Margaritas at Caliente Cab Company

Chrissy joined Lori and I on Friday morning - while poor keith went off to work. So we hit the city (it never knew what was coming). Around midday I had walked these poor ladies feet off, and we were ready for something cold and refreshing...oh, and some food too.

Caliente Cab Company is a cute place - not one of my regulars, but I do like their homemade guacamole. And they can make a mean margarita. Lori and Chrissy opted for the frozen variety - however I'm a purist. I don't do frozen - I like mine hard and on the rocks. Pomegranate margarita, with Patron Silver & Pama, on the rocks, with salt. 'Nuff said.

Momofuku

This past weekend I had two of my high school friends come in for a visit: Lori & Chrissy. As Lori put it, we spent the entire weekend walking and laughing. I think that truly sums up the weekend. :)

Lori arrived first on Thursday, and based on the number of times I've mentioned Momofuku restaurant to her, she decided that was her first destination in NYC. It's in the East Village, not too far from my office, so off we went.

There's something so wonderfully relaxing about a carafe of cold, unfiltered sake in the middle of a warm weekday. And from there, I insisted she try the roast pork buns - absolutely one of my favorite things to eat in this city. The fatty and delicious slow-cooked pork slab is heaven, and it is served on it's own little cloud - the steamed pork bun. Simply delicious.

And apparently the laughing and the sake got to me, because I forgot to snap a photo of my Momofuku Ramen (my absolute favorite - I think it's because of the poached egg on top of everything). At this point Momfuku is an East Village staple - and I highly recommend it. So does Lori.

Quail Eggs

First off, they are DARN cute, aren't they?  But I will admit, they can be difficult to work with because of their size.  None-the-less, there are times when I simply must have quail eggs.  A couple of Thanksgivings ago we had a full apartment and I decided to make an amuse bouche (actually I made two, but only one had to do with quail eggs) - on each serving spoon was 1/2 boiled quail egg, chopped chives, shaved baby bello mushrooms, salmon roe and a touch of pepper.  YUM!  And once I pan fried some quail eggs and laid them on top of little toast squares and topped them with black truffle shavings.  It seems apparent that quail eggs come to play in the most decadent of dishes for me.  :)  This weekend will follow suit.  Per one of our guests requests I'm making Italian Cheese Fondue (followed by chocolate fondue, but that's another story).  It's a great recipe with lots of flavor, and I'll have the typical things to dip: endive leaves, hard salami, bread, etc.  But I also wanted something new.  Enter the quail eggs.  So last night I boiled the little eggs (truly you bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat and let them sit in the hot water to cook).  These will fit perfectly on the fondue skewers, and once dipped in the cheese I think a dusting of bottarga over the top will be just the right touch.  I'll keep you posted!

Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps

Another interesting craving that turned into something delicious for dinner!  Here’s how my train of thought moved:  I have an indoor grill that works really well, but it’s HUGE and heavy so we’re getting rid of it – spring cleaning, you know.  So I started thinking of things I could use on the grill one last time – a good send-off.  So I thought of chicken satay skewers.  But then I completely altered my plan and decided on sautéing the chicken and a bunch of vegetables.  So the grill will have to wait for another day.

I did some random searches for chicken satay, and ended up combining a number of recipes (with additions and omissions as the palate in my head dictated).  One recipe called for wrapping the chicken and some vegetables in naan wraps, but I wanted an additional texture and flavor component and thought I’d wrap mine in lettuce leaves.  Into the store – thankfully I did not find any iceberg or bib lettuce (my original choices) because I “settled” on large romaine leaves and they were perfect!  They have just the right strength to carry the pile of food I subjected them to, and they have a fantastic crunch.  And to finish it off, I made a spicy peanut sauce to drizzle over top.

The colors of all the vegetables are great, and when you hit the hot pan with the minced ginger and garlic you get a fantastic and fragrant facial!  I served some jasmine thai rice with this dish which I infused with some minced garlic & ginger.

Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips

3 Tbl. ginger, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbl. olive oil

3 Tbl. rice wine vinegar

3 Tbl. creamy peanut butter

1 Tbl. soy sauce

1 tsp. red chili flakes

3 Tbl. sesame oil

1 cup red onion, sliced thin

½ cup carrot, shredded

½ cup red bell pepper, sliced thin

½ cup bok choy, sliced thin

1 cup mung bean sprouts

1 Tbl. minced ginger (I grated mine)

1 garlic clove, minced (I grated mine)

4 – 6 large romaine leaves, cleaned & dried

Spicy peanut sauce (recipe below)

Combine the ginger (3 Tbl.), garlic (2 cloves), olive oil, vinegar, peanut butter,  soy sauce, and chili flakes in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Place the chicken strips in a resealable plastic bag and pour in the contents from the food processor.  Mix thoroughly and put In the refrigerator for at least an hour.  (This would be a good time to make the spicy peanut sauce).

Heat up the sesame oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Using your fingers (or a paper towel), wipe off any excess marinade from the chicken strips and place them in the pan.  Cook the chicken for 3 – 5 minutes, turning a couple of times, until cooked through.  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with a paper towel to keep warm.  Keep the heat on and into the same pan add the onion, carrot, pepper and bok choy.  Saute for 2 – 3 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add the minced garlic & ginger and the bean sprouts and cook for 1 – 2 minutes to combine all the flavors.

