Foodestination: salmon

I've walked by and stared at those blue packages of Australian wagyu at Costco God knows how many times. A bunch of us decided the time has come -- to try the Aussie wagyu. I also got all ambitious and wanted to include Michelin 3-star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Molten Chocolate Cake. Overall, I managed to cook all the dishes, but experience is starting to tell me to not be so ambitious -- "you ain't got the professional training to do it both FAST and GOOD!" The result? Everything came out super slow...my guests passed out between meals! Also, the risotto was a little bland (portion too big too!) and first batch of chocolate cake was overcooked -- not so molten. (it was perfect during trial run the night before) What did we say about ambition? Anyway, minus the minor failures, the pictures still look good. Please enjoy the visuals :-)

好幾次在 Costco 買肉時都會在澳洲和牛那區徘徊一陣子，看看油花，摸摸肉質。有天跟朋友在線上討論時，決定該來買這裝在藍色保麗龍盒子的牛排來做做看了。我想到上次 Danny & Co. 吃完牛排時甜點是爆漿巧克力蛋糕的完美組合，所以今晚也想來做 Jean-Georges V 星級餐廳的巧克力融漿蛋糕。今晚菜是都有上，但看來沒有專業訓練的底子還是別亂生自己無法 handle 的菜單，真的無法達到速度和食物都完美的境界，結果當然是出菜超慢，朋友都吃到沙發上倒下了牛排都還沒出 @@ 還有，義式燉飯味道不足 (量也太大)，巧克力蛋糕烤過頭第一批沒爆漿。唉就是自不量力... 失敗歸失敗，照片是還拍得不錯...

This is one of those "looks simple but has too many steps" dishes. I should have stuck to either just the flame-broiled salmon or salmon tartare, not both. Doing it "two ways" but without significantly different preparation ends up in a "hmm a little redundant" feel. A pleasant surprise was that the poached egg actually goes well with the raw salmon. AND I forgot the blanched asparagus! Honestly the asparagus was unnecessary. If I were to do this over, I'd simplify it -- frisee, poached egg, and salmon on top of egg, a simple and appetizing stack. Simple is beautiful - gotta remember that.

前菜是盤個看似簡單但步驟太瑣碎的菜，本來想要很酷的試一次 "2 ways" 的作法，但其實生鮭魚韃靼和炙燒鮭魚的味道沒有差很多，會讓人有點重複的 fu。還好水波蛋和鮭魚還蠻搭的。在混亂中連燙好的蘆筍都忘了放，但其實已經太多味道了，不需要蘆筍。如果要重做這盤，可以簡單的將綠捲放下面，上面放水波蛋，然後再把鮭魚韃靼放最上面，加個幾葉山蘿蔔點綴，簡單就是美...

The risotto man the risotto...was worst of the year! A friend talked me into doubling the rice quantity -- never going to do this again. Doubling the rice made it quadruply difficult to cook and season the risotto, resulting in a poor dish. Not much more to say about this.

這燉飯...是今年最差。朋友們說服了我把 risotto 加量，結果是第一很難煮，因為量太多很不容易充分混合來釋放米的澱粉，第二是調味也不容易，本來這飯煮完應該是綠色的，顯然青醬放太少。沒啥好繼續寫的這盤...

DINNER MENU 11 October 2011

Appetizer

Salmon Two-Ways
鮭魚雙重奏

salmon tartare & flame broiled salmon
poached egg, aged cheddar, mesclun, white wine Dijon vinaigrette
鮭魚韃靼炙燒鮭魚
水波蛋英式硬巧達乳酪生菜白酒醋芥末油醋

Risotto Course

Pesto Risotto
青醬義式燉飯
sauteed shrimps, marinated tomatoes, truffle oil infusion
蒜炒鮮蝦醋漬番茄松露油

Meat Course

Australian Wagyu Ribeye
澳洲和牛肋眼牛排

red wine jus, roasted garlic, sautéed baby potatoes, watercress
紅酒醬汁烤大蒜煎紅皮小馬鈴薯水田芥

