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Bread pudding is a bit passé; but so what, so are alot of things.  It became lazy and uninteresting because it was good and got beaten to death.  As a brunch or dessert, it’s a lovely fall/winter change of pace.

Keeping moisture while adding interest is the goal.  Interest lies in your own tastes and desires, but moisture is the technical part.  Too much bread is often the fatal mistake, as is too little fat.  Same with holiday stuffing; after all, that’s just a savory, slightly looser bread pudding right?  This pumpkin version is a great way to incorporate that familiar holiday pumpkin flavor if you’re pied out.  If you’re not into the Guinness syrup, use pecan caramel, or raspberry coulis and chocolate sauce…you get the idea.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with
Pumpkin Butter and Guinness Syrup

4T butter
¾lb bread, torn up (French, Brioche, croissant, what’evs)
6 large eggs
3c whole milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
¾c sugar
1T vanilla extract
½tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, whisk everything together and pour over the bread.  Toss to coat and let it soak in the fridge for an hour, stirring twice. Butter a 9” x 13” pan, pour in the mixture, cover with parchment and depress to compact.  Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes.

¼c maple syrup
2T pumpkin puree
1/8tsp powdered ginger
1/8tsp fresh ground nutmeg
½c salted butter

Boil syrup until reduced by half then whisk in the pumpkin, spices and butter.

1/2c brown sugar
1 bottle Guinness

Combine in a small pot over medium heat. Reduce by 3/4 or until syrupy with thick bubbles.

Had my uncle over for a birthday dinner and ended up blowing my own mind.

The Unc

Uncle John has had my food countless times, just never in the multi-coursed style I do for work. Hell…I’ve never had it! I mean…I taste as I go, I cook all the time at home or for family but, I’ve just never been able to sit and enjoy the composed finished product as it is intended to be eaten. Same for my wife, bless her heart. She hears the details of the nights events with nary a crumb to speak of as her own.

Eating my own food?

Sat down to my own wine dinner in “07, but that was different. Not being wine focused or planned allows a sense of freedom that feels relaxing. Speaking of relaxing; this marks the first dinner of this magnitude I’ve done while riding the sweet, sweet wave of a consistently filled vodka tonic, gigitty. Please keep in mind that I dropped the garnish ball on a few courses because of drinking, socializing, enjoying myself, parenting and keeping things relatively clean. Here is a quick run through of what we had and how it went down, please ignore the order.

…Relax, and float down stream. I always liked a version the said “Turn On Your Mind.”

A romantic dinner for two recently in Rancho Santa Fe was just lovely.  It was a staycation at home, for two people smart enough to actually set the weekend aside for themselves.  Taking some time to just relax at home, enjoy their home, and enjoy each other. Doesn’t that sound nice…I love marriage.  I’m always elated to cook for people that recognize the need to slow down and enjoy each other.

After the hors d’oeuvres and the first course, I can always feel the energy mellow down into satisfaction and relaxation. A result of good food and a situation handled. A contented vibe melts through the air while they sit back and enjoy what little gastronomic surprise comes next.

I haven’t been wine tasting in Temecula for 10+ years.  Ramona has been my local wine region of choice and I enjoy it every time. Ramona wineries are chill and unpretentious. They have that approachable family vibe that Temecula did in the early 90’s.

Met with friends at Turtle Rock Ridge Winery and Vineyard for a wonderful and relaxing late afternoon.  (I’m not reviewing this place, just telling a story.)  Now…I don’t usually do sangria, but it was hot, so I did.  Such a good decision; so damn good.  It’s a berry sangria that is balanced and illegally refreshing.  What’s better?  How about Sangria Jam made from the wine soaked berries that get strained from the sangria.  I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the best jam since the first time anyone has made jam…ever.  I’ve tried to be patient and use it for fancy desserts, or souped up PB and J’s, but I never get passed maowing it by the spoonful.

