From the Food and Wine classic in Aspen, Colorado, this video with chef Mario Batali features his recipe for a delicious frittata with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses.
Mario sings the praises of farm fresh eggs versus store bought, an important component of a perfect frittata. What exactly is different about them? Besides the obvious age factor, farm fresh eggs tend to have a richer flavor, and are fluffier when cooked. If the chickens are eating greens, the yolks from the farm will have a darker yellow color, a result of carotenoid plant pigments called xanthophylls.
From the restaurant elBulli in coastal northeast Spain, Chef and culinary genius Ferran Adria speaks about innovative uses of liquid nitrogen in their restaurant kitchen. He demonstrates techniques using this creative scientific method to produce sorbets made from alcohol and pureed pistachio truffles. A featured interview as part of a series for Fora Tv, this video features molecular gastronomy at it’s finest.
Haute cuisine or epic fail? What are your thoughts on chemistry in the kitchen? Amazingly cool or an inappropriate leap from food as nature intended? We’d love to hear your thoughts, let us know in the comments!
(Note: for mere mortals, elBulli is almost impossible to get in to, as the restaurant is only open for 6 months per year with space for 8000 seats in total. Each year, there are half a million applicants for the 8,000 seats.)
Ok, we admit it, while waiting for our amazing video camera to become a reality, after reviewing thousands of chef videos, we are becoming quite the chef video critics. And, while learning how to hone skills by watching cooking videos can be fun inside itself, there is something to be said for amusement value while watching. Which is, by the way, why we love watching Average Betty videos!
Again, we digress! Tonight we’ve stumbled upon Archive.org, which is an amazing library of both new and public domain vintage videos. So, we thought, hey, why not have a vintage chef videos collection? Just to mix it up once in a while?
This video is hilarious, it’s a vintage unnamed chef infomercial of a crazy WC Fields type wannabe with some mad slicing skills, shilling for a 12 piece cutlery set. A must see!!
Chef Lidia Bastianich, of the PBS cooking series “”Lidia’s Italy”, celebrates spring and asparagus in this video filmed in the spring snow! She prepares a simple breakfast or brunch of asparagus with eggs, scallions, olive oil, salt and pepper, served with a side salad.
Her asparagus tips? Lidia says to choose stalks that snap easily rather than bend, and she prefers the skinnier stalks to the fatter ones, for a more intense flavor. She shaves the outside of the bottom of the stalks with a peeler, as they tend to be tough and fibrous.
We love Plum Tv ! In our featured video today, Chef Joshua Hollinger and Chef Lavon Wallace from the Harbor View Hotel in Martha’s Vineyard share their recipe for a fresh and creative salad appetizer, tuna stuffed avocado balls with a soy aioli sauce! Give it a view!
Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone is the host of Take Home Chef on TLC. A charmer, this master chef was voted as one of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2006.
Alas, we digress! More importantly, he whips up some amazingly delicious recipes. In this video he shares with us his special recipe for a crave inducing pulled pork sandwich, complete with grilled pineapple and barbecue sauce.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ingredients
* 1 4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
* 2 red onions peeled and quartered
* 2 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 3 celery sticks cut into 1-inch chunks
* 1 whole garlic head split in half horizontally
* 1 c dry red wine
* 2 1/2 c chicken stock
* Small handful of fresh thyme sprigs
* 1 orange quartered
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
* Barbecue Sauce (see recipe) warm
* 6 thin slices peeled pineapple halved and cored
* 6 crusty rolls halved horizontally
* Homemade Coleslaw (see recipe)
Preheat the oven to 275°F. Sprinkle the pork shoulder all over with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a heavy large wide pot over high heat until it is very hot. Add the oil and then add the pork. Cook until the pork is golden brown on the bottom about 5 minutes. Turn the pork and continue cooking until it is golden brown all over about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pot.
Add the onions carrots celery and garlic to the pot and cook until the onions are golden brown all over about 5 minutes. Return the pork to the pot. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot about 3 minutes. Add the stock thyme orange bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring the liquids to a simmer then cover the pot and place it in the oven.
Cook in the oven until the pork is fork-tender about 2 1/2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes to cool slightly.
