Grilled Shrimp Louie � Dressing Up a Classic

I don�t do a lot of salad dressing videos, since it�s pretty much just adding things to a bowl, but when that dressing is going on a grilled shrimp Louie, I�ll make an exception. By the way, this is usually done with crab, but I think the smoky, grilled shrimp are a great summertime twist.

This is my take on a classic Louie dressing, and as with all such recipes, you�ll need to taste and adjust for acid, salt, and heat. Just be sure to wait until the dressing is nice and cold before tasting. You�ll get a more accurate reading, since that�s the temperature we�re going to be serving at.

If you do grill the shrimp, don�t toss it with the oil and lemon until right before you grill. This isn�t a marinade, and we don�t want the shrimp to start �cooking� in the acid. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 3/4 cups:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup cr�me fraiche

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 packed teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons minced green onion

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

For the grilled shrimp:

2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon kosher salt

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Shaved Asparagus Salad with Fried Pastrami and Mustard Dressing � Keeping it Raw

This shaved asparagus salad actually started out as an asparagus wrapped with pastrami recipe, but when that didn�t work out, my wife Michele saved the day, and convinced me to go raw � and I do mean convince.

I really dislike under-cooked asparagus, and in virtually every video I�ve used it, I�ve pleaded with the audience to make sure the spears get to the sweet and tender stage. I�ve always felt that the main reason most people who don�t like asparagus, is that they grew up eating it crunchy, barely warm, and bitter.

However, when you shave it thin with a peeler, and give it a quick curing/pickling in the dressing, those harsh attributes mellow out substantially, and the sweet, grassy flavor comes through. In fact, it was so delicious that I contemplated serving it without the fried meat.  Happily, that passed.

Thanks to the pastrami�s aromatic spices, subtle smokiness, and peppery finish, it was a perfect match. Of course, you can substitute with bacon or ham; but the cured beef brisket was a nice change of pace to those much more common, pork-based choices.

Just be sure to not dress your raw asparagus until you�re ready to eat. The couple minutes it takes to fry the meat is all the marination time you�ll need. Anyway, peak asparagus season is almost upon us, and if you�re looking for a new way to enjoy it, I hope you give this shaved asparagus salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

24 large asparagus spears (save bottoms for soup)

salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

4 oz pastrami, sliced thin

For the dressing:

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (or regular rice vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar)

3-4 tbsp olive oil, or to taste

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Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce � I'm Fine Now, But I Used to Be Nuts

It funny how certain food memories stick in your brain, and this maple walnut cranberry sauce is the result of one such remembrance. I can�t tell you when or where, but sometime during my formative years I saw a cranberry sauce loaded with chopped walnuts, and I totally freaked. 

Not outwardly, as I have a decent poker face, but inside I was like, �what the hell is that?� That�s how it was for me early in life. If I saw a food prepared differently from the way I�d always seen it, I just assumed it was a terrible idea. Like ketchup on a hot dog�okay, so I happened to be right that time, but generally it�s not a great attitude to have.

As I pondered this season�s annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, and which styles I hadn�t tried yet, I remembered how off-putting that walnut-studded version was, and I decided to face my demons. I�m happy to report, as usual, I was totally wrong. It works perfectly.

Besides the nuts, I really enjoyed the job the maple syrup did sweetening the acidic berries. I recommend using a Grade B maple syrup if you can find it. It�s darker and thicker, and boasts a stronger maple flavor, so it�s the preferred syrup for cooking and baking by those in the know (also know as, �Canadians�).

So, if you�re looking for new and exciting cranberry sauce recipe this holiday season, I hope you give this a try. You�d be nuts not to. Enjoy!

Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:
(makes about 2 cups)

1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries, washed

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup port wine

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest

pinch of salt

1 cup chopped walnut, toasted a light golden-brown

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Salad Lyonnaise � A Super Salad from a City of Meat

How great is Salad Lyonnaise? Lyon is considered the meat capital of France, and yet the city�s most famous, and reproduced dish is probably this simple frisee salad. Now that�s some delicious irony.

