Things That You Go "Mmmm"

You know you've done it.  I know I've done it a thousand times.  You walk into the kitchen, trying to find something to do or thinking you want to make something but you just don't know what.  For me, its usually the day after a huge Cook-a-Thon and there are enough leftovers that I really don't need to cook anything more to eat.  What usually happens at this point is for me to start looking over the inventory of what I used the night before and taking the time and the ambition (depending on what else I had the night before) to restock my arsenal of homemade extras...which brings me to my next point.

Whenever I cook something simple, such as chicken breast, I tend to use Olive Oil.  However, knowing that I rarely do anything without touching it up a bit, I like to use a nice Garlic Olive Oil.  Buy it?  Oh, no, no, no.  What follows is a short list of things I like to keep on hand to punch things up a bit, how to make them, and a few uses are sure to get peoples attention.

Garlic Olive Oil
Roasted Garlic Butter
Clarified Butter

Garlic Olive Oil
As simple as it is and as simple as it sounds, Garlic Olive Oil definitely lifts an average dish up a bit.

1 1/2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil (good quality)
Cleaned cloves of 1-2 heads of Garlic (depending on your level of Garlic Tolerance)
Heavy bottom sauce pan

Very simply, place the heads in the sauce pan with oil, place over low heat, cover the pan and watch.  This is one thing you cannot walk away from.  We all know how easily garlic burns and what it tastes like when it does.  Although this process takes about 20 minutes or longer the condition of the garlic needs to be watched.  The garlic can be cooked to the point where it gets crispy without ruining the flavor, however, I'll be using the leftover garlic for other things so my goal is to extract the flavor while having a stash of nice, mushy roasted garlic cloves for other things.

Cooking with the Garlic Oil is the obvious use but wherever you might use oil, use this to really get attention.  A vinegrette for salads, bruschetta dipping oil, you name it.  Or.....

Basic Aioli
Aioli is really just a fancy term for Garlic Infused Mayo.  Thats all.
2 Whole Eggs
2/3 cup Garlic Olive Oil
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp White Wine Vinegar
Pinch of Fresh Ground Pepper
Salt to taste

Place eggs, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until blended.  Turn processor on full and SLOWLY drizzle in the Garlic Olive Oil.  You're looking for an emulsion, which means if you add the oil too fast, the emulsion will "break" (the oil will separate for the water based ingredients).
Salt to taste and thats it.  Wherever you use Mayo, use this instead.  If you want a really interesting Aioli, look up the Komodo Sauce recipe from an earlier post.

Ok, thats done.  You've now created one Hell of an Aioli...and now you're staring at a dish full of mushy garlic cloves.  Doesn't take much of an imagination to figure out what to do next.

Garlic Butter
1 stick (1/2 cup) Quality Organic Butter, room temperature.
2-10 cloves Roasted Garlic (depending on your tastes.  I go for about 6)
Optional Additions:
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper

Simply, put it all in a bowl and combine with a fork making sure to mash the garlic in thoroughly.  Leave in the fridge at least a few hours for the flavors to come together.  You may have noticed the calling for Organic Butter.  You can use whatever you like but you will certainly notice the difference in the butter flavor.  It took me by surprise and now, I'm hooked.

There are so many uses for this butter.  Start with using it in the pan for cooking, garlic bread, and one of my favorites......

Garlic Herb Grilled Potatoes
Although I rarely recommend a microwave, in this case, its a very useful tool.

2-4 Russet Potatoes
1/4 cup Garlic Butter (with additional herbs), melted

Poke some holes in the potatoes with a fork, place them in a gallon zip-top bag and microwave for about 5 minutes.  If they're not completely cooked, thats fine.  Cut potatoes into quarters and pour melter garlic butter in the same zip-top bag (if it survived the microwave.  If not, just get a new one).  Leaving a little air in the bag, toss potatoes in butter until completely coated and let sit for about 30 minutes to an hour.  I realize this sounds like a lot of butter but keep in mind that as the potatoes cool, a good deal of the butter be soaked up...and there really is no such thing as "Too Much Butter".

Place potatoes on a hot grill, turning until all sides have grill marks and are light, golden brown.  Move to a cooler part of the grill leave them until they are cooked through.  About 15-20 minutes.