Transfer the pork to a baking dish and pull the meat apart with a fork and knife. Toss the shredded pork with some of the warm barbecue sauce. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Meanwhile preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the pineapple slices until they are heated through and soften slightly about 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile grill the bread slices cut side down until lightly toasted.
Spoon the coleslaw over the bread bottoms. Top each with the shredded pork then 2 half slices of pineapple. Spoon more barbecue sauce over and cover with the bread tops. Serve warm.
Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/3 c finely chopped red onion
* 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
* 1 c ketchup
* 1 c peeled cored finely diced pineapple
* 1/2 c orange juice
* 1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 Tbsp chopped green onions
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, pineapple, orange juice, soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, cumin, and sesame oil. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat until the pineapple softens, the mixture thickens and the flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Homemade Coleslaw
Ingredients
* 1/2 c white wine vinegar
* 3 Tbsp sugar
* 2 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
* 1 small head green cabbage, halved, cored and thinly sliced
* 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
* 1/4 c crème fraîche (or sour cream)
* 1/4 c mayonnaise
* 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
* 4 green onions, finely chopped
Stir the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss to thoroughly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Stir the crème fraîche, mayonnaise, and mustard in a small bowl to blend. Drizzle over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine thoroughly. Mix in the green onions and serve.
Beef. There could be an entire college or culinary school year long class just to study it. Types of beef, the parts or cuts of the cow, the best beef for a particular recipe, how to choose it, it’s an overwhelming amount of information for the consumer or home cook. In this Savory Ingredient Spotlight, Latin Chef Victor Albisu strives to explain beef basics. He is a Cordon Bleu graduate, with an deep family history in meats, Latin America, and food. Victor apprenticed with his Peruvian mother, owner of a Latin Grocery store, working closely with Argentine and Uruguayan butchers.
“Beef in Argentina is like wine in France,” he explains, “the style of butchering is distinctive, and the trade is highly respected.” Working long hours as a student making chorizo and matambres (latin stuffed meats), Victor absorbed all that he could about beef culture, and then went on to culinary school. Since then, he has been a chef at the 3 star Michelin restaurant Arpège, and Chef de Cuisine at Ceiba restaurant, and now is involved in his own ventures.
Join Chef Victor Albisu as he celebrates beef, and explains the basics, in these two videos. Cheers!
Soy sauce. A basic staple in every kitchen, but do you really know what’s in it? Chef Ming Tsai visits an Asian Market and gives us a brief education in this ingredient spotlight video.
Ming discusses the typical way that soy sauce is produced, contrasts the differences between Chinese and Japanese soy sauces, as well as different textures and flavors of light and dark varieties. He also states to use caution when purchasing Tamari, which is marketed as a wheat free soy sauce, but is not always wheat free. Always read the labels!
We have a new appreciation for Guinness beer! Why? Because their storehouse has an executive chef, whose sole job is to prepare delicious meals made with Guinness! In this video the Dublin redhead Irish lad Chef Mark Smyth prepares for us a Guinness soaked beef sirloin, served with potatoes and steamed root vegetables. This legendary recipe is said to be the most requested dish by tourists at the brewery.
1. Cut steak into 4 ounce serving size pieces and remove any fat.
2. In a large dish, combine shallots, garlic, steak seasoning and 3/4 of the Guinness. Marinate the steak for 3 hours.
3. In a very hot skillet, sear the meat for 2 minutes per side for rare, longer if you prefer more well done. Remove to a warm plate.
4. Add the marinade and the rest of the Guinness to the skillet and boil to reduce by about 75%. Remove rosemary and shallots.
5. Serve steak with reduction sauce drizzled over it.
Score! We found another amazing food blog! “Rockin the Stove” features Chef Shirlé Hale-Koslowski of Four Corners Cuisine serving up healthy vegetarian recipes.
In this video she shows us how to make an easy and affordable roasted red pepper hummus, using chick peas, roasted red peppers, fresh garlic, tahini, lime juice, lemon zest, spanish smoked paprika, salt, and water. This Middle Eastern snack with a Latin flair is perfect on sandwiches or as a dip for whatever your heart desires.
Did you know? Chicago darling and winner of the fourth season of Bravo’s Top Chef Stephanie Izard has a new podcast! It’s called “The Tasty Life”, and can be found on Itunes or via her blog here.
