Star Route Farms Green Garlic Risotto with Shaved Parmesan and olive oil.

The servers made that good mmmmmmmm sound when they tasted it!!

Well not really but it took like 1 minute for this fish to be gone!!

Fish Special for Saturday March 22nd was as follows:

Pan seared Alaskan Halibut topped with a preserved lemon drizzle, Cauliflower Gratin and wild arugula.

I have to say this was a Home Run for Acme Chophouse!

Gumbo Base 

Shawn Millard’s Cajun seasoning

5 Tablespoons sweet paprika
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Onion powder
1 Tablespoon Oregano
3 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon White pepper

Gumbo Ingredients
4 Onions chopped
1 whole bunch Celery chopped
4 green peppers chopped
6 cloves garlic
3 pints full steam amber beer
1 cup tomato paste
6 quarts regular chicken stock
4 cups dark brown roux
5 tablespoons tabasco
2 tablespoons worcestersshire
gumbo file

Method
Sweat onions and celery in butter until almost translucent. Add bell pepper and cook for 5 more minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add cajun seasoning. Add beer and reduce by half. Add tomato paste. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add dark brown roux. Whisk while incorporating roux to prevent lumps. Add tabasco and worcestershire. Add gumbo file to reach desired thickness. Add salt to taste.

From this point you can add anything you want. Chicken, sausage (andouille), shrimp, crab, okra, whatever. Anyhow this recipe is huge and makes approximately 2 gallons of soup!! So until I have time to scale it down, just keep in mind this is enough for 15-25 people to have huge bowls.

Pomme Duchesse is a classic french way of preparing potatoes.   If you are looking for a simple, yet fancy, preparation of potatoes, this is perfect.  In addition to being a healthy potato side dish recipe for an Easter ham, this is also a great potato preparation for entertaining — both as a passed h’orderves and on a buffet line. 

necessary utensils

potato ricer

pastry bag with 1/2 inch star tip*

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes  (peeled cut in fourths)

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Method

place potatoes in cold salted water in pan large enough to cover.   cook over high heat until fork tender. drain and allow to cool slightly and dry.  In a separate container whisk together remaining ingredients.  rice potatoes into empty bowl.  fold in eggs until well incorporated.   fill pastry bag with potato mixture.  pipe mixture on a sheetpan making little mounds resembling soft serve ice cream cones.  bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until slightly browned on the outside.

*note I used a non star tip, however star tip will yield a more fancy look.  You’ll have an easy, simple, and fancy potato side dish!

I know that I am not the top chef of this duo — but, occasionally people pass recipes on to me that turn out to be HEAVENLY!!!  Since not all of us have the skill and creativity juices that my own Top Chef has, I will share this simply delicious recipe from Michelle. 

2 cups chicken
1lb. monterrey jack cheese, grated
12 flour tortillas
tequila
lime

Sauce:
1/4 c. butter
2tbs flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 c. sour cream
2 jalapenos, diced (fresh for best flavor, canned if you’re desparate or scared of the heat)

Toss chicken, lime, and a good dash of tequila into a ziplock bag.  Add in a few shakes of southwest seasoning (K Paul’s seasoning is best and Emeril’s isn’t bad).  Marinate for at least 30 minutes, but for best flavor, keep longer.  Remove chicken from bag and for best flavor, grill ‘em up.  If you don’t have a grill handy, bake in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.  Dice or shred the chicken and set aside.

Create the sauce by melting the butter and add the flour and chicken broth in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.  Add the sour cream and cook until hot. DON’T BOIL.  Add the jalepenos.

Fill the tortillas with chicken, cheese and 3TBS of sour cream.  Roll and put in a shallow pan.  Pour the rest of the sauce over the whole pan of enchiladas. 

Bake covered for 20 min at 350 degrees.  Add some cheese on top for the last 5 min.

 PERFECT for a cozy dinner on a snowy Vermont evening …

So on Sunday we decided to find out what happens when two chefs get together and have some of the best ingredients to choose from.  So here’s what we came up with.

Starter

•  Warm puree of Asparagus soup

main course

•  Pan Seared Salt Crusted Ribeye steaks topped with carmelized onions bacon and leeks
• Whole Roasted Fish with Thyme Butter and Meyer Lemon
• slow braised greens
• roasted Mariquita farms organic Rainbow Carrots with Sage, Thyme, and butter
• Yukon gold potato hash with Niman Ranch Smoked Applewood bacon and organic green onions

We opted out of desert because after eating all of this we couldn’t see why we would even want dessert.   Everything was fantastic and I have to yield most of the credit to the supporting chef and sole provider of all of these wonderful ingredients Armando “Tiny” Maes.

