Houston Chefs - Blogtalk

let them eat cake

plinio — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:52:00 -0800

lately i've been noticing (after a few cocktails) alot of crazy ideas are born at anvil. for example, riding the MS150 next year. and now this: a 10 course all cake dessert tasting!! very excited about this one.

heres the preliminary menu:

carrot cake souffle (charlie palmer) w/ spiced ginger ice cream
red velvet cake w/ cream cheese ice cream
german chocolate cake w/ coconut ice cream
warm pumpkin cake w/ brown butter ice cream
devils and angels food cake w/ apricot sorbet
cheesecake
"breakfast" donuts, bacon, jelly, egg
sweet potato beignet w/ bacon ice cream
funnel cake w/ spam ice cream
brown butter pound cake w/ goat cheese ice cream

also, after a few cocktails i too said that i would pair each course with an ice cream.

oh! and if you would like to do this tasting, email me. lets set a date psandalio@yahoo.com

before/after dessert tasting

plinio — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:25:00 -0700

a few days back i posted on twitter about doing a before and after dessert tasting. this was in response to my own fear that people think i can't make classic desserts. in order to prove to them (and myself), i will be doing very classic desserts as part of this tasting. the tasting will consist of a very classic preparation on a dessert followed by a modern preparation.

this is the tentative menu

1. classic: creme brulee / modern: vanilla custard in textures

2. classic: lava cake / modern: toasted chocolate sponge, warm chocolate spheres

3. classic: cheesecake / modern: graham cracker cheesecake, crispy cream cheese crust

4. classic: souffle / modern: 10 second microwave souffle

5. classic: lemon meringue pie / modern: lemon frozen custard, hot meringue, liquid sable

still have no date for this tasting, but if you interested email me. also, if you have any dessert requests you'd like to see on the before/after tasting, email me.

houston press interview

plinio — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:12:00 -0700

plinio by fabio
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

a few days back i was interviewed by david buehrer for the houston press' eating our words blog.

read the interview herehere

Coffee Street Slow Bar menu announced

greenway barista — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:16:00 -0700

I am proud to announce that we will be adding a "slow menu" to Tuscany Coffee Greenway. The word "slow" is simply used here to encourage our customers to savor not just the remarkable attributes of each different coffee, but also to enjoy the processes that create these unique textures and flavors.

Actual brewing times will vary from about 45 seconds to around 6 minutes. There is something really exciting about trying a remarkable coffee on various brewing methods, and being able to detect what changes were made based on brewing practices. A french press will always reveal a fuller bodied coffee while a chemex may reveal sweeter tones, using the same coffee!

I am really excited because when someone commits to taking a break to relax and enjoy a great coffee experience, they are indirectly opening up to me and finally saying, "alright David, show me why you are so intrigued with all this stuff." I can't wait to serve all my customers a unique and engaging experience that I hope will encourage everyone to start brewing in different ways at home!

tenacity

plinio — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:17:00 -0700

ceviche
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

randy has brought back his tenacity dinners.

jj, justin basye, joseph gentempo, rainbow lodge crew and myself were fortunate to be at the tenacity rebirth.

press, reviews and links

plinio — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:27:00 -0700

just a word or two about textile

texas monthly: textile

gourmet: first taste of textile

houston chronicle: hot, new restaurants grace the houston landscape

houston chronicle: textile

houston press review: the tastes of textile

food in houston blog: houston's top 10 restaurants

food in houston blog: halcyon days: a dinner at textile

great food houston blog: textile

great food houston blog: textile revisited

tasty bits blog: first taste of textile

eat me houston blog: textile

just a word or two about desserts at textile

dirty kitchen adventures: dessert tasting

houston chronicle: houston's best dessert spots

houston press: best of houston: best desserts

i'm never full blog: how to spoil a girl like me

great food houston blog: crazylicious dessert tasting

from the gutt blog: textile

barley vine blog: textile

Cafe Espresso and Competition Espresso. 2 different things

greenway barista — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:57:00 -0700

---disclaimer--- After competition I will be offering both of these styles of espresso to my customers. Until then I will be focusing on SCAA sanctioned espresso so I can build the skill set needed to win my region in the upcoming barista competition!

SO! I really didn't want to make any non-charity related posts until after the Htown Throwdown but since this directly pertains to the products I am serving right now at my shop I wanted to make a blog post about SCAA, or the Specialty Coffee Association of America's SCRBC: South Central Regional Barista Competition.

This Competition will be held in December, or maybe January in Austin, TX. In entering this competition, I will be committing myself to preparing espresso in my cafe to SCAA guidelines, instead of the modern American cafe style of preparing espresso. I want to talk a little about the differences between each, and what is unique about each one.

--American Cafe Espresso--

I have been serving espressos up to this point dosed (or weighed) at 21.5 grams of coffee, ground in a way to create a 1.5 - 1.75oz shot or "triple" as it is referred to in coffee slang. Brewing temperatures can change dramatically with each different espresso between 196 to 205 degrees fahrenheit. They are served with custom, larger than average "18 gram" ridgeless brewing baskets and most of the time are used with a cut or "naked" portafilter that is easily cleaned by rinsing under a hot water spout through and through and then dried with a clean cloth thoroughly. I have always loved these big, smooth, almost syrupy in texture monster shots. They create rich tones of red and dark brown with a viscosity similar to motor oil. Flavors are robust and pop, and extractions tend to develop longer in the group head before dripping into a shotglass to create an espresso. This means that shots develop longer, and take a liking to a lighter roasted coffee geared towards profiling the elements of each bean individually in any given espresso blend. I don't split cafe espressos up, so a triple will go into a cappuccino the same as a triple would be served for a latte or espresso. So to sum it up, cafe espresso is bigger, bolder, and thicker.

Now to the competition shots, and how it pertains to my cafe: During competition I am required to follow SCAA guidelines for what a competitive espresso is. I am not here to say which is better or give reasons why one is superior to the other, just to state facts and how these two "espressos" can be so very different.

--SCAA Espresso Guidelines--
An espresso is a one ounce beverage (25 - 35 ml)
An espresso is prepared with various grams of coffee (depending on the coffee and the grind)
The espresso will be brewed at a temperature between 195 and 205 degrees fahrenheit.
Extraction time is recommended to be between 20 and 30 seconds.
Extraction times must be within a 3 second variance of each other.

So, instead of 21.5 grams of espresso, due to limitations of the basket size (16 grams) the maximum amount of espresso grinds I can stuff into a portafilter is somewhere around 18 grams, give or take a gram. This drastic reduction in soluble coffee grinds affects my extraction times. Because my extraction times are affected, my grind size must become finer to handle the brewing pressure accordingly. This means that I have created an entirely new and different product for my customer than they may usually be accustomed to.

Roast profiles must change because the total number of dissolved solubles decreases by the amount of grinds you are reducing for your espresso.
Espresso is now created 2 at a time, instead of 1 at a time, and look and consistency has changed.

These aren't good or bad things, they are just changes that need to be taken account of and understood. There is still a lot of flavor to be experienced at the lower, traditional competitive dosing measures of espresso. I believe that espresso blends alter because roast profiles must be tweaked to create the proper brewing apparatus in these competitive shots of espresso.

I have gotten some awesome results out of an SCAA shot and believe I can make it even better. It creates a whole new concept of coffee that I am trying to fully understand and appreciate for what it is (and win, of course!) and hope that my customers are willing to go on this journey with me as I perfect competition style espressos for my cafe!

It All Started with a Tweet: Southbound Food on 1560 AM The Game -Kick Ass Radio That Tastes Great

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:02:00 -0700

I had only been on Twitter about a month when I received a DM (that’s Twitter-speak for a Direct Message) from a guy named Lance Zierlein. (He wanted to do a Stage in the kitchen at REEF (a Stage is when you spend time –unpaid -- in another chef’s kitchen to learn as much as you can about different cooking styles and operations). I’m a big believer in the Stage method of learning and I still do it whenever I get the chance.

At the time, it didn’t click who this guy was but once we started talking, I caught on. Lance, along with his co-host John Granato, has the most popular AM drive- time sports talk show in Houston on 1560 AM, a locally-owned and operated station. (Lance is also a very popular blogger with The Z Report, for the Houston Chronicle. I didn’t even know that independently-owned stations existed in the present day and age of the monster conglomerates. After Lance made it through a busy Friday night service, we set a date for me to come on his show as a judge for the “Late Night Drunken Munchie Throwdown.” My stomach still hasn’t forgiven me for their listener, P.D., who threw down the Ramen, Wolf Chili, Ro-tel, Hot Dog, Cheese, Red Onion and Black Olive gut bomb we experienced. It was the best time I’ve ever had on a radio show -- not a whole lot of structure but plenty of bullshit, right up my alley. Soon after the show aired, comments started streaming in and we both realized that there might be an audience for a relaxed, fun and informative food talk show. And Southbound Food was born.

I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a Bad Ass radio station, and I can’t say enough about the whole 1560 AM The Game crew; they have THE setup that kind of reminds me of the early days of Sports Center (with Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick) when the talent was so damn strong and funny. I recently attended the station’s Mug Awards (kind of like the ESPY awards) where they had real storm troopers, Boba Fett and Darth Vader walking around, Lance did his Rapping Dad routine and Ken Hoffman actually boxed a girl. I laughed out loud the entire time.

The whole vibe of the station is relaxed and Southbound Food is shaping up to be a freak show hybrid of Julia Child and Howard Stern, serving up food and drink with a hefty side of bullshit. Hosted by me and Lance, along with Jenny Wang (from www.imneverfull.com and Houston Chowhounds) and Danny Vara and Franky “The Bull” Bullington (from 1560 The Game), Southbound Food is turning out to be a raucously funny, no-holds-barred roller coaster ride where we cover current events in the Houston food scene, discuss what foodies are talking about (like Top Chef episodes) and bring in leading chefs and restaurateurs as guests (and you should hear what’s being said when we’re NOT talking about food!).

Unlike other talk shows out there, this one’s got a life of its own, walking a straight subject line one minute and careening off into the unbelievable-but-true stories of our lives on the front lines of the cooking world the next.

So far, our guest list has been great with the likes of: Jonathan Jones (Executive Chef, Beaver’s), Randy Evans (former chef from Brennan’s and currently with Haven), Michael Housewright (Block 7 Wine Company), superstar winemaker Heidi Barrett of La Sirena Wines, Gail Simmons from Top Chef, Mike Dei Maggi, Cody Vasek, Robert Hall III, Chris Shepard, and seafood expert Mark Musatto from Airline seafood.

Check out this week’s show a day early on 1560 AM’s podcast site with special guests Tony Vallone, The Fearless Critic Robin Goldstein and featuring a special parody segment where we deliver a healthy right cross to the competition.

Follow Southbound Food on Twitter @SouthboundFood

Visit www.SouthboundFood.com

pondering fall

plinio — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:21:00 -0700

photo credit lancastrian @ flickr

some ideas for fall menu at textile

nutella bread pudding, roasted foie gras ice cream, butterscotch

gouda cannolie, pumpkin mousse, salted caramel ice cream

figs, brown butter pound cake, goat cheese ice cream

pear tart, mushroom iced tea

apple - lucuma terrine, apple sorbet, sweet potato chips

Charity Latte Art Throwdown

greenway barista — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:28:00 -0700

Charity Event Details:

Coffee Kids helps children of farmers go to school rather than work on the family farm.
This event will help raise money to Coffee Kids by donating all cash raised from the function to Coffeekids.org! Even Coffeegroundz has committed a portion of the sales from the night to go towards Coffee Kids.
Sponsors of the event will be listed as generous donors to Coffee Kids as well as be displayed at the event in levels of donation. Door prizes and competitor prizes will also be donated by charitable companies.

Every ticket sold will have a name written on the back. After the event we will compose an email to Coffee Kids displaying all names of ticket donors!

If you know of any companies who would love to make a charitable donation, please email me at tuscanycoffee@gmail.com

Don Usie's Crab Etouffee and Corn Maque Choux

Jim Gossen — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:01:00 -0700

Diane and Mavis eating boiled blue crabs

Don Usie's Crab Etouffee

Don making Corn Maque Choux

Cutting the corn twice

Don scraping milk from corn cob

Every time that Don Usie invites us to supper Diane and I wish we could drop everything and head over to Don's house. Don lives in Lafayette and is among my favorite people to cook and sit down and eat with.

Don is originally from Breaux Bridge, LA and learned to cook from his parents who taught him traditional French Acadian cooking at it's best. Don does not do anything easy and never would think of taking a short cut, from peeling his own crabs for crab meat to cleaning the crab's shells with a tooth brush before adding them to his sauce.

A few week ago Don and his wife Mavis were in Grand Isle, LA spending the week with my brother Jeff and his wife Charlene. Before Don arrives in Grand Isle he has already visited his favorite farmers, fishermen and butchers gathering all his favorite ingredients needed for the next few days.

Knowing Don was headed to the Island I notified my favorite crabbers to hand pick the best crabs from their catch that day. I had them pick 6 dozen of the largest and heaviest freshwater male crabs from the catch. The day I called they caught about 5,000 pounds of crabs. I knew that I could impress Don with the best crabs culled from that catch. When Don arrived my brother Jeff, Don and I headed up the bayou to pick up our crabs and yes I think Don was impressed with what our fisherman Jeffrey had chosen for us. Don kept saying I can't believe these crabs, man look at these crabs!

The trip up the bayou yielded a couple of other good things from soft shell crabs to jumbo 9 - 12 count white shrimp but that is a story for another time.

Don starts cooking not long after he wakes up in Grand Isle. A big breakfast first then he starts the evening meal. Today it was going to be his famous crab etouffee and corn maque choux. He started with four chopped onions and a couple of diced green bell peppers, two large home grown tomatoes and a can of rotel (tomatoes with green chilies) and about a cup of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pot. He simmers and stirs this all day making a red paste after simmering for eight hours. The sauce is ready to add the raw crabs which he has cleaned with his crab tooth brush after he had chilled them with ice so that they became dormant. He pulled the top shell off of the crab, trimmed the swimmer legs with scissors and broke off the claws. Don boiled the claws and picked the meat so that he could add the meat to the etouffee right before it is ready to serve.

It's time to add the whole cleaned raw crabs to the sauce, he stirs in the crabs very good, covers the pot and cooks on medium fire for about an hour stirring again three more times . He checks for salt and pepper and adds a little more pepper and chops a fresh cayenne pepper over the sauce then adds the claw meat and covers for about 20 more minutes. He had a large pot of Maque Choux that he had cooked on the side. Don called out it's time to start the rice as he heated garlic butter to spread between a loaf of crusty French bread.

As soon as the rice was ready the smell of the garlic bread spread throughout the camp I knew it was almost time to eat. It had been 10 hours from the time Don started preparing supper that morning until the time we ate. As we sat down to this glorious meal Don and Jeff were trying to decide what they were going to cook tomorrow for lunch.

Caesar's Salad with Carla Cardini

Jim Gossen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:08:00 -0700

Original Caesar's Salad

Carla Cardini demonstrating her grandfather's Caesar Salad

Whole Romain lettuce hearts and leaves with coddled eggs

Diane making Caesar's Salad for two!

