It Came from the Kitchen

I'm ready for my closeup

2011-10-30T00:16:00.000-04:00

TGT did a little interview with me at FanExpo last month. You can view the video on their site here.

You can see the video below:

Is that what I really sound like?

It begins early...

2011-09-16T23:25:00.000-04:00

I loved the old show Hilariouis House of Frightenstein when I was a kid. The great Billy Van created all these wonderful characters and you couldn't help but love them all. His characterizations were all spot on and he seemed to be having so much fun with them. I never knew they were all played by one man at the time but even now it's hard to believe that there is one guy under all that makeup. Every performance was exceptionally unique and compelling in its own ways.

I miss Billy Van but I am so glad I got the chance to talk to the man on the phone and tell him how much he meant to my child hood.

It's on Amazon now and well worth the viewing even if you don't have kids.

Grizelda the Ghastly Gourmet was my favourite character. She made cooking look like fun even though the concoctions weren't all that appetizing.

Here's a clip:

Me at FanExpo in Toronto August 25-28

2011-07-16T23:09:00.000-04:00

Hi there. Long time no write. Just a quick note to let you know that I'm going to be appearing as a guest author at FanExpo in Toronto in August. FanExpo is the third largest fan convention in the world. I was shocked to learn that but my good friend James Armstrong who is very busy organizing and putting this together does a great job of creating events for the fans.

Here's my author page at FanExpo

Hope to see you all there. I will have copies to sign and the great Terry Marsh will be there as well signing copies of his artwork.

Greetings!

2011-03-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

I'm now recuperating from Toronto Comic Con, where Terry Marsh over at Hauntedmarsh.com and I presented the book and some artwork that Terry had done for the book. Terry has some exciting comic stories coming out. Stunted and State51 are certainly worth a look so please head on over there and watch for exciting updates of these two very different stories.

We met a lot of very enthusiastic people and it was great to hear so many different perspectives and viewpoints.

Thanks to all who got a copy and I hope you enjoy this labour of love that's taken us so many years and so much hard work to compile. I'll have photos of the event to post soon

Take care,

Geoff

Weird Tales from the Book

2010-09-19T20:53:00.000-04:00

My cell phone battery died once and upon retrieving my text messages found two messages from:

Bruce Campbell, indie-god of horror and awesomeness leaving me a message about our disclaimer form.
Richard Matheson: author-god of such books as I am Legend and many short stories and original Twilight Zone episodes leaving a message forgetting what he sent us.

Martin Sheen sent a signed photo and wrote "Cream of Wheat" on the photo for his favourite food. This was before he got the part on The West Wing.

Once when Gord and I were lining up to meet Angela Cartwright from Lost in Space and Julie Newmar from Batman at a convention, we realized we didn't have any cash to buy their photographs. Luckily, we knew the convention organizer and he gave us cash from my credit card.

Working late trying to get out all our legal permission forms out and we spelt director Richard Fleischer's name wrong. Being a member of Hollywood royalty (his father was one of the original animators) he declined to sign the release form. Gord called him soon after and apologized and he agreed to sign the release.

Roughly 40 per cent of all the names in the book were gleamed from conventions. Travelling to fan conventions from all over, going up to actors, directors and stars and simply asking them "do you cook"? seemed to work best.

The rest of the submissions came from a brute force writing campaign and some helpful assistance from interviewer Tom Weaver and his endless supply of home addresses from stars from the classic period.

For every 18 people we wrote, we received one reply.

Tim Burton's office expressed interest but never got around to sending a submission due to conflicts. Burton's production at the time: Planet of the Apes.

We were turned down by Lou Ferrigno, Douglas Adams, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Stephen King, Majel Barrett Roddenberry and Jonathan Harris (Lost in Space, A Bugs Life) who asked for money.

Buddy Hackett sent a great Sweet and Sour Salmon recipe but we ended up not including it because he hadn't enough credits. The recipe will be posted on this blog in the near future.

We were originally turned down by Ray Bradbury but Gord sent his dinosaur book and we managed to get a submission.

Tom Baker (Doctor Who) send me a great letter but we couldn't get permission to print it. It has been reproduced on this blog for all to see.

While shovelling snow in the worst snow storm in years, I got a phone call from Jeffery Combs, the star of Re-Animator and one of my favourite actors in the horror genre and we had a great chat. He sent a great recipe for Tortilla Soup. Gord who loved movies of a different generation, had never heard of him. Combs gave away the ending to me of Star Trek Deep Space nine on the phone at a later period.

Gord and I were belonged to different generations. He gathered the older generation and I got recipes from the newer generation of 1970 and beyond.

We gathered over 100 recipes from stars, directors and writers in the horror and SF film genres in the course of 8 years.

Thanks to the sons and daughters and grandsons/daughters of Vincent Price, Alfred Hitchcock, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr, Claude Rains,

The Jessica Rains, the daughter of Claude Rains, told me a great story of working with Woody Allen on the set of Sleeper and being taken to see The Invisible Man at the movies in which he wrapped himself up in a scarf to protect his identity and failing miserably thanks to him looking more like his character than he imagined.

After getting a recipe from Joe Dante, we managed to receive a recipe from just about anybody who ever worked with Joe very easily.

I got a phone call from actor Robert Picardo (The Howling, Star Trek Voyager) about his recipe and was delighted that he dedicated it to the Godfather. My mother had answered the phone and thought it was from Patrick Stewart who played Jean-Luc Picard.

Kurtwood Smith sent a nice letter saying he was sorry he "blew it on the cookbook" but we had our deadline moved forward and I wrote him back. I never heard from him again as I had moved after that point but he sent a great photo and I got to tell him how much I enjoyed his performance in Robocop.

Harry Knowles of Aint-it-cool-news fame sent out several emails to his friends and stars regarding the cookbook on our behalf. I received a nice email from Guillermo del Toro saying that he would think about it, but sadly, he never got back to me.

Happily enough, Father Geek (aka Jay Knowles) sent a great recipe he created for the cast of The Faculty which was a great beef brisket he named in honour of Elijah Wood. That recipe is in the book as well and is highly recommended.

Nothing was more exciting about that time of my life than getting a return envelope in the mail with a recipe inside.

Once I received a return envelope with nothing inside. I never figured out who it came from.

Forrey Ackerman (the agent and super fan) sent a ton of anecdotes and most of them are in the book. I enjoyed talking to him on the phone and he shared many more.

Home made Corn Dogs

2010-08-27T23:34:00.000-04:00

I love these things. I never had the pleasure of having one in New York where they first made an appearance but have always enjoyed them at carnivals and exhibitions. I used extra sized all-beef pure franks and used a glass to dip them in the batter. That way the batter coats the entire wiener. The secret is to keep the weiners as dry as possible otherwise the batter won't stick properly.
I was getting somewhat annoyed at having cornmeal lying around the cupboard and not having a proper use for it since I stopped making cornbread with it. Too dry. I've since substituted creamed corn for that so this seemed like the best use of it.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons of bacon fat or duck fat
oil or shortening for deep frying
10-12 hot dogs
wooden skewers or popsicle sticks

Directions:

Heat the oil in the deep fryer until it's 360°.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, bacon fat and cayenne pepper with a fork in a medium sized mixing bowl.

In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs with milk and the 1/4 cup of oil. Stir egg and milk mixture into dry ingredients and mix until the batter is fairly smooth and consistent.

Pour the batter into a tall glass. A beer glass works best.

Pat each hot dog/wiener with a paper towel to ensure it's fairly dry.

Insert a wooden skewers (I used 2 for each wiener) or Popsicle stick into each wiener. Holding the stick or skewer, dip each hot dog into the beer glass filled batter, twisting the wiener to coat evenly so that the batter is relatively thick.

Cook hot dogs in several batches of about 2 or three each until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes). Place on paper towels to drain.

Cooking a well done steak Gordon Ramsay

2010-05-31T12:06:00.006-04:00

I found this video on Youtube and thought it was interesting. A news crew went to Gordon Ramsay's Maze restaurant and filmed a well done steak that was "overdone and a bit burnt" and tasted like "rubber."

In other words, it sounds like just about every well done steak I've ever had.