Place your large romaine leaves on your plate.  Down the center of each leave, layer the strips of chicken.  You could drizzle the peanut sauce directly over the chicken (I didn’t, but I probably will the next time I make this).  Pile the vegetables on top of the chicken and enjoy.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Recipe is adapted from Emeril Lagasse

10 garlic cloves, peeled

1 Tbl. ground coriander (original calls for 2/3 bunch of fresh coriander)

¾ cup creamy peanut butter (original calls for ½ cup)

¼ cup plus 1 Tbl. soy sauce (original calls for ½ cup – too salty)

¼ cup sesame oil

5 Tbl. sugar

Dash of rice wine vinegar

1 Tbl. red pepper flakes (original calls for 1 Tbl. hot chili oil)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Pour contents into a sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  Immediately remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Kettle Chips

So bad...yet so good.  Late night snack.

Heightened Hamburger & Baked Kale Chips

I bought some ground beef at the Farmer's Market (direct from the source!), and decided it was a night for hamburgers.  But true to form, it had to be an extra special hamburger.  I wanted interesting textures and flavors INSIDE the burger as well as on top as condiments.  It became a fun challenge - and I settled on an open faced burger in order to easily pile more stuff on top.  :)

Kale: before baking

Baked Kale Chips

And while I nearly went with some potato-heavy side dish (roasted...mashed...wasn't sure), instead I opted for an old favorite: baked kale chips.  Satisfyingly salty & crunchy like chips, but infinitely better for you (or so I continue to tell myself).  And I also definitely wanted some cheese - I knew it would Gruyere.  However my initial thought was to melt it on top - so pedestrian!  Instead I chopped up the cheese into small cubes and they went into the patties along with some mushrooms and garlic.

Gruyere cubes

Heightened Hamburger
1 1/2 - 2 lb. ground beef
Olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt
pepper
4 - 6 dashes, Worcestershire sauce (plus 2 dashes at the end)
1/4 pound Gruyere, cubed
4-6 stalks Asparagus, chopped
1 sweet onion, sliced
Potato buns
Chipotle mayonnaise
1 tomato, sliced thick

I used the same pan for the whole dish - so in a large pan, heat up some olive oil and saute the mushrooms and garlic with a pinch of salt.  Set aside once cooked through to cool.  While this is cooling, wipe out the pan and add a little more olive oil.  Cook the onions without salt for 10 - 12 minutes, until they brown lightly and soften.  Set aside.  Wipe out the pan again, and add some olive oil and saute the asparagus until tender.  Set aside.  Wipe the pan, and heat it over medium-high heat without olive oil.  In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with the mushroom & garlic mixture.  Add salt & pepper to taste, and 4-6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce.  Add the cubes of cheese and mix thoroughly.  Divide the mixture up into four even patties.  As you're forming the patties, be aware of any cheese cubes that might be sticking out.  Push them in with your finger so that all the cheese is contained within the burger.  These would be great grilled, but I don't have a grill - so 8-10 minutes in the hot pan per side.  Press the burger to check for done-ness (or if you're unsure, you can make a small cut and check the inside).

Open a potato bun and add some chipotle mayonnaise.  Once the burgers are done, add a patty to each bun (top and bottom).  Pile the chopped asparagus over the hamburgers, and then add the onions.  Finally top with a thick slice of tomato, and add one dash of Worcestershire sauce to each to finish it off.


Baked Kale Chips
1 large bunch Kale, washed & torn into pieces by hand
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lay out the washed kale on a baking sheet, drizzle over olive oil, salt & pepper.  Mix by hand to ensure each piece of kale is coated.  Make sure the kale is lying in a single layer.  Into the oven for about 20 minutes - keep an eye on it to watch for crispiness.  I like mine quite crispy, but you could take it out when it still has some heft and moisture to it.  Serve immediately.

Celebratory Cocktail: Cherry Smack

In addition to the watermelon, I also juiced about 2 pounds of cherries.  Note to self - never again until you buy a damn cherry pitter!  I sliced each cherry in half, and pried out the pit with my fingers.  It took forever!  YET - the juice was delicious.  And I had inspiration from some place deep in my soul...a voice kept saying "whiskey, whiskey"...so I listened.  And the created drink officially became my celebratory drink for the end of graduate school, and I call it a Cherry Smack!  And keith snapped a photo of me enjoying my Cherry Smack while sitting in the window.  :)

Cherry Smack
3 parts Makers Mark Whisky
2 parts fresh Cherry juice

Combine in a glass with ice and stir vigorously.  Don't shake this drink as it might alter the color of the cherry juice.

Watermelon Juice

I know, I've already mentioned fresh watermelon juice.  And I'm making a special drink that uses watermelon juice this weekend when Lori & Chrissy come out for a visit (drink is called the Zig Zag).  But I couldn't resist making some fresh juice for the weekend - especially considering the end of my graduate studies on Saturday!!  Besides, aren't these photos pretty?  The juice is fantastic - and goes perfectly with vodka.  I made a watermelon cosmo - of sorts - and it was delicious!