Ready to Serve

Caesar Salad (SEE-zer) - The salad consists of greens (classically romaine lettuce) with a garlic vinaigrette dressing. In the 1930s, Caesar Salad was voted by the master chefs of the International Society of Epicures in Paris as the "greatest recipe to originate from the Americas in fifty years." Linda Stradley From What's Cooking America

Monday night we were invited to the old Judge Roy Hofheinz home, the builder of the Astrodome and Astroworld, and the current location of Catering by Culinaire by the Houston Chow Hounds to attend a demonstration by Carla Cardini. Carla is the granddaughter or Alex Cardini, the creator of the Caesar Salad in Tijuana, Mexico in 1927.

There are many accounts of how and who invented the salad, but it is believed that Alex first added anchovies and first served it to a group of aviators visiting Tijuana from Rockwell field in San Diego. Alex, an ace pilot himself in the Italian Air Force during World War I, made the salad intending whole lettuce leaves to be eaten with your hands.

Carla started off with whole romaine lettuce leaves and hearts, enough for two people, and drizzled a little vegetable oil enabling the salt and pepper to stick to the leaves. She then broke two coddled eggs over the leaves and squeezed two key limes or one whole regular lime over each egg yolk and about four or five shakes of a bottle of Worcestershire sauce over the leaves.

The croutons were French bread rounds, toasted, rubbed with anchovy paste on both sides then each side dipped in vegetable oil that had minced garlic marinating in it.

At that time the croutons were added to the salad along with Parmigiana Reggiano and a little more of the oil and garlic. The leaves were gently rolled with salad tongs until thoroughly coated making sure croutons were not broken. Taste for seasoning and more cheese can be added if dressing is too wet.

Everyone stood around their respective salad bowls and ate their salads with their fingers which of course made it even taste better.

This is as close to the recipe as I can remember Carla making. Out of the 10 or 12 salads made last night, every one had a slightly different taste. Some liked more cheese, salt, pepper,Worcestershire or garlic, but all in all every salad was very good.

This is a very simple and delicious dressing to make. A Caesar Salad should never be made ahead of time.

We like to have informal meals with our friends and this salad would be perfect to serve at these dinners. Give each couple their own salad bowl and ingredients. Let everyone make their own salad and see for yourself that each one will be slightly different. Salad can be eaten directly out of the bowl or leaves arranged in a circle around a plate.

My Seal of Approval: Latte Art

greenway barista — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:32:00 -0700

Latte art is my opportunity to express how I feel about my profession. While it does take a certain set of standards to achieve latte art, it isn't impossible to serve a quality latte without the art. A great espresso is key, proper milk texturing is also vital. Other than that, the art that goes on top is my way of explaining the possibilities of coffee without saying a word. My own seal of approval for my customers. It is me saying thank you for giving me the opportunity to express quality and value in my product. Thank you for being open-minded and willing to try a new take on your daily routine. Thank you for entrusting your day (as this is usually what can make or break even my best days!) with my hands and tools. It is the most exciting thing to see my customers taking pictures, showing their friends, leaving their lids behind, and wishing they could keep the art and still drink their cup! I hope that latte art can be your gateway to new experiences in this wonderful realm of coffee. There are so many fantastic brewing methods and wonderfully unique coffee origins to try! While latte art may not be the end all be all of quality, it certainly gives me the chance to show my customers a new world to behold.

The Return of the White Van: Fresh Gulf Shrimp

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:13:00 -0700

If you have ever read this blog, or you and I have had drinks that spilled into a long night of me lamenting my long lost youth, then you’ve heard me talk about the white van with S H R I M P written on the side that used to crawl through my old neighborhood, honking every fifth or sixth house. Well, folks, my chariot has returned.

Gulf White Shrimp, (Penaeus Setiferus) is one of the three main commercial species of trawled shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico. If you’ve ever had fresh, never frozen, head-on shrimp then you know the difference from the normal shrimp routine. These are soft, meaty, toothy (but not rubbery), like a small steak from the sea. It’s like the difference between concentrate OJ vs. freshly-squeezed: immediate, obvious, worlds apart.

Fresh White Shrimp

White shrimp spawn in the Gulf with females releasing about 100,000 – 1,000,000 eggs that hatch with in 24 hours. They are then carried shoreward by the Gulf’s wind and currents and, in that time, they are a whopping quarter-inch long. They migrate into the inner bays, creeks and marshes, necessary protection for their survival and growth. An omnivorous species, they have an incredibly rapid growth rate of .04 to .09 inches per day. When they reach about 3-5 inches, they move back out into the bays and Gulf to start the process all over again. Commercially, Gulf shrimp are considered an annual crop with a lifespan of less than a year.

There is a dark underbelly to these soft, white beauties, though. I know that. And an eternal struggle rages within my mind and heart. I often feel like a walking dichotomy, a contradiction of morality, views and beliefs. And shrimp are the perfect example of what tears me in two.

Shrimping is the largest commercial fishery in Texas, yielding almost 236 million pounds per year. Shrimp cost me around $6.50/pound for the 16-20's (a sizing reference, 16-20 shrimp in a pound) – so you do the math. Trawling for shrimp, like gillnets, hoopnets, longlining or fishing with dynamite, is an indiscriminate killer. Those that fall within its clinches don’t have much of a chance, becoming by-catch. By some estimates, shrimping in the Gulf affects 450 groups of organisms. An average haul consists of 67% finfish, 16% shrimp and 17% invertebrates. That equates to 4-8 pounds of fish that are killed to catch one pound of shrimp. If this was the Majors, the Shrimper’s would be getting bounced to the bush league, only batting .170. Most of this by-catch gets dumped back over the side; this I know first-hand because many fishermen take advantage of this buffet/chum line by drift fishing off the back of culling shrimp boats. The larger pelagic species also benefit, especially the King of the Gulf, the Dolphin. Unfortunately, there are no viable outlets for this by-catch, although both fertilizer and food seem to be logical choices.

Since 1995, the State of Texas has implemented an aggressive license buy-back program and (since January of this year) has bought back 1,978 licenses in an effort to control the ill effects of shrimping and bring it to a more manageable state. The mandatory use of TEDs (Turtle Exclusion Devices) and BRDs (Bycatch Reduction Devices) on trawlers has proven to work when used correctly. I think that those improvements, along with a focus on closures during growth periods to ensure spawning and eliminating bay and estuary shrimping, would ensure healthy stocks and a reduction in by-catch.

Now on to the food!

Recently, I bought about 25 Comals (cast iron Fajita platters) from this dude who was going out of business; ever since, I’ve been looking for an excuse to use them (#howadishisborn). Three weeks ago, I was drifting a gas well offshore, thinking back to my high school summer days, working in the gas fields in South Texas (Goliad, Yorktown, Weesatche, Victoria). The gas would come out of the ground at such a high pressure that it would sometimes cause icicles to form on the well head, even in 100 degree heat. So it had to cycle through a heater in order to warm it up, causing it to condensate and transform it into liquid form. A gin-clear fuel. The plate with the Shrimp and Pink Sea Bream “Salad” is placed on the ripping hot Comal, we pour Dashi on the Comal and then cover it with a dome, causing the Dashi to evaporate and then rain back down on the salad.

Warm Shrimp and Pink Sea Bream Salad, Peppers, Plums and Dashi Condensate

early beginnings

greenway barista — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:15:00 -0700

Coffee started for me at Shakespeare's Coffee Bar in South Houston. I was 16 years old, and the coffee bar instantly became a fixture in my day to day life. I always wanted to work because i was having such a great time connecting with my customers. I loved the idea of being a part of each of their days. That is where it all started. Getting to know all my customers and having awesome conversations. After working at a smoothie/coffee/internet cafe, 2 donut shops, and a few coffee tours later, I became obsessed with what coffee could become! I am really excited about the new ways coffee is being prepared, and always try to learn more about my craft. I have been really inspired by my customers enthusiasm to take the custom coffee experience one step further with me. I have a long ways to go before i am any coffee "guru", if there is such a thing, but i have decided that vertically integrating my coffee geekdom is the next step for me. I want to learn how coffee is grown and processed, meet the farmers, learn the importing processes, roast my own coffee, and learn more ways to prepare something exciting for my customers! I appreciate all the positive thoughts that have been around me since I started my coffee expedition 9 years ago, and hope to share the next experiences with you guys through my little blog here!

molecular gastronomy or not?

plinio — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:15:00 -0700

a few days ago i was watching a midsummer night's dream on TCM, the 1935 version. it got me thinking about my favorite shakespeare quote (from romeo and juliet).

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

so i started thinking in food terms. what's in a name? that which we call food by any other name would still be delicious.

molecular gastronomy is the study of food. molecular gastronomy explore textures, scents, temperatures and flavors in food. it's a progression of food. so why all the hate? because we dont really understand it? sometimes it's better to vent and hate than to do any research. no?

so i pose a quiz. you tell me: is it molecular gastronomy or not?

frozen aerated butter foam

encapsulated beef and mushrooms

dehydrated meat

encapsulated jalapeno and cheese

encapsulated ganache

sous vide cheese emulsion

explosion of corn

compressed and puffed grains

compressed liver

molded fat and air molecules

aerated sugar cookie

potato paper

slow oil poached flour

hot foam

dehydrated fruit puree

dehydrated ocean water

carbonized sugar crystals

extract of bones

suspended vinegar and oil emulsion

what do you think?

[photo from howstuffworks.com]
[oh, for the record, i hate the term 'molecular gastronomy']

collab w/ Anvil Bar and Refuge

greenway barista — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:14:00 -0700

Chronicles of a Six-Foot-Four Texan in Aspen: The Food & Wine Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:03:00 -0700

So, here I am, wine drunk standing at the bottom of a mountain range in Colorado. As I spin around, the sun in my eyes, I bump into some dude, so close, I can tell what he had for supper. “Excuse me, Sir,” I slurred. Everything comes back into focus and I can see again: Holy Shit! It’s Jose (Made in Spain) Andres. Quickly, I right the ship for a proper introduction; he has already begun to embrace me and congratulate me on my Best New Chef Award. I try to recover but the wind’s been knocked out of me and the only thing I can muster is, “Man, I love your stuff, you’re the shit!” Stupid. Oh well, hopefully the language barrier will work in my favor.

Meeting Jose Andres

As I travel, dine, fish, read, watch, purchase, ingest and dream, I find that those truly awe-inspiring, spine-tingling and fresh moments become fewer and harder to come by. But that is what this entire trip was: new. Like Senior year spring break for grown-up foodies. It was just plain cool.

Dana Cowin toasting the Best New Chefs, Class of 2009

(Before I go any further, some of these pictures might seem as if I had my own personal photographer following me around. Well, actually, I did. Thanks to Courtney Caswell, my semi-pro photographer sister. She treated the trip as a job, took it seriously, and I couldn’t be more appreciative. Thanks, Court!)

Courtney Caswell -- Thanks, Sis

When I hit the tarmac in Aspen, it was clear what my favorite thing was going to be -- the weather: clean, crisp, refreshing, like an ice-cold glass of sun tea. Surrounded by those towering mountains makes even the largest seem small. The first night there was very low-key, dinner with friends and gallons of water. Before I left and when I got there, everyone was telling me, “Drink lots of water or you’ll catch the altitude sickness.” I learned quickly: overeating, being over-served and hangovers all can easily be dismissed with a little, “No, I’m fine. Think it might be a little altitude sickness.”

The next day, we hit it hard -- full schedules, full bellies and full glasses. The whole event is highly structured from 9 am until 9 pm; then at10 pm, all hell breaks loose. There were two Grand Tastings each day with seminars and cooking demonstrations in between. I caught Jose Andres’ demo, where he cooked 10 courses using only quality canned ingredients -- white asparagus, white beans, tuna. He was the most entertaining of them all. Then there are the “Industry” seminars; Danny Meyer and Joe Bastianich talking about marrying creativity with commerce; Mario Batali, Drew Nieporent and Paul Kahan speaking about fostering home-grown talent. These were the guys, the icons of my industry. I soaked it up and pined like a 13-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. In the presence of greats like this, it’s impossible not to geek out.

photo by Allan Zepeda

Bill Floyd, Danny Meyer & Me

Another Grand Tasting and, before you know it, 10 pm rolls around. Private parties start popping up in private homes all around town, each sponsored by different big names and purveyors. The first of the night was Jose Andres (I know, sounds like I was stalking him), in a multi-level home in which each room had a different cooking and cocktail station. Next was Mario Batali, where he was giving away signed orange crocs to anyone interested (I lost out – finding a size 14 is always a problem). When I finally got a chance, I introduced myself to Mario, “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Bryan Caswell, from Houston, Texas.” (This was my standard introduction for the week, gotta represent!) He cocked his head, slicked back his hair and said, “Caswell, Caswell…Reef, right? Ya, man, I just read about you in Saveur. Dig that redfish thing.” Holy shit! Talk about being blown away.

Me & Mario

The next day, I’m back at the Grand Tasting, and I can feel it, I’m starting to hit my stride. It’s mid-day and Dana Cowin, Editor of Food & Wine Magazine, stops and asks me if I would be her video guinea pig. Well, don’t mind if I do. Next thing I know, I’m standing in line behind Tim Love, in between tents, waiting for my turn in front of the camera. Before I know it, I pop out four how-to spots: crispy skin fish; what makes a fish good for the grill; what makes a fish good for the sauté pan; and how to clean a soft-shell crab. All the while, Dana Cowin is standing next to me, out of camera range, coaching me along, giving me pointers. Wow! Super-cool.

My Coach, Dana Cowin

That night was the big publisher’s party on the mountain. We meet at the base, by the Little Nell, and ride the gondola to the top, where David Chang, Jacques Pepin and Mario Batali had just finished playing bacci ball. Outside, it was 40 degrees and the view was spectacular. Inside, the party was jumping -- insane cocktails and whole pig porchetta. The ride back down the mountain was remarkable. Being roped down, cloaked in darkness, with only the far-off lights of Aspen as our compass.

View from the Gondola

From Whole Pig to...

...Porchetta

Saturday night was our night to cook, so it was early to rise, and all of the Best New Chefs were banging it out in the kitchen for the dinner that night. Vinny and Jon (from Animal in L.A.) had lost their house-made Kimchi; when the box busted open in transit, and the folks at Fed-Ex smelled the sour waft, they figured it was rotten and trashed it. In the end, they ended up putting together a banging Pork Slider with the pork belly that had made the trip from L.A. in one piece.

a packed walk-in Vinny checking for salt

Paul (the Limey) Liebrandt from Corton in NYC was whipping up Uni (Sea Urchin) ice cream. Naomi Pomeroy from Beast in Portland -- the only girl of the group -- dropped the biggest cojones doing a charcuterie plate with Country Paté , Steak Tartare with quail egg toast and a Foie Gras Bon Bon. My two Southern brethren represented hardcore: Kelly English Iris from Memphis (Restaurant Iris) with Fried Boudin Balls and Linton Hopkins Eugene from Atlanta (Restaurant Eugene) was hitting it hard with Grilled Pimiento Cheese & Bacon Sandwiches. Christopher Kostow (my stud double) of Meadowood in Napa made a super-cool Roasted Corn Custard. Barry Madien of Hungry Mother in Cambridge put up a Smoked Trout Salad, Mark Fuller (Spring Hill in Seattle) made Columbia Sea Scallops and, rounding it out, Nate Appleman from A16 in San Francisco with Meatballs.

Check out Yum Sugar’s post for more details and pictures of the event, food and chefs.

Me, I kept it simple, with Reef’s signature Crab Cocktail shots. My secret weapon in the deal was my service staff, boy can that girl sell!

My Secret Weapon: K-Dog (aka Kennedy Caswell)

Another late night and, once again, I was over-served, damn that bartender. I mean, I was so tore up I actually thought I saw Tom Colicchio and Joe Bastianich downstairs jamming 80’s tunes.

