Best of 2010

I wish everyone a happy and a healthy new year. I decided to post some of my favorite pizzas from 2010. Enjoy.

Top Dishes of 2010

To finish off 2010 on a great note, I decided to post some of the top dinners I cooked based on my guests' feedback. Here it is:

Spaghetti carbonara with grilled chili shrimp 

Marinated veal sliders with a brussell sprout anglaise
(This was for the LOST Series Finale)

Scallop ceviche with orange bell peppers and mango

Seared scallop with sauteed baby bello mushrooms,  orange bell peppers, cippolini onions, rosemary and white wine

Homemade linguine with broccoli rabe and sweet Italian sausage. Pan seared sole in a white wine butter sauce. 

Scallop ceviche atop a parmigiano crisp with orange bell peppers, jalapeno and  heirloom tomato

 Homemade linguine with clams, cherry tomatoes and Cacio di Bosco Truffle Cheese

First night of Hanukkah: roasted chicken, string beans, potato jalapeno latkas 

Homemade linguine with oven roasted tomatoes, broccoli and parmigiano cheese;

Sliced skirt steak with Gorgonzola Piccante

Last Dinner of 2010

Before the new year, I wanted to cook something my roommate Jason and I would enjoy.  He was a big fan of my grilled Swordfish with a tomato bruschetta. Because I was down by Union Square, I decided to do my shopping at Whole Foods on 14th Street and Union Square.

 Above is the grilled swordfish, the tomato bruschetta, farro risotto with baby bello mushrooms, saffron, sage and parmigiano cheese. 

I cored my tomatoes and boiled them, which makes it easier to remove the skin. I quartered each tomato and removed the seeds so I was left with just the"meat" of the tomatoes. Once I diced up the tomatoes, I added chopped kalamata and picholine olives with some salt, pepper, sage and some good Italian olive oil. I let this mixture sit in the refrigerator until I was ready to plate it. 

This was my first time attempting a farro risotto. I learned in my Essentials of Italian Class that you can keep cooking farro without it ever becoming overdone and mushy. I started the risotto earlier in my preparation knowing I would not have a problem getting to the desired al dente texture. I eventually added in saffron, chopped sage and parmigiano. I finished the plate with some Italian pesto, which was a nice flavor combination with the swordfish, tomatoes and olive salsa. 

   

Pizza

If you do not know me well, I am a huge "Pizzahead." My favorite food item to cook and experiment with is pizza. Above is a pie we made after dinner. My friend Evan never eats before coming over knowing that we will be making some pizza at some point.

We made a traditional pie with baby bellos, balsamic cippolini onions and a mustard seed salami. The flavors really meshed well when the pizza was finished. I would have liked more color on the outer crust, but as usual, it was still amazing.  

Late Night Session

Last night I did some experimenting on my first pie. I used fresh pesto as my sauce and topped it with fresh mozzarella, dry mozzarella, hot sopressata and balsamic cippolini onions.  

 
I topped the second pie with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, hot sopressata and balsamic cippolini onions. 

Weekend

I was able to cook Saturday and Sunday this past weekend. On Saturday I prepared a salad with Salty Pecans, Gorgonzola Piccante and Craisins dressed with Balsamic Vinaigrette for a starting course. 

 During my Essentials Of Italian Class we made some amazing soups. I froze a Zuppa Di Farro from the class and decided to defrost it. Farro is a debatable species of grain or rice. This soup consist of onion, celery, carrots, garlic, fresh herbs, Pancetta, potatoes and a soffrito (pancetta, onion, celery, carrots, leeks, garlic, herbs, olive oil, tomato paste, and Farro). I finished off the soup with some Cacio Di Bosco, a blended sheep's and cows milk cheese studded with white truffles. 

Because I took the pizza class earlier that day, I decided I wanted to keep the dinner simple.  I decided to make Linguine with Meatballs. I seasoned the meat with various spices before baking them in the oven. I sautéed garlic and red onion with some olive oil and added some pomodoro sauce to spice things up.