Turtle Rock has followed suit in the growing trend of breweries and wineries allowing tasting in a family friendly environment.  Parents get to relax with a glass and kids get to tweak out on legos and root beer; but without it being a restaurant.  For that, we went to Jeremy’s On The Hill.  Along with it being our friends favorite restaurant, it was nice to eat somewhere in East County that could be in North Park or Little Italy.  Fresh, local, real food from people that love families and community.

Last week I cooked for two bachelorette parties in Mission beach and one epic bachelor party for 17 hungry dudes.  The boys had a big rental house in La Jolla and were pumped for a big weekend. Most of them came from the East coast so I made sure to throw a little San Diego swerve their way with the corn and watermelon.  These boys were ready for a big weekend of fun and their energy about being together on a San Diego vacation was electric and contagious. I cooked for them on they’re first night to kick things off…it went well.  I don’t do wedge salads, but I felt justified with the play on Mexican corn.

Apps:
Twice baked potatoes with garlic chives, Gouda and truffle oil
Lamb Spanish meatballs
Chili lime pickled watermelon
Umami bomb-mushroom and roasted garlic stuffed Worcestershire, soy marinated grilled steak

Dinner:
Mexican corn wedge salad
Butter poached radish, blanched celery and herb salad aside grilled kabocha squash
Roasted salmon/ brown butter vinaigrette/roasted root veggie mash
Gluten free chocolate torte, banana whipped cream, almond brittle

Recipe For Mexican Wedge

1c Mexican crema
1/4c mayonaise
2-3T lime juice
1tsp kosher salt
1T minced red chile (fresno or arbol)
Grilled corn, kernals removed and salted
Iceberg lettuce, wedged
Queso seco or parmesan cheese
Hot chile powder

Whisk first 5 ingredients and season to taste; thin with milk if needed. *Dressing should be thick like blue cheese dressing. Plate the wedge, top with dressing and layer the corn, cheese and chile powder over the top.

Sprouts is bringin’ it. At least when it comes to grapes. Recently I stumbled upon these lovely red grapes known as “Witch Fingers”.  

Crazy right? These little ladies are sweet, with great texture and have a wonderful shape that spruces up a salad or cheese platter. They’ve got everything that fits my parameters for purchase, especially their interest factor and high rating on the cute-ability scale. I put them on this kick ass salad but they can easily be given to hungry little hands as a snack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping busy with requests, I happily cooked a couple fine dining Mexican multi-course dinners of late. Definitely a cuisine that’s in my wheelhouse and it makes me happy to show people the beauty and complexity of the cuisine. As per my style norm, it was Mexico via SD farmers markets.

Here are a few of the dishes

Scallop ceviche with avocado, potato, cilantro, yellow chile, green heirloom tomato
Peanut guajillo mole soaked grilled cauliflower and spring onion topped with herbs, queso fresco and red walnuts
Lamb and Oaxaca cheese stuffed and grilled toro pepper with almond fresco sauce grilled tomatoes and green beans
Pickled watermelon, cucumber, mint salad
Carnitas with oregano/crema cabbage, tomatil lo sauce, jicama, shallot and chile arbol
Sweet corn tamale with fresh peeled peach, vanilla cream and bunuelos

Since no post is complete without pics and I’m horrible about them while on the job; here is an easy recipe for Mexican hot sauce. Hot sauce is easy and versatile. I sometimes will reduce it and monte au beurre for a chile beurre rouge. You can use dried or fresh chile, toasted, roasted, grilled or raw.

Eat in moderation

Enjoy but be careful. Gave some to my father in law and he started “French dipping” his breakfast sandwich in it. Delicious maybe; but a bad digestive decision a little later on :-/  What you see below (and at the top) are fresh Arbol chiles from my garden.  Arbol is a favorite of mine with a fresh fruity flavor that deepens to an earthy richness when dried.