For Real...

So I skipped Sunday morning and opened my eyes after lunch just in time to join my fellow chefs for a white water rafting trip on the Roaring Fork River (Thanks Blazing Adventures!)

Raft Full of Chefs....

New, fresh and different -- every bit of it -- and I have decided that I won’t miss another Food & Wine Classic any time soon. And I suggest the same for any of you who live to eat and drink. Let me know and I’ll meet you there next year.

More Photos:

On top of the mountain with Gail Simmons

First things first, I need a glass

Me and Ming Sai

Me and Reef's Sous Chef, Heather Deason

UBC Americas 2009, Dallas, Texas

greenway barista — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:26:00 -0700

I recently competed in the Ultimate Barista Challenge Americas in Dallas Texas at the Texas Restaurant Association's Food Expo. This competition takes place in 3 to 4 locations here in America during the year, and also in 3 foreign countries as well. It is divided into 4 categories: Latte Art/Specialty Latte, Frappe, Best of Brew, and Coffee Cocktail. Essentially the competition is in an "Iron Chef" style format, where the winner of each category in our respective regions (ours being south central region) face off against the "iron barista", or ultimate barista, who has gained their title by winning against a previous ultimate barista in one of the formats. In my quest to jump into the competitive circuit I thought this competition would be a good way of combining my coffee "purist" mentality with some of the greater minds in the food and service industry here in Houston. I was mentored by Bobby Heugel of Drinkdogma.com , who is one of the owners of Anvil Bar and Refuge on Westheimer. His cocktail philosophies almost made it inevitable that as long as I didn't mess up (thank goodness I pulled through) we would take the cocktail comp. We did. Which is a great example of the great things we can do when we collaborate between industries. Plinio Sandalio, of Textile Restaurant and http://plinkoeats.blogspot.com/ , helped me with my frappe, and I must say, this thing was incredible! I did not take the contest like I did with the cocktial, but the fault lies solely on me. I plan on mastering this amazing drink to continue competing with it in the next competition!

coconut and avocado

plinio — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:45:00 -0700

coconut and avocado
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

part of summer a la carte menu at textile:

coconut pound cake, avocado ice cream, horchata, cilantro, citrus

peach melba vacherin

plinio — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:44:00 -0700

peach melba vacherin
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

part of summer a la carte menu at textile:

"peach melba vacherin", peach sorbet, vanilla meringue, white chocolate mousse, raspberry sauce

Sunday Pay Dirt: Two Chefs Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:44:00 -0700

Luna & Caz

Last Sunday was a benchmark day for me and my three-man crew: James Cheramie, Dan Lantini (from Barstool Magazine) and Chef David Luna from Shade.

Lantini Working the Bow

Cheramie with Bull Red

Seas were 1 to 2 feet (see swell height ), blue water was in close and weed lines were forming just five miles off the beach head. In every direction you looked, the entire Gulf was alive, teeming with massive bait pods, Gulls and Terns pounding the water’s surface, thrashing Spanish Mackerel, bruiser Kingfish and Cobia!

Within five minutes of rolling up to the first rig, the anchor hadn’t even caught, and Dan was hollerin’ almost as loud as his Ambassador 7000 was screaming, “I’m on, baby!” It was that quick: four Kingfish in the boat before I could even wet a line. And that’s the way it was for about one and a half hours.

Luna with Kingfish

Then I noticed something: on the Southeast corner of the rig, a beautiful and wondrous sight -- nervous water. Large bait pods of Atlantic Bumper and Spanish Sardine huddled ever-so-close to the rig’s pylons, nervous as Tom Turkey in Dog Town.

Searching for Nervous Water

Keeping a close eye on it, I knew it was no lie, something had ‘em spooked. And then it happened…BAM! The surface erupted -- murder and mayhem, scales and hard tails flying in random directions. They scattered hard, then regrouped even tighter than the rush hour crowd on the 6 train. Then BAM!, again. Ooohh, son! Something big was methodically working the edges. This was no Mackerel, this big guy had shoulders and was throwing his weight around.

I was about to come out of my skin with anticipation. Repositioning the boat, I palmed that baby up to the edge of the ruckus. Dan chunked a frozen sardine on a float and, almost instantly, a massive shadow emerged from the rig pilings, rushing Dan’s bait but stopping inches short, turning up his nose at the frozen offering. Sure enough, it was a big-ass Cobia. As quick as I could, I snatched up my live bait rig, single hook and 80 pound mono leader (make no mistake, I might be big and a bit clumsy, but at moments like these, you sometimes only get one shot -- clarity is key and, baby, I’m a killer). I grabbed one of the live Spanish Sardine that I caught earlier jigging Sabiki and pitched it lightly, landing it just shy of Dan’s float. The Cobia charges the frantic Sardine, mouths it, spits it, circles, takes a dramatic pause, then hits it like a Tyson right cross, inhaling the bait and then taking off like a champagne cork. It was on! A rush of adrenaline blasted through my veins as this 40-plus pound monster manhandled me from port to starboard, making me doubt what I’ve come to believe: my knots, my drag, this crew, my religion. I started coaching Luna on his gaff technique, as if he grew up in Montana, spewing anxious, incoherent chatter that gets me a stern look from him and he finally says, “Dude, I got it.” Then, the giant hits the deck – pay dirt, baby! I really should give lessons.

This was the kind of day that sticks with you, like a Rueben at 2nd Ave Deli, weighing you down, swelling your thoughts of the next trip. And I’ve been obsessing ever since.

houston modern luxury magazine

plinio — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:26:00 -0700

houston magazine cover
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

the cover photo of the restaurant issue by houston modern luxury is of my goat cheese and rhubarb dessert.

photo by julie soefer

watermelon and feta

plinio — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:47:00 -0700

watermelon and feta
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

summer dessert at textile: watermelon and feta

watermelon sorbet, spiced streusel, balsamic compressed watermelon, pickled watermelon rind, feta cheesecake

corndog dessert

plinio — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:20:00 -0700

corndog dessert
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

fried corncake, hot dog ketchup, yellow american mustard ice cream.

corndog batter

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 ea egg
1 cup milk

combine dry ingredients. in separate bowl combine egg and milk. add to dry ingredients. refrigerate for at least 1 hour before use.

mustard ice cream

1 qt cream
3 cups milk
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
12 oz butter
9 oz yellow american mustard

heat cream, milk, sugar, light corn syrup and butter. once butter is fully melted, remove from heat and chill completely. once chilled, whisk in mustard and immediately run in ice cream machine.

hot dog ketchup

8 oz ketchup
1/4 oz molasses
6 oz light brown sugar
2 ea hot dogs

heat ketchup, molasses and light brown sugar until sugars have melted. chop hot dogs and add to ketchup mix. cook for 3 minutes. remove from heat and run in blender. strain through chinois.

Returned from my first competition

greenway barista — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:19:00 -0700

I recently competed in the Coffeefest Las Vegas Millrock Latte Art Contest. This was my first attempt at a coffee competition and was really pleased with the entire thing. I didn;t place in the finals or anything, but I learned a helluva lot of new techniques (thanks to Chris Deferio on that) and met some great people in the industry. Getting my feet wet in the competitive circuit is a big step for what I plan on becoming here in Houston, a definitive go to barista when questions or projects are had. My next competition will be June 28 - 30 in Dallas TX for the Ultimate Barista Challenge. I am lucky enough to have support locally from a great bar in town (Anvil Bar & Refuge) in creating my signature cocktail. Really looking forward to advancing my craft and representing my hometown of Houston TX in the coffee industry.

Stealth Attack: Tripletail

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:20:00 -0700

Tripletail

West Matagorda has always been my fishing home base. One of the unique things about this bay is the large number of inshore gas platforms that offer great surface structure in an otherwise structure-less bay. Each rig reaches 12 feet down to the bottom of the bay and has become a reef of sorts; the large oyster shell pads that were built on the bottom to reinforce the platform, although man-made initially, have become alive over the years, creating an eco-chain of life out in the middle of the bay. They are also the reason why West Matagorda Bay is the Tripletail capital of Texas.

Tripletail (aka Black fish, Drift Fish or Buoy Fish [Lobotes surnamensis]) gets its name because the second dorsal and anal fins that extend far back on the body make it look like it has three tails. Although it is the only representative of the Lobotes family in the Gulf, many wrongly believe it is related to the Cichlid family because of its striking resemblance to the fresh water “Sac-a-lait” or Crappie. Tripletail is a surface fish that hangs out next to any kind of top water structure like platforms, sargassum, buoys and flotsam and jetsam. I caught this one last week off of a large piece of driftwood about one and half miles offshore of the Galveston jetty.

That's me with a Tripletail

A Tripletail will lie on its side, as if it was part of whatever floating material it’s hiding in; floating and moving with the current and waves like a large leaf, it even has the ability to change its color, like a chameleon. Years back, most people would steer clear of Tripletail as table fare thinking that these characteristics meant that the fish was sick. But it’s not sick, it’s smart: it lays in wait, ready to spring on its prey. When it attacks, it rushes, swimming on its side just like a flounder. But once it is hooked, it rights itself, turns that broad body and uses it against you. They are infamous as tough fighters that will frequently return to their former hiding spot, wrapping you around the seaweed or driftwood or whatever they were using as cover, and breaking your line. Tripletail feed mostly on menhaden, herring, anchovies and some crustaceans and live in subtropical and tropical coastal regions and estuaries from Massachusetts to Argentina. Rarely traveling in groups of more than three, they reach sexual maturity in just a year, making it an easily sustainable and recovery species. When large enough, they yield a wonderfully flaky white fish reminiscent of a giant speckled trout or weakfish. Although difficult to cook on the grill, they are excellent on the flat top or in a sauté pan.

Roasted Tripletail, Smoked Dr. Pepper Glaze, Buttered Bok Choy, Grapefruit Soda

Heavyweight Battle: Young Ryan vs. The Black Tip Shark

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:44:00 -0700

The first day of Snapper season was a good one but the story of the day belonged to 13-year-old Ryan Smith.

Ryan with snapper and father Cameron

When we reached our Snapper quota, our focus shifted to Kings and Cobia. We had already landed a couple of Sand Sharks, a Bonnet Head and busted off on a pretty big Cobia when one of the reels began to scream. Ryan quickly grabbed the rod, flipped the bail and set the hook, but this big boy wasn’t turning. He kept peeling off line like a freight train and wouldn’t stop. Quickly, John cut us loose from the rig, I fired up the engines and tried to give young Ryan a bit of help. Ryan had been putting the screws to this hoss for about an hour before we even caught our first glimpse of him: it was a Black Tip Shark and Lord was he big -- between 6 and 7 feet, a true monster tipping the scales at about 150 pounds. A good match for Ryan, who weighs about the same.

Ryan Doing Battle

My friends, I must tell you, the fight that Ryan put on that fish was of epic, Hemingway proportions. This young man was truly a sight to see: his hands were cut up and burned, back aching and the butt of the rod had started to wear a hole in his gut, but he refused to give up. One and a half hours after our first hook up, we got the first pass on the monster and we all took our stations, ready to do battle. Once close enough, I went in hard for the gaff and, as soon as I made contact, the shark flipped and dove hard, leaving my brand new gaff in shambles, bending the metal shaft straight as an arrow. He made a second and third pass and, on the third, he thrashed, spun on the leader and cut the line. I wish you could have seen this one but unfortunately, when the bite is really on, everyone picks up the rod not the camera.

Two hours had passed and, as we watched that monster slowly swim off, I wanted to cry. I looked over at Ryan -- he didn’t say a word, just set the rod down, walked to the front of the boat, lay down and passed out, exhausted. It was an inspirational fight.

fried chicken dessert

plinio — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:57:00 -0700

fried chicken dessert
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

on monday june 8th, houston had its second throwdown. this time the throwdown was fried chicken. i entered the creative category with chicken ice cream and all the fixins'. it was a tough and fun battle. at the end i came in second. first place was a deep fried chicken sausage balantine with watermelon salad and watermelon ice tea.

this was my entry.
chicken ice cream, buttermilk biscuit, guajillo honey, chicken fried chicken skin

what really surprised me was the amount of food fans dying to taste the chicken ice cream. its so awesome to live in the a city with such a diverse food scene, hungry mouths and amazing chef community.

and now, the recipes

chicken ice cream

2 ea whole chickens, bones only
18 oz butter
6 cups heavy cream
4 1/2 cups milk
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, ground

blanch chicken bones for 1 minutes in pot of boiling water.
drain water, reserve bones.
toss bones in small amount of oil, place on sheet pan with roasting rack.
roast chicken bones at 325 for 30 minutes.
remove bones from oven. place in pot.
pour milk and cream over bones.
heat milk and bones mix on low heat for 30 minutes.
remove from heat. pour into container, bones and milk (chicken veloute), and store in cooler over night.
next day, heat chicken veloute until a light simmer for 10 minutes.
remove from heat and strain. discard bones, reserve chicken veloute.
pour chicken veloute back into pot, add butter, sugar, light corn syrup, salt and black pepper.
heat over medium heat for 15 minutes.
remove from heat and let chill.
pour into ice cream machine and run as machine instructs.

buttermilk biscuits

6 cups flour
6 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp spice mix
12 oz butter, cold
1 1/2 cups mozzarela, grated
2 1/4 cups buttermilk

place flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spice mix in electric mixer with paddle attachment.
run on low to mix all ingredients.
cut butter into small cubes, add to flour mix.
mix until mixture resembles corn meal
add mozzarela.
once fully mixed, add buttermilk.
mix until dough barely starts coming together.
remove from bowl and knead by hand. knead just until dough forms.
roll to about 1 inch thick. portion.
bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes.

spice mix

1 Tbsp cayenne
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp chili powder

mix well.

seasoned flour

4 Tbsp spice mix
2 Tbsp salt
1 cup flour

mix well.

crispy chicken skin

2 ea whole chickens, skin only
1 cup seasoned flour
as needed spice mix

carefully remove chicken skin from chicken. keep whole.
scrape off excess fat with knife; careful not to tear the skin.
season skin with sea salt.
sandwich in between two roasting racks.
roast at 325 for 15 minutes. this will get rid of excess water and fat.
chill, vaccuum pack, store in cooler.
to order, pat skins in seasoned flour. fry at 350 until golden brown.
season with spice mix.

guajillo honey

6 oz guajillos, stem and seeds removed
1/2 oz chile de arbol, stem and seeds removed
2 lbs honey
8 oz water
1 tsp salt

thinly slice guajillos and chile de arbol
heat pan over high heat with no oil.
add chiles into hot pan, toss constantly to prevent burning.
after 2 minutes of tossing, add water and mix.
add honey and salt.
lower heat and let simmer lightly for 20 minutes.
remove from heat and store in container in cooler over night.
next day, heat on low heat for 15 minutes.
strain, discard chiles and reserve honey.
let chill at room temp.

enjoy.

Texas Peaches from Bayou City Farmer's Market

Jim Gossen — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:00:00 -0700

Strawberry Patch's Texas Peaches

A couple of months ago while at the Bayou City Farmer's Market I noticed a line of people waiting for peaches from the Strawberry Patch . The line was long and seemed to last for several hours. All the times that I have gone to the farmer's market, I had never seen a line like this. The line lasted until all of the peaches were gone and probably would have lasted until the

market closed if they had not run out.

We purchased a flat of peaches knowing that they must be extraordinary and indeed they were. They were the best peaches that I have had this year, juicy and very sweet. When I bit into my first peach the juice ran down my cheeks and I could hardly stop eating them.