Dessert

Jean-Georges's Molten Chocolate Cake
Jean-George 巧克力岩漿蛋糕

strawberry syrup, vanilla ice cream
草莓糖漿香草冰淇淋

Ok, after bashing on my first two dishes, the good news is the steak did not suck! The wagyu definitely was a lot fattier than any steak I've worked with before. One might think being fatty you'd want to cook longer to render the fat. That is true for large chunks of fat, but for the marble fat that is embedded in the flesh, you'd actually want the opposite -- to under cook it. For some reason, the meat with the marble fat actually tastes much better if it is just quickly seared to warm through. This was definitely one of the best steaks I've ever cooked. The rich fat crisps up the crust of the steak and creates an additional texture and flavor that you cannot find in average choice steaks. It's almost like a bacony smoky flavor. Paired with Thomas Keller's red wine jus and roasted garlic, we had ourselves a great meat dish. Quite happy about it. The jus worked with the wagyu quite well, a definite mutual complement.

還好牛排沒有 suck! 這應該是我煮過最肥滋滋的牛排了，一般人可能直覺都是要加長料理時間把油脂逼出來，大塊的脂肪是這樣做沒錯，但那些混合在肉裡的大理石油花可不能這樣做，我覺得反而是時間要縮短，我猜可能是油脂也容易導熱，所以縮短時間，讓肉生一點反而更好吃! 這應該是我煮過最好吃的牛排之一，因為油脂多，肉的外皮會更酥脆，也容易有個類似培根的煙燻味。跟 Thomas Keller 的紅酒醬和烤大蒜搭配，是個很不錯的主菜，真令人開心。

Last but not least is the molten chocolate cake. I've had this cake a few times at different places before. But nowhere was I more "moved" by it than when I had it at Jean-Georges Shanghai restaurant. I mean, the guy INVENTED this cake, from a kitchen accident. I guess only Michelin chefs could screw up their food and invent new dishes. This is for sure one of my all time favorite desserts. So, I went on the net to search for his recipe, and it is readily available! Best of all, I couldn't believe the simple ingredients involved. The challenge definitely came with greasing the mold and timing the baking time. Too short, and you get a self-exploding chocolate soup in the plate on the way to the dining table. Too long, you get brownie, yeah, brownie, nothing to wow guests. I tried it the night before and thought I got the timing down correctly. When I had to make EIGHT of them at the same time, somehow, the cooking time required was shorter -- i.e. we got a moist brownie on the first batch. Being very discouraged, I put the remaining batter in for a second shot and GOT IT RIGHT! (see pic on top) I'll just have to practice more, and I'm sure my friends don't mind that A BIT!

最後是本來應該是今晚第二高潮的巧克力融漿蛋糕... 我在幾家不同的餐廳都有吃過這個蛋糕，但直到我去了上海 Jean-Georges 餐廳吃到時才真正被感動。Jean-Georges 是發明這蛋糕的廚師，聽說是做一般巧克力蛋糕時意外發明的，我想也只有三星主廚才能甜點沒做好時又發明了新的甜點哈。這應該是我喜歡的甜點裡的前三名，也決定一定要學會怎麼做。上網查詢時才發覺喔這個食譜還蠻好找的，而且都號稱是 Jean-Georges 的食譜，材料也都很單純。我覺得最大的挑戰是如何把蛋糕模子塗足夠的奶油還有拿捏烤的時間。烤太久，就直接變布朗尼，沒啥驚艷感，烤太少，蛋糕會出模子後自動爆漿，也很不 OK。前一晚有先試做四個蛋糕，覺得時間已經抓好。今晚做八個時，不知為何就是烤過頭，沒爆漿，超失望。還好還有剩下的麵糊，再送一個進去烤...果然就爆了! (樓上第一張圖) 以後還是多練習幾次，這些美食團的朋友應該不介意多吃這個吧 :-)