I think the journalists were a bit obnoxious, and I have to side with Ramsay on this one. Either they have an axe to grind with Ramsay, or they're fishing for more ratings. In any event, a well done steak loses its flavour through cooking.

Typically, well done steaks will be slightly charred on the outside, especially if it's a thick steak that the longer cooking requires. An overcooked steak will be bitter. I'm not sure what rubber tastes like as unlike the reviewer, ever eaten it but I going to assume he's referring to the chewy texture.

However, the USDA minimum safe temperature for cuts of steak are 145F which is around Medium to Medium well done so a well done steak is not necessary for safety reasons. Red meat turns pink at around 140F as the myoglobin -- a protein that stores and carries oxygen to the muscle tissue -- starts to turn colour. It's also that runny red juice that people mistake for blood. It's actually the myoglobin that gives the meat its red colour.

Some tips for cooking steak:

Don't go by weight when cooking meat. Use the thickness as a measure instead. A one inch thick steak will cook on medium heat for 4 minutes a side for rare, 5-6 for medium and around 7 for well done.
Only turn steaks once especially if using a BBQ. If turned too early, the outer layer can stick to the grill and you want to get those great lines on the steak.
Meat is mostly water and they give it up through the cooking process. Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes so it can reabsorb the water and you'll end up with a more tender steak.
When taking temperatures, use the center of the meat away from the bone (the bone can heat up more than the meat and give an inaccurate temperature reading) and slowly pull out the thermometer reading the temperature the entire time. The lowest temperature will be the most accurate.
Ground meat should be cooked to 155F at least. There is greater danger for pathogens and fecal bacteria from the intestines in the butchering process with ground cuts of meat.
Chefs often fry their steaks in butter with a bit of olive oil and keep basting through the cooking process. Tilt the pan slightly towards you and with a soup spoon, keep pouring the butter over the top. This will result in a juicier steak even at medium.

Does 'searing' meat seal in the juices?

2010-05-21T08:53:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a while, but I'm returning to the blog because I've started cooking again after a long contract. I dug out this old post I wrote two years ago and made some changes to it.

This is a somewhat old question now but I thought I would revisit it because there is still a great deal of confusion on the topic. I still see people doing this and for the wrong reason. It seems to depend on what one means by 'searing'. That does not mean preventing a complete net water loss from the meat tissue.

In fact, searing the meat results in a greater loss of water content from the muscle tissue than not searing the meat. As the meat is applied to a very hot surface, it browns the outer tissue and purportedly reduces the porousness of the muscle fibres, a belief that, according to Wikipedia, began with a food scientist and chemist Justus von Liebig in 1850.

The hard crusty outer layer of that is formed through a chemical process is often falsely believed to act as a barrier to prevent water from escaping during the cooking process.

Searing a piece of meat improves the flavour through a chemical process called The Maillard reaction. Unlike caramelisation in which sugars are oxidized, The Maillard reaction is a process where a carbon and oxygen group of a sugar reacts with an amino group from an amino acid which results in a browning effect and a flavour change. A good example is the toasting of bread or roasting of coffee.

It does improve the texture as the difference between a crusty exterior and a softer interior make for a more desirable palate experience. Quite often chefs will brown the exterior of the meat before broiling, frying or even boiling large roasts.

Sear the meat to improve the flavour, but a juicy cut of meat on the table starts with a fresh cut of meat from the local butcher.

For more information on the science of cooking, try On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee and Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor by Herve This.

Visitors

2010-05-19T19:24:00.001-04:00

Screw Cork! Caps work just as well!

2009-08-11T23:21:00.003-04:00

I may be a snob about a few things (movies in particular) but wine isn't one of them. The science is in regarding the cap vs. cork debate on wine and it's clear that the cap works just as well but adds convenience.

Globe and Mail wine connoisseur and fellow alcohol snob Beppi Crosariol agrees with me.

He writes:

Some avid wine drinkers know – and too many do not – that cork is highly susceptible to a foul-smelling but otherwise harmless defect commonly known as cork taint. Officially called 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, it is not to be confused with those little particles falling into the bottle as you wrestle with a dried-out cork. TCA is a specific chemical fault and it smells, depending on whom you consult, like mouldy cardboard, damp newspapers, sweaty socks or my neighbour's unwashed dog in the rain.

So why use cork? Partially I think it's part of the experience. Searching through the kitchen drawers for a corkscrew and fumbling to stick it through the cork and turn against mounting resistance seems to make the effort of enjoying the wine more pleasurable but only in the way being made to wear a toga and ceremoniously dunked with maple syrup is tantamount to entering high school.

Let's hear it for TCA less wine. I love progress.

The Shoe Burger

2009-06-19T15:01:00.004-04:00

Want!

A curious letter from Doctor Who

2009-06-18T00:30:00.006-04:00

This is a letter I received from Tom Baker about ten years ago when I first started working on the cookbook (not a typo -- it's really been that long) It didn't make it in the book because I didn't know quite what to do with it and I never got written permission to use it. I do think this blog is a good place to put it and it's a shame to go to waste. It is pretty entertaining and I hope more people can make sense of it than me.

I asked Mr. Baker if he could give me a recipe, his favourite foods or an anecdote.

This is what I got:

To begin at the beginning. I was born with several teeth on the 20th Jan. 1934. I mention the teeth not to brag but to praise my mother who adored me and told me that she went through hell for the first few hours of my life. Not only did I seem glad to be out of the womb and into the Liverpool air, but I was simply an ecstatic and voracious feeder; which I still am. Or, if you like, which is still true.

My darling mother told me that me appetite, like my acting was way over the top of anything she could imagine. And so sharp were my teeth that I made mince meat of my mother's nipples. I waited till she died before I revealed this piece of autobiography. Of course these are very dim memories for me.

Because the tooth fairy had been so good to me I was deprived of my mother's molk within three hours of my attack on her nipples; both of them. I hope it's clear that I'm talking about both my mother's nipples and not the nipples of the tooth fiary for whom I have the greatest respect. My mohter was a martyr to her love for me.

Oh, get on with it, Tom.

So there you have the beginning of my eating experience, my own mother!

I'll give you a piece of advice here; never trust a man who would eat his own mother.

My mother also told me that the Germans had heard about me and that's why they declared war on Liverpool and began to bomb us so often. I had no idea that they were also attacking the rest of the country. So within a short time the country was short of food, all my fault, and then began the austerity programme. Each day at six o'clock in the morning and then at midday and again at six at night a large wooden spoon was produced from behind the oven and I was fed cod liver oil. In no time I was hooked and would mew for my CLO.

We also were fed a nice looking asphalt like substance called malt. I grew to like this as much as my thrice daily CLO. Whatever these aids to life contained they sure made me grow. By the time I was six years old I was bout five feet and eight inches tall and often topped in the street by recruiting sergeants with gruff voices who demanded to know why I was not in the army. When they discovered I was only six and not eighteen they whistled Rule Britannia and marvelled.

About this time, 1940, I started on a course to become a professional liar. We were keen Roman Catholics in my bit of Liverpool and confession was a must if you were interested in Eternal life. Following this sacrament, I made my first communion. For the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Nudists among your readers I should explain.

This second steop on teh way to perfection was called: "First Holy Communion," and it was a very special morning indeed. IN fact it was the most amazing morning of my entire life. It was the mornign of the day that I ate God. Shall I say that again? OK. It was the morning of the day that I first ate God. I swallowed His body, His blood, His Soul and His Divinity. It really was a big day for me. I should add for those of you who like all the details that I did not bite Him nor did I chew Him.

No, He was so tender that He just dissolved on my tongue and I ingested Him. It was my first meal on that glorious May morning 1940.

So, to recap: My first meal was milk and both my mother's nipples. This was followed by a mixture called Cow and Gate. This was a white paste, I think, that tasted vaguely of cows and I don't (know) what else. But it was a great fertilizer and made babies grow tall. Then came the Malt and the Cod Liver Oil on top of the Cow and Gate. And then, as I have just told you, I started to eat God.

Well this mixture acted like magic and I grew like a beanstalk in a Pantomime. By the time I was eight I was as tall as a Grenadier guardsman though of course much thinner. I was called lofty by any passer by.