Diane and I both enjoyed this flat of peaches eating all of them over the next week and not getting a chance to freeze any, which was our original intention.

Next year when you see peaches from the Strawberry Patch don't pass them up.

Therapy: You Say Shrink, I Say Whaler

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:35:00 -0700

Like many Houstonians, I lost a lot to Ike but none as painful to me as the loss of my 22.5 foot Marshall. It wasn’t so much the boat itself as the peace of mind that going out gave me – it was a kind of therapy for me. That boat kept me on an even keel in my life on land.

In my family, we traditionally greet each Hurricane headed our way with a party, making the rounds to one or two houses in our neighborhood to have cocktails before the big storm hits. Last year, the hours before Ike were no different: drinks at the McLemore’s, then it was off to batten down the hatches at home and ride out the storm. I was rounding third with my Turkey & Soda when I glanced at the T.V. and saw the thick black smoke bellowing from a coastal building in Galveston. My heart sank to my stomach – is that the dry storage at the yacht basin? It sure did look like it.

And it was.

Heartbroken I was, she wasn’t even a year old. Earlier in the year, my brother Mike and I bought the boat together from Norman Marshall of Marshall Marine out of Port Lavaca, TX - they craft one hell of a boat.

Last summer, I fished more than I have in about 15 years. I enjoyed the hell out of that Marshall. But, thanks to Ike, I haven’t been out for almost 8 months - the longest I’ve ever gone without a trip.

I have been running boats since I was 8 years old. When I detach from the shoreline, it’s as if the cord that tethers me to everything else has been cut and I run only local channels: no calls, no emails, no texts and no more everyday problems. It’s just clear, pure thought - freedom for just a while, true serenity, a bit of peace. There’s nothing but me, the crew and our mission.

Here are a few pictures from last summer’s excursions:

Heaven on Water, 2008

It has taken me some time, but we have commissioned a new vessel, as yet to be named but definitely seaworthy: the legendary, unsinkable Boston Whaler.

Boston Whaler

At a solid 26 feet, she’s a big ‘un! My largest ever, technically a yacht (this is the classification for a boat that breaches 25 feet), this boat breaks new ground for me -- now the fabled Flower Gardens, Boomvang, Tequila rig and The Claypiles, all 50-100 miles offshore, are within my grasp (all of these are underwater goldmines for fishermen).

After two prior failed attempts due to small mechanical difficulties, Monday, June 1st marked the Whaler’s maiden voyage offshore, to the tune of about 25 miles. With my buddies -- Farrar, Cameron Smith and his 13-year-old son, Ryan -- we headed out for the opening day of Snapper season. If it’s Duck, Dove, Deer or Snapper, for a guy like me, opening day is always mandatory attendance.

This year, I’m pretty sure I’m going to need a lot of therapy.

Farrar & me, double hookup

Here's to many tight lines for my brother and I in the furture!!

Quality Houston?

greenway barista — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:31:00 -0700

so the journey begins... quality coffee in houston? I will share what I know. Max over @ Catalina- by far the most recognized, and for good reason. Great staff and always evolving into the premier spot for great espresso here in town. Sean Marshall, www.fusionbeans.com is a great roaster, with aspirations for a shop to come. I am in 5 Greenway Plaza, and I do consider myself a boutique espresso shop, even though I am inside this business plaza. Besides Catalina on Washington, you may be hard pressed to find a better espresso in Houston, and that is my challenge, where is all the quality?? Please enlighten me, so I can check it out!

Salt Rules…Cooking and Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:18:00 -0700

Salt Dome reef, teeming with sea life (Flower Gardens Creole Fish)

There are so many reasons why I love salt. Without a doubt, it is the most important of culinary ingredients. The value of salt truly knows no bounds, but did you know that salt is also responsible for some of the most exciting and productive fishing grounds in the Gulf Coast?

Well, salt domes to be specific. A salt dome is a vertical cylinder of salt that starts out below the Earth’s surface but, because the density of salt is less than that of most other sediments & minerals, pushes up towards the surface with a big, bulging dome or cap rock on top. It’s hard for me to comprehend but salt will actually flow upward through these sediments and rather quickly (in geological time, anyway).

Seismic grap of salt dome / 3D digital rendering of salt dome

Sources: www.tsunamidevelopment.com / www.gocad.ensg.inpl-nancy.fr

If you have ever heard of salt domes it was probably in relation to oil. The Spindletop “discovery” in Beaumont was where oil was first found in the uplifted sediments around a salt dome. Salt domes are good indicators of where oil and natural gas may be found because, as the salt pushes its way through the rock toward the surface, the salt can crack the rock (creating faulting) so that oil and gas deposits get trapped and accumulate. Salt domes are also used for salt and mineral mining and to create bases used in the production of other chemicals (like chlorine); and, it turns out, they make excellent, leak-proof storage containers for all sorts of things (from oil to hazardous waste).

That’s all great, but my undying affection for salt domes comes from other reasons.

One reason is the Flower Gardens, probably the coolest thing that exists in the Gulf of Mexico: a live coral reef located 110 miles South of the Texas-Louisiana border that has formed on top of an underlying salt dome, basically out in the middle of nowhere. Discovered in the 1900’s by Snapper fishermen, it was named the Flower Gardens because of the brightly colored sponges, corals and algae that got snagged on their lines.

The Flower Gardens is the northernmost coral reef in the United States and consists of three main sections: East Flower Garden, West Flower Garden and Stetson Bank (which is 30 miles closer to shore). These three separate zones support an amazing sea life community of Loggerhead, Leatherback and Hawksbill Sea Turtles (all endangered) and serves as a nursery for juvenile Manta Rays. In total, The Flower Gardens support 21 species of coral, 175 species of fish, 250 species of macro-invertebrates and 80 species of algae. Designated as a national sanctuary in 1992, some recreational and commercial fishing is allowed (no spear-fishing or long-lining) but scuba diving is the main attraction here.

Flower Gardens: Bright Bank / Warsaw Grouper

Flower Gardens Manta Ray

And the other reason is Sackett Bank.

The Sackett Bank, better known as The Midnight Lump, is a natural salt dome that rises from 400 feet below to about 200 feet above the water’s surface and covers almost a square mile. Heavy currents from the shotgun waterway, The Mississippi (thank you Corps of Engineers), cause huge upwellings, attracting the bait that brings the big fish, making this the go-to place for Yellowfin tuna, Wahoo, Billfish and many other species. The Midnight Lump (or just “the Lump,” as most call it) lies about 16 miles Southwest of the Mississippi Delta’s Southwestern pass, just south of Venice, the river’s last populated port. It was named Midnight Lump because, in order to hit the mother lode of Red Snapper that congregated at the bottom of the dome, you had to fish it at midnight to sneak baits past the hordes of Kingfish and Bonita that swim the waters above the Snapper.

Map of Sackett Bank (aka Midnight Lump)

The Lump might be slightly out of my range but not the Flower Gardens. This summer, “gardening” is high on my list of priorities. I’ll be working on my green thumb, baby!

Flower Gardens Photos: http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/

egg ^ 3

plinio — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:39:00 -0700

egg on egg on egg
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

one of the best sandwiches ever! egg on egg on egg.

bacon gribiche and egg salad, baby romaine, fried egg and baguette

bacon gribiche
3 ea Eggs, hard boiled
5 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 tsp Parsley, chopped
1 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Lime juice
4 oz Bacon, extra crispy

chop the eggs, add mayo, mustard, parsley, cayenne and lime juice. mix well.
chop the bacon, add. mix well.

now assemble the sandwich.
toast baguette
spread a thick layer of bacon gribiche
baby romaine
top with fried egg

enjoy!

pastry cream: can you get any unhealthier?

plinio — Sat, 09 May 2009 00:50:00 -0700

unhealthier: yes.
more delicious: yes.

how?

i remember back in culinary school always being amazed by making mayonnaise. the ingredients are simple, the technique is simple, the end result is amazing! but what amazed me most was the texture. it was very similar to pastry cream.

so i thought, can we make pastry cream like we would make mayonnaise?

the ingredients are similar too, so in theory it should work.

mayonnaise: egg yolks, vinegar, fat, seasoning.
pastry cream: egg yolks, milk, fat, sugar.

my only concern was the sugar, how would it contribute to the emulsion? will it break it or will it stabilize it? sugar helps the structure of meringue and sabayon, so i assumed it would do likewise here.

initial test recipe.
7 eggs
12 oz brown butter
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
pinch salt

results:
it was nowhere near like mayonnaise. instead it was more like a thick anglaise. since it had such a fat content, i decided to refrigerate it and hope for the best the next day. the next day the custard set into a beautiful thick custard, pudding.

so it kind of worked, but i'll keep working on the recipe.

future applications?
mayo style custards: bacon, olive oil, foie, nut oils, etc.

Tough Choices: Does Friendship Weigh More than a Big Ass Cobia?

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:56:00 -0700

Cobia

I nearly lost a good friend over a 50-pound Cobia and that’s no joke.

It was my first trip out with my buddy, Scott McLemore, on his boat, the Julie-Ann. We were about 60 miles offshore, Snapper fishing mainly, but I had been chumming religiously all day, free-lining two Ribbonfish rigs in hopes of tight lines. We had already hooked up with one small Kingfish when I looked up and saw a monster Cobia explode on the water’s surface and turn on the bait. These are the moments I live for, intense adrenaline running through my veins as the drag begins to squeal and line spools out so fast that, if not careful, it will burn right through your finger. I shot up, set the hook and immediately turned to Scott and started screaming, “I Got Him!” Scott was already right next to me with open arms waiting for the rod. (Offshore 101: it takes 3-4 people to work a big boat while offshore, so etiquette states that each man takes his turn at the rod, especially while fishing for the larger pelagic since they usually only strike in singles and it is a collective effort for that tight line.) By the look on Scott’s face, it was obvious that he figured it was his turn. I looked down at the rod, back up to Scott’s face and back down to the rod once again, weighing our friendship against the odds of experiencing such a monster in the future. For a split second, I hesitated and thought about keeping the fish. I mean, when will I ever get a chance to land a 50-pound Cobia? (I still haven’t, by the way.) Well, I chose to keep the friend over the fish.

Scott and I with that Big-Ass Cobia

Lemon Fish, Crab Eater, Ling, Sergent Fish, Cobia (Rachycentridae Canadum) -- these are all names for one of the most sought-after game fish in the Gulf, prized most likely because of its propensity for swimming close to shore and its tenacity as a fighter. Land a Cobia and you’re sure to have a story to tell back home During the summer months, you can see boats cruising the beachfront from Florida to Texas with spotters standing at the highest point, searching. Lord knows I burned plenty of gas trying to track them down myself. Cobia have flat heads and a distinctly shark-like appearance while swimming; they average 3-7 feet long and 20-30 pounds (although the world record weight for one is 135 pounds). A Pelagic fish, they are the only member of the Rachycentridae family and are found world-wide in warm waters (but are most populous in the Gulf of Mexico). Cobia have an extremely fast growth rate which has made them perfect candidates for open ocean aquaculture.

Aquaculture

While at the Boston Seafood show, I saw an open aquaculture vendor calling them “Black Salmon” – kind of a stretch. They are mostly found congregating in twos and threes around reefs, buoys, pilings, wreckage and anchored boats and will follow larger animals like sharks, turtles and manta rays looking for table scraps. Their diet consists mainly of crustaceans, hence the name Crab Eater.

Cobia flesh has a steak-like quality, similar to Swordfish but with a higher fat content and fuller flavor, which makes it perfect for grilling as well as sashimi. If cooking on the grill, take special care not to cook it past medium, as it will get very dry if overcooked.

Grilled Cobia, Plantain and Long-Bean Sauté, Pickled Plum Jus

goat cheese bavarois

plinio — Sun, 03 May 2009 09:26:00 -0700

goat cheese bavarois
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

new dessert at textile as part of our 7 course tasting menu.

goat cheese bavarois, peppered blueberries, basil mint syrup, basil mint crisps, rhubarb compote, candied rhubarb

fried sauerkraut balls

plinio — Sun, 03 May 2009 09:20:00 -0700

fried sauerkraut balls
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

had lunch yesterday at wunsche bros cafe, a really nice little cafe in old town spring.

this was our appetizer. fried sauerkraut and sausage balls. and it was amazing!!

i am convinced that any food in ball form is delicious ... think about it, beignets. donut holes. rochers. pb balls. fried ice cream. fritters. takoyaki. cheese balls.

idea: HOUSTON BALLS TOUR!!!
purpose: hit every restaurant in houston that offers food in ball form and rate it on a delicious scale. also, find weird food balls.

or maybe the word balls is just too funny not to say multiple times.

balls balls balls balls

donut jucy lucy burger

plinio — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 02:36:00 -0700

donut jucy lucy burger
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

this was my dinner last night. as you can see, its almost as big as the lone star bottle.

if you have not tried it, i urge you to do so. i was in food coma last night. this was awesome!!

recipe for sucess:
glazed donuts
jalapeno monterey jack stuffed burger (jucy lucy)
bacon
fried egg

if i ever have a heart attack, i know where it started.

One Sexy Cephalopod

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:53:00 -0700

It goes without saying that new things in food are always exciting. But what about re-newed things? When I was young, growing up here in Houston, I vividly remember the beat up old Dodge van with the word SHRIMP (written in block letters with black duct tape) that used to cruise through our neighborhood on Sunday afternoons, randomly hittin' the horn, selling fresh, never frozen, head-on Gulf Shrimp. Those days are long gone. Now, I have to drive down to Palacios and call up my buddy, T-Roy, to get close to that experience.

Well, just last week, something just as fabulous as those remembered shrimp came to me at REEF: Fresh Baby Gulf Coast Squid.

Squid in my hand

I am (almost) embarrassed to admit how turned on I was by these little beauties.
Is it wrong to be stirred in such a way by such a thing? Well, if it is, then I don’t wanna be right.

There are many varieties of squid that make the Gulf their home. But this particular guy -the Atlantic Brief Squid (Lolliguncula brevis) - is very common in the Texas Bays. They rarely grow longer than 3 inches in tube length.

There are many different types of squid species in the littoral zone but very few inhabit the brackish Gulf waters.

The Atlantic Brief Squid’s habitat ranges from Maryland to Rio de la Plata, Argentina. They feed mainly on grass shrimp and small fishes. Its round fins make it less streamlined than most squid, but its most unique feature is that it is an osmoconformer (a sexy word if I ever heard one), which means its body salinity matches the ambient water salinity. This might seem unimportant to you, but when I learned this, my stomach quickly pointed out that harvesting these squid in saltier water is guaranteed to yield a sweeter, brinier morsel (similar to the results of timely oyster harvests). Note to self: I think I just found another use for my refractometer.

Squid with Texas quarter

For the foragers out there like me, cast-netting on the Bay side in The Galveston and Matagorda estuaries on a hot summer night can be very fruitful, indeed.

Crispy Texas Squid, Grilled Green Tomatoes, Cilantro-Shiso Aioli, Pickled Pepper Puree

Special Thanks to Alex Rappaport

Back on the island, post IKE

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:56:00 -0700

It was my first time back on the island. My first time since last summer, since those seven days without power at REEF, since I painfully tossed $10,000 worth of food in the dumpster, since my newly purchased boat melted in a raging fire at the Yacht Basin. It was my first time on Galveston Island since Ike.

