Chicken with Broccoli

The key to this recipe is the brown sauce.  With this sauce, you can make any dish taste like Chinese takeout.  I'll post more sauces in the future, but for right now, this will definitely get you started. Remember, you don't have to have the pan scorching hot to make restaurant Chinese at home.  You can cook everything on medium heat without sacrificing anything.  Always make sure everything is sliced as thinly as possible.  Sorry for the blurry final plating picture.

Broccoli, prepped and ready

 Carrots and Yellow Peppers

Marinating the Chicken

Making the Slurry

Stir Frying the Chicken

Stir Fry the Vegetables

The Final Plating

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast - halved and thinly sliced
1 Large Carrot - thinly sliced
1 Yellow Pepper - chopped
2 Leaves of Napa Cabbage - sliced
8 oz. Broccoli
1 Cup Brown Sauce
1 Tsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
Salt



Directions:

Marinate the chicken:
1/4 Cup Water
Sliced Chicken Breast
Dash of Salt
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch

Combine ingredients and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Prepare Chicken:
Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and let it heat up.  Add the chicken and constantly stir.  The chicken should cook very quickly.  Once done remove the chicken and set aside.

Make Slurry:
Combine 1 tbsp. corn starch with 2 tbsp. water.  Mix until corn starch is dissolved.


Prepare Vegetables:
Add the carrot, yellow pepper, napa cabbage, and broccoli.  Stir fry for a few minutes.  You will see the broccoli turn to a very nice bright green color.  When this happens add the chicken.

The Finish:
Add the brown sauce and then add the slurry mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Wait until the mixture comes to a boil and then stir constantly until the sauce thickens.   Once the sauce thickens, you are ready to plate.

Homemade Pastrami

Homemade pastrami is one of my favorites.  It takes some time to make, but it's worth every minute.   This pastrami has a nice slight crunch on the outside from the crust and just melts in your mouth.  It goes well naked or on a sandwich.  Pastrami is more than just a brisket.  It's actually a corned beef brisket.  The process of smoking a corned beef is what actually produces pastrami.  I smoke the pastrami at around 225 degrees for 12 hours.  When smoking a corned beef, you are looking for an internal temperature of around 185 degrees.  Brisket is one of those things that you hear horror stories about.  If you don't cook it long enough it will taste like shoe leather.  Don't be intimidated.  It's very easy to cook, it just takes some time.  I would recommend 11-12 hours.  This seems to yield the best results.

Now, to make an authentic pastrami - you have to corn the brisket first.  This recipe will not go over this because I actually cheated and purchased a corned beef brisket.  I know, I'm such a heel.  The process of corning takes about 5-7 days.  Most people don't have that kind of time to spend on a brisket. Honestly, most people may not have 12 hours to make this either.  But it's worth it and if you have the time, I would recommend you try your own corning process.  

To make the pastrami, I used a Bradley Smoker.  This is an electric smoker that automatically inserts wood discs to create the smoke.  I used hickory flavor wood chips for about 2.5 hours of the cook. You can use any flavor of wood you would like.  

Once the pastrami is made, it is perfect for sandwiches.  I will go over the sandwiches in this section also.  

5 lb. Pastrami

 Apply the rub

Pastrami after 12 hours in the smoker

 Making the Sandwich

The Final Plating

Pastrami Rub

5 lb Corned Beef Brisket

4 tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Cumin

1 teaspoon Season Salt

2 tablespoons Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
1.5 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Paprika
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Onion Powder

Directions:
Mix all ingredients.  Generously apply to the entire brisket.

The Perfect Pastrami Sandwich

2 Slices Toasted Rye Bread

1 Slice Swiss Cheese

2 Tablespoons Sauerkraut

1-2 Tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing

3-4 Slices of Pastrami

Directions:

• Toast 2 Slices of Bread
• Add one slice of swiss cheese to the bottom piece of bread
• Place 3-4 thick slices of pastrami to the top of the cheese
• Add 2 tablespoons of sauerkraut to the pastrami
• Generously add 1-2 tablespoons to the top of the sandwich
• Top with last piece of toast and serve warm.