Once the meatballs were done, I added them to the sauce and let that simmer to reduce down. 

Once the sauce was finished I tossed it with the pasta and topped it with the meatballs. I always have to top it off with some cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano. 

Sunday Night

Sunday night I made chicken with a white wine and oven roasted tomato sauce, mushroom rice pilaf and some roasted yellow and green squash. 

I seasoned the chicken with some salt, pepper and herbs before searing it. I did this with some oil and butter to get some color and texture on the outside of the breast. I removed the chicken and deglazed the pan with some white wine, oven roasted tomatoes and herbs. I then took the chicken and added it to the soon to be sauce.

I removed the chicken after being thoroughly cooked. I took some water and corn starch and brought the sauce to a boil. Once the sauce was at the perfect viscosity, I brought the heat down to simmer. I sliced the chicken on a bias and placed it over the rice. The roasted squash was a nice compliment to the dish. 

Pizza 101

Yesterday I took a pizza class with my roommate Jason at the French Culinary Institute. As many of you may know, I am pretty familiar with making pizza. Unfortunately I did not learn anything new at this class, but it was amazing to step back in a classroom at FCI. We worked in the bread making kitchen, which produces all of the breads for L'ecole (the FCI student run restaurant). 

Jason digging into his first pie

Spinach and Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Spinach, Oven Roasted Tomatoes and mixed mushrooms

Focaccia Bread 

Molecular Gastronomy

I do not have a degree from culinary school; however, I try to learn and teach myself different cooking techniques from different sources. I recently signed up to take a class "Molecular Gastronomy for the home cook" at the French Culinary Institute, but was unable to attend. However, I did purchased a kit from my friends at www.molecule-r.com to try this new technique on my own.

The kit contains pre-measured pouches of Agar Agar, Sodium Alginate, Calcium Lactate, Soy Lecithin and Xanthan Gum. It also came with a CD with 50 video tutorials, syringes, droppers, tubbing, a slotted spoon and measuring spoons. This kit was much easier to work with compared to one I purchased from www.thinkgeek.com.

My first attempt with the Molecule-R kit was for a Goat Cheese Ravioli. I used a Honey Goat Cheese under the Celebrity Label to execute my first trial. The recipe calls for 50g of Goat Cheese, 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon of Milk, and a 1/2 Teaspoon of Calcium Lactate.  I suggest using a fork to break the Goat Cheese up until you get a smooth consistency. For the Sodium Alginate Bath you must take 1 pouch (2 grams) and 2 cups of water in a shallow bowl. You will need to use an immersion blender to thoroughly mix the solution. Let that sit for 15 minutes before making your raviolis. 

 Honey Goat Cheese Ravioli's in Sodium Alginate Bath

Honey Goat Cheese Ravioli on Chips Ahoy Cookie

For my second cheese ravioli I used a Gorgonzola Piccante. I was a little nervous about trying this Gorgonzola because it has a different texture, as well as blue veins which adds an offset green/blue color. 

When I mixed the milk and Calcium Lactate with the cheese, I still had small pieces of cheese that did not dissolve. I am happy to say that this ravioli turned out successfully. Once breaking into the ravioli the two textures of smooth and small pieces of cheese were sensational. Again, I lacked components for the dish, so I used some Mustard Seed Salami to place under the ravioli. Take a look below. 

Gogonzola Piccante with a Mustard Seed Salami

Gogonzola Piccante with Mustard Seed Salami with a drizzle of Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Welcome

Welcome everyone! My name is Brian and I am very excited to be sharing my adventure in the kitchen with all of you. I graduated from Syracuse University in 2009 and have taken some classes at the French Culinary Institute in NYC. This blog is definitely overdue and have plenty of recipes and finished meals I need to share. I will be uploading some previous dinners and experiments, so be sure to check in.