I settled into my not-so-familiar-anymore routine, trying to close out those last few tables after a busy Saturday night at REEF, fighting to concentrate as my mind already starts to wander coastal. One last stop at Little Big’s to check on things, then home to load The Dude and my gear and I’m off. Windows down, music up, unconsciously on edge, waiting for that first sniff, that first scent of saltwater. And when it hits me, I am conscious of the edge, edging away.

On the road, heading South

That's The Dude: he knows how to relax

At my folks’ place with my family and we decide to take a day trip to Bolivar. I had heard that Stingaree on the Intercoastal Canal had just opened back up. Driving from the West end of the Island, the damage from Ike was still evident, everywhere: boats blown aground, sides of homes ripped open, wayward cars that the storm relocated, still standing proud.

Galveston home, post-Ike

Chevy on pier

Water Line

Waiting in line at the ferry conjured vivid childhood memories of me with my Pops at four o’clock in the morning, Dr. Pepper in one hand and Honey Bun in the other, nestled in his maroon Delta 88, waiting to cross and enter Los Patos, our duck club. We were pretty mad at those ducks back then.

A trip on the Boliver ferry is one of the best day trips from Houston: forty minutes from town and a free boat ride to a soon-to-be-again pristine Texas coastal beach and marshland. It doesn’t get much better than that. It was my daughter’s first ferry ride so she was wide-eyed and excited; I easily played the hero, knowing it wouldn’t be this easy for much longer.

Kennedy's first Ferry ride

Once we crossed, everything changed. There was shit everywhere. I was overwhelmed by so much wreckage and disorder. Chaos theory, the fragility of our lives, people missing homes, children missing toys – my mind and heart were reeling. There were hills of sand on both sides of the street, where the ‘dozers had scraped clear a path on the road. I had seen the TV and You-Tube footage, but seeing it with my own eyes was staggering. It was incredible and hard to take in. I just couldn’t get my head around it.

Wrecked dreams

As we came closer to Crystal Beach, I had mounting doubts about whether or not the rumors were true; how could Stingaree possibly have opened in the midst of this lifeless devastation? But, sure enough, there it was . . . pretty as a picture. After eating my weight in oysters and drinking six pitchers of Stingaritas (hey, I had help!), everything seemed much better.

Oysters at Stingaree

Still Beauty...

Photos Courtesy Courtney Caswell

Soft Shell Crab Sandwich

Jim Gossen — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:33:00 -0700

Crisp Fried Soft Shell Sandwich

Soft Shell Crab w/over ripe tomato.

One of my favorites -- Soft Shell Crab Sandwich

April is the beginning of soft shell crab season on the Gulf Coast and boy did I start off with a bang. Last week I stopped by one of my soft shell suppliers and picked up a dozen large crabs classified as whalers. I love making fried soft shell crab sandwiches with my first crabs of the season. I picked up a couple of ripe hot house tomatoes and a loaf of soft sliced bread and headed to my office to fix lunch. Soft shell crab sandwiches are a seasonal treat and everyone should eat at least one. I like a crispy fried crab with a little mayonnaise, ketchup, hot sauce topped with an over ripe tomato and served on white or wheat sliced bread. Try one with a fresh soft shell crab and you will be a fan for life.

Strawberry Shortcake

Jim Gossen — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Strawberry Shortcake

Birthday Cake

Every year for my birthday, Diane asks what kind of cake I want and every year I say the same thing, strawberry shortcake. Fresh strawberries are always in season in April and adding whipped cream and shortcake together makes my favorite cake.

Diane's shortcake, a giant slightly sweet biscuit holds up well to the juicy strawberries and whipped cream that she generously adds to it. A very simple cake but one that I will take over any other.

We celebrated three birthdays with this cake, Jamie my stepdaughter's, Jay my brother-in-law's and mine, that's what the three candles were for.

Little Eagle's Boiled Crawfish

Jim Gossen — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:00:00 -0700

Little Eagle's Boiling Room

Washing Crawfish

Boiling Pots

Dining Room

Boiled Crawfish

Platter of Crawfish

Kurt LeBoeuf's Little Eagle in Golden Meadow, LA is a favorite stop during crawfish season. I have been stopping at the Little Eagle for more than 40 years and until about 1o years ago I could fill up with gas, get a drink and eat boiled crawfish. Kurt and his wife Jackie decided to stop selling gas and open only for live and boiled crawfish. During the off season Kurt is a fishing guide and manages a fishing camp with his wife Jackie in the marsh south of Golden Meadow. Both Kurt and Jackie are great cooks and have terrific crawfish. Whenever I'm working in the area I always look forward to visiting, having a few platters of crawfish and catching up with the locals.

The Little Eagle is a converted service station with two long communal tables and hundreds of old fishing and maritime relics collected by Kurt's father and mother over the last 60 years. This is the type of place that I grew up eating boiled seafood and find vanishing all over South Louisiana.

Every crawfish season when headed down the bayou, I go through Golden Meadow , I keep my fingers crossed and hope that Kurt and Jackie have opened this little jewel one more year. I know that some day because of rising property cost, increased regulations and "progress", the Little Eagle will be a replaced with a shopping center or maybe a nail salon and sushi bar.

cocktail vending machine?

plinio — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:35:00 -0700

the pisco sour started my fascination with cocktails out of a siphon. i've been joking around with the idea of creating a "serve yourself" cocktail machine. it would work much like the soda machines. convenience or nuisance?

when you think about it, soda used to be made to order by a person. the person was known as a soda jerk. he would take the syrup you liked and added carbonated water. years later the soda machine came and it did the same thing. can we do this with cocktails? would we want to do this with cocktails?

i dont.

i like the idea as a novelty item, but nothing more than that. i like my mixologist making my cocktails. as you all know, i'm a huge fan of anvil. i'm there practically every other night!!

but the idea of a cocktail vending machine still lingers. its doable. its fun.

tonight at textile i served ramos gin fizz from a siphon. it literally takes me 5 seconds to put the whole thing together. 5 seconds!!

the mix is made. orange flower water, gin, st germain, lime juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, cream, egg white. then its put in the siphon. first its charge with a co2 cartridge to make it fizzy. then its charged with no2 cartridge, so that when its dispensed its foamy. the last step is to add a little of the mix (not in the siphon) and give it a stir.

haha! soon i'll just have a row of siphons with different cocktails. serve yourself.

Crawfish Bisque

Jim Gossen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:23:00 -0700

Diane and Carolyn in kitchen

Audrey "Toots" peeling crawfish and saving the fat.

Jamie and Will stuffing heads

Carolyn and Diane stuffing heads

Stuffing heads

Tray of stuffed crawfish heads

Butter Roux

Crawfish Bisque w/ stuffed heads

Making and eating crawfish bisque, when I was growing up, has always been a special event for our family. Because of the work involved in preparing and stuffing the heads, eating crawfish bisque was reserved for restaurants. When I was growing up there were plenty of restaurants that served great crawfish bisque. Today due to the inability to buy crawfish fat and heads some restaurants have taken this traditional dish off of the menu or have eliminated the stuffed heads.

During Holy Week, the peek of the crawfish season, I decided that I would get the family together and cook crawfish. My grandson Will, on his way to visit with us in Grand Isle for the week and knowing that we were cooking crawfish, asked his mother a question that really made me feel bad. He asked Jamie, "Mom what is crawfish bisque?" When Jamie told me that I was ashamed I had not cooked this traditional crawfish favorite for him.

I knew this week would be the perfect time to make crawfish bisque. Diane's mother, Audrey and sister, Carolyn were going to be here. With the children and grandchildren also here it would be a perfect time to make an old fashioned crawfish bisque and everyone could help.

We started early Friday morning, first boiling and peeling the crawfish. We cleaned heads and saved the fat buried deep in the head. Without that fat our bisque would not have tasted like we all remembered it. We spent all day, making roux, chopping vegetables, cooking the bisque, preparing stuffing and cleaning and stuffing the crawfish heads. We were six people working on this family meal. This was a real labor of love, after all we were cooking for the family and we would be serving at least 14 of them that night.

After supper was served and everyone said that this was the best crawfish bisque they had ever eaten (our last bisque is always the best) we realized why Will had never eaten bisque. To make great crawfish bisque takes much labor and time but all of us vowed to at least cook one large bisque a year and to make it a family event.

Crawfish Peeling Plant

Jim Gossen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:54:00 -0700

Hand Peeled Crawfish

Crawfish Peeler

Pile of Crawfish on Peeling Table

Peeled Crawfish Meat

Premium Hand Picked Crawfish Meat

Last week while working in Louisiana I had a chance to visit an old friend's crawfish peeling plant which is now being run by his daughter Rose and nephew Greg.

Lionel Hayes was the first person to start peeling crawfish commercially. He told me that while selling live crawfish for Joe Amy in Henderson, Louisiana he had 7 sacks of crawfish left over one afternoon. He dropped a few sacks off at each of his sister's homes to peel so that he wouldn't loose the crawfish. After they cooked and peeled the crawfish he asked one of his large customers, which was Don's Seafood & Steakhouse restaurant in Lafayette if they were interested in buying the crawfish tails. Don, Ashby and Willie Landry said that they would and thus an industry was born. During the early 50's restaurants that served crawfish etouffee, bisque and stew had to peel them which required extra labor during crawfish season.

Joe Amy owned a grocery store in Henderson and decided to open a peeling plant and have Lionel run it for him. Demand for peeled crawfish began to grow as more restaurants and supermarkets needed the meat

Lionel later opened his own plant and during the early 70's I began buying from him for my own first restaurant. We opened more restaurants and a wholesale company and eventually bought most of his production. He had the best peeled crawfish in those days and his reputation for top quality remains today.

Lionel died last year, but his daughter and nephew have kept his high standards and still produce one of the best peeled crawfish in Louisiana.

I knew Lionel for over 40 years and had the opportunity to spend many hours with him during crawfish season. When I hear the word crawfish I can't help thinking of Lionel Hayes, he was a pioneer and great friend I truly miss.

fruit plate

plinio — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:30:00 -0700

fruit plate
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

sometimes all you want at the end of a meal is a bowl of fruit. enjoy!

fruits: grapefruit, orange, mango, plum, peach, apple
garnishes: yogurt, micro basil, olive oil

Blackfin Tuna: The Bastard Son Makes Good (Bacon)

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:31:00 -0700

Blackfin Tuna

Usually, when the subject of Tuna comes up, you will hear grandiose talk of the superstars Bluefin, Yellowfin, Albacore, Big-Eye or, if you are one of the lucky ones, Toro. No one hardly ever talks about this black sheep of the family, Blackfin – could it be its smaller stature, or that it often gets confused with Bonito or that its sheer numbers and tenacity make it a real pest when trying to snag its larger cousins. If you’ve ever been offshore in a Tuna feeding frenzy, under the lights, you know what I mean. When the heat is on and time is of the essence, a 150 pound Yellowfin is always preferred to a 15 pound Blackfin, at least to your regular sports fisherman (guess I’m not such a regular guy after all).

Blackfin Tuna (Thunnus Atlanticus), also known as Bermuda Tuna, Blackfinned Albacore and Football, is a member of the Scombridae family. They range in size from 2 – 20 pounds with the largest catch on record being 45 pounds. There is some commercial interest in this fish worldwide, but virtually none in the Atlantic and Gulf regions. Blackfin are a Pelagic Species found in warmer tropical waters from Brazil to Cape Cod in large schools, usually around other tunas. They eat less fish than other members of the Tuna family and more shrimp, crab and squid, but they are one of the fastest growing tunas and reach sexual maturity in less than two years. A five-year-old Blackfin is considered old. Because of its ability to procreate quickly and its rapid growth, I see no reason why this fish is overlooked as a viable commercial harvest or a potential candidate for open ocean aquaculture. Mahi-Mahi has this same quality.

Now for the BACON!

“How did you ever come up with that?’ is a common question that just about every chef gets asked. Depending on the dish, I can usually spin a good yarn about where the dish came from: my ancestors, a muse, seasonality or divine providence. But, in the case of the Blackfin Tuna bacon, the back story is straightforward and as old as the hills: it was straight necessity, the mother kind. Last fall at REEF, we were getting a large amount of Blackfin. After butchering, two or three of those sweet little medallions made a beautiful meal. The only problem was that the last third of the loin was just too thin to use. What to do? What could I do! I did what every other red-blooded Texan would do…make Bacon!

Blackfin Tuna Bacon, Firefish, Apples, Avocado, White Soy and Miso

cheese and crackers

plinio — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:46:00 -0700

i thought this would be a hit at textile. much more so than the bacon fried brownies. maybe i haven't given it time yet (just put it on the a la carte menu). its not a cheese plate, but a play on it. its not a cheesecake, but a play on it. so technically, i still have not done a cheesecake at textile. woo!

crescenza "cheese whiz", graham crackers, farro "smacks", kumquats.

[picture coming soon]

olive dessert

plinio — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 03:38:00 -0700

olive dessert
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

part of 7 course tasting at textile. a savory dessert. pre dessert is a 1 second grapefruit pisco sour

olive.
pistachio oil sponge, candied olives, olive chips, olive "granola", rosemary creme, grapefruit

on a side note. i absolutely detest olives! but in this form, i will gladly eat them like a snack.

the olives are first blanched in water. blanched a second time in light simple syrup. blanched a third time in heavy simple syrup. and finally reserved in a rosemary simple syrup. the final result gives the olives the texture of canned cherries, but with a mellow salt and briny olive flavor.

Louisiana Convict Fish – Falsely Accused

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:03:00 -0700

Sheepshead - Convicted, But Not Guilty

If you were in the Houston area in the late 80’s and 90’s, you may remember the “Bay Snapper” scandal. So called because some restaurants were using Sheepshead in place of Red Snapper and had given it the new, more marketable name of “Bay Snapper” (in the same way that Patagonian Toothfish was renamed Chilean Sea Bass). People were outraged – This was fraud! How could they misrepresent and impersonate our noble Red Snapper? Actually, I think the Sheepshead is the one who got the bad rap. Don’t get me wrong, I love Red Snapper, with its clear, slightly opaque flesh and amazing versatility, but in terms of depth of flavor, give me “Bay Snapper” anytime.

Whatever you call it -- Sheepshead, Lousiana Convict Fish or Bay Snapper (Archosargus Probatocephalus) -- this fish is actually a proud member of the Sea Bream family. Other family members you’ll find in the Gulf are Pink and Silver Bream and the Jolthead (Knobbed and Red Porgy). Sheepshead hail from the Mid-Atlantic down to South Texas and live in the bays and estuaries around rocky outcroppings, oyster reefs and any type of piling structure. Although they are not a true migratory species, Sheepshead do head for the deeper waters offshore during winter months and return as the water warms in the late winter and early spring months to congregate near shore (where it is believed that spawning takes place). It is during these months, right now (lucky us!), that Sheepshead are commercially available.

It is not hard to figure out how this fish got its moniker. Feeding on a diet of mainly crustaceans, bivalves and mollusks, they have a mean set of choppers: sharp incisors in the front and grinding molars in the back. I believe that their diet gives them their firm, wonderful flesh reminiscent of shellfish. The flesh is great for almost any hot application, standing up well to the grill and also to slow poaching.

Now, That's a Set of Choppers

As a fisherman, you have got to really want this fish. They are the epitome of frustration, especially when fishing in deeper waters. Their capable teeth will pick your pocket clean in a heartbeat. Only in the flats, when they are running those grass and sand pockets, can you get them to commit fully to your bait. Once in the box, the hard work has just begun - killer sharp spines, crazy tough scales and a rib cage like a Rubik’s cube bring new meaning to the words patience and virtue.