Clarified Butter

Why in the Name of God would I think I could get away with posting how to clarify butter?  Its less about how to clarify the butter and more about what you can do with it.  Depending on where you use oils for cooking, you can easily replace them with Clarified Butter.  The trick about cooking with butter is trying not to scorch it and its the milk solids in the butter that scorch...so, eliminate the solids.  Simply cook the butter over low heat until the water evaporates (this is the foaming that will occur) and the solids turn to a golden brown.  When done, strain out the toasted solids and let cool.  Much like the Garlic Oil from above, this is a process that you cannot walk away from.  Although the process takes a while, it can burn quickly if not monitored.

Pan Roasted Game Hen/Quail

This recipe is less about what is being cooked and more about how it's being cooked.  Pan Roasting is a technique that requires diligence, attention to detail, and the commitment to stand over a hot stove until the process is complete.  This is where Chefs are separated from Cooks.

1 small Game Hen or Quail
1 1/2 cups clarified butter
1 tbsp salted butter (non-clarified)
1 tsp Herbs D' Provence
Salt and Pepper

Rub the bird, inside and out, with salted butter.  Lightly salt and pepper the outside and dust the inside with Herbs D'Provence and pepper. Truss the bird with butchers twine so that the wings and legs are securely bound.

Melt the clarified butter in a large skillet with high sides over medium high heat.  Lightly brown the bird on all sides until the skin has developed a golden color.  Move the bird, breast side up, to the edge of the skillet and tilt so the butter forms a pool under the bird.  With a large metal spoon, begin to bath the bird with butter over a medium heat.  Every so often, turn the bird so that the inside can be basted as well.  After about 15-20 minutes, depending in the size of the bird, insert a meat thermometer in between the thigh and breast.  You're looking for an internal temp of 170 degrees.  It will finish cooking to 175 degrees on the plates.

Again, if you are committed to this process, try a few other foods before you decide to fill your kitchen with guests to show them the latest trick you're learned, and be vigilant.  If I can do this, I know anyone can.

Something so Utterly, Stupidly, I Don't Care if I Die of a Heart Attack Right Now, Over the Top, Rich.......

Ok, if you want a peek into the very depths of my soul, this is it.  Now is your chance to see what drives me and it is simply the pursuit of the most incredible food I can get my hands on.  As always, this cannot be accomplished without some work and attention to detail, and in this case, it is a process.

Smoked Clarified Butter

I would highly suggest making a large portion of this for two reasons.  This is a process that takes a bit of time and this stuff has a million uses and is just over the top good.

1 pound Clarified Butter
10" cast iron skillet
10-15 natural charcoal briquettes
4 cups soaked Apple or Cherry wood chips

Let the clarified butter cool to room temperature so that it is stiff but still can be worked.  Place on a long strip of plastic wrap and form a round (almost like a sausage) about 2 inches thick and about 6-7 inches long.  Place in the freezer over night or until rock solid.

On one end of the grill the grill, build a small coal bed with the charcoal and burn until all the black is gone from the briquettes.  Cut off one end of the butter brick so that it stands up in the skillet, and place as far away from the coals as possible, add wood chips and quickly close the lid.  As the butter smokes and melts, more surface area is created to collect more smoke, which is why you want to place it as far away from the heat as possible and have it take as long as possible.  If you like, you can refreeze and repeat the process to get more flavor.

At this point, you're asking yourself (and me) "What in the name of all that is Holy am I going to do with Smoked Clarified Butter"?  Well, this is no more or less than a Shout Out to my Michigan Contingent.

Butter Poached Walleye

2 cups Smoked Clarified Butter
1-2 small Walleye or Perch Fillets
Cracked Pepper

In a small sauce pan, bring the butter to a temp of around 180 degrees (you're poaching, not deep frying).  Poach fish until done and flaky (about 10 minutes), finish with cracked pepper.  It's just that simple.

I know this was a long post and hopefully it made for some entertaining reading but I also hope that this lends some inspiration.  I really don't do anything simple and I MUST do everything needed to result in taste, not saving time.  The good news is, taking this time out before hand and keeping a stock of things that have "Lagniappe" (A Little Extra) makes the end result of everything just a little better.

Party Well, Eat Better,
Rob