Then came Bovril, which is an essence of beef. Taken in large quantities with say spinach seems to produce a state of credulousness that surpasses disbelief. So Nipples Blood God and Spinach were my early influences. You can imagine the exquisite sense of anticipation I feel in a restaurant when I ask the waiter to bring the Menu! But I'm always disappointed. If it wasn't for the Spinach, I'd be in despair.

Don't chop those carrots!

2009-06-17T13:22:00.004-04:00

Chopping carrots was always a bit of a chore, but I never knew there were drawbacks to both health and taste. BBC News has released this story Cancer boost from whole carrots and the findings are

Scientists found "boiled before cut" carrots contained 25% more of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than those chopped up first.

Experiments on rats fed falcarinol have shown they develop fewer tumours.

The Newcastle University study will be presented at NutrEvent, a conference on nutrition and health, to be held in France.

Lead researcher Dr Kirsten Brandt, from Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said: "Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked.

"By keeping them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in nutrients and the taste, so the carrot is better for you all round."

The Newcastle scientist, along with colleagues at the University of Denmark, discovered the health benefits of falcarinol in carrots four years ago.

Lead researcher Dr Kirsten Brandt, from Newcastle University's School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, said: "Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are cooked.

Twenty five percent is a pretty significant difference especially considering a reduction in tumors by a third for rats. I'm not sure what the comparison for humans is and what exactly type of cancer it would affect but so far this is only one study and hopefully there will be more to come

From a pure culinary perspective, I think just as many restaurants will find this interesting:

Dr Brandt added that in blind taste studies the whole carrots also tasted much better.

Eight of ten people favoured the whole vegetables over those that were pre-chopped.

This is because the naturally occurring sugars which are responsible for giving the carrot its distinctively sweet flavour were also found in higher concentrations in the carrot that had been cooked whole.

Huh.

Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-04-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

This is a home made chicken soup recipe I came up with in honour of dear friend, fellow browncoat, Jewish ~~mum~~ mom (oops -- American!) and current scholarly influence Candace Uhlmeyer.

Nothing quite soothes quite like a chicken soup and for once, I even made the stock myself. One can learn a lot about cooking just by walking through the grocery store in search of nothing in particular. I love not having to look at a list and wondering which isle I should head to next. Some of the most interesting things have come from just wondering what to do with a particular ingredient I've never had before. Hopefully, I'll find some use for that dragon fruit but in the meantime, I was elated to come across a hoard of freshly wrapped stock chicken bones.

Cheap too. That's the important part, especially in this day and age and the soup has lasted me over a week infusing me with protein and vegetable nutrients.

Oddly enough, one of my early influences in cooking was Bugs Bunny cartoons. For some reason, Bugs was always to be the main ingredient of a soup. Perhaps the act of chopping up ingredients and throwing ingredients in a big pot provided more comedic fodder, but the message was that soups are pretty easy to make.

A chicken soup needn't be complicated. In fact, the simpler the soup, the better and you'll be more inclined to make them more which is the same mistake people with crock pots make. I think it's important to use home made chicken stock (not broth -- which isn't as tasty), and healthier too as there is less sodium.

And it's low in fat and cholesterol and rabbit friendly of course...

So here's the recipe:

The Stock:

It's Gordon Ramsay's actually so I'll summarize it here as it's quite simple. It makes about six cups.

Ingredients

(my comments are in italics)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped (I used 2 shallots, tasted better)
2 celery sticks, chopped (I used three, It tastes better and makes the soup a bit crunchier)
1 leek, washed and sliced (make sure to get plenty of the green bits. That's where the flavour lives)
1 bay leaf
1 thyme spring
3 garlic cloves, peeled (I smashed them a bit. The flavour gets out better)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp flour
2 lb raw chicken bones (I doubled this and some of the bones had some meat on them. Chicken backs are preferable to legs and wing bones)
sea salt and black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in stock pot and add vegetables, herbs, and garlic. Cook until golden over medium heat stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in paste and flour and cook another minute.
3. Add bones and pour in enough cold water to cover.
4. Season and bring to a boil.
5. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
6. Reduce heat and let simmer gently for one hour.
7. Let the stock stand for a few minutes, then pass through a fine strainer and let cool.
Refrigerate and use within five days or freeze for up to three months.

The Soup

6 cups of stock (above)
1 chicken breast
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 handful of egg noodles, fine (important to have the fine ones)
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp basil, dried
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
1 small handful of fine egg noodles.

Directions

1. Heat stock in pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add chicken breast, carrot, leek, onion, celery, garlic and herbs and simmer for one hour. Add more water if necessary.
3. Remove chicken breast and chop into bite sized chunks. Return to pot.
4. Add noodles and simmer until they are soft.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Food Price Hikes

2009-04-13T01:45:00.001-04:00

The BBC reports that food prices are going up which is not suprising. This is bad news on many levels, because most of the cheapest foods available, are high in sodium, fat and calories. It is for the most part, easier to keep prices down that way. It's not made any easier when the cheapest cut of meat is the hot dog.

Let's face it, we can't all make the most of rice and beans which are healthy for the price but hardly exciting.

They report the following price increases:

Rice - up 81%
Pork sausages - up 51%
Mince - up 22%
Milk - up 14%

Well so much for Rice being cheap, so that just leaves the beans. I firmly believe that culinary education is the key here and people all over the world, including Britain, have forgotten how to cook.

Gordon Ramsay has done a good job at educating the public in England and here in Canada we have some pretty smart home grown chefs on the Food Network, but it's not enough. A little patience, imagination and I think above all, planning menus and shopping lists but we're not used to doing that.

Thankfully the web is making it easier to save money more than ever. Sites like Frugal Shopper and other various articles on saving money have made an impact on every day budget cuts in grocery bills.

Just remember, fresh is better than dried but anything is better and cheaper than what comes in a frozen box. Consider a lasagna, and add up the costs. A box of frozen lasagna that costs $2.39 will be far more expensive than a large lasagna you make yourself and cut up into lunch sized portions. Price reduced warehouses don't necessarily have cheaper ingredients. Some of these places hike up the prices on some ingredients (meats or vegetables) to compensate. It's always good to compare prices. Years of experience in retail has taught me the value of knowing what the competitor values as their core customer expectation and how to compete with that.

Do the math. Fresh is cheaper than frozen and store bought. It might take a little more effort and time but it's worth it. Those lunches at work add up and you'll lose weight with less added sugar, fats and carbohydrates.

Work up a timetable during weekends. Freeze what you can, prepare ahead, clip coupons, price check and you'll be on the road to a healthier bank account and waist line.

It's ratio, not recipe

2009-04-08T11:13:00.003-04:00

If there is a secret to cooking just about anything, Michael Ruhlman's new book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking might have the answer the foodie has been looking for. He sums it up pretty well in this interview with the Globe and Mail.

A ratio is a fixed proportion of ingredients relative to another, and these proportions form the backbone of the culinary arts. A recipe is a specific set of measurements and instructions for combining those measured ingredients. These ratios are starting points.

There are recipes in the book however but Ruhlman is aware of the irony of that. The recipes are very simple and form a basis for more complex recipes. If you know the basic ratio of ingredients (fat, flour and sugar) in a cookie dough, Ruhlman argues that it empowers the cook to create any number cookie recipes.

He also talks about the usefulness of using mass measurements instead of volume. That might explain some of those heavy, dry cakes I've had to suffer through in the past.

It's critical. Ratios don't work with volume, which is why most recipes don't always double well. Flour, depending on the humidity in the air and how long it's been sitting in its sack, weighs anywhere between roughly four and six ounces [per cup]. That means that if a recipe for bread calls for four cups of flour, you could have either sixteen ounces, a pound, or a pound and a half; that's 50 per cent more, and you don't know which one it is. But if you weigh, it's always going to be the same, which is why professional chefs love to use weight.

I've been meaning to buy a scale for some time.

Ingredient Guru: The Bay Scallop

2009-03-20T23:39:00.004-04:00

Gordon Ramsay fans and foodies around the world must surely know the Sea Scallop is a popular staple of fine dining around the world. That buttery, savory seafood taste that rolls off the tongue echoes through the palate like a Mozart concerto on a sunny day. It's a staple of most fine dining starter menus and tapas style restaurants in those tres chique parts of town.

