As the first snow has already flown (It’s too early!), my thoughts invariably are beginning to turn to tummy-warming food-hug type dishes.  More often than not, braising is what I turn to most often.

Talk to any chef about braising, and you’ll instantly get his or her attention.  To a chef, braising is the ultimate marriage of both technique and simplicity, an oxymoron unless you’re talking about French cuisine!  It’s easy to grill an expensive steak to temp and have it taste great…well not easy, but it’s much more difficult to take a relatively cheap, tough piece of meat and through the use of technique and time, coax it out of its tough exterior and enter the sublime.

Braising is a cooking method by which food is usually browned (not always), then cooked tightly covered with liquid for a lengthy period of time.  The amount of liquid varies depending on what is being braised.  Braising almost always utilizes large, tough cuts of meats whereby the lengthy cooking time allows these tough cuts to break down into something approaching culinary nirvana on your plate.  Braising can be done either on top of the stove or in the oven (my preferred medium).   But be careful.  The chef walks a razor-thin line between tenderness and overcooked.  End up on the wrong side and it’s unforgiving:  Nothing can be done with an overboiled piece of meat, no matter how sexy the ingredients.  Braising does not mean cooking it until it’s falling off the bone, either.  Although in some cases it’s warranted. 

One of my favorite things to braise is Beef Shortribs.  Because there’s so much fat in the ribs, it’s more difficult to overcook, so perfect for the novice braiser.  Serve these on or off the bone (remove meat after they’re cooked) over soft polenta and winter greens, using the braising liquid as the sauce.  Email me with questions or concerns and good luck!

Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel) is one of the national dishes of Austria and rightly so.  It’s delicious and demonstrates Austria’s  Turkish influence.  It’s thought to have been created sometime during the 18th century or during the Hapsburg Empire.  It’s an unmistakeable cousin to Baklava.

Essentially, Apfelstrudel is a thin-layered pastry (usually Phyllo) surrounding an apple stuffing.  The filling can also include raisins, breadcrumbs, butter, schnaaps, rum, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, or any number of different fillings.  In addition to strudel being a specific dish, it’s also a cooking technique.

Here is the version I made for a recent dinner party…the Cinnamon Ice Cream recipe follows.

What can I say?  Just purchased several pounds of fresh, local Morel mushrooms.

What is it about the Morel mushroom that sends some folks into a tizzy?  Does any other fungi cause one to wax poetic about its virtues, et al?  I, for one, cannot say enough about the husky aroma given off by said morels sauteed with leeks, shallots, and butter.  A bring-you-to-your-knees pureness of flavor that, when paired with, say, a Martinelli Pinot Noir (2006 Bondi Home Ranch), allows one to transcend into culinary nirvana…(sigh)see what I mean?

As a private chef in Jackson Hole,  we sadly don’t get the kinds of produce that many urban areas take for granted.  Hey, I’m originally from Sacramento, I know what’s out there!  That’s why when ‘the morel guy’ comes knocking on your back door, you let him in.  It’s a big deal.  That’s probably why so many chefs here go nuts over these brown beauties.  It’s an opportunity to make use of a dynamic ingredient, and a local one at that.

Give us a call to book your next function, but hurry if you have to have the morels.

Cheers!

Chef Tim

Anyway, in the next few days I’ll be posting some pics and some observations about friends, food, shopping, and being on the road

Elko, NV

Elko, Nevada is a small town located about 280 miles east of Reno, NV along the I-80 corridor.  Historically a railroad town, Elko is the 5th largest county in the U.S.  Around the 1870′s Irish sheepherders were more or less replaced by sheepherding men from the Pyrenees Mountains of Spain and France, hence the Basque influence.

I asked a number of locals to please direct me to their favorite restaurant in town.  I was told every time to go to the Star Hotel because they served, I was told, excellent Basque-style cuisine.  The restaurant is located inside the Star Hotel, an 100 year old hotel known mainly as a boardinghouse  After being sat at one the many communal tables, I ordered the Baked Lamb ($18), which was a lamb shoulder baked/roasted to falling apart, and sprinkled with Paprika and garlic.  Delicious with an inexpensive bottle of Rioja.  Although this was not ‘typical’ Basque cuisine, it was certainly influenced by it.  Lots of roasted meats, etc.  The portion sizes here are gigantic.  Consider what I received with my meal:  Salad, Beans, Spaghetti, Bread, French Fries, Soup, Veggies, and then the entree!

I have traveled through Elko too many times to count and have never thought to explore it for its food.  At least no further than the entrance to the KFC.  I am again reminded that wonderful food exists everywhere, one just has to seek it out.

The Star Hotel is located at 246 Silver St., Elko, NV.  Reservations are recommended.