Fried Rice

For years I have tried to solve the mystery of fried rice.  I get this with just about every Chinese take out dinner I order.  It's one of my favorite dishes and seemed impossible to replicate.  I have tried a million times and just couldn't get it right.  I think the problem was I was trying to over complicate the dish.  It's actually one of the easiest dishes to make.  I have always heard the key to making Chinese dishes was the high heat.  I've learned recently that when you're making these dishes at home, the heat really doesn't matter.  It doesn't need to be super hot.  It works just find on medium to medium high heat.  I actually like this better because you can control the heat a little more and not worry about it burning.

This dish turned out just like the fried rice from the Chinese takeout restaurant.  You can also add chicken, pork, shrimp, etc.  Whatever you want.  Once you try this, you will see how easy it is to make fried rice.

Saute carrots and onions

Add Peas and Continue to Saute

Cooked White Rice

Add White Rice to the Pan

 Add Soy Sauce to the Rice

The Final Plating

Ingredients:

1 Cup Peas
3 Carrots - diced
1 Large Onion - diced
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
3 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Cups Cooked White Rice
1 Tablespoon Season Salt or MSG (Accent)


Directions:

• Cook white rice
• Dice Carrots and Onions
• Sauté carrots and onions for a few minutes (make sure to season with season salt)
• Add peas and sauté for a few minutes longer
• Add white rice to pan
• Use a spatula and break apart the white rice
• Add the soy sauce.  You may need to add a little more - you're looking for that light brown color with the rice.
• Add the sesame oil and mix into the rice and vegetables
• Add some more season salt if needed to taste

** Remember it doesn't have to be high heat **

Chinese Brown Sauce

Chinese is my absolute favorite food on the planet.  It is one of the only foods that I enjoy getting takeout from because I have never been successful at duplicating the recipes - until now.  I have numerous books on Chinese cooking, Chinese American cooking, takeout Chinese cooking, etc.  None of them have ever really hit the mark when it comes to Chinese takeout.  To me it's all about the sauce.  I could never really get the sauce right.  There was always something missing.  A few weeks ago, I stumbled across some youtube videos that really hit the mark on the taste.  I made a few tweaks to the recipes and they came out great.  This is the recipe for the basic brown sauce.  This is one of the main sauces that you will need if you want that restaurant quality taste.  

The good thing is that once you master this sauce, you can start creating your own dishes with it.  Experiment with different vegetables and meats.   I will have more Chinese recipes to come.  

The Final Plating

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Sake or Mirin
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 minced green onion
• 2 tsp Ginger
• 1 tsp Garlic
• Dash White Pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients and store in the fridge for up to a month.

Hay Baked Chicken

This recipe was made famous by Alain Passard.  Passard, is considered by many as one of the best chefs in the world.  I've seen different versions of this recipe with different meats, but this one is very simple and works great.  This is one of the strangest recipes you will ever try, but I am confident it will also be one of the best.  This recipe became an instant favorite in my family.

One of the most asked questions I get about this recipe is - why would I want the chicken to taste like hay?  Well, if you think about it, it's actually not so strange.  Think about when you use a smoker for meats.  Why on earth would you want to taste hickory or mesquite?  It's the same concept here.  You are just imparting the flavor of hay.

There are a couple of hurdles to this recipe.  The first one is that you must use hay, not straw.  I know, I didn't think there was a difference either, but apparently there is.  Animals can eat hay, but they cannot eat straw.  Straw is mainly used for growing grass, etc.  Hay is used for feeding animals, so hay must be used for this recipe.  I saw some pics on the internet for this recipe and some are clearly using straw.  Not the same.  Another hurdle to this recipe was the dough that is used to seal the lid.  Why was this such an issue?  Well, I made my own dough and didn't really pay attention to the ratio of water and flour.  When I took the pot out of the oven and tried to remove the dough, it was like concrete.  I had to literally saw the dough off of the pot.  Luckily the pot didn't get damaged.  I was able to wet the dough down and chip it away little by little.  Yes, I'm a moron.  So, I would recommend using the Pillsbury biscuit dough instead of making your own.  It's also going to be a huge time saver.