But the Sea Scallops retarded younger brother is every bit as tasty, if not smaller, and I think less demanding on the stove. They're smaller but can be stir-fryed in butter and garlic much easier. They cook through much simpler and brown easier. They're great in pasta sauce and even go great in stuffing for chicken and other poultry.

I've tried both but find the bay scallops to be somewhat stronger in flavour. The Atlantic scallops I buy are small about a half an inch wide and are caught off the coast of Cape Breton Island. According to this site there are four distinct species.

One of my favourite recipes is the simplest:

Garlic Penne with Bay Scallops and Snap Peas

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced (substitute 1 tsp of garlic powder)
1 tbsp of thyme leaves
1/2 lb of Bay scallops
1/2 cup each sugar snap peas, green beans, yellow zucchini
300 grams of Penne (or substitute any pasta)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil salted water and add Penne.
1. Heat olive oil and butter in a pan and add garlic over medium-low heat.
2. When the garlic is browned slightly, add teh thyme and the scallops. Saute until the scallops start to turn brown and lose their greyness.
3. Add the vegetables and stir until heated through and the vegetables are slightly tender but still slightly crunchy.
4. Drain the pasta when cooked al dente (or slightly more), and plate with the scallops and vegetables on top.
5. Season to taste.

Indian Food Made Easy

2009-03-14T01:23:00.003-04:00

Here's a television show I wish I could see. Indian food has had a profound effect on British taste buds in the last twenty or so years. I have discovered my love for curry and Indian food which despite its reputation for being exotic and spicy, is as broad and varied as most national cuisines due to the country's size and unique regional cultures. My research for the book led me to appreciate Indian food more and I had included an "Indian Style Vegetable" recipe for that very reason.

The website will give you a good rundown like most BBC food show sites. There are recipes to try and video demonstrations. I also like the glossary. I had forgotten that tandoori meant the oven the food was cooked it.

In the UK, the word tandoori is frequently used to describe food that has been marinated in a spice paste made of ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and cayenne mixed with puréed garlic, puréed ginger, lemon juice, oil and, frequently, yoghurt.

That is also my understanding of the term and how it is used locally.
Speaking of Yoghurt, that's one of the greatest low-fat cream substitutes I've been able to find.

If you're planning on exploring Indian food more closely I recommend you try this page that outlines the essential ingredients. The spices alone should be in every foodie's pantry.

I Hate Cilantro too!

2009-03-03T15:53:00.010-05:00

If we judge flavour by how edible and/or safe a food is then, Cilantro (or Chinese Parsley or Coriander) has to rank up somewhere in the near-poisonous zone. Turkish delight tastes like soap too, but at least it's sweet.

Now I'm somewhat comforted to learn that there is support for the few of us who would rather do without this garnish menace. Thanks to Larry Moran over at Sandwalk, I've learned there is a website dedicated to putting the hate on this herb from hell.

They have Haikus so you know it must be good:

Sometimes I forget...
Then it rears its ugly stench.
Please, someone kill me.

I will admit that I've used the dried spice version (technically Coriander Seed) as a spice on a few occasions, but the funky taste isn't as dominant and it has a sweeter aftertaste. I've never tasted it alone, so that might explain why I'm less hostile to it.

Some have suggested there might be genetic component involved in the perception of the taste, but it has never been established.

If you don't like the flavour of cilantro, I recommend you substitute Italian leafy parsley in a recipe instead. I've been doing that for some time and get a similar texture with an equally strong and more pleasant flavour.

Update: I just found this great piece in the Wall Street Journal.

At the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, Dr. Wysocki and fellow researchers asked 41 pairs of identical twins and 12 pairs of fraternal twins to rate the "pleasantness" of cilantro. His scale ranged from plus 11 to minus 11, with zero indicating "neither pleasant nor unpleasant." More than 80% of the identical twins gave ratings similar to their siblings, while only 42% of the fraternal twins did -- suggesting cilantro hatred may be a genetic trait. But Dr. Wysocki cautions that he hasn't yet analyzed enough fraternal twins to draw a firm conclusion.

Dr. Wysocki contends dislike of cilantro stems from its odor, not its taste. His hypothesis is that those who don't like it are unable to detect chemicals in the leaf that are pleasing to those who like the herb.

Interesting. Maybe that's why it's fine for me to use coriander seed, unless it's chemically different.

Oscar Night Cuisine

2009-02-22T12:31:00.003-05:00

Massimo Capra has a great Oscar night "buffet-style" menu here. That's not a bad idea as I usually snack throughout the evening. I like Capra's style and simple Italian one pot approach to cooking.

I don't know anyone who would prepare this extravagant a menu for an Oscar telecast. At least now I know how to get more people to come over and visit.

SEARED KOBE BEEF ON TRUFFLED POTATO CROQUETTES

INVOLTINI DI BRANZINO

SHRIMP COCKTAIL CEVICHE-STYLE

SALAD ROLLS WITH BLOOD ORANGE YOGURT VINAIGRETTE

Proof Omega-3's exist

2009-02-11T15:32:00.002-05:00

It was the default text so I just went with it.

"Look at this Richard! Just Look at it"

2009-01-26T21:45:00.005-05:00

The London Telegraph has published this marvelously funny complaint letter from a Virgin airline passenger en route to India.

I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.

Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at the hands of your corporation.

I don't know what it is about airline food myself but some of the cheapest airlines have the best food. Air France's food is notoriously bad, while some of the smaller airlines in North America (West Jet, Continental) use well stocked, if simple and to the point, frozen entrees.

It appears to be in an evidence bag from the scene of a crime. A CRIME AGAINST BLOODY COOKING. Either that or some sort of back-street underground cookie, purchased off a gun-toting maniac high on his own supply of yeast. You certainly wouldn’t want to be caught carrying one of these through customs. Imagine biting into a piece of brass Richard. That would be softer on the teeth than the specimen above.

I rather enjoyed Air Transat's Pizza pockets and a few meals were quite nice, but I'm happy to have skipped out on this one.

The Reuben Pie

2009-01-22T00:11:00.003-05:00

Behold The Reuben Pie!

Please excuse the messy photo but The Pie just goes where it wants to go. Now that's a meat pie!

Like many great dishes, the origins of The Reuben sandwich are contentious, but for all accounts, it is most attributable to New York Delicatessens especially Reuben's Delicatessen around the turn of the century. Whether people love it or hate seems to depend on their affection for sauerkraut or rye bread, but it has been a favourite sandwich of mine for many years now.

This is why!

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 egg
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1 16oz can of Sauerkraut, drained
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 cup of rye breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of onions, chopped
1 can (4oz) French fried onions (or onion rings in chip section, or potato chips)

Directions

Preheat oven 400 degrees F.

Mix meat, oatmeal, egg, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, garlic and pepper. Press into a 9 inch or 10 inch pie plate as if it were a crust. A deep dish pie plate is best! Press firmly to build up the sides all away around. Bake for 20 minutes until it has been evenly browned. Pour off excess juices and fat.

Meanwhile, mix the sauerkraut, cheese, seeds, and the fresh onions.

Reduce heat to 375 and pack the remaining ingredients firmly into the meat shell. Bake another 20 minutes. Crumble the french fried onions and the breadcrumbs and bake 5 more minutes.

Serve immediately in pie shapes wedges.

Jeffrey Combs: The legend, the actor

2009-01-13T21:03:00.005-05:00

"He used to bring beautiful women here... eat fine meals, drink fine wine, listen to music... but it always ended with screaming. " - Jeffrey Combs in From Beyond.

Welcome fellow Jeffrey Combs fans and soon to be Jeffrey Combs fans.

If you haven't seen Elisa's wonderful blog Combs Corner, be sure to drop by especially if you are a fan of Jeffrey Combs and his wonderful contribution to science fiction, horror film and television. If you are not aware of Combs' talents, then you are in for a treat. His sometimes serious, sometimes colourful, sometimes completely outrageous and entertaining and unique approach to the genremake him the perfect modern Vincent Price. Gordon and I were very excited to get a recipe from him. That Tortilla Soup is really fabulous, so be sure to try it if you haven't already!