But rehabilitated, this ex-con will bring you a toothy smile once it hits the plate.

investors! investors! investors!

plinio — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:40:00 -0700

i need your money.

i want to open an indian taco truck in the midtown/montrose area. open from midnight to 4 am targeting all the drunkies. offering delicious classic indian dishes.

gimme money!

1 minute farro puffs

plinio — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:06:00 -0700

this stemmed off from the original idea. can you pop farro like popcorn? tried it, and no. there is one way though, but it involved using liquid nitrogen (which i dont have!!)

so next options were corn nuts or puffed grains. did a combination of both methods and got a very very nice result. and in a minute!!

1. put grains and flavored liquid in a vacuum seal bag. (1:1 ratio by volume)
2. seal.
3. cook in microwave (power 9) for 30 seconds.
4. remove from bag, drain excess liquid. (if any)
5. fry for 30 seconds in fryer set at 350.
6. drain on paper towels.
7. season to taste.

and since ancient grains are healthy, (for the health conscious) these make for a very healthy snack.

ideas ... chocolate and puffed farro bark, puffed farro brittle, candied farro, farro streusel, etc

we are going to order sorghum and amaranth soon, try this method and the popcorn method. will report with results.

Boston's Neptune Oyster Bar

Jim Gossen — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:21:00 -0700

Neptune Oyster Bar

Oysters on half shell

Mussel's

Crab Louie

Neptune Oyster Bar, a tiny match box sized restaurant in Boston's Italian North End, owned by Jeff Nace, is my favorite oyster bar in Boston.
The last time I was in Boston I had eaten here and knew that this trip, Neptune would be my first stop. We ended up eating there twice during my stay and would have gone back a third time if we would have had the time.

The 16 stools at the oyster bar and 26 banquette seats are always occupied and waiting for a seat at one of them is very common. No reservations! We like to give our name and cell number to the hostess, then walk the neighborhood for the next hour. The walk is most interesting and dining at Neptune is well worth the wait. About 45 minutes later my cell rang, our table was ready and we head back.

When seated we ordered several dozen oysters, fried whole belly clams and lobster rolls with butter. The selection of oysters were great the whole belly clams were light and tender and the lobster roll is second only to Red's Eat in Wiscasset, ME.

The next visit we ordered oysters on the half shell, whole belly clams, Crab Louie and lobster spaghettini. The owner Jeff told me to come back for the lobster spaghettini on Monday and boy am I glad I did. This was worth the trip in itself.

Neptune is an all around jewel, a great bistro, oyster bar and neighborhood hang out. I can't wait to have an excuse to go back to Boston just to eat here. I already miss the whole belly clams.

I think I will try to get a few restaurants to handle them here so that I won't have to take those 4 hour flights but until then Boston here I come.

Searching for Cellar Temperature in H-Town

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:56:00 -0700

View from inside Reef's Wine Cellar into the dining room

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are virtually no basements in Houston; being just 40 feet above sea level ensures that there are very few. So many of our beloved foods and beverages are created, aged and thrive in that zone of 55°-57° Fahrenheit with 60% relative humidity: red and white wine, beer, all forms of sausages, hams and charcuterie, cheeses and vinegar. This combination of the right temperature and humidity provides the optimal sweet spot for these items to properly age and mature until the time comes for you to reach that final objective, consumption. To re-create this ideal environment above ground calls for a little creativity. It is surprisingly simple to convert an old refrigerator into a “cellar;” all you need is an external thermostat, a hemostat and a small, inexpensive humidifier from Target. I just made one from a very old prep cooler to store our wines at Little Bigs Montrose. The light blue control pad with the temperature reading sits right next to the cashier. This particular unit is pretty damn amazing. You can set it at temperature variables between X and Y and, within those variables select run times so that your compressor won’t overwork itself by repeatedly kicking itself on and off too quickly. You might be asking yourself why we would need to maintain cellar temp wines in a burger joint. And I say, WTF not? I get a kick out of it and if you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly!

Remote Temperature Control at Little Bigs Montrose

All the equipment you need can easily be picked up at a place called Allied Kenco. If you are even just slightly obsessed with charcuterie, this place is a mandatory stop. Cody is the man to see over there and, for the past five years, he has helped satisfy my fixation for these types of things.

Luckily, at Reef, there is no need to convert old kitchen equipment since I already have a real “cellar.”

View into Reef's Wine Cellar from Table 4

Since Reef opened, I have been jones-ing to use this room for something other than wine. But hanging whole joints of meat next to my beloved Innocent Bystander (all the while staring into the eyes of a starry-eyed young couple enjoying a romantic dinner at Table 4) is just not an option. So, I’ve been waiting for just the right opportunity to age something in full view of the dining room.

We have been making our own pepper vinegar at Reef since day one, using it in vinaigrettes, pickling liquids and finishing sauces. You will always see a bottle of it right next to me up at the expediting “pass.” We use a fresh Thai pepper called a Dragon Finger (aka Harlingen Red).

Dragon Finger Chilis

I have always thought, “If I could just get my hands on an Oak barrel to age this vinegar... .” Well, look what showed up on our doorstep.

Oak barrel brought to us by our good friends at Quintessa Winery

As we speak, I’ve got a guy building a cradle to hold the barrel so we can store it at the end of the wine room.

A local farmer who grows for us -- Stacey Roussel from All We Need Organics – has done a great job growing these peppers. Once she hits the generous glut of the season, we are going to fire that sucker up and see where we’re at.

I’ll let you know how our aged pepper vinegar turns out in 2010.

bacon fried brownies

plinio — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:17:00 -0700

bacon fried brownies
Originally uploaded by fuzzzycatt

bacon fried brownies, bourbon pudding, ancho chili ice cream

yeah, its good. (needs a more pronounced bacon flavor, though)

Grand Central Oyster Bar

Jim Gossen — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:18:00 -0700

One Dozen Please

Grand Central Oyster Bar prior to opening

Executive Chef Sandy Ingber

Carlos Arenas

Oyster Pan Roast

Kettles in kitchen

Having lunch with Sandy Ingber at Grand Central Oyster Bar, one of the greatest oyster bars in the world, was one hell of a treat and one that I will not forget.

We arrived early before opening and got to walk through the place before the crowds came. We picked the best seats at the oyster bar and got Carlos Arenas working on a list of things that we wanted to eat that day.

Before the rush started Sandy took us on a tour of the facility going through the kitchen down below the restaurant through all of the prep rooms, bakery and numerous coolers for each different protein. Walking through the bowels of this 96 year old restaurant brought to mind how things must have been done 100 years ago. Everything was made on premise and to run a restaurant of this magnitude took a huge kitchen. Keeping up with the current $16,000,000.00 a year sales takes every inch of this enormous place.

Grand Central Oyster Bar is stunning with its famous tiled, vaulted ceilings, making it one of New York's most spectacular restaurants even today.

We arrived back at our stools when we finished our tour and got ready to sample what Carlos had put together for us, oyster pan roast, fried whole belly clams, Nantucket Bay scallops and more oysters than we could shake a stick at. Thanks Carlos for taking such good care of us and special thanks to Sandy for giving us the royal treatment while in New York last week, we will never forget this trip.

New York's Fulton Fish Market

Jim Gossen — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 12:52:00 -0700

Executive Chef Sandy Ingber ~ Grand Central Oyster Bar~

Fulton Market

Swordfish

The Fulton Fish Market's hours of operation are from 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Monday thru Friday. Last week I had arranged to meet Sandy Ingber, the Executive chef of the Grand Central Oyster Bar at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. We left in a cab from Manhattan at about 3:15 in a cab for the 30 minuter ride to Hunt's Point in the Bronx. We arrived early and made our way to the arranged meeting spot with Sandy. The place is one of the largest coolers that I have ever walked into all 400,000 sf of it. We were to meet at Blue Ribbon Fish Company. They are the company that consolidate and put his orders together that he purchases throughout the market. After meeting Sandy and getting the run down of the market we began to walk and check out each stall. Sandy knew everyone around the market and as we walked and made purchases his friends would come up and let him know what was their freshest fish today and what he should expect to see coming the rest of the week. The market was bustling at that hour with forlifts running around like cars on the streets of Manhattan and people picking the fish seafood that was going to be served in the city's restaurants that day.

The market first opened in 1807 on land donated to New York City, and at first was a general market for both fish and other goods. In 1822 the fish merchants occupied a new Fulton Fish Market building, located on South Street between Fulton and Beekman Streets.

For more then 180 years the Fulton Fish Market has been America's oldest fish market. The New Fulton Fish Market at Hunt's Point in the Bronx, is second in size worldwide only to Tokyo’s Tsukiji wholesale seafood market. The New Fulton Fish Market handles millions of pounds of seafood daily and annual sales exceed one billion dollars.

We left the market about 7:30 was picked up by by a friend and headed to his lobster warehouse about 1o minutes away.

I had been up since 2:30 am, probably should not have gone to sleep, but knew that if I had not I would be sorry that afternoon. It was time for lunch and Mary Fish Camp in the West Village was where my next meeting was with another supplier, I could hardly wait for the whole belly clams and lobster rolls.

Peter Luger

Jim Gossen — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:31:00 -0700

Peter Luger's Bacon Appetizer

Porterhouse For Two

Porterhouse, German Fried Potatoes and Creamed Spinach

Prime Short Loin

About every three or four times we visit New York I am lucky enough to get reservations at Peter Luger's Steak House in Brooklyn. This was one of those lucky trips that I was able to get reservations for five people. Having been named by Zagat "Best Steakhouse in New York" 24 years in a row just makes it more difficult to get a chance to eat here.

We arrived about 6:45 pm and had time to order a drink at the bar before we were promptly seated. Peter Luger has been serving prime steaks since 1887 and only family members are part of the meat selection process. I did not need a menu on this recent visit, knowing exactly what I was going to order. Beefsteak tomatoes with onions, thick sliced bacon, creamed spinach, German fried potatoes and a Porterhouse medium rare for five people, was on our agenda tonight. There is no better way to start you trip to New York than to dine at Peter Luger's on the first night you arrive in the city.

We had a great waiter that night and when I told him that I wanted him to take care of us, he gave me a nod and that is what he did.

After this terrific meal we ordered New York Cheese Cake, Apple Strudel and black coffee then headed back to NYC so that we could get to bed early. We were rising the next morning at 2:30 am so that we could get to the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx before 4:00 am.

Chronicles of a Six-Foot-Four Texan in Boston: St. Paddy’s Weekend vs. The International Boston Seafood Show

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:49:00 -0700

28th Annual International Boston Seafood Show

At the beginning of this week, I was fortunate enough to attend the 28th Annual International Boston Seafood show -- and on St. Paddy’s Day weekend no less! This year, there were over 52 countries represented, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto as keynote speaker, 6,114 exhibitors and an estimated 17,231 conventioneers attending. Let me tell you, for a guy like me, it was complete sensory overload. I was like a fevered maniac all three days. With more information and booths than it is humanly possible to absorb, I was like a shopaholic during a Walmart Blue Light special, screaming through exhibits, trying to do my best impersonation of a sponge, spurred on by the knowledge that around each corner there would be yet another new thing/fish/product/machine that pertains 100% to my daily obsession. It was an orgasmic and yet futile endeavor to try to take it all in. All of this set in the heart of Historic Boston. And with over 1,000 Irish bars in the surrounding Boston area…obviously, I was a busy boy. And did I mention it was St. Paddy’s Day Weekend?

28th Annual International Boston Seafood Show

The most interesting booths were the ones with the products from Asia. What made them so damn interesting was the sheer number of items that were new to me. That and the aggressiveness of their salesmen (actually women, mostly), leading with samples and politely insisting on the superiority of their product. Folks, this may sound like a stretch but, during those three days, I ate my weight in sushi, no bullshit! At least 20 pounds of Hamachi passed through my gullet; and I’m not just talking about regular old stuff, I’m talking about new, different and special types like Rookfish, Bluenose, Sun Mackrel, some kind of red tilefish and many more.

Japanese fish

There was even a table where Morimoto had his crew laying it down.

Morimoto crew

The Japanese dried products were fascinating, especially these crispy whole crabs with some sort of glaze. They had the mouth feel of potato soufflé, straight up addictive.

Crab poppers

At the same booth, this dude had what looked like a hot griddle press on which he would place a tiny dried shrimp or sprinkle dried baby anchovies, hit the press and out would pop a chip. Seriously. It took me back to those days when I would cruise my neighborhood on my black, banana seat Huffy and, turning the corner, saw the new kid on a brand new BMX Super-Goose…

I want one!

Chip press

On the other end of the aisle, a guy from the Midwest was selling nothing but what most would consider trash fish: Shoepeg, Gaspergoo, Buffalo, Carp and Flat Head Catfish.

Gaspergoo

On day two, they held the national Oyster Shucking Contest where three-time champion, and the current world champ title holder, William “Chopper” Young took the gold home once again. He had an unusual technique and tool: his knife was about 2 ½ inches long and resembled a prison shank and he attacked the oyster from the side. This guy was all business.

Oyster shuck

I was equally as intrigued with the equipment side of the show. There were space-aged coolers, vacuum machines large enough to package a man, “green” packaging solutions, non-stick flooring and totes for shipping live fish.

Live Fish Tote

There were all kinds of amazing instruments for monitoring and evaluating environmental conditions like 10-mile remote thermostats and hemostasts, refractometers that calculate Brix (sugar content) and blood-protein content and my new favorite toy, a salinometer.

Salinometer

You should have seen the looks I got at the three different oyster bars that night when I pulled that sucker out to gauge the salt content of each different oyster we sampled. Geeky I know, but what the hell …I’m a 6’4” Texan obsessed with fish, rollin’ strong in Bean-Town on St. Paddy’s Day weekend. I’m pretty sure I pulled it off.

The Great Golden Tilefish: The Story of Brian Brennan and My First Step Towards Reef

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:44:00 -0700

Golden Tilefish

About four years ago, while cooking at Bank in the Hotel Icon, a guy named Brian Brennan started working at Airline Seafood. We sat down and I gave him the same spiel I had given every other fishmonger since I returned to Houston: I wanted different, local, whole fish -- I wanted the fish that I had seen, caught and eaten as a fisherman and citizen of the Gulf Coast. After about 45 minutes of me getting all fired up on the subject and wading though my wish list of fish, Brian popped his head up and said (in his coastal country drawl), “Okay, dude, I gotcha.” Okay? Really? I was speechless, because every other guy in the business came up with beaucoup reasons why it just wasn’t possible but, as far as Brian was concerned, OK was all that was needed.

At the time, I had no idea that Brian had spent most of his natural-born life off of FM 2004. (FM=Farm to Market road, yet another wonderfully unique Texas thing). FM 2004 is that bayou-riddled stretch of a back-road-avenue connecting Freeport with Galveston. I also had no idea that he had spent the past 7-8 years driving up and down the Gulf Coast buying and selling fish. He knew these captains well; hell, he ate Sunday dinner with half of them.

Two to three weeks later, Brian shows up, sporting that big shit-eatin’ grin of his and hauling a whole mess of Golden Tilefish. When they hit the table, I looked him straight up and said, “Brian, I asked you for local! Not shipped, man, local.” He started to explain to me about the deep water shelf that comes closest to Matagorda (the town, not the bay), where the Colorado River dumps out, about 60 miles out from the shore, and the ocean depth starts to drop quickly along with the water temperature – perfect for fish like Golden Tilefish, that I would typically get from the East Coast. He told me how these Golden Tilefish were there, along with many other species that most boats don’t fish for, or even keep if caught, because there are no buyers back at the dock. I couldn’t believe it. I think I might have even called him a liar (sorry about that B). But I did some of my own research and it turns out the Brian was right -- amazing!