Chicken on the Hay nest

Making the Dough

Ready to Seal

Seal the Dough to the Lid

Baking

The Chicken is Rested and Almost Done

The Final Plating

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Whole Chicken
• Seasoned Salt
• Hay (not straw)
• Dough

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Line the bottom of the cast iron pot with the hay. Turn the hay into a nest at the bottom of the pan so that the chicken can rest on it.
• 2
  Season the chicken with seasoned salt and place on the hay.
• 3
  Take dough and seal the lid onto the pan.
• 4
  Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Let rest in the pan for 45 minutes.
• 5
  Remove the dough from the pot.
• 6
  Put under broiler for a few minutes to brown the chicken.

  
  

Macaroni Salad

This is my take on Amish style macaroni salad.  I have always liked Amish macaroni salad because it was a little sweeter.  In this recipe I decided to use less sugar and add some honey.  The honey really goes well and gives it that honey mustard type of taste.  In this recipe I call for everything to be diced.    You don't have to dice everything but it's just my preference.  I don't like chunky pieces of vegetables in these types of salads.  I think it takes away from the dish.

I made this dish for easter dinner.  It's an easy side dish that can really be made quickly or even a day ahead of time.

Combine the dry ingredients

Combine the wet ingredients

Add the dry ingredients

Mix the ingredients and 

then add the macaroni

Final Plating

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cups Macaroni (uncooked)
• 3 Eggs (hard boiled)
• 1 Onion (small dice)
• 3 Celery Stalks (small dice)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (dice)
• 2 Tbs. Sweet Relish
• 2 Cups Mayo
• 3 Tbs. Yellow Mustard
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 ts. Seasoned Salt
• 2 tbs. Honey

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the macaroni. Drain and set aside to cool. It’ll take about a half hour or so.
• 2
  In a bowl, combine the eggs, onion, celery, red pepper, and sweet relish.
• 3
  In a separate bowl, combine mayo, mustard, sugar, seasoned salt, and honey. Make sure this is mixed well.
• 4
  Combine the dry and wet ingredients and add the macaroni. Mix well and place in the fridge to cool.

• 
  

French Bread

This is a recipe that I obtained from Le Creuset.  I recently got their 9 quart French Oven and it's definitely something I would recommend to anyone.  It's a great piece of cookware and very versatile.  I love the fact that you can take it from the stove to the oven.  It makes it ideal for braising.  The good thing about this recipe is it will actually work on any oven safe pot.  The recipe recommends at least a 5.5 quart pot.  I have heard of people doing this in All Clad pots as well.  I have made a few loaves of bread and it comes out perfect every time.

This is actually the most foolproof bread recipe that I have ever made.  It's almost as easy as using a bread machine.

This recipe is straight from the Le Creuset website.  I didn't need to lower the heat and brown the bread, it was already done after 30 minutes.  But, that may depend on your oven.

When making bread, I always use bread flour

My 9 Quart Le Creuset French Oven

Mix the yeast and water

 Make sure you use the dough hook

The mixed dough

The dough has risen and is ready

Reshape dough and score

The Final Plating

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• Vegetable oil or vegetable oil spray
• Olive oil

Directions:

Combine the flour, water, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the bowl, you may need to stop the mixer and remove the dough from the dough hook if the dough is not developing thoroughly. When the dough looks smooth, cut off a piece and stretch it. If it stretches to the point of transparency, it’s mixed enough. If not, continue mixing.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with a pot lid or plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size and does not spring back when you push your finger into it, 2 to 4 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it to release the gas and redistribute the yeast. Shape it roughly into a ball, cover it with a towel, and let stand for 10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

Shape the dough into a tight ball – the tighter the better – by rolling it on the work surface between your palms.

Spray or coat the bottom and sides of a large French oven or other heavy ovenproof pot (5 1/2 quarts or larger) with vegetable oil. Put the dough in the center of the pot and place the lid on. Allow the dough to rise again, 30 to 60 minutes (less if it’s very hot and humid, more if it’s cold).