2T chopped fresh or 1T dried chile (amount varies between varietals)
1 large garlic clove
¼c chopped onion
1tsp sugar
2tsp salt
¼c white vinegar
1-tsp tomato paste *optional…fresh tomato works as well

Puree and adjust to your taste buds. Remember that cooking or toasted the chile will completely change the dynamic of the chile. If you want it thicker add some no heat thickener like xanthan gum.

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Side note…did you know there’s a band called Hot Sauce Johnson? Not sure what the name implies but they were pretty rad. Listen to a track, it’s saucy.

After our last vacation in a big city I was curious.  Are these cities really that rad?  Or, are we just in vacation la-la land, only seeing the positives in our surroundings?  After all, it’s pretty easy to have a good time when you have no responsibilities.  Knowing that, we started to wonder if we’d have as good as a time in downtown San Diego as we have in other big famous cities.  We just have to treat it as such.

So we’ll see…we haven’t made the plans yet but we will.  And while my wife and I are hemming and hawing over when we can afford to release the shackles of parenthood for a weekend; I cooked for a couple that did just that. With the kiddos in the rear view, this lovely Spring Valley couple decided on a staycation in La Jolla for a weekend.  I was brought in to cook for them on their first night there.  We all had a great time with the dinner and they were cool enough to send me some pics of the food.

 This Spring I had a good time with green almonds and fava beans.  Favas were a revelation; I finally started grilling them whole and eating the entire pod.  Great food can be so staggeringly simple that it makes you question your own mental capacities.  I mean really!?  I never oiled that friggin’ thing up and threw it on the grill? Ugh!  Seriously though…treat a fava bean like asparagus on the grill and you’ll have a nice appetizer or side dish.  The younger and fresher the bean the better, and don’t eat the fibrous string.

I had plans of a macadamia tree in my front yard…no more.  Almonds being the new plan, they can be eaten in 2 or 3 stages. Before the nuts mature and dry, there is an early green stage where the shell and young nut can be pleasingly consumed.  The soft, fuzzy, soon to be hard, shell is very tender in this early stage and the earlier and fresher the better.  The almond itself in this stage is crazy.  It’s delicate and white with virtually no flavor, a thin tender skin and insides like a delicate grape.  I like to slice the whole thing or or bite into ’em when they are really fresh or I peel off the fuzzy shell and eat the “grape”.  Yeah…almond grape works as an explanation.  They provide wonderful shape and interest to all things delicate and garnishy.  I have used them in various salsas/melanges and do whatever I can to keep its shape, texture and color intact.  Here I have them sitting in cold water waiting to be thrown into a topping fora chunky salsa verde.

 

 

A couple weeks ago I cooked for 125 people at the Portuguese Hall in Shelter island. This was the first time in years that I had been around any serious cooking equipment.  As I was turning on 3 different ovens to bake my cakes, the guy that oversees the place said (with a twinkle in his eye); “come over here; you wanna use this oven?”  Not being one to impose and being a little intimidated, I initially said no, but the guy insisted it was easy and he’d show me how.  This oven was friggin’ huge.  In the picture you see below, those are my cakes.  Each pan is a hotel pan…a chaffing dish pan for those not down with the lingo.  Roughly 20″x 12″.   

 

 

Please note the rack with which the cakes sit; yeah, there are 6 of those, all rotating within the oven.  I could have cooked 24 of those cakes all in 45 minutes!  And since it is always rotating it cooks everything totally even.  Sorry I’m nerding out on you here but the magnitude of it makes me proud of human engineering.

Here was the menu:

Appetizers:
Olives, flatbread and cut veggies with fresh hummus and babaganoush

Dinner:
Marinated and grilled garlic chicken thighs 
Beef kofte (Mediterranean grilled meatballs) 
Grilled peppers and onions
Greek salad- feta, romaine, fresh dill-parsley-cilantro, green onion, sumac, red wine vinaigrette
Yellow rice
Tzatziki
Warm pita

Dessert:
Honey and olive oil pound cake with vanilla whipped cream, toasted almonds and seasonal fruit