最後是本來應該是今晚第二高潮的巧克力融漿蛋糕... 我在幾家不同的餐廳都有吃過這個蛋糕，但直到我去了上海 Jean-Georges 餐廳吃到時才真正被感動。Jean-Georges 是發明這蛋糕的廚師，聽說是做一般巧克力蛋糕時意外發明的，我想也只有三星主廚才能甜點沒做好時又發明了新的甜點哈。這應該是我喜歡的甜點裡的前三名，也決定一定要學會怎麼做。上網查詢時才發覺喔這個食譜還蠻好找的，而且都號稱是 Jean-Georges 的食譜，材料也都很單純。我覺得最大的挑戰是如何把蛋糕模子塗足夠的奶油還有拿捏烤的時間。烤太久，就直接變布朗尼，沒啥驚艷感，烤太少，蛋糕會出模子後自動爆漿，也很不 OK。前一晚有先試做四個蛋糕，覺得時間已經抓好。今晚烤八個蛋糕時，不知為何就是烤過頭，沒爆漿，超失望。還好還有剩下的麵糊，再送一個進去烤...果然就爆了! (樓上第一張圖) 以後還是多練習幾次，這些美食團的朋友應該不介意多吃這個吧 :-)

As always, happy cooking!

Neither Rena nor I have been on the ski slopes for many years after moving back to Taiwan. In March, we finally made it to a ski resort in central Japan. (we missed the quake by two days) So, we skied with these "people" for three days, but didn't really get to know each other until we landed back in Taipei. Somehow, chitchat topics shifted to food and restaurant discussions, and people's face LIT UP. Anyway, a few new Facebook friends were added at the luggage pickup. In early April, I asked if anyone is interested in being guinea pigs (天竺鼠, "白老鼠" 的意思) for my new cooking class recipe, and voila all these people showed up at our house for dinner. "You cook, and we'll pay for ingredients." Sure sounded like a good deal to me.

我和 Rena 在搬回台灣後都沒有再去滑雪過。三月時，我們終於跟到了一個滑雪團去了日本苗場， (好險沒遇到 311) 和一群同學們滑了三天，但三天都沒有好好認識新朋友。反而是飛機降落後在機艙內談到美食，突然大家就熟起來了，在等行李時大夥兒很快互相交換了 FB 的帳號。四月初, 因為料理課的新菜單需要做些練習，我隨興問了有誰有興趣當白老鼠，試試我的新菜單，很迅速的就邀到六個滑雪的朋友，"你負責料理，我們付食材"，那有甚麼問題!

Dinner Menu for 30 Apr. 2011:

Appetizer:
Seared Scallop Arugula Salad
Orange & Balsamic Vinaigrette
香煎干貝芝麻葉沙拉, 配香橙 & 巴薩米克油醋
Main Course:
One-sided Seared Salmon
Leeks with Beurre Blanc
生煎鮭魚佐甜蔥 & 法式奶油醬汁
Dessert:
Crepes with Fresh Fruit & Vanilla Ice Cream
Nutella Filling and Raspberry Syrup
法式可麗餅, 搭配新鮮水果, 榛果巧克力醬 & 覆盆子糖漿

I've made scallops a few times before, but can't say I got it down to repeatable steps. Since I am going to be teaching this to students, I've referenced a few more recipes, even videos from Gordan Ramsay and Ming Tsai. The key is really high quality scallops patted dry and hot skillet. Rena and I both love Arugula, and so I wanted to include that in the dish. Last year, I found a herb supplier in a local traditional market, so I no longer buy my herbs from over-priced high-end super markets. (gosh I really hated paying US$3 for a small bunch of chives) The scallops I used were the frozen packs from Costco, originated in Nantucket or somewhere in New England. Because of all the homework I did, this appetizer turned out well tonight, better than the scallops we had at Jean Georges Shanghai. Definitely ready