Don�t worry�this salad is far from vegan. The mildly bitter greens are dressed in a shallot and Dijon dressing, it�s spiked with a generous handful of crispy lardons, or bacon in my case, and topped with a runny egg.

By the way, unless you�re some kind of crazy person, you�re going to need some crispy croutons or crostini to finish this masterpiece off. Here�s a link to the ones I used for this, sans Parmigiano-Reggiano. You�ll also want to taste and adjust the dressing to your liking. I use a 2-to-1, oil to vinegar ratio, as I think you need some acidity to cut the richness of the bacon and egg yolk, but you may not want it as sharp.

As I joked about in the video, this is so tasty, it may be the only salad that has a chance to be picked as someone�s last meal. There�s good, and then there�s death row good. Anyway, I�ve been dying to film this old favorite, and I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

For 4 generous portions:

2 heads frisee lettuce, aka curly endive, or use arugula

8 oz bacon (or pancetta if you want to experience something closer to real lardons)

4 large eggs

1 tbsp chives

For the dressing (makes extra, about 3/4 cup total):

1 generous tbsp minced shallots

1 generous tbsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup lightly flavored olive oil

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New Year�s Day Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing � Good Luck with That!

This spinach salad with black-eyed peas is a twist on one of my favorite American culinary traditions; the custom of serving beans and greens on New Year's Day. Supposedly eating "poor" on New Year�s Day brings much wealth and good luck throughout the year.

The greens, usually braised with ham or sausage, represents paper money, and the beans, usually black-eyed peas, symbolize coins. Here, we�re presenting those ingredients in salad form, which is a great delivery system for our hot bacon dressing� the true star in this video.

If one of your New Year�s resolutions is, �Eat more bacon,� then here�s another delicious way to work it into your diet. This peppery, sweet and tangy sauce is fast to make, and shines on other things besides wealth-generating spinach salads.

Wouldn�t this be great in a warm potato and mushroom salad, as well as a sauce for a grilled chicken breast or pork chop? What about spooned over poached eggs, or slathered on sweet potato fries? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

If making and eating this salad on January 1st doesn�t really bring you prosperity in 2012, it will certainly bring you some tasty memories, and other pleasures money can�t buy. Happy New Year, and enjoy!

Hot Bacon Dressing Ingredients: (makes about 1 1/3 cup � or 6 servings)

1/2 pound bacon, sliced and cooked in 1/4 cup vegetable oil (reserve bacon pieces and bacon fat drippings)

1/2 cup minced onions

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/3 cup of the bacon fat drippings

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp cold water

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

For 6 Spinach Salads:

1 pound baby spinach, washed and dried

12 white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes

1 (15-oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

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Cranberry Mustard Salad Dressing � You�ll Be Tickled Some Kind of Pink

For whatever reason, pink sauces are considered somewhat visually offensive in the foodie universe, so when describing this cranberry mustard salad dressing to your friends and family, please use hipper alternatives like, �ballet slipper� or �rosy mauve.�

Whatever it�s called, I actually love the color of this vinaigrette, and think it�s especially gorgeous with the classic fall/winter salad palette. I served it over some endive garnished with persimmons, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds, and it tasted as bright and pretty as it looked.

One word of caution regarding the ingredient amounts listed below: I like my salad dressings on the acidic side, so be sure to taste and adjust the amount of oil you add. You want to be careful with the walnut oil, as too much can overpower the dressing, but you can add more vegetable or olive oil, until it�s perfectly balanced for your palate.

As I joke about in the video, this seasonal vinaigrette is perfect for the non-cook to bring to a family gathering. We�re talking about a minimal effort to get what could potentially be lots of loving praise, or at the very least, fewer disappointed glances. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 1/4 cups of dressing:

1/4 cup prepared fresh cranberry sauce

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

[note: you can use 1/2 cup of any vinegar(s) you like]

1/4 cup walnut oil

1 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil, or as much as needed to balance acidity to your taste

View the complete recipe

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Citronette - A Classic Lemon Dressing Video Recipe as performed by an Over-Emoting Chef

This citronette video recipe was filmed last fall, and was one of the first clips I produced for About.com. It just went live a few days ago, so I'm posting it today with a couple of warnings. When I filmed this, cherry tomatoes were at their peak of sweet deliciousness. They made a fine garnish for my asparagus with lemon dressing. Right now that probably isn't the case.