The body style of the Golden Tilefish is unique to the Gulf

Golden Tilefish are from the Malacanthidae family. They are very easy to distinguish among other members of this family because of the large wattle-like adipose flap on the top of their head. Found in waters ranging between 250-1500 feet deep all along the Continental shelf and slope. Their habitat extends from Nova Scotia down to south of Venezuela. The flesh is extremely flaky, lean when cooked and, because of the very low fat content, does not lend itself very well for grilled applications and can become extremely dry when overcooked (slower cooking and or medium temp is highly recommended).

Being able to acquire these types of cherry Gulf fish is what spurred the whole idea of Reef. This may sound like a stretch but, initially, it was the work of Brian and Steve Berreth at Airline that gave me the confidence to open a place like Reef -- confidence that, if I was to write the check, “Local Gulf Seafood,” payment would come back in more than just Snapper, Shrimp & Crab.

There is an old fishing adage that goes like this: an impatient man runs over more fish than he catches on his way to greener pastures. I had been doing that very thing for years. Brian got out of the fish business about two years later but, before he left, he kept me in a steady stream of Golden Tilefish, Trigger Fish, Triple Tail, Croaker, Cobia, Amberjack and many other hard to acquire Gulf species. Airline Seafood’s Steve Berreth and Mark Musatto (my former Executive Sous Chef at Bank) have been able to continue what Brian started with great catches for Reef.

Golden Tilefish

F and B Offspring

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:19:00 -0800

Raising a child and a restaurant at the same time really is not normal. The 16 or 17-hour days and time spent with my restaurant family and customers means a lot of missed events (parties, socials, parent/teacher conferences, family get-togethers, anything on Fridays or Saturdays). My daughter, Kennedy Gayle, is now four years old; and Reef is now creeping up on two years.

Most of Kennedy’s life (well, what she remembers) and time spent with me is in some way connected to Reef. Imagine growing up not knowing any social barriers or fear of interacting with the unknown in a communal setting, that’s Kennedy. She navigates through the dining room, into the kitchen (she knows exactly where Maria keeps the fresh-baked rolls), then across the line – yelling, “Behind you!” as she walks through to say her hellos to all of the cooks-- and back out through the bar to the hostess stand where she begs Mary to let her seat a table (she has already mastered the table numbers). Believe it or not, this can and does happen at 8:30 on a Saturday night.

One of my favorite stories to tell about Kennedy happened two weeks after we opened Reef. Kennedy automatically assumed that everyone coming to the restaurant was a personal friend and she didn’t think twice about pulling up a chair, having a seat with the customers and starting a conversation about the Wiggles, Dora, “The Dude”(our dog) or her new shoes . My wife and I had to sit her down and explain that every table was here to enjoy dinner by themselves and that it was impolite to interrupt. I had barely gotten the explanation out when her eyes started to well up and she began to cry. Talk about heart-breaking.

The key to being a “Food & Beverage” Dad is quality of time (since quantity is not really an option), so Kennedy has no curfew. If I get home before 11pm, she waits up for me. She comes with me to the farmer’s market, equipment auctions, Saturday AM prep and even buying fish down at the docks. That’s just the way it is in an F & B family.

Buying Fish With K-Dog (aka Kennedy Gayle Caswell)

photo credit: Shannon O'Hara

Boiled Crawfish

Jim Gossen — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:14:00 -0800

Boiling Crawfish

Back Yard Boiled Crawfish

Boiled crawfish have always been a treat to me and my family. I eat them more today than I did as a child because they are readly available and served today at many restaurants.

Growing up we ate boiled crawfish only two or three times a year and never at restaurants. There were none around serving them back then and even if they had them, eating out was not an option for us.

Usually during the months of April and May we had crawfish boils in the backyard. My Dad would drive down to Henderson, LA and pick up several hundred pounds, take them back home and start getting everything together for a big family boil in the evening. Usually all of my aunts, uncles and cousins came over to eat crawfish. The fun for us was not only the eating part but purging,rinsing and playing with the crawfish and having our family crawfish race before the boil.

Crawfish season brings back great memories of family and friends. There is nothing better than to sit down at a picnic table with your family and friends and a big pile of steaming hot boiled crawfish.

We had our first crawfish this year this weekend and all of the wonderful memories came to mind as I sat down to enjoy these crawfish.

Fried Catfish, Corn Bread, Red Beans & Rice

Jim Gossen — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:16:00 -0800

Southern Fried Catfish

Corn Bread

Red Beans & Rice

Lent has a big effect on the seafood industry and all of us at Louisiana Foods Global Seafood look forward to this time of year. With the increase in business comes an increase in work and around here we all look forward to that.

We prepare lunch daily at Louisiana Foods and on Fridays our employees seem to look forward this meal over the rest of the week. Fried catfish, cornbread and red beans & rice are a favorite here and everyone seems to love this combination. We work around the clock to keep our customers supplied in fresh seafood and meals like this satisfy our workers and help make the long hours a little more bearable. Every Friday we cook over a hundred pounds of fish, two large pans of cornbread and about 4 gallons of red beans, and during lent that increases by 50 percent on Fridays.

Our customers are eating more seafood these days and our employees are no different.

Gulf of Mexico “Kampachi,” Part 2 - The Kanzuri Cure

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:26:00 -0800

Almaco Jack Filet

In a previous post, I talked about the Almaco Jack or Longfin Yellowtail coming out of the Gulf, which shocked me with its resemblance to farm-raised Yellowtail-Hamachi and Almaco -Kona Kampachi coming out of the Pacific. Now that you’ve had the history lesson, let’s get to the eating part. Different proteins call for different applications, some are versatile while others aren’t. The Almaco Jack, although very good in hot applications, shines tremendously on the cold/raw side.

At Reef, we love experimenting with contrasts in texture in relation to how the fish structure changes under certain applications. For this dish, we used somewhat of a “short” cure to alter the outer flesh while still retaining the integrity and silkiness of the inner part of the filet.

Kanzuri Cure...Curing

The cure consists of a ratio of 3 to 1 sugar to salt (which many would consider high on the sweet side for a cure). For the sweet end of the deal, we use palm sugar and agave nectar; on the salt side, sea salt and Kanzuri Paste. Kanzuri paste is a very interesting product -- it’s a fermented chili paste from the mountains of Japan where the peppers have been exposed to the snow (kind of a frost bit deal), mixed with salt and malt, then fermented for around three years. It has a deep, complex, salty heat. Together with the sweet and the salt, we mix crushed jalapenos, shallots, mint and lime zest. The fish then sets to cure for around three to four hours depending on the thickness of the filet.

To plate the dish: we place sliced cucumbers between the pieces of cured fish, add cucumber water and some pureed cure marinade (fresh, not used!) and there you have it!

Kanzuri Cured Longfin Yellowtail, Cucumber Water and Mint

Cabbage Rolls

Jim Gossen — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:49:00 -0800

Seasoned Beef and Pork for meat filling.

Cooking cabbage leaves for making rolls.

Rolling Cabbage Rolls with meat and rice filling.

Stacking the rolls to steam in tomato mixture.

Ready to put lid on to steam with a few meatball boosters.

Cabbage rolls were something that were made only occasionally when I grew up in Louisiana. After Diane and I finished filling this large roaster with 40 cabbage rolls, I knew why Mom did not make them more often. Being one of seven children and one or more of us always having people over to eat answered that question of why only occasionally. They were so good and every one in the family enjoyed them, but Mom would have had to make a hundred of them.

It takes several hours to prepare all of the ingredients, put everything together and roll them up. Then we let them cook slowly for 1 hour and 30 minutes before they were ready to serve. We always served them with hot corn bread and a green salad, and today wasn't going to be any different.

Diane and I decided to make two types of rolls, the traditional roll that we both grew up eating and loved and one that I remembered Mrs. Maud Landry making when I was in high school. She used corn meal instead of rice, and the last time that I tried her style out, I put too much corn meal in the meat which made them too dry. This time I set out using a ratio of 1- cup cornmeal to 3-1/2 pounds of meat. The consistency was what I was looking for but I have never been able to make them taste as good as hers. There was something missing in these rolls, but until I feel like making another large pot full, which might be several months from now, I will enjoy the ones that I put in the freezer.

Louisiana Strawberries

Jim Gossen — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:44:00 -0800

Diane with a flat of sweet Pontatoula Strawberries

Diane's 4 layer Strawberry Shortcake

I look forward to strawberry season every year and to picking up a few flats of Pontatoula strawberries whenever they are available while traveling in Louisiana.

My grandmother knew how much I loved strawberry shortcake and during the season would have cake in the refrigerator waiting for my uncle and I every Friday. We would cut the cake in half so that each one of us knew which half was ours. I would eat a piece every day until my half was gone and wait for the next Friday to come along. These are very fond memories for me and when strawberry season comes around I always think of my grandmother and her wonderful shortcakes.

Diane made one of her wonderful shortcakes and used half the flat of strawberries and some of the thickest velvety whipped cream to make this one of the best strawberry shortcakes that I have ever eaten. We had picked up a half gallon of heavy cream while in Louisiana, made by Smith Creamery, located in Mt. Hermon, LA. (They also make some of the best tasting butter that I have eaten.) If you ever get a chance to try their products, don't miss it.
With ingredients like this and of course Diane's shortcake, I don't think I could find another better. It was as good of as any I can ever remember eating.

Thanks Diane for bringing some of my fondest childhood memories back. I can't wait to head back to pick up more ingredients. It's Friday, do you want to go?

Ice ‘Em Swimming

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:15:00 -0800

The first hour after a fish is harvested is by far the most crucial time in its stored life. Proper procedure and care immediately after a fish is harvested can add three to six full days of shelf-life (depending on the varietal). As a fish cook and a fisherman, my processing etiquette on the boat can be flat-out obsessive but, if you follow these steps, you can enjoy your fresh-caught fish for well over a week and skip the sacrilege of sending them to the freezer.

1. DON'T PULL THEM GREEN

Horsing a fish will usually result in two things: one, he will break off, causing that heartbreaking, hollow numbness that instantly washes over your body after your line goes flaccid, leaving you with either excuses or rage; or two, he will tear up both the boat and his muscle fibers once inside the boat. Those torn muscle fibers result in blown blood vessels and soft or mushy protein. Take your time, enjoy, wear him out, there are no points for speed.

2. SWIFT AND INSTANT

Now is the time when speed and points come into play. If the fish is big enough to gaff, get him in the boat, pop him once, hard, right behind the eyes (gaff placement is key) -- be swift and kind -- then get him covered in ice, completely. If he is not gaff-size, then just put him straight into the ice. There are certain species that benefit greatly from bleeding; most of these fall into the large, faster-moving Pelagic-type fish, especially tuna which have the ability to control there own body temperature. During feeding frenzies their internal body temperature can rise to 85-90 degrees; bleeding greatly improves your ability to quickly lower their internal temperature (wahoo, sharks and large jacks do not share this ability but can still benefit from this technique).

3. ICE MANAGEMENT

You can never bring enough ice. All too often, I will look into a fish-filled cooler with nothing but water and two cubes of ice. You need to cover those babies like they’re wrapped in a wool blanket in the wintertime. I always start the day with one of my coolers filled with clean ice and the others half full. If time or space is an issue, check out those new Yeti’s - it’s a new breed of cooler whose insulation is far superior to any others. I use them both on the boat and in the kitchen. Saltwater slurries, which can reach temperatures well below freezing, are also an option for a quick chill.

4. DRAINAGE

Always roll with the cooler plug open. Standing water is your biggest enemy when it comes to proliferation of bacteria. Nothing could be worse than your fish sitting in water.

5. TIME ON ICE

Depending on the size of the fish, they need at least 3-6 hours on ice. Fish that have not had the opportunity to complete the cooling process and reach - and complete - full rigor will greatly affect ease of processing on the cleaning table and reduce your yield percentage. In many cases, with the muscle fibers still active, the meat of the filet will seize up, shrink and become extremely tough and spongy when cooked.

6. BACK AT THE DOCK

Here is where you have to make a very important decision: (1) Do you clean the fish at that dock table on top of the water-swollen, green plywood table-top in the hot, bright, afternoon sun? Or (2) Can you take them home to a controlled, clean, sanitized environment? If the answer is (2) then you first need to gut the fish and wash out the stomach cavity before heading home. If you do have to clean them at the dock, make sure you bring a large plastic cutting board and at least one large stainless sheet pan from a restaurant supply store. Also don’t be afraid to bring your own sanitizing solution (1 cap of bleach per gallon of water). As you separate the first filet from the bone, place it skin side down on the sheet pan; then place the second one flesh to flesh. After you complete the fish in this way, sanitize the board and then begin to take the skin off of each filet. The skin and scales are like a protective coating keeping bacteria from the flesh and, in turn, harbor most of these undesirables. Do whatever you can to keep the two from touching.

7. ICE 'EM SWIMMING

Stack the fish head to tail like they are swimming in the ice. Do this one layer after another. Fish that have been cared for using the tips above and then iced correctly can last up to 1 ½ weeks and sometimes longer.

Ice 'Em Swimming

Heart of Gold Cake

Jim Gossen — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:19:00 -0800

Ann Gossen Butcher

Last night we celebrated my sister Ann Butcher's birthday in Louisiana. Diane wanted to make a special cake for her and decided on a Heart of Gold, which is a chocolate hazelnut mocha truffle cake covered in gold leaf. Every family has one and she is our heart of gold.

Gulf Of Mexico “Kampachi”

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:15:00 -0800

The Carangidae family of fish, or Jacks as they are commonly called, is one of the more diverse varietals in the Gulf. The Greater Amberjack, Pompano, and Permit are some of the more well-known species, but there are many lesser-known, but equally as tasty Jacks: Black Trevally, Rainbow Runner, Palometa and Almaco. Jacks are fast-swimming predatory, Pelagic fish (meaning they live in the water column in the open sea closer to the water’s surface, no more than about 1000 meters deep) that hunt surrounding reefs or the open seas.

There are about 151 species of Jacks worldwide. In the Gulf, my best count is about 25 species, 14 of which I would consider plate-worthy, but recently it seems as if I am introduced to a different species every month.

Almaco Jack or Longfin yellowtail

The Almaco Jack or Longfin Yellowtail (Seriola rivoliana) is the second largest of the Amberjack clan and, even though it takes heat very well, I believe it is one of the best fish coming out of the Gulf to serve raw. I started seeing them at the docks about 9 months ago and my crew and I at Reef originally pegged it to be a younger Greater Amberjack, but once I took a knife to it I noticed a serious difference.

Almaco filet

The muscle structure and shape were identical to the farm-raised Yellowtail-Hamachi and Almaco -Kona Kampachi coming out of the Pacific. So I sliced a piece, hit it with a little sea salt and down the hatch it went…Ooooh City! Amazing! Sweet thing, where have you been all my life? After a little research, I found that the Almaco Jack can be easily differentiated from the Greater Amberjack by the elongated dorsal and anal fins that have a definite sickle shape.

Other unusual and tasty Jacks that have passed through the Reef doors lately: Black Trevally, Rainbow Runner, African Pompano, Bar Jack, and Look Down.

Stay Tuned for Part 2...