Elisa has an anecdote I wrote here and I'm very proud to have contributed something. Please feel free to comment if you like.

If you would like to order a copy from me, you can email me here with name and address. The book is $15 US plus shipping and handling.

Duck Fat : Ingredient Guru

2009-01-10T20:53:00.002-05:00

Good? Yes. Healthy? No.

Duck Fat is not a good fat though it is a highly respected way of cooking food. It is high in cholesterol and not recommended by doctors or nutritionists to use in cooking. Chefs love it of course and it can be useful in frying or sauteing potatoes, legumes or other vegetables.

If you prefer flavour and want to cut down on cholesterol then use 1 tsp of duck fat to 1 tablespoon of olive or canola oil. It will give your veggies a nice flavour, but will reduce the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet.

Use wisely.

It won't help your waistline, but this is one of the most common ways to cook potatoes using duck fat.

Baked Potatoes

About a pound or two of potatoes can be used.
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary or Thyme (tablespoon each if fresh, a teaspoon each if dried)

Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Toss wedges or slices of potatoes with 1 tsp of duck fat in a bowl and 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and dried or fresh thyme or rosemary. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very browned and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.

The bottom line is if you are watching your cholesterol, you should avoid most animal fats in general. Canola and Olive oils are good to use as they have a good balance of mono, polyunsaturated fat content. Olive oil even has the benefit of flavanoids though has a lower smoking rate, and isn't good for frying as Canola is.

Rethinking Food

2008-12-28T18:11:00.001-05:00

As my book deals with food in the future in some small part, I found this piece from the BBC to be interesting: Food needs 'fundamental rethink'

Professor Lang is a member of the UK government's newly formed Food Council.

"Essentially, what we are dealing with at the moment is a food system that was laid down in the 1940s," he told BBC News.

"It followed on from the dust bowl in the US, the collapse of food production in Europe and starvation in Asia.

"At the time, there was clear evidence showing that there was a mismatch between producers and the need of consumers."

Professor Lang, from City University, London, added that during the post-war period, food scientists and policymakers also thought increasing production would reduce the cost of food, while improving people's diets and public health.

I think there is a need to spend more time on saving food, and not wasting it in the future. We should be more diligent about what we have in our refrigerators and learn to appreciate and understand just how easy it can be to make the most of any kitchen pantries.

Oil and energy: "We have an entirely oil-based food economy, and yet oil is running out. The impact of that on agriculture is one of the drivers of the volatility in the world food commodity markets."

Water scarcity: "One of the key things that I have been pushing is to get the UK government to start auditing food by water," Professor Lang said, adding that 50% of the UK's vegetables are imported, many from water-stressed nations.

Biodiversity: "Biodiversity must not just be protected, it must be replaced and enhanced; but that is going to require a very different way growing food and using the land."

Urbanisation: "Probably the most important thing within the social sphere. More people now live in towns than in the countryside. In which case, where do they get their food?"

DVD Review: Meals on DVD: Shop, Watch, Cook!

2008-12-15T23:51:00.000-05:00

Food network

While most average cooks are content to follow a recipe and create a limitless array of healthy, fresh meals; the process is not without its problems. Some recipes can be hard to follow, missing key ingredients or lack important detail altogether.

For those of you content to heat boxes of heavily processed foods in the microwave or emptying cans into pots, the process of preparing fresh meals can seem rather daunting. With life in the fast lane; fresh, hot prepared meals are becoming a thing of the past.

Now thanks to Food TV and Sony Pidctures Home Entertainment, you can get the best of both worlds. They are releasing 12 wonderful DVD’s full of delectable recipes and demonstrations selectively edited from your favorite Food TV shows ready to buy at your local grocery store. The ingredients are conveniently listed on the back so you’ll be fully prepared to start the culinary masterpiece listed by host or theme.

It’s a feast for your eyes as well as your soul. Featuring popular Food TV chefs such as Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentis, Michael Chiarello, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray and Ina Garten among many others; the DVD’s provide easy to follow directions with text screen recaps and ingredient lists. No TV in your kitchen? Fear not. There are even printable versions on the dvd’s for such an eventuality but at least you’ll remember how the bubbles should look like on the red wine reduction in the Blue cheese vinaigrette and how exactly to layer the ingredients for the lasagna rolls. The direction and camera work is so perfect and detailed that you can almost smell the cinnamon on the doughnut rolls.

Most of the recipes are simple, quick to prepare and very well chosen. They vary from the healthy to “heart attack on a plate”. Southern chef Paula Deen lays on the fat and calories on pretty thick. While cooking her Swiss steak she mentions she’s going to add the butter “just ‘cause I saw the butter sitting back here. Can’t resist it.” Okay so she doesn’t spare the fat and calories nor does she spare the butter in her Peach Cobbler or cans of soup in her creamy Macaroni and Cheese slow cooker recipes but she is entertaining and like all the chefs take you step by step through the recipes to a perfect finish line. There are also helpful tips for seasoned chefs such as freezing blue cheese in order to make it easier to grate on salads.

All the discs have a theme. There’s the Slow Cookin’, the Elegant Entertaining with full course meal of “Loin of Pork with Fennel”, “Salad with Blue Cheese Port Wine vinaigrette”, “Banana Chocolate Hazelnut Crepes”, “Pea Whipped Potatoes” and “Chive Biscuits.”. Pastas From Giada present simple pastas anyone can prepare such as “Lasagna rolls” and delectable “Italian Doughnuts” which can be made with prepared pizza dough.

Regardless of how well you cook, the Meals on DVD: Shop, Watch, Cook! DVDs will have you cooking like a pro in no time. Do you want to make more friends? Be sure to check out these wonderful titles and impress your friends with your new found culinary skills.

The discs come with full ingredient list and retail for a suggested list price of $7.99 each. They are be available in grocery stores now.

Buy Now!

I'm sick of Pomegranate

2008-12-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

It's time to vent about an ingredient.

Make no mistake about it, a pomegranate is a really healthy food. Curried by a level of mainstream media reporting on the health benefits of an ingredient on the order short of Oat Bran, studies of the antioxidant levels of the pomegranate have been pouring out like nutrition industry bought a condo in crazy town. It practically comes in pill form, except that you have to suck medicine off of it.

A safely assessment study even showed there's limited adverse effects from over dosing too. Oh good, because I've been having these nightmares about dying from fruit.

It inhibits prostate cancer growth and has anti-inflammatory properties and cardiovascular disease prevention, teeth strengthening super fighting power and not to mention prevention of erectile dysfunction for good measure. Bacterial infections and anti-biotic resistance are also the default health line for these kinds of healthy foods.

It's called cellular antioxidant activity or (CAA) and it's a quantifiable level of activity in a cell. Pomegranate and berries (blueberries, blackberries etc.) have the highest, whereas bananas and melons have the lowest.

Since this upsurge in science, recipes that have capitalized on the ingredient requiring pomegranate juice. You wouldn't seriously ask for someone to squeeze all the seeds from that thing would you? Then there's the juice/sludge you can buy from a pretentious bottle in which you can read an entire (early) Harry Potter book before the stuff makes it all the way down your throat.

Healthy and nearly perfect; except for the part where it's kind of tart, doesn't taste that good and there's only a slightly tangy so bad it's good quality to the flavour, I'd say it was a pretty good ingredient.

So full confession: I hate those things! I'm sick of seeing pomegranates stocked up on some pre-fabricated display of desperation that I buy them or risk sudden death from malnutrition. I value the exercise gained and calories burned as I maneuver around them in the grocery store.

Hot tip: How to remove the seeds Cut off the top of the fruit. Score the skin in quarters from top to bottom. When removing the seeds from the fruit, submerge it in a bowl under cold water in the sink and soak for a minute or two. Break the sections apart with your fingers and thumbs. This will keep yourself and your kitchen cleaner as the juice will stain just about anything. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl in the process, the rest will float away. Dry the seeds and enjoy.

Or not.

Pumpkin Gratin with Crispy Romano Garlic topping

2008-12-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

This is a bit late and more of a fall dish for obvious reasons but it's fun to make. You can even use your leftover Halloween pumpkin.