In her second video podcast, Stephanie enters a mac and cheese cookoff to benefit The Organic School Project in Chicago. In this video we join her for some adventurous cheese shopping, and she shares her entry for a delicious macaroni with four cheeses, sopressatta, sauteed Fuji apples, and bacon ciabatta breadcrumbs. We knew we would love this one when we heard her opening line, “It’s hard for me to imagine a life without cheese”.
Macaroni and Four Cheeses with Apples and Bacon
Chef Stephanie Izard
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 cups ciabatta cubes (about 6 ounces of ciabatta bread, cubed)
1 small onion, halved
6 cups whole milk
4 ounces bacon (3-4 strips), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, cubed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 ounces sopressatta
4 ounces cooked ham, shredded or chopped
1 pound conchiglie pasta
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 ounces aged cheddar (1 cup grated)
6 ounces whole milk mozzarella (1 1/2 cup grated)
4 ounces smoked gouda (1 cup grated)
4 ounces havarti (1 cup grated)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large Dutch oven or saucepot over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, steeping in the butter for about 1 minute, until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Remove from the heat and add the bread cubes to the pot, tossing to coat them in the garlic butter. Spread the butter-coated cubes across a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, until the bread is very crisp. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
Put the onion and the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the milk to a bare simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom.
While the milk simmers, return the Dutch oven to the stove over medium heat. When the pot is hot again, add the bacon pieces and render until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside with the cooling bread cubes. Add the apples to the hot fat in the pan, sautéing for 1-2 minutes, until the apples are just soft (not mushy). Remove the apples with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar and toss to coat. Add the sopressatta to the hot pan and sauté to crisp the meat, 1-2 minutes. Mix the sopressatta and the ham with the apples and set aside.
Put the cooled bread cubes and bacon in a food processor and pulse several times to form bread crumbs.
Cook the macaroni to al dente, according to the package directions.
As the pasta cooks, melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and whisk together, forming a thick paste, or a roux. Let the roux cook for a minute or so, until it begins to smell nutty. Strain the milk and discard the onion. Slowly add the hot milk to the roux, about 1/2-1 cup at a time, whisking well to avoid lumps. Continue incorporating the milk until a thick sauce forms. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of mozzarella and add the rest of the cheese to the sauce, stirring as it melts.
When the pasta is done, strain it and add it to the cheese sauce along with the apple mixture. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and pour into a 13×9-inch baking dish. Cover the macaroni and cheese with the bacon breadcrumbs and scatter the reserved 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top. Put the dish on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Broil the top until the breadcrumbs are golden and the cheese is bubbly.
(Serve immediately or hold in a 300° F oven for about 30 minutes).
Today we are featuring Executive Chef Eric Hulme of the CA based Tender Greens restaurants, in this quick and easy recipe of wild mushroom bruschetta on ciabatta bread, topped with manchego cheese.
For this simple appetizer you will need: 2 cups of your favorite mushrooms, chopped garlic, chopped shallot, rosemary sprigs, butter, olive oil, 1/4 cup both chicken stock and white wine, 3 slices of ciabatta bread, and shredded manchego cheese. (If you haven’t tasted manchego cheese, you’re in for a treat! This slightly salty Spanish sheeps milk cheese has a gorgeous, buttery, nutlike flavor. You should be able to find it in your local supermarket, or Whole Foods.)
Also feel free to check out this recent post which discusses the history, legends, and correct pronunciation of bruschetta.
What to do when unexpected guests stop by? Uncork a bottle or two of wine, and serve a quick appetizer, relax, and enjoy. Small finger foods are a wonderful option, and are perfect for the coffee table or the patio tray. In this video, Chef Eric Ripert creates scrumptious warm fresh goat cheese truffles blended with herbes de Provence and breadcrumbs, a simple treat that will take you less than 10 minutes to execute.
P.S. Did you ever wonder exactly what herbes de Provence is? Consisting of thyme, bay leaf, marjoram, rosemary, savory, fennel, and often lavender, this delicious mixture varies by the manufacturer. Pronounced “EHRB duh proh-VAWNS” the spice plants are abundant in southern France in the summer, and can be used to season anything from meats, fish, fruits, and even vanilla ice cream. You can grow your own, mix your own recipe, or simply buy a spice blend. Our favorite online spice shop (and no, it’s not because of the name!) is the Savory Spice Shop, which we discovered in Downtown Denver several years ago and have been devoted to ever since. Owners Mike and Janet Johnston offer freshly ground spices, blends, recipes, and even classes if you are lucky enough to live in the Denver area. We highly recommend them!
