 hour. Turn off oven. Leave roast in oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 degrees F and reheat the roast. Important: Do not remove roast or re-open the oven door from time roast is put in until ready to serve.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

This method would still take about four hours:

If a crisp crust is desired, sear the roast in a preheated 450°F oven for 20-25 minutes, then reduce the heat. The most accurate way to judge if the roast is done is to use an instant read thermometer. If not using a thermometer, allow approximately 15 minutes per pound for rare, 18-20 for medium, or 25 minutes for a well done roast.

After the roast is finished, I suggest letting it stand for at least 20 minutes.  If you cut right into it, it will "bleed out" and lose all of those wonderful juices and flavors.  Another tip would be to make sure your butcher cuts behind the bones and ties them back up with your roast.  This adds extra flavor to the dish, and it also makes it easier for you when you are carving the roast.  Happy eating!

Sharky's Review: Memphis, TN

When my fiancé, Lisa, and I go to Memphis to see the family, we always have at least one restaurant we visit that I have never been to.  It’s always exciting for me to go, because I know that I will have great food cooked by either Alyce, one of Alyce’s friends, or at an amazing restaurant.  This trip, we decided to experience the Gulf food Memphis has to offer (Yes, I did say Gulf food).  As we were driving down Poplar, we saw Sharky’s, a Cajun Gulf Grill.  The atmosphere was nice, making you feel like you are in a crab shack at the beach.  Yet it still had the romantic feel to make it special for a date night.

So we started off with oysters on the half shell.  We both love oysters, and actually had them the night before at Mister B’s (another Cajun-inspired restaurant).  The oysters here were somewhat mixed in size, but tasted absolutely amazing.  And the most exciting part is that a dozen only sold for $13.75 (at Mister B’s they sold for $20).  They were especially juicy and had a wonderful flavor.  Great start to our meal!

As we looked over the menu, we noticed they had an excellent deal for a four-course meal with a price of $39.95.  So we took them up on it.  The first course was a cup of clam chowder.  The flavor was great at first, but the more I ate it, the more pepper I tasted until I felt like I was licking a pepper grinder.  It was also a little floury.  I would not suggest this soup here.  Lisa substituted her chowder for the blue crab bisque, which was also very floury.  My suggestion would be to just go straight for the gumbo.

Our next dish was a typical house salad.  We both chose bleu cheese as our dressing.  This dressing was very runny, no texture, but had great taste.  The salad was made up of 2 quartered Roma tomatoes, 3 red onion rings, 2 cucumber slices, and iceberg lettuce.  It was a pretty nice intro into the meal, and did not fill us up.

Our next course was the main course, which we both chose the steamed platter.  And boy was it a great choice.  There was so much food on the plate that our server had to bring another plate to make room for all the food!  The dish consisted of snow crab legs, jumbo shrimp, mussels, clams, potatoes, andouille sausage, and corn-on-the-cob.  All was seasoned with Old Bay, which is obviously a great choice on any Cajun dish.  Everything was exceptionally juicy, flavorful, and of great quality.  The snow crab legs were of nice size, and cracked easily without having to use the crackers provided.  The mussels and clams were fully open, juicy, and of bold flavor.  The only complaint that I have about this course is miniscule, which is the crab butter was not blended correctly and broke hours before. 

And finally, the dessert course: Key Lime Pie.  Now, I will say that if you have been to Key West, you will never like anyone else’s Key Lime Pie.  This pie had great texture, but the tartness was very dull.  I could also tell the chef went crazy when zesting the lime, because the bitter part of the lime was definitely prevalent in the overall taste of the dessert. 

In summary, the overall meal was fantastic.  I haven’t had a meal like that since going to a beach-type atmosphere in quite some time.  The service was so-so, however the server did have many tables in her section.  I would highly suggest anyone to try this restaurant, but explore the menu rather than getting the fixed menu.  This is a great eatery for a date night, casual dinner, or simply out with friends.

Sushi for Lunch!

Earlier this week, Lisa and I were craving sushi.  What better way to take advantage of this craving than half-price sushi at a local restaurant, Nama.  It was great, everything was fresh and ready to order, and we even sat at the sushi bar to watch the sous chefs at work making our orders right in front of our eyes!

Then it hit me!  Why can't I do this at home for a fraction of the cost?  So yesterday, I took a trip to the local Asian supermarket.  I was in specialty food heaven!  They had everything from meat cleavers to cow and pig legs/feet.  It was great.  And what was even better was the prices!  I bought two sushi mats, sushi rice (normally $9 at Walmart, got double the quantity for less than $3), chopsticks, soy sauce dishes, and all the basic ingredients to make two quality rolls over and over again for under $30! Score!