Ingredients

1 Small pie pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 oz cheese curd (substitute mozzarella cheese)
2 tbsp flour
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of milk
Topping
1 1/2 cups of Japanese Panko Bread crumbs
1/4 cup of romano cheese
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven 375. Butter a round 3L baking dish (or use several small souffle dishes).

Line the bottom of the dish with the pumpkin pieces. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Add the milk, eggs, basil and flour and mix until the eggs are frothy. Add the cheese curd to the cooked pumpkin and mix so it is spread evenly. Mix the flour, milk, eggs and basil until frothy. Pour the mixture over the pumpkin-cheese combination.

Cover and bake for 10 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and sauce is bubbly.

Combine the bread crumbs, garlic, romano cheese, thyme and butter and spoon over the pumpkin. Place under the broiler for about 2-5 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Sauteed Bison with Potatoes Dijon

2008-11-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice twist to old fashioned 'meat and potoates' that I really enjoy making. The potatoes Dijon is another recipe from my book except the Bison is new addition. I found it really made the plate pop and it's fun and easy to make. Good quality Bison has a nice strong gamey flavour that isn't off putting and goes well with the potatoes.

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 lb Bison steaks
1 tablespoon of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Potatoes Dijon
2 pounds baby purple potatoes, haled
3 red onions, diced
4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 yellow peppers, finely diced
1/2 pounds turkey bacon, chpped
3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Add the potatoes to a pot of salted water and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Add the bacon to a pan and allow to cool a bit. Keep the drippings and set aside. Crumble the bacon and add the onion, peppers, mustard and mayonnaise to the bacon.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a pan and add the butter. When the pan and the oil is hot, add the bison to sear. Cook from 4 to 7 minutes a side until done in the middle. Spoon the butter/oil mixture over the bison to baste. Tilt the pan if necessary but be careful. When the bison is cooked, remove to a plate and allow to rest for a five minutes.

Add the hot potatoes to the cold mix and stir with turkey bacon drippings. Add basil immediately before serving.

Mediterranean Linguine with Tomatoes, Olives and Smoked Mussels

2008-11-19T22:58:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

11 oz dried linguine
1 tbsp sea (or kosher) salt and pepper each
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup of fish (or chicken) stock (substitute white wine)
1/2 cup Smoked Mussels, chopped
1 can (8 oz) of chopped olives, drained
3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tbsp butter
5-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions

Boil a pot of salted water (should taste like soup) and add the pasta. Cook for 8 to eleven minutes until al dente or to taste.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium low heat and add the onion and garlic and fish stock until soft about 3 minutes. Add the olives and mussels and heat through an addition minute or two and the liquid is reduced by half.

Drain the pasta and add the butter, stirring to mix evenly. Add the olive, mussel and onion-garlic mixture and toss until evenly distributed. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Add to warm plates and drizzle with olive oil and additional sea salt.

Quinoa : Pronounced "Keen-wa" (Quinoa pudding with fresh blackberries and pear)

2008-11-16T22:45:00.000-05:00

Quinoa is a seed that is edible though it's not quite a cereal grain though it's technically a fruit. It's leaves can be eaten much like lettuce though they're not easy to find. It can be used as a substitute for rice, couscous or small pasta and it's mighty healthy. It's not cheap but if you're looking for a healthy alternative to brown rice that's easy to cook, Quinoa is a good choice.

This is a simple pudding you can make for breakfast or a dessert. I've made a similar breakfast recipe with risotto but this is a healthier version.

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/3 cup of maple syrup
3/4 of dried cranberries
1 cup of vanilla yogourt
1/2 cup of blackberries
1 pear, chopped

Directions

Add the water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and reduce to low heat. Cover and simmer up to 15 minutes until all the water is dissolved and the quinoa is soft in texture.

Place the cornstarch, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

In a saucepan, add the milk, maple syrup and cranberries and heat over medium low heat. Add the cranberries and the dry ingredients, whisking until smooth and slightly thickened about 2 minutes. Stir in the quinoa and cook for about 5 minutes until well blended and heated through.

At this point, the mixture can be stored in the refrigerator. It should be cool until ready to add the yogourt. Stir in the pear and add the blackberries on top.

Obama's Key Appointment: White House Chef

2008-11-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

The NY Daily News has an article speculating on the identity of one of Barack Obama's most important appointments: White House executive chef. The article says that Obama is very health conscious about his food, in contrast to Bush's love of BLTs and BBQ, and there are three main chefs in the running: Art Smith, Rick Bayless and Daniel Young.

Obama's Key Appointment: White House Chef

Surprise! Surprise! Barack Obama is a health nut. Good to know we won't see a beer gut on the guy in four years.

Courtesy of Ed Brayton at Scienceblogs.

The Big Mac: Home version

2008-11-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

You may have heard of Don Gorske's record of having eaten 23,000 Big Macs. Gorske was the Big Mac addict chronicled in Morgan Spurlock's fast food expose Super Size Me. Gorske says he eats roughly two of the popular fast food hamburgers a day.

The Big Mac has a long history as a staple of the fast food diet. Perhaps the mixed message of Super Size Me was counter productive and showing people how to make their favourite fast foods from fresh local ingredients is the better option than staying away. It does make more sense to show how to make their favourites from fresh local ingredients rather than deter people from going to McDonald's.

So with that I give you the home made Big Mac.

It was easy and I used organic baby greens. It tastes just like a big mac -- only better. I won't even insult your intelligence by telling you what you already know about the health factor.

There are tons of recipes on the net that replicated the recipe fairly well but being a McDonald's veteran. I worked there in my teen years and discovered cooking while working some overnight maintenance shifts in which we were allowed to cook anything as long as we wrote everything down we used.

Fryers, grills... you name it ... a huge kitchen and 18 years old? We got creative. You get the picture.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 pound very lean ground beef
5 oz organic mixed baby greens, chopped
4 Sesame buns plus 4 tops of other (cheaper) buns (similar width)
2-3 Dill pickles, sliced
4 slices processed (American) cheese
1/2 medium Onion, chopped finely (save some for the sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

The sauce:

1/4 cup of thousand island dressing
2 teaspoons of ketchup
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of sugar (ok to substitute splenda or sugar sub)
1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon relish
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of mayonaise (don't use the low fat stuff -- it contains too much sugar)
1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce

Directions

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Cut the tops of the extra top buns and reuse for other hamburgers or make bread crumbs.

Either place buns in a toaster oven (a top, a middle and a bottom) for each slice (easiest way) or heat a pan and fry the buns until golden brown.

You'll need to grab a golf ball size of ground beef, flatten it and even it out so it cooks evenly.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the burgers for about a minute each side. The burgers should be about the size of a regular big mac. The ingredients are supposed to blend so don't make them too big unless you have a ginormous mouth. Cover to keep warm.

Turn the meat and season with salt and pepper. Normally, McDonald's would add the onion on top of the meat, but it was reconstituted so please do not try this at home!!!

McDonald's buns are smaller than most commercially available buns, so smaller buns are not only better, but healthier.

To make the sandwich, place a tablespoon of the sauce on the lower portion, and a tablespoon on the middle. Place enough of the greens to cover both the middle and the bottom. Place a slice of cheese on the bottom and two pickle slices on the middle. Then two burgers on each and then a teaspoon of the chopped onion on each. Top with sesame bun and it's done.

note: I tried this with whole wheat buns and chopped baby spinach but it felt like biting into a garden hedge. Use one or the other, don't use both.
If you want a more authentic taste, eliminate the sesame oil and the worcestershire but I think it's better and more flavorful that way.
You can substitute romaine lettuce for the greens or use the green leafy part of iceberg.

How to boil water like you mean it!

2008-11-08T00:29:00.000-05:00

I often have to cook foods in boiling water. It's practically a default reaction and a culinary practice most people are used to. Pot. Water. Stove. High heat. Wait for bubbles. As much as I love a good rolling boil, I've always felt that it's the next step where people go awry.