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil, or more if you like, gently over the surface of the dough. Score the bread with a sharp knife or razor, making an X or a hash mark; this will allow the dough to expand freely. Sprinkle the dough with salt. Cover the pot and place it in the oven.

After 30 minutes, remove the lid, reduce the oven temperature to 375 F, and continue baking until the bread is nicely browned and cooked through. It should have an internal temperature of 200 F or so when done.

Allow the bread to rest on a rack for at least 30 minutes so that the interior finishes cooking.

Lobster Bisque

One of the last places on earth that I expected to have great food is Disney Land.  I didn't think the food would be bad, but I didn't expect it to be world class.  It absolutely was.  Every restaurant, especially in Epcot, had amazing food.  If you are into culinary vacations, don't sleep on Disney.  I'm telling you, you will definitely be surprised.  I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in America and I put the food at Disney right up there with them.

The other great thing about Disney Land is that if you find a meal you like.  You can actually call them, most times you can find it online, and they will actually send you the recipe.  Amazing customer service.

One of the best things that I tasted was the lobster bisque.  This was a dish that I had at Epcot in Disney Land.  It was a restaurant called Le Chefs de France.  The entire meal was great, but this dish really stood out.  I found this recipe online and made a couple of tweaks to it.  The recipe is really not that complicated, but there are some steps to it.  Be patient, it's well worth it.

Saute shallots, onions, and garlic

Lobster Removed from Shell (cooked in stock)

Chopped Lobster for Garnish

Return the Shells back to Stock

Stock Simmering with Shells

 Puree the Lobster with some of the Stock 

aka Lobster Milkshake

Stock Strained and Lobster Puree Added

Tarragon and Chervil Added

Final Plating

INGREDIENTS

• 14 oz. raw lobster in the shell **
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/4 clove of garlic, crushed
• 4 cups shrimp stock *
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cups tomato puree
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp each: chervil & tarragon

* - You can substitute chicken stock.

** - Reserve a little chopped lobster for garnish.

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Melt half the butter in a pan, add the onions and cook until softened, when done add the garlic and shallots, cook briefly. Add the lobster, fish stock, peppercorns and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lobster from the stock, cool & take the meat from the shells & set aside. Crush the shells and return to the pan and continue to simmer for 40 minutes. Strain the stock through a sieve.
• 2
  In a blender, puree the lobster with some of the stock. This will look like a lobster milkshake.  Mix the flour and remaining butter to make a paste. Add paste, tomato puree, cream, and mix well, salt & pepper to taste. Add the tarragon and chervil cook, stirring continuously over high heat until the soup thickens. Reduce and simmer gently for 5 minutes.  Garnish with chopped lobster.

  
  

Tempeh Sandwich

What on earth is tempeh??  Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake that is typically used as a meat substitute in the vegan world.  I know it doesn't sound that appetizing, but give it a chance.  It's a lot like tofu in the sense that it absorbs flavors.  In this recipe I just marinated the tempeh in some teriyaki sauce overnight.  The best thing about tempeh is this will be one of those things that you can suit to your liking.  You can use BBQ sauce, soy sauce, etc.  Tempeh really has a good meat texture.  Here is the sandwich that I made using tempeh.

 This is the brand of Tempeh I used

Frying Tempeh

Assembling the Sandwich

Final Plating

Ingredients:

2 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread (toasted)

4 Avocado Slices

Vegan Mayo

1 Half Piece of Tempeh

1-2 Slices of Tomato

Marinade:

Teriyaki Sauce


Directions:

Cut the tempeh in half and place it in a ziplock bag.  Cover tempeh with marinade.  It's best to marinade overnight.

Remove tempeh from marinade and add a teaspoon of oil to a frying pan on medium heat.

Fry tempeh for about 3-5 minutes on each side.  Both sides should be browned.

Assembly:

Put tempeh on toast and then a couple of slices of tomato.  Place the avocado slices on top of tomato. Spread some mayo on the toast and then place toast on avocado.