Pictured is a basic Cali Roll and Crunchy Spicy Shrimp Roll.  Nothing too complicated (or raw!), but definitely a start.  It is so fun, too!  I can't wait to venture out with sashimi style salmon, tuna, and other delightful styles of sushi!  I'm sure recipes will come in the future!

Mama Mia! Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!!!!

So I felt that it was necessary to blog about my upcoming cooking class at Glass Bazaar on Wednesday, September 1, 2010.  In this specific class, I will be teaching the dish that is one of my favorites to make:  PIZZA!!!!!  Who doesn’t love pizza, right?  But the great thing about making pizza is the versatility of the dough.  You can do so many creative dishes with the dough itself, and make everyone at your party or the family happy at the same time!  For example:

Calzones
Breadsticks
Pizza Bites
Classic Pizzas
Dessert Pizzas
Cheezy Bread
Etc., etc, etc.!

So, to give you a little taste at home, here is a great and basic recipe for some killer dough for your next pizza pie.

Pizza Dough

Makes 2 12” Pies

Ingredients:
2 3/4 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (sifted preferred)
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water ( approx. 125 degrees)
2 tablespoons cooking oil (EVOO preferred)
1 tablespoon honey (optional - to make a more savory dough)

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups of flour with yeast and salt.  Add warm water, oil, and honey (if using).  Beat with paddle attachment on low for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly.  Beat for 3 minutes on high.  Using a dough attachment (or a spoon) mix in as much of the remaining dough as you can.  Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic (roughly 5 - 7 minutes).  Divide in half.  Brush with oil, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Storage:  Can be stored in refrigerator up to 4 days or freezer for 3 months.  Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

To bake:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Turn dough out on lightly floured surface.  Roll out dough in a circle up to 12 inches.  Once rolled out, place dough on a pizza pan or stone.  Poke holes throughout dough with a fork.  Place in oven and let cook for 10-14 minutes.  DO NOT LET RISE!!!!

Take dough out of oven.  Top with favorite sauce, cheeses, and other toppings.  Place back in the oven for 12-14 minutes.  Enjoy!

Reliving Childhood

When I think of my childhood, I remember the amazing meals that I would be guaranteed to receive when going to my grandparents’ house.  But the thing I looked forward to the most were the sweets that would be waiting for my cousins and me when we visited.  But other than banana pudding, peach cobbler topped my list of favorite desserts.

So this week I was shopping around and found a baking dish, and immediately called my “Mamaw” to borrow the recipe to make.  It’s fun, easy, and really turns out great in the end!  So here it is:

Country Cookin’ Peach Cobbler
8”x8” Pan Recipe

5-6 Large Peaches, Peeled and sliced
5 Slices of bread, cut into finger strips (crustless)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 stick melted butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour and sugar together.  Beat eggs and melt butter.  Combine flour, sugar, eggs, and butter to a batter consistency.  Place peaches in a buttered pan and place bread over top.  Pour batter over top evenly.  Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

This time I used whole wheat bread, since it was laying around my kitchen and needed to be used.  This worked great, but I would personally suggest white bread, especially since white bread has a sweeter taste.  When you take a bite of this cobbler, it will amaze you at how great this simple recipe is!  And no cobbler is complete without a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Here is a link to pitting a peach:

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/pit-a-peach.aspx

Please, please, I beg you please do not try to cut through the pit of a peach.  It will destroy your knife, and might even hurt you!  Peach pits are very strong, and do not budge, SO DON’T TRY IT!!!!

Lastly, if you would like to substitute peaches with any other cobbler filling of your choice, try it!  No recipe is set in stone, and experimentation is always welcome!  Recipes are only limited by the imagination, so happy cooking!

The Beginning

Wow, it is amazing how fast a business can really take off.  After mulling over the idea of creating a personal chef company that would help families get back to the dinner table and enjoy great and delicious meals, I have hit my stride starting this morning!  The biggest part of this whole process is the basic task of deciding on the company name!  Who knew something so small could result in something so time consuming.  After weeks of searching, “Sizzle!” seems like a wonderful fit!

“What is the reason you choose this name for?” you ask... Well, it’s quite simple.  Sizzle is a word that creates excitement and wonderful feelings when cooking.  One sound of sizzle, and you know that there will be a great meal in the end!  It creates a sense of down-home cooking that you would always get when going to a holiday dinner with the family, or simply a cozy meal after a long day at the office.  It is the sound that puts spunk in any cuisine!  And after the sizzlin’ has silenced, indulgence is required!

This is an exciting part of this journey, and I hope to make many families and people happy through home-cooked meals.  Plus, this blog will also be my main communication portal for anything food-related.  So get excited!  I know I am!