Salt.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think flavour should come from every single step in the cooking process. There are many ways to enrich the flavour of a dish and I usually try to add it to the boiling water. I used to think only my mother could could rice properly. White rice I had tried from other sources tasted bland in comparison until she told me she always cooked it in water with a chicken bouillon cube thrown in instead of salt. I have a short list of things I like to add when I cook anything in water, especially pastas, rice, eggs, grains, vegetables and meats. I always add salt when cooking vegetables and it helps retain their colour, but when cooking most foods you could always try adding anything from this list you think applies.

Curry

Chicken stock/cube

Cinnamon Sticks

Bovril (beef stock)

fish stock

Clam juice

Fresh Herbs

Onion, garlic and chives in a cheese cloth

Olive oil

Almond, sesame (or other nut) oil

Vinegar (especially flavour infused rice or wine vinegars)

Raw vegetables (even if they're a bit old)

This list is not by any means complete. If you have a suggestion, please feel free to post in comments.

Romanesco: Eating Mathematics

2008-10-18T22:03:00.000-04:00

Cauliflower or Broccoli? Broccoli or Cauliflower? The Romanesco something was discovered in Italy in the 16th century and is believed to actually be a variant of cauliflower but is green just like a broccoli and is often sold as such.

Heralded for its anti-carcinogenic properties, like most Brasssica genus, it's heavy in vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, riboflavin and fibre. This ingredient makes a fabulous center piece in any dish or meal.

One study noted its level of isothiocyanates (ITC's) which are bioactive compounds that inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells. Only black and purple cabbage showed higher levels.

The florets grow from a pattern called the Fibonacci series which is a fancy way of saying the sum of two numbers is equal to the two previous. It is also a premise for a bad Dan Brown novel, but this post is supposed to be about cool vegetables and not sour grapes..

Years ago back in film school, a professor got bored showed the class a documentary on fractals and the nature of chaos and how evolutionary biology can be understood mathematically. Well he wasn't very good anyway but that was eye opening.

I like the Romanesco because it's both broccoli and cauliflower and yet something completely different all at the same time. That is an outlook I find both philosophically comforting and pithily descriptive of myself in many ways. All of nature should give me this much satisfaction wrapped in a vibrant green parcel, but alas that is not always the case. Besides, any vegetable could do math better than I could and yes I'm anthropomorphizing but every so often I like to think nature has a sense of humour.

There is more to be learned from its complex replication of simple fractals patterns which make this healthy vegetable (broccoli or not) a mesmerizing substitute for the ordinary offerings at the big box grocery store. It's almost a shame to chop.

Mmmmm... this needs a song.

Are Barracuda good to eat?

2008-10-07T00:39:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if this is a good ingredient, but the idea seems interesting enough. Here is video footage that I took in Saona Island south of Dominican Republic in the town of Manu Juan.

Apparently they are very oily and have a strong fish taste. That may account for a high degree of Omega 3 fatty acids which are quite healthy and are responsible for the fish taste.

Perhaps it was best I didn't get a taste as they have a toxin (ciguatoxin) in them that can cause diarrhea and even neurological problems according to this health warning. Cooking doesn't help as ciguatoxin has a high tolerance for heat. People have died from eating it though so I'll likely stick to salmon.

Smoked Salmon Spirals

2008-10-06T12:27:00.000-04:00

This is a simple and old family recipe and is in my book along with many recipes that have been passed down through the ages. Some of these recipes have come as far away as Glasgow and the Isle of Skye. It's great for tea time or even adding as an appetizer for a soirée for friends and family.

Ingredients:

Smoked salmon thinly sliced
Chive cream cheese
Salt and pepper
Romaine lettuce, center 'vein' removed
Flour tortillas

Directions

Spread tortillas with chive cream cheese. If you can't find chive cream cheese, substitute plain cream cheese and use fresh chopped chives. Top with salmon slices in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add a leaf of romaine lettuce. Roll up tortillas tightly and wrap each in plastic wrap.

Place in a dish and store in the fridge. When ready to serve, unwrap and cut tortillas on the diagonal.

For a low-carb alternative, omit the tortillas. Spread each salmon slice with cream cheese and sprinkle with pepper. Use the romaine leaf as a wrap.

Risotto with Coconut milk and Butternut Squash Puree

2008-09-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

I read a recipe for Risotto that was described as 'fast-cooking.' I had to laugh. Risotto is never fast and probably shouldn't ever be. It's a very slow yet therapeutic dish to make. I find it very calming to concentrate on the rice absorbing the liquid knowing that at any moment, I'll have to add more. In doing so, I forget about all my worries and focus on immediate goals.

This is a somewhat speedier version of Risotto, the way that professional chefs prepare it. It's sort of the omelette of haute cuisine especially in Europe and New York. Parboiling the rice before hand shaves cooking time by about twenty minutes. I used coconut milk instead of cream because it is lower in saturated fat.

Servings: 2 (about 1/2 cup rice per serving)

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup risotto rice, preferably Aborio
4 cups chicken stock
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup coconut milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of Parmasen Cheese
2 tbsp fresh or dried Summer Savory
2 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees F and put on some music; preferably something either soothing or catchy.
2. Brush a baking dish with a tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and insides and place flat on the baking dish. You can leave the skin on.
4. Bake the squash for 45 minutes.
5. While the squash is baking, place the rice in a pan, cover with water to about an inch above and parboil for seven minutes. This will drastically cut down on the cooking time. Set aside.
6. Heat the chicken stock in a pan and keep warm. Place in a pourable container cause you're going to be pouring from it a lot.
7. Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and saute the shallots and the garlic until soft.
8. Add the rice and season with salt and pepper.
9. Pour in a half a cup of chicken stock and stir until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Keep the heat low and repeat this process until all the chicken has been absorbed. You want to maintain a slow boil.
10. When the Squash is ready (it should be soft almost like mashed potato), scoop out from the skin with a spoon and place in a blender.
11. Add a tablespoon or two of the chicken stock and blend until smooth.
12. Add the cinnamon and blend again.
13. When all the stock has been absorbed, add the puree and heat through.
14. Add the summer savory
15. Add the coconut milk and the butter and stir until al dente.

Authentic Italian Risotto is very al dente (chewy) but you might like it softer. Keep stirring until desired tenderness is reached.

16. Add the coconut milk and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
17. This makes two servings. Serve with a smidgen of summer savory on top and a nice glass of white wine.

Chicken Kiev with Smoked Panchetta and Shanghai Bok Choy

2008-07-27T18:36:00.001-04:00

This recipe for Chicken Kiev is a little more international than most, but has a lovely flavour. I was just a wee lad when I discovered this wonderful Russian concotion. Thanks mum!

The savory panchetta offsets the sweet Shanghai Bok Choi perfectly. It's one of my favourite of my own recipes.

Ingredients

2 large free range chicken breasts
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 oz smoked panchetta bacon
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 leaves of shanghai bok choi
1 egg
flour for rolling
oil or shortening for frying
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of wax or parchment paper. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breasts flat so they are no more than 1/8th inch thick. Place in refrigerator.
1. Place butter in bowl with tarragon, chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and place on plastic wrap or wax paper.
2. Roll up the butter and place in the freezer for twenty minutes or until solid enough to handle.
3. Cube the panchetta and place in a hot pan and fry until it starts to turn brown.
4. Place a paper towel in a colander and allow the fat from the panchetta to drain.
5. Remove the solidified butter from the freezer and cut in two.
6. Place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper on a cutting board and put a chicken breast on top.
7. Place a leaf of bok choy on the chicken breast. Place a tablespoon of breadcrumbs, a tablespoon of panchetta and one half of the butter mixture at the end of the chicken breast.
8. Fold the sides of the chicken breast over the butter and using the plastic wrap or wax paper, roll up the butter in the chicken breast tightly. Make sure that sides are well sealed. Seal the wrap or paper around the chicken breast tightly and place in the refrigerator for half an hour up to overnight.
9. Whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water until blended and place in a bowl. Add flour to a plate enough to coat both chicken breasts. Add the rest of the breadcrumbs to a third plate.
10. Cover a chicken breast with the flour, coat with the egg and dip into the breadcrumbs until well covered. Make sure that at each step, the breast is well coated equally.

Note: Make sure that the chicken is completely covered in crumbs. The chicken needs to be dry (hence the flour) to make the egg wash stick, and wet to make the crumbs stick.