The other thing I will give you a heads-up about is my presentation. Since this was one of the first video recipes where I had to introduce the topic in front of the camera, I was pretty unsure of myself, and compensated by completely overacting.

It was like Emeril Lagasse had swallowed William Shattner. It's very funny to watch a clip this old, and realize how far I have come in regard to talking in front of a camera. As some of you know, it was a long time before anyone even saw my face. If you remember the old George Clooney bio photo, then you've been visiting this blog for a while. Anyway, the asparagus is piled high this time of year, so make some citronette, and enjoy!Click here for ingredients and transcript

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Dulce de Leche - How a Sweet Mistake by an Argentinean Maid, or a Night Watchman at a Dairy, Produced the World's Most Popular Caramel Sauce

Dulce de leche means "milk candy," and it's basically a thick caramel-like syrup made from slowly cooking milk and sugar. It is extremely popular throughout Latin America, and pound for pound, it's the world's most popular caramel confection.

Legend has it that a maid was making "lechada," a traditional boiled milk and sugar drink, and she forgot all about it. A few hours later she returned to find the pot bubbling with a thick caramel-colored syrup�dulce de leche was born. I'm sorry, but there is nothing worse than a boring "how this recipe was invented legend." Here's my version.

In 1836, an Argentinean dairy caught fire when it was hit with a bolt of lightning, during a terrible thunderstorm. The night watchman, Juan Manuel de Rosas, ran next door to the general store, "Walmartes" to grab a sack of salt, which in those days was commonly used to smother and put out fires. He accidentally grabbed a bag of sugar and began throwing handfuls everywhere. But, he was too late and the fire ended up burning down half the dairy. He panicked, stole a horse, and road out of town, never to be seen again (although rumors circulated that he moved to Peru and opened a shoe store).

When the firemen entered the building they found several pots of sugar-dusted milk that had slowly cooked near the fire. As the pots where being moved to start the clean-up, some of the mixture splashed on someone's hand, was licked off, and dulce de leche was born. Now that's a legend! I hope you try this simple and amazing sauce. Enjoy!

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It's Almost That Time! So, Make Your Own Crust and Don't Screw-up the Mashed Potatoes

Those daunting holiday dinners are just around the corner, and while I'm unfortunately still in "can't film any new clips" mode for a few more days, I thought I would post some reruns that may be of use this time of the year. No, I'm not doing a turkey demo. That's the easiest part of the meal. The Food Network's army of talking heads will be doing every recipe and technique ever invented, ad nauseum, for the next few weeks. Not to mention the 8 million how-to-cook-the-perfect-turkey web pages.

So, I'm showing you some of the "harder" things. How to make a simple piecrust, my technique for perfect mashed potatoes, and a few vegetable sides to serve instead of the canned green beans with the canned fried onions. Anyway, here are some links to check out before it's too late:

Home-made Pie Crust: It's NOT that hard.
Mashed Potatoes: Please don't serve gluey potatoes
Roast Sweet Potatoes: So easy, so delicioius
Herb Potato Wedges: Tired of mashed? Check out this old, but delicious clip
Broccoli Gratin: Don't even try to count the calories
Spaghetti Squash: Healthy can be tasty!
Brussel Sprouts: Stop making that face
Stuffed Squash: An excuse to eat more goat cheese
5-Spice Carrots: 5 times better than 1-spice carrots

Enjoy! Lastly, I'm sorry if I don't reply to your comments instantly. It just means I've passed out for a few minutes and will get back to you as soon I come to.
photocredit (c) purpleslog

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The Pan of Olive Oil that Launched a Thousand Emails

Well, maybe not a thousand, but I did get quite a few requests for the sauce that went with the homemade pasta my Uncle Bill made during my trip to New York. We did two videos together, one was the �Homemades,� and one was an amazing chicken recipe called Chicken D�Arduini. In that post I said I would try to demo the olive oil sauce that went over the homemade fettuccine. Well, I haven�t filmed that yet, and have lots of great excuses why, some of which are even true.