Jumbo Lump Crab Lollipops

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:00:00 -0800

Now, this ain’t no shit! About two and a half years ago, in February, I was down at our bay shack in Carancahua Bay, Texas. A good friend of mine, Brendon Treanor (who is also a chef), was getting married, so a group of us guys hauled down to the bay for a couple of days of feasting and fishing. The first order of business whenever I get down to the bay is to bait and put out the crab traps. Ever since I was a kid, the thought of BBQ Blue Crab always got my motor running.

BLUE CRAB!

That evening, after we got off the water, I pulled the traps and there they were -- mad as hell and tasty to boot -- along with the Red’s in the cooler, it would be Redfish on the Half-Shell and BBQ Crab tonight!

BBQ Crab

Morning brought an abrupt awakening by the Wild Turkey’s call, hung-over and hungry. I rummaged through the leftovers in the fridge -- that beautiful BBQ crab was now going to become breakfast. Everyone got to work: C. Busker pulled out the blender, a little OJ and vodka; Micheal Watts was chopping it up with chorizo and eggs on the stove; Treanor and I tackled the crabs. With a pair of sharp scissors, a couple of frozen screwdrivers and Willie in the background, this is what was born that morning:

Jumbo Lump Crab Lollipop

Jumbo Lump is by far the most sought-after part of the Blue crab and, at $20 a pound, it beats out almost any other protein in cost. The Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) has two swimmer fins opposite its claws on the back side. The Jumbo Lump is the muscle that is attached to the Coxa, the first joint of each of the swimmer fins or swimmer legs.

Now, we were thinking, if a man was able to get this type of thing in large quantities, you know, steady-like, and if every one he received were like these – big, beautiful lumps with the handle, or well, leg attached…well, now, that would be one hell of a thing! He might just have something.

That Lollipop stuck in my head. When REEF opened a few months later, I got to know Jim Gossen, the founder and CEO of a local seafood company called Louisiana Foods. Jim loves his shellfish more than anyone else I’ve ever met, I mean he carries a salinometer around in his pocket; that, my friends, is True Love. So I told him my Lollipop idea, his eyes lit up in excitement and he left abruptly. Two weeks later, I looked up during service and he was standing across the “pass” (where the food passes from the kitchen to the dining room and where you’ll always find me), sporting a $100 grin and a bag in his hand. I had my first pound of Jumbo Lump Crab Lollipops for REEF.
Talk about a fairytale!

Well, y’all know the difference between a fairytale and bullshit, don’t you?

A fairytale starts off with “Once upon a time…”, and the other, “Now, this ain’t no shit…”.

Char-grilled Oysters

Jim Gossen — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:13:00 -0800

Oysters Rockefeller

Char-grilled Oysters

Oysters can be enjoyed so many ways but baked and char-grilled are some of my favorites. Baked, turns a simple oyster on the half shell into a special treat. Oyster's Rockefeller were created in New Orleans by Jules Alciatore, son of the famous Antoine Alciatore, owner of Antoine's Restaurant. He named them after John D. Rockefeller, who was the richest man in America at that time and have been serving them since 1899.

I first ate char-grilled oysters many years ago at Drago's restaurant in Metairie, LA. The first time I tried a dozen of them I could not get enough. I went back to the restaurant three times before leaving New Orleans. When I go back I have at least 2 dozen of these wonderful cheese, butter and garlic laden jewels while in town.

Eat oysters often, they are one of the greatest prizes we reap from the sea.

Have you ever seen a 1 pound Stone Crab Claw?

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:30:00 -0800

One Pound Stone Crab Claw

Well, now you have.

They are called “1 count” because, on average, it only takes one claw to average a pound. The claws pictured here are from Florida, but earlier this month I received the same size from a Texas location. The stone crab fishery has got to be one of the most wonderfully sustainable products coming out of the Gulf. Once you catch the crab, you harvest the dominant claw (also known as the “crusher” claw; the smaller one is called the “pincher”) and release the live crab back into the wild. The remaining claw still serves its purpose and another claw grows back within one year to replace the one harvested.

Crab Lollipop

Jim Gossen — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:26:00 -0800

Back Fin Crab Lollipop

Crab Lollipop Shooters

Crab lollipops were developed by leaving the back fins connected to the jumbo lump. There are only two of these per crab but not every crab works for this application. The crabs used for the lollipops have to be at least 6 inches from tip to tip and full of meat at the time they are picked.

About a year ago Chef Bryan Caswell of the Reef Restaurant in Houston asked me if I could develop these for him and since then several other restaurants have put them on their menu including Chef Chris Shepherd's, Catalan in Houston, TX.

Oysters

Jim Gossen — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:39:00 -0800

Oyster Plate

Oyster Po'Boy

Raw Oysters on the Half Shell

It's oyster time and during the season raw oysters on the half shell and fried oyster po'boys, are two of my favorite ways to eat them. I love them cooked any way, but to sit at an oyster bar and order a couple of dozen raw oysters then follow that up with fried oysters on a crispy, light loaf of French bread makes me excited just thinking about it.

Oysters have been my passion for over 35 years and I have made a life long quest searching for areas and people that produce great tasting ones. I have traveled far and eaten many an oyster.

About 30 years ago, I started collecting oyster plates and over the years have added several hundred to that collection, which some of them can be seen at http://www.louisianafoods.com/oysterplates/

Tonight I am going out and eating charbroiled oysters and oyster soup. Oysters will be at their best for the next few months, so get a few friends together and get out and enjoy these great oysters that we are so lucky to have in our area.

Louisiana Sweet Potato

Jim Gossen — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:03:00 -0800

Garber Farms Sweet Potatoes

Wayne Garber

Sweet Potato Packing Plant

The New Evangeline Sweet Potato

I can't think of the Holiday Season without thinking of Louisiana Sweet Potatoes. Growing up with six siblings, everyone of us had our favorite side dishes. Mine was yams and cornbread dressing. I could always make a meal with these two sides. My mother knew each of our favorites and included every one of them. They were, macaroni and cheese, string bean almondine, rice and gravy and an eggplant and shrimp casserole along with many others that changed over the years.

Christmas week I decided to take our grandchildren and nephew's to search for a sweet potato that was prevalent when I was growing up, the Puerto Rican yam. Because of it being prone to disease it is rarely found in Louisiana anymore.

"Yam" also refers to sweet potatoes that are grown in Louisiana. When the orange-fleshed, Puerto Rican variety of sweet potatoes was adopted by Louisiana producers and shippers, they were called "yams" to distinguish them from the white-fleshed sweet potatoes grown in other parts of the country. The yam reference became the trademark for Louisiana-grown sweet potatoes.

Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission www.sweetpotato.org

I was looking for the best or should I say the sweetest potato grown today. I had been eating Puerto Rican yams for many years and have not been able to find them for the last five years or so. During that time I've enjoyed the Beauregard sweet potato but decided to chase my taste of old and I think I have found it.

All roads led me to Garber Farms in Iota, LA , owned by Wayne Garber and his son Matt. I met Wayne and picked up two sacks of the small Beauregard yams and while Wayne was giving me a tour of his packing plant he gave me a few of the new Evangeline sweet potato to try. He told me that LSU had developed this new potato and had planted a few acres of seed in 2007. This year most of the sweet potato producers were evaluating the new variety on a limited commercial scale.

When I got back to Lafayette Diane and I cooked the potatoes that Wayne had given me and after observing the rich orange flesh color and sweet taste I immediately called him back and asked if I could get a 100 pounds for my private personal use during 2009. I drove back to Iota the next day and picked up enough Evangeline sweet potatoes for the upcoming year.

This morning I put a tray of "Yams " in the oven so I would be able to enjoy them all week I like taking the left over potatoes in the refrigerator, peeling, slicing them in thick rounds and frying in bacon grease then serving them with breakfast in the mornings.

Diane's Apple Crumb Crostata

Jim Gossen — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:21:00 -0800

Peeled and sliced apples

Crostata from the oven

Apple Crumb Crostata

Diane used 5 pounds of apples for this rustic tart, half were Jazz and the other half Granny Smith wrapped in a flaky crust. An added feature was a buttery crumb topping of pecans, oats, and brown sugar.

Whenever Diane makes this Crostata she serves it warm with Hank's ice cream on top.

HOT TAMALES

Jim Gossen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:38:00 -0800

Boston Butt Pulled Pork Meat

Diane checking the seasoning in tamale sauce

Maria and Diane spreading masa on corn shucks

Diane and Maria rolling tamales

80 Dozen Hot Tamales

Maria Valenciana has been working at Louisiana Foods for 32 years and has been responsible for our kitchen for just as long. I think of her as the mother of the company and the person that has been responsible for our consistancy for all of those years . Together Maria and I have worked on all of our recipes and when I have one that I can't quiet get right, I know Maria will always have the answer and know what to do.

Maria loves making tamales and makes the best that I have ever eaten. She makes what she calls rancho tamales, the kind made in the country.

Diane has been wanting to learn to make tamales for some time and took the opportunity today to work with Maria and the girls in the kitchen to make tamales for our annual Christmas party. They started after lunch and worked all afternoon. I was in and out of the kitchen most of the afternoon taking pictures of each step in the process. Every time I went in to see how things were going the girls were laughing and joking.

The process of making tamales brings out the Christmas spirit and Holiday cheer, because in Mexico tamales are made mainly during Christmas and is usually a family affair. Most of the people in our company have worked together for many years and today our family got together and made traditional tamales for our annual party.

CHEF'S PHILIPPE SCHMIDT'S DINNER AT THE MASSOUD HOME

Jim Gossen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:55:00 -0800

Chef Philippe Schmidt

Jim, Elie and Philippe

Garden Salad with Seared Scallops

Sliced Duck over Duck Confit

"Isle Flotant" (Floating Island)

Elie and Laura Massoud had a wonderful dinner party last night. Philippe Schmidt out did himself and turned the Massoud kitchen into a one man restaurant.

Philippe started things out with a salad of seared diver scallops and a mixture of fresh garden vegetables picked up at the East Side farmer's market on Saturday.

He followed that up with a duck that was prepared as follows. Philippe toasted slices of a farm loaf bread and added a mound of fresh spinach, duck confit and sliced duck breast with crispy skin. Then to the top of that he added a poached egg and spooned hollandaise sauce over it all. He served this with fingerling potatoes.

The next course was a dessert that his mother made for him when he was growing up in France, the classic "Isle Flotant", which is poached meringue floating in a rich custard sauce.

The highlight of course was Philippe's meal, but the side show between Elie and Philippe fussing, fighting and insulting each other was the makings of a sitcom.

Thanks Philippe for the wonderful meal last night, I can't wait for act two!

Meals at Camp "Eat Out"

Jim Gossen — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:06:00 -0800

Jim & Layman Savoie in the Kitchen at Camp "Eat Out"

Camp Eat Out

One of the great rewards for me working in Grand Isle has been my friendship with Layman Savoie. I met Layman over 40 years ago and have spent may hours in the kitchen with him.
Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with him in our kitchen and talk about the 40 something years that we have been together. I have enjoyed so many meals that Layman prepared while we were working on the water, loading trucks or buying fish, shrimp and oysters in Grand Isle. He is one of the best "camp cooks" that I have had the chance to meet while working in south Louisiana.

Layman maintained and cooked at Camp "Eat Out" since it was built more than 30 years ago. Before that he looked after us and cooked at a house trailer we used for an office and living quarters. His camp management abilities and cooking skills are legendary in that area and his reputation is well know. He has cooked for so may people over the years that still ask me if Layman is still making his pies, biscuits, ham and grits. Layman's breakfasts and pies are what people always remember and looked forward to in the morning when waking up at the Eat Out.

In 2008 and in his 80's Layman still can be found around Camp "Eat Out" every day. He makes sure that everything there is perfect and our stay is as comfortable as being at home.

Layman worked for Texaco for 40 years before retiring. He ran Texaco's camp where the offshore oil workers lived and ate when they were working in the Grand Isle area. He told me " in those days everything was made from scratch and people knew what good food was and expected every meal to be great." He took care of Camp "Eat Out" while working for Texaco on his days off and when he retired we asked him to come with us full time. He has been with us since and I could not imagine being there without him.

From Whole Fish to Sales Pitch

noreply@blogger.com (Whole Fish) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:37:00 -0800

Being consumed by a life in the Food & Beverage industry has proven to be many things, in many places. As a professional cook I have bought and sold fish on 3 different continents in 5 different countries, searching for as many varieties available and learning the cooking techniques and methods that will bring the best out of each fish on the plate. I suppose that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now if it wasn’t for a childhood saturated with fishing and hunting, good cooks and grandmothers (and a father who insisted I learn a marketable trade). I spent my childhood, and now my adulthood, scouring the Gulf Coast in search of any manner of fish to make my drag scream and straighten out my line. Still, after all these years, I am continually humbled by the vast amount of things that I don’t know about and what’s really out there.

I am sure you can understand the pure elation I experience when I stumble on a fish from the Gulf that I have never seen, nor was even aware existed. That’s when it starts for me: I begin to sweat and my mind starts reeling. What can I do to this unfamiliar and underutilized prize to spark interest (besides standing on the street corner and shouting like a carnie, “Live! On Showcase!”).

I recognize what it must feel like on the other side of the table, that the unknown can be a nerve-racking thing to a diner, and rightfully so. I know I am asking that person to blindly trust and ingest a foreign substance (and to make it even worse) in a highly social setting. It’s a complex, intimate relationship between strangers. You have to somehow establish a base of trust either through their previous experience, familiarity with the product or simply reputation. And you must do it quickly and in 10 words or less. Jumbled with many other choices that could be more accessible, familiar and comforting, the unknown can so easily be dismissed. It’s a hell of a thing.

So here we have it, from Whole Fish to sales pitch.

Longtail Sea Bass

Longtail Sea Bass, Smoky Oil, Jalapeno-Ponzu, Pickled Watermelon Salad

Longtail Sea Bass - Hemanthias leptus - This fish was totally unknown to me three months ago. I have yet to find any information on-line (other than one picture) or in a book. I believe it is a true sea bass because of its long pelvic fins, larger expanded hinged jaw and the full flowing soft dorsal and anal fins that are extremely similar to that of the Black Sea Bass from the North East Coast. This fish averages 1 ½ -3 pounds, lives in extreme deep water and has a stark white, opaque flesh. It is extremely tender and should not be wasted with hot food applications. Raw is the only way to go.

Pink Sea Bream

Thai Style Whole Pink Sea Bream

Pink Sea Bream or Red Porgy – Pagrus pagrus- A member of the Porgy family (some well-known international family members from the Mediterranean Sea are the Orata or Golden Dorade). Locally, you can find other Pink Sea Bream relatives like Sheepshead, Jolthead and Knobbed Porgy – all of which are just as tasty. This fish usually runs in the 2-6 pound range and has a sweet flaky flesh. When in the 2-3 pound range, they are perfect for a whole fish application.

Texas Queen Snapper

Crispy Skin Queen Snapper, Sweet & Sour Swiss Chard, Tomato Brown Butter

Texas Queen Snapper or Onaga – Etelis oculatus- You’ll know this fish as Onaga; it is used prevalently in many sushi houses. It is mostly sourced from the Pacific Islands, especially around Hawaii. I believe the Texas Queen Snapper to be the all-around best tasting snapper I’ve ever had. Looking at the oversized eyes, you can guess that this fish comes from super-deep waters. It has a white, translucent flesh that is flaky and sweet. Great with or without heat; skin crisps up wonderfully.

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