Chef Niall Harbison. Everything he stands for is delicious. Never pretentious, he loves food, radiates contagious enthusiasm, and his dishes are restaurant quality, yet easy to follow. He started off with Ifoods.tv, which has now transformed beautifully into Look and Taste, a visual fiesta for food lovers with recipes, a video glossary for food terms, and a chef’s blog documenting his culinary musings.
Our chef recipe video on this beautiful early spring weekend would be the perfect breakfast in bed, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Share the love!
*Editing to add: Chef Niall has moved on with SimplyZesty.com and we apologize, his video is no longer available. However this recipe needs to live on, it is so amazingly good.
Recipe instructions as adapted from the video:
Scrambled Eggs With Smoked Salmon
Chef Niall Harbison
Ingredients:
Eggs (3 eggs per person)
Smoked Salmon
Bread Slices (thick, from a freshly sliced baguette)
Cream
Butter
Chives
Slice smoked salmon into strips, and finely chop chives. Melt butter and cream over medium heat. Grill or toast the bread. Use 3 eggs per person, beat in a bowl, and add to the butter and cream in the pan. Blend with a spatula for 1-2 minutes, making sure not to overcook, moving the spatula constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and place the eggs over the toasted bread. Place the salmon on top of the egg toast, and top with a generous amount of chives.
Much as we may wish, it’s difficult to eat like a king when the wallet is thin. One of the top food trends for 2009 is affordable cuts of meat, and skirt steak scores a touchdown in that game. Where does skirt steak come from? From the short plate of the cow, in front of the flank. (Plate = Belly in meat speak.) A good way to think of beef tenderness is that the more frequently the muscle is used, the tougher it will be. Tougher cuts of beef include the round, flank, brisket, and chuck, and they require longer cooking times, typically with moist heat, to enable a tender end result. Tender cuts are typically more expensive, and include rib meat, sirloin, and short loin, these cuts can be cooked with dry heat methods and for a shorter time. Skirt steak is classified somewhere in between, known as a medium in terms of beef cut tenderness. Properly prepared it can be as tender and delicious as any high end fancy contender. Touché!
Our video today features Chef Mario Batali (yes again, we are addicted!) preparing a succulent skirt steak served with cannellini beans and salsa verde.
Speaking of Mario, did you catch the “Last Supper” episode of Top Chef? Based on the book, My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals / Portraits, Interviews, and Recipes a slightly morbid yet delicious book about what chefs would choose for their last meal on earth, Mario chose an elaborate multi course meal, including “marinated anchovies with bruschetta; mozzarella en carozza (a Neapolitan-style grilled cheese sandwich); and fresh Amalfitana pasta with shrimp and zucchini.” Photographer Melanie Dunea shares a gorgeous photo slideshow of the book, found here.
Click “read more” for Mario’s skirt steak recipe. Continue Reading
From the stigma of the beautiful purple saffron crocus flower, saffron may possible be the world’s most romantic, desired, and expensive spice. What makes it so coveted? Difficult to cultivate, and grown only in region specific altitudes and regions, it takes from 70,000 to 250,000 flowers to produce one pound of saffron spice. The flowers are only fully open once a year in autumn, and must be hand picked and harvested during this small window of time.
From the fields of Italy, Greece, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Iran, saffron in history is know for it’s medicinal healing powers, as a medium and paint dye for artist’s paintings, as a makeup for Cleopatra, and ancient fragrant perfume. Alexander the Great was known to have used the magical spice to heal his troops battle wounds. Saffron has even provoked a 14 week long war in the 1300’s, provoked by a theft of a large shipment of the precious spice en route from Rhodes (Greece) to Northern Europe.
Saffron, continued to be cherished and coveted herb in the culinary world today, is used in cooking a multitude of recipes, from rice, paella, soups tea, and pastries, . The flavor? Described as haylike and slightly bitter, many culinary experts and chefs are at a loss for words when pressed to describe it. The reddish gold threads may be used in their entirety as threads, or ground at home, or bought as a powder. There are known stories of adulterated, unpure saffron on the market, both it thread and in powder form, so it is strongly advised to buy from a reputable source.