之前有做過幾次煎干貝，但都沒有把步驟熟練。既然這次是要教學生，我上網參考了幾個不同的食譜，也參考了地獄廚房主廚 Gordan Ramsay 的 Youtube 影片。看來訣竅是要用高品質的干貝，下鍋前先充分擦乾，還有無敵熱的平底鍋。我和 Rena 都很喜歡芝麻葉，於是也想把芝麻葉包含到課程內，台灣最近有蠻多供應商的，像我在濱江市場就找到了一個攤子，是專門供應台北高檔西餐廳的，各式香草西式蔬菜應有盡有，我終於不用再去微風或 Jason's 花冤枉錢。干貝是 Costco 賣的美國冷凍干貝，size 夠大品質也很好。因為有做功課，今晚的干貝前菜算很成功，比我們在上海 Jean Georges 吃到的還棒。

When we were renovating our house, our designer installed black glass wall in the kitchen. Glass in the kitchen not only makes it easy to clean, but also allows me to use florescent markers to write my menu du jour -- really just more fun for guests in the whole dine-at-home experience. (a must photo-shoot spot)

當初在裝潢時，設計師建議我們安裝黑玻在廚房裡，一來好清洗，二來他考慮到我做菜時可以拿螢光筆寫當日的菜單，替來吃飯的朋友們增添許多樂趣。(這塊變成必拍)

This salmon recipe was stolen from Michelin-starred Chef Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook (though I never saw it on the menu the two times I visited the restaurant). I make this dish for guests from time to time, and I'd say most sashimi eaters just love the dish as it brings you several textures all in one bite. The bottom is a crispy layer with lots of caramelization flavors, the cooked flesh brings a silky bite to the palate, and the raw part simply melts in the mouth. I highly recommend this cooking method if you can get your hands on super fresh salmon. I also wanted to include this dish for my cooking class because it uses beurre blanc, a classic French butter sauce for fish. Beurre blanc just works awesome with salmon.

這個鮭魚食譜是來自於米其林星級主廚 Thomas Keller 的 Bouchon 餐廳 (雖然去了兩次 Bouchon 都沒在菜單上看到)，我久久會做一次這道菜，而且通常會為喜愛生魚片的朋友們帶來驚喜，因為這種煎法會讓鮭魚有很多層次。鮭魚的底部微焦，中間煮熟的肉因鮭魚的油脂非常的多汁鮮嫩，但生的部分反而會在嘴巴中融化。如果可以買到新鮮的鮭魚，我個人建議可以試試這個煮法。另一個挑選這道菜的原因是法式奶油醬 beurre blanc，是個很經典的法式醬汁，再搭配上鮭魚是個很不錯的組合。

My cooking class is centered around French cuisine, so crepe was a good choice for the dessert dish. I've tried a number of different recipes from the Web and cookbooks, but none of them yielded the fluffy texture of the crepes from creperies in Paris. This one day, I tried Thomas Keller's recipe, also from the Bouchon cookbook, and man this was it! The secret ingredient is heavy cream, which adds another depth into the flavor spectrum. Also, anyone who's been to a creperie knows there's probably a thousand ways you can dress a crepe. I personally like ice cream and a tangy sauce...or banana and Nutella...or simple lemon juice and powder sugar. You get the idea. There's also a ton of savory crepe recipes out there, but I'll have to get to them one of these days.

既然料理課叫做"餐桌上的法式香頌"，可麗餅當然成為甜點的不二選擇。之前有試過幾個不同的可麗餅食譜，但都無法做出我在巴黎吃到可麗餅的那種鬆軟口感。有天試了我的食譜聖經 Bouchon Cookbook 裡的可麗餅食譜，終於找到了! 讓可麗餅鬆軟的秘密武器是生奶油 (whipping cream)，也讓看似平凡的餅皮增添了許多香味。去過可麗餅屋的人都知道這東西大概有一千種吃法，我通常喜歡餅上面加冰淇淋和偏酸的糖漿...或香蕉和 Nutella...或簡單的檸檬汁和糖霜。真的是很多種 XD 另外，鹹的可麗餅的吃法也很多種，來慢慢排進我的 to-cook 清單吧...