So, in the meantime, since it�s such a simple sauce, I�m just going to talk you through it. You can see most of what�s happening in the photo of the pan. I can�t give exact amounts because it�s just not that kind of sauce.

While the pasta is cooking (I think we cooked about 2 pounds), put a heavy saut� pan on low heat. Add lots of olive oil, maybe a good cup. Add 5 or 6 anchovy fillets, and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Saut� on low until the anchovies melt and the garlic begins to sizzle. Add some chopped fresh basil and some hot pepper flakes and cook for another minute. Do NOT brown the garlic. Turn off the heat. In a large pasta bowl, cut up a stick of butter into small pieces. Grate about a cup of Parmesan cheese (the real stuff!). When the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to the pasta bowl, and toss with the butter for a few moments. Pour over the olive oil mixture, and add the grated Parmesan (save a little for the table), and toss until everything is coated. This is best served as a side dish due to its obvious richness, and was great with the Chicken D�Arduini, as it would with any similar recipe.

This is not the type of pasta to eat if you are thinking about grams of fat, or calories, or those new �skinny jeans.� In fact, this is a dish best eaten when your brain is completely void of all thought. So, clear your mind as you slurp the buttery, salty, spicy, garlicky, cheesy goodness. Enjoy!

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Watermelon and Feta with Toasted Cashews � Old footage, new narration, watercolor filters, and one really amazing summer salad!

I vaguely remember eating a slice on watermelon as a young child and watching in shock and horror as my grandfather started sprinkling salt on his slice. I said whatever the 5 year old version of �what the hell are you doing?� was. He said something like �it makes it sweeter.� What? Needless to say that didn�t make any sense at the time. Fast forward 30 years later to a caf� in San Francisco where I was served a green salad garnished with sweet, juicy watermelon, crumbled feta che ese, and toasted cashews. Wow, it was amazing! What a combination of sweet, salty, juicy, creamy, crunchy, and just�mmmmm. Ah ha! I finally understood what grandfather was doing. Better late than never.

This video recipe was pieced together with footage I shot last year when I was just playing around with my new webcam. I found it and decided to add some new voice-over and show you this great salad. Yes, it�s a bit unusual, but one bite and you will be hooked. You�ll get to see and hear both sleeveless and blurry 2006 Chef John, as well as the new and improved 2007 Chef John. So, here�s the clip, a whole year in the making, as they say. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 small ripe watermelon
4 oz feta cheese
1/2 cup toasted cashews
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
*optional garnish: some fresh mint or basil

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Wild Halibut Steaks with Warm Bacon Dressing � Mmmmm�.Bacon

Yes, it�s true what they say, bacon makes everything tastes better. Even bacon tastes better with bacon. Recently I saw an online lecture by a woman who makes specialty chocolates and she had actually done chocolate with bacon. So, now it�s really official, bacon goes with everything! By the way, I plan on posting her lecture, which I found equally inspiring and perplexing, but that�s for another day.

Today we�re making a very simple warm bacon dressing to go over some pan cooked halibut. With just a few ingredients, and a very simple procedure, we�re going to produce some amazingly delicious results. The smokiness of the bacon is such a great match with the meaty halibut, and the slightly sweet/sour profile of the fresh lemon and rice vinegar brings this all together. Usually at this point I tell you a few ways you can alter the recipe to match your personal tastes�forget that. Make this exactly like I show you. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
2 halibut steaks (about 3/4 to 1 inch thick)
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
4 strips of bacon
fresh parsley to taste (about 1/2 bunch for me)
salt and pepper to taste
* I served this on baby romaine, but any greens would be nice

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