Watch the video as Margaret Rohmeder, a Swiss saffron expert, discusses the flower and the harvest.
Here are a few chef recipes featuring saffron to inspire you:
A food with it’s own cult following, a facebook fan page with over 2 million followers, and so lovingly referred to as “spreadable bliss”, Nutella is very close to ruling the world.
For those not familiar with this delight in a jar, Nutella, created in the 1940’s, was the brainchild of Pietro Ferrero. During WW2, rations of cocoa led Pietro to dilute the cocoa with hazelnuts, which were abundant in the Piedmont region of Italy. And so a legend was born!
What is Nutella made from today? The ingredients differ slightly per country, but primarily are as follows: sugar, vegetable oil, reduced fat cocoa, skim milk powder, whey powder, emulsifier, vanillin. Sadly, not the healthiest animal in the zoo. If you are looking for healthier alternatives to Nutella, they do exist to some extent! Check out Choconut, found at Whole foods.
Our desert video today spotlights chef Chef John Simmons from Chef Live preparing grilled brioche Nutella sandwiches with a banana jam, and a dipping sauce made with heavy cream and….Nutella!
At a loss for what to cook for Valentine’s Day? Here’s a simple and complete meal solution, thanks to MSNBC and Chef Ina Garten. AKA the “Barefoot Contessa”, Ina shares this meal from her cookbook “Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics”.
In this video, she prepares a delicious mustard roasted fish, roasted vegetables, and a gorgeous dessert of coeur a la creme (translation: a cream heart) with raspberries. Problem solved! P.S. A valentine is not required to make this, be your own valentine and enjoy!
Always a fan of Eric Ripert, we were recently reminded of his sincere charm and culinary talent after watching this weeks Top Chef, where he appeared as a guest judge. Believe it or not, this french master actually produced an entire video series of toaster oven recipe videos! This simple video recipe features bacon wrapped mission figs. Wondering about his toaster oven? It’s a very cool Cuisinart Brick Oven that comes with a baking stone, and has been getting rave reviews. Cuisinart, if you’re listening, we want one!
Recipe courtesy of Eric Ripert
Bacon Wrapped Figs
Serves 4
12 figs, peeled
12 bacon slices
freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat toaster oven to Broil.
2. Wrap each fig in a strip of bacon, trimming the bacon as necessary, and secure with a toothpick.
3. Bake for about 8-10 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the figs are tender.
4. Season with black pepper and serve immediately
We were thinking that between the Superbowl beefy food, and Valentine’s chocolates, perhaps a short detox is in order! Bored with steamed broccoli and even slightly tired of roasted vegetables, we are putting a shout out for new, creative ways to serve seasonal veggies and in this case, fruits.
And we so proudly announce to you a new crush, on the blood orange fruit. For those not familiar, the blood orange is a wonderful winter fruit. An offspring of the traditional sweet orange, blood oranges are typically native to Sicily and Spain, and are harvested from early to mid winter. Their deep red flesh comes from a pigment called anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant present in açaí, concord grapes, cranberries and raspberries. How do they taste? Less acidic than other oranges, blood oranges tend to have a rich, both sweet and tart flavor, with berry undertones. While shopping, choose a heavy feeling blood orange with a thin skin for the juiciest fruit. A slight green tinting of the rind is fine. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to one month, or on the counter for approximately a week.
Our video today features the lovely host Carolyn Jennings from Chic Tv with chef Cedric Tovar from the NYC Park Avenue Peacock Alley Restaurant. He whips up a gorgeous looking braised white asparagus, and serves it with a dressing made from blood orange juice. Click the “read more” to watch the video and for the recipe.
a slightly morbid yet delicious book about what chefs would choose for their last meal on earth, Mario chose an elaborate multi course meal, including “marinated anchovies with bruschetta; mozzarella en carozza (a Neapolitan-style grilled cheese sandwich); and fresh Amalfitana pasta with shrimp and zucchini.” Photographer Melanie Dunea shares a gorgeous photo slideshow of the book, found 
that comes with a baking stone, and has been getting rave reviews. Cuisinart, if you’re listening, we want one!
