La Cruisine De Reference

This is the biggest, most complete illustrated cookbook I ever came across.

La Cruisine De Reference

Too bad it is in French and I cannot read it. If someone want to translate it for me, you will be my hero.

-a

Chorizo lettuce wrap

I've been on a chorizo kick lately. I've probably had it at Mexican restaurants 3 or 4 times in the last week. I decided to make some at home. Well, not making chorizo, but using them to make stuff. I didn't want to make tacos, or burritos because I can get them at restaurants and they can make them better than I can. So I'm making lettuce wraps with them.

1 lb of chorizo
a small yellow onion
garlic powder
cilantro
romaine lettuce



This is beyond easy to make. Take the chorizo out of the casing and put it in a large pan on medium heat. Add garlic powder and smoosh the meat. Let that cook for a few minutes. Once fat is rendered add the diced onion. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the onion is soft.

Take the pan off of the heat and add chopped cilantro and fold it in evenly.


Check out my brand new pan. Bought some new stainless steel pots and pan.

Then take a leaf of lettuce and wrap the chorizo in there.



This stuff is delicious. It is a mess to eat though. The leaves I got is not nearly big enough to wrap the meat neatly. By the end of the meal I was covered in orange grease. Absolutely worth it.

-a

Hot Doug's

Hot Doug's is a hot dog joint. I've heard of a place with various gourmet hot dogs and on weekends they have duck fat fries. Friends that told me about the place couldn't produce the name of the place or the exact address. I kind of forgot about it.

Last week on No Reservation, Anthony Bourdain visited Chicago. One of the places on the episode was Hot Doug's. Now I know what the place is called, I can look it up and go check it out.

When I got there at 11:30 am on a Friday there was a line out the door. I've been warned about this so no problem. The line was kind of quick, took about 15 minutes to get to the front to order. I got the foie gras and duck sausage hot dog and an order of the duck fat fries.

The duck sausage hotdog was absolutely awesome! I don't even know how to describe it. The duck fat fries was good. It's may be the best fries I ever had. The thing is though, duck fat fries sound so out of this world that I was expecting a life changing experience. In that sense I was disappointed. At the end of the day, it is just fries. Compare to other fries, the crisp is perfect and there is a certain richness to the taste.

There are so many other very good sounding sausages and hot dogs there that I will be going back there. The duck fat fries is worth trying once. Will I go wait in line just to have it? I don't know. Maybe if I'm bringing someone else there to try it I will. The real star of the restaurant are hot dogs. I will go back probably on a weekday to avoid the line.

-a

Bacon Explosion

Haha. This recipe have exploded on the internet in the last month. Here is the original recipe: Bacon Explosion

I made one for the Superbowl party I went to. Mine is a bit different. I didn't use barbeque sauce, and my rub is only cumin, paprika, and ground pepper. I also added sharp cheddar on the inside. I don't have a smoker, so I baked mine like a meatloaf, 2 hours at 375.

I'm not gonna repost someone's recipe on here but here are a couple pictures of my version of the bacon explosion. It was delicious but no one wanted to eat more than a slice of it. Everyone values their health and livelihood a bit too much.





-a

Lamb chops - Holiday Party

This is a late post. Been busy (read lazy) lately and didn't have a chance to write much. I made lamb chops for the holiday party for the family. This is a recipe from the Meat 101 class I took a long time ago at the Chopping Block.

2 racks of lamb
sea salt
fresh rosemary
olive oil
garlic



First I chop up some rosemary and mix it with the salt.
I cut the racks of lamb into chops and brush with olive oil and rub the rosemary salt on the chops.



I seared the chops on a cast iron skillet until it is a nice brown on both sides.
This should leave the chops at a nice rare/medium rare. Very easy, very good from what I remember from the class.

Well, mine turned out a bit too salty. Too much salt, otherwise very good.

Here's the rest of the holiday dinner. It was awesome.



-a

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookie

I'm going to a friend's holiday party and it is a cookie exchange party. So I have to make some cookies. I haven't done any desserts before, it's time I try.

I google and looked at recipes and decided that baking and dough handling is not what I want to do right now. I found a no bake cookie and it looks good. Here goes.

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats



First, I boil the sugar, butter, and milk in a sauce pan. When I first put everything in the sauce pan, it didn't make sense to boil this solid mass of sugar, but it worked. Crazy. Boil it for a minute then take it off of the heat.

Mix in everything else and stir it until it become a uniform blob of brown.



Spoon little patches onto a big piece of wax paper to cool and set.



Once set, eat!



This turned out a lot better than expected considering how easy this is. It's a little too sweet for me, but I wouldn't know how to make just as much with less sugar. Would I use more milk? Either way, I'm happy.

-a

Chili with Poblanos and Pozole

This is my favorite chili from the Chopping Block class I took a couple weeks ago. This is a thicker chili that can be served in a tortilla or in a bowl.

2 Onions
3 garlic cloves
1 and a quarter pounds of tomatillos
2 and a half pounds of cubed pork shoulder
cumin
cilantro
3 poblano peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
a can of hominy
salt and pepper



First I put the quartered onions, the tomatillos (removed husks and rinsed), the jalapenos, and the poblanos in th broiler to char the outside a bit on all sides. I added the garlic cloves near the end because they burn easy.

I browned the pork in a big pot in two batches because there are so much. Then I set the pork aside.



I take the vegetables out of the broiler and put the onions, jalapenos, tomatillos, and garlic in a blender. Save the poblanos for later. Blend the vegetables into a puree.



In the big pot add cumin and the vegetable puree in the pot and add the meat back in.
I add just enough water so all the meat are touching the liquid. Add salt and pepper to season. Bring it to a boil and simmer for two hours.



While the chili is simmering, I peel the charred skin off of the poblanos and cut them into strips. Rough chop the cilantro and set everything aside.

After 2 hours of simmering, I added the poblano strips, cilantro, and hominy in the chili and turn the heat off. Stir everything up and let it sit for a few minutes.





I served it with tortillas and made tacos. It was delicious. My favorite chili from the class. Favorite chili I ever made.

-a