11. Place enough oil or shortening in a medium sized pan to half an inch depth.
12. When the oil is very hot, but not smoking, place the chicken breasts and heat up to four minutes a side. Check the colour of the crumbs. They should be somewhere between a light and dark golden brown. Turn often if needed making sure the pan or the oil are not too hot.

13. When the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, remove from pan and drain the chicken in a colander. Let rest for a few minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

Fried Brains in Bloody Syrup

2008-05-30T00:53:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite desserts in the book and it's so fun and easy to make. It was inspired by a make up effects artist who made brains out of bananas for a Sci-Fi/Horror film.

It's also great if you have children as they like to make the sauce and fry the bananas. What kid can't resist bananas?

Ingredients

Brains

6 bananas, split lengthwise
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup of whipped cream or ice cream

Bloody Syrup

1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup of fresh raspberries, plus some for garnish
3/4 cup of fresh blackberries

Directions

Add berries to a small saucepan and add the maple syrup. Cook over low heat until the berries have been reduced by half. Strain to remove seeds and set aside.

Add the brown sugar and the rest of the maple syrup to a clean pan and stir until it begins to caramelize. Add the heavy cream and the butter and stir until well blended.

To serve, place two banana halves with the caramel on a plate and cover with the berry sauce. Top with whipped cream and fresh raspberries for garnish and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Removing Bones from a Northern Pike

2008-05-26T23:38:00.001-04:00

I've never been able to do it up until now but Greg Laden has an amazing video on slicing up a Northern Pike. It's enough to make me cry I tell ya. Great job Greg! That PhD thingy really does come in handy, up there in Minnesota.

When in doubt, go fresh.

Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Pear, Goat Cheese Brie and Portobello Mushroom

2008-05-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Pear, Goat Cheese Brie and Portobello Mushrooms

This is a great dish I love to prepare for guests. You can make this ahead of time as you can always roll up the tenderloin in cling film and store in the oven before cooking once the filling is complete.

Ingredients

2 tbsp (45 ml) butter
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup Portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup minced baby spinach
1/4 cup of red wine
1/2 cup goat cheese brie, cubed
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1/2 Pear, cubed
5-8 leaves of baby spinach for coating.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pork tenderloin, about 3/4 pound
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven 475 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat.
3. Add chopped onion and mushrooms and stir until onions are soft and mushrooms have lost most of their water.
4. Add the chopped garlic and stir for another minute.
5. Add the spinach and the wine and stir until heated through.
6. Remove from heat and add the wine, brie cheese and the thyme. Stir until the mixture is heated through and the cheese has melted evenly.
7. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped pear.
8. Slice the pork tenderloin down the middle being careful not to slice all the way through. Leave about half an inch at the bottom.
9. Place a few leaves of baby spinach over the tenderloin to coat fully.
10. Place the onion, mushroom and cheese mixture over the leaves in the exact center and fold up the tenderloin.
11. Tie up at every two inches with twine.
12. Heat olive oil in a pan and sear until brown.
13. Place tenderloin in oven proof pan and bake until done for 20 minutes.
14. Remove from oven and let sit for about five to ten minutes.

If you have trouble tying up the tenderloin, you can see a good demonstration here.

You can always use the drippings from the tenderloin as a sauce if you want to. Just add a couple tablespoons of the wine and stir until evenly mixed.

Slice the tenderloins about an inch two two inches apart. Pour sauce over top of the tenderloins and serve with fresh chopped baby spinach leaves on top.

"Alien Egg" Quiche

2008-05-19T21:37:00.001-04:00

This is from my book but I made it a bit differently. I found these really neat ramekins at the dollar store and they only cost me a dollar each. They don't look like I paid only a dollar for them which makes them more worthwhile. I've even fooled a few people. The key is the complete lack of tackiness and the so-simple-it's-elegant angle.

I envisioned this recipe as a way to incorporate the movie Alien (directed by Ridley Scott) and take advantage of the 'egg' idea. The quiche is supposed to look like an open egg with the four edges sticking up. Of course it doesn't always look that way but I like to give myself points for trying.

So here is my quiche...

alien Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients

2 sheets of puff pastry
4 shallots
1 ¼ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
¾ cup Swiss cheese, grated
8 stalks of asparagus, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
6 strips of roasted red pepper, chopped fine
½ cup of prosciutto, shredded
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and white pepper

Directions

Place a sheet of pastry in a 9-inch spring form pan and press down firmly at sides and bottom.

In this instance, I took a single sheet of puff pastry and evenly divided it up into four pieces. I then used two squares for each ramekin instead of a single sheet for a spring form or baking dish.

Place the second sheet on a 90 degree angle to the first and press pastry against sides of the pan. The corners of the pastry will stick up.

Saute the asparagus on medium heat until soft, remove from pan and set aside. Add the shallots, and red pepper and saute until soft.

Add half the cheese to the bottom of the pastry lined spring form.

Sprinkle the vegetables and prosciutto over the cheese and add the rest of the cheese on top.
Beat the eggs, cream, salt and pepper, and pour over top. Place strips of aluminum foil around edges of pastry to prevent burning.

Bake in 350ºF for 80 to 90 minutes or until top is firm.

Serve with cappuccino.
Serves: 4

My First Post

2008-04-04T21:49:00.001-04:00

Enjoy with: Crackers with Maple baked ham, Monterey Jack cheese and a glass of milk and/or chai tea
Genre movie to see: 28 Weeks Later
Classic movie to see: The Tin Star

This is my first post of my new blog It Came from the Kitchen, which is based on the book I co-wrote with my friend Gord Reid. It is a cookbook we put together based on Sci-fi, horror and fantasy film-makers, writers and actors. Most of the recipes were compiled from celebrities from those fields and the rest were either written by me or chefs that I have known.

There have been many passions in my life but the book puts two constants together: movies and cooking.

I must confess that this wasn't supposed to be the first post. I thought I would do my own personal favourite shrimp and beer recipe from the book but someone beat me to it (Thanks Alana!) I was just about to pick another recipe but I saw my oven needed cleaning.

So I found an old can of fume-free (yeah right!) oven cleaner and wasted time coaxing the cheap stuff to come out of the can. It only looks like it does in the commercials after about five minutes of shaking or alternately banging on the kitchen counter. I grabbed my old painting gloves, an old t-shirt, face mask (to dampen the fume free fumes) and a pillow for my knees I set out to clean said oven.

Now my oven is all foamy and I have to wait two hours for it to set. Perfect. I can go buy groceries, make dinner, eat dinner, watch Battlestar Galactica, remove nails from bedroom wall, choose paint, clean shower, move furniture, paint bedroom and write my first blog post.

I forgot about the oven.

Hint for cleaning oven: make sure you use a laundry sink for dumping the water from dirty oven. If you don't have a laundry sink I recommend the sink or drain you hate the most. In my case, it's the bathtub which I then set out to clean.

If you're sensing a pattern here, it is that I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to writing. It only took me eight years to finish the book but I somehow manage to write reviews and articles given a deadline so I promise to be good this time.

Classic movie seen: The Tin Star. I'm on an Anthony Mann kick so I started with this one. Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins star as a bounty hunter and sheriff respectively with differing views on the law. An over used western theme is made fresh again thanks to Mann's attention to detail plus Perkins' perfectly naive sheriff who tries to coax Fonda's hardened bounty hunter into helping him rid the town of baddies.

Genre Movie to see: 28 Weeks Later. Despite an average script, director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's deft juggling of a frenzied hand held pace with and a heart felt veneer, makes this one of the better horror sequels in recent years. It's 28 Weeks later in the city of London which was ravaged by a plague of angry zombified (note: not actual zombies 'cause they're not dead -- very important!) disease ravaged people. A father (Robert Carlyle) comes together with his two kids. The kids are played by the aptly English named Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton and they're both quite natural.

The other plus is the way Fresnadillo handles London. He captures the vistas of old and new London (Isle of Dogs) that is both eerily dead quiet and stunningly peaceful like a Sunday morning after a huge block party. By some strange stroke of luck, I found myself sitting in the exact location it was filmed with friends only five days after seeing it in the theatre back home.