Since my Top Chef is taking a blogging hiatus, I will take the reigns here and post about our new obsession — Bordeaux!  (sidenote:  Shawn is thinking of recipes as requested and promised he’ll get them posted soon). 

We picked up Wine Spectator in the NOLA Airport and the issue is dedicated to 2005 Bordeaux.  Since I am new to the wine world, and actually prefer domestic wines, I have no idea what makes a good Red Bordeaux.  What I do know is this — I am attempting to mature in my wine tastes, particularily to begin developing a wine collection.  So, Shawn and I are looking right now for two things:  1)  a case of reasonably priced Bordeaux that we can use or give as dinner party gifts, etc and 2) one or two special occassion bottles that we’ll save for some years and then they will be super amazing.  With that task in mind, I ventured out to the best wine store that I know of in the DC/VA area — The Wine Cabinet in Reston, Va at the Reston Town Center.  Not only do they have a great selection on all wines, but they have a VERY knowledgable staff and that means they’ve ordered a lot of good wines at appropriate prices. 

As pretty much everyone knows, Bordeaux wines come from the Bordeaux region of France.  The grapes that grow here are mainly merlot, but there are also a significant number of Cab-Sauv and Cab-Franc grapes grown in the region as well.  A Red Bordeaux involves a mix of grapes – Cab grapes give the wines the tannins and aging qualities (as tannins ‘mellow’ over time), and the merlot grapes are attributede to making a soft and supple wine.  The grapes and amounts chosen for the blends is highly dependent on terroir — the real distinguishing factor between Bordeaux wines.  

Terroir loosely translates to “a sense of place.”  In the winemaking world, what this means is that the place where the grapes are grown embodies certain qualities, and the sum of the local environmental factor imparts on the grapes a uniqueness.  Thus, the slope on which the vines are planted, the composition of soil in which they grow, and the amount, type, and frequency of water will all impact the development of those particular grapes.  This is why the same grapes taste completely different depending on where they are grown (see Shiraz entry).

In Bordeaux, there are really four main growing families: 

• Red Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur.   These are the basic wines, which are usually mass produced.  These wines are fruity, with only a small influence of oak — making these wines perfect to drink young. 
• Red Côtes de Bordeaux.  These wines are in between the basic and the famous — they are good wines usually dominated by Merlot.  
• Red Libourne, or “Right Bank” wines.  There are some famous wines here, the Saint Emilion and Pomerol — very fruity, soft tannins, and age really well.  These are going to be at the higher price points.  
• Red Graves and Médoc or “Left Bank” wines.  This is the premier Bordeaux region containing the five First Growths.  The wines are very tannic, which is why they are known for aging (think 30 years and more).  This is where you’ll find the SUPER expensive bottles. 

So, if you have any good Bordeaux recommendations from the 2005 vintage – send ‘em our way!!  We’ll by trying a few bottles the weekend of 3/28-3/31 — so expect some wine note updates! 

I am a very big fan of Bravo’s realitytv — not the least of which is TOP CHEF!!!  Apparently, I am not the only one in my fabulous circle of friends who loves the show.  Check out Kimberly & Jeff’s brush with fame here.  These two were chatting it up with Gail Simmons and Hung.  It’s pretty awesome! 

So, in the spirit of Top Chef, I am putting Shawn on the auction block here.  Looking for a perfect recipe for the occasion?  Well, if you’re planning a bit in advance, go ahead and put your request in the comments (include some clues as to what you’re looking for and what the occassion is — first date?  back yard bbq?). 

New Orleans, Louisana, home to some of my most favorite things:  gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish, drive-thru daquiri stands, hand grenade, and lucky dog hotdog stands.  While this post is going to expose our most delicious experiences in NOLA, I can’t go on without at least mentioning that there exists a clear difference in NOLA from “before katrina” to where it is today “after katrina.”  I don’t want to overlook that the city, in many ways, still has not recovered.  Demolished buildings, fema trailers, boarded up windows, and empty houses are just some of the signs that are still prevalent.  Shawn and I saw some pretty serious things, one of which was the existence of an entire tent city underneath a bridge a mile from the tourist-laden french quarter.  So, while our vacation to the big easy was filled with laughter and pleasure, our eyes were not closed to the reality that is now post-katrina new orleans. 

 Best Po’ Boy:  So you want the best po’ boy in New Orleans?  Well, then we want to send you to Parkway Tavern.  If you hop in a cab, be prepared to give directions:  Take Canal Street away from downtown, turn right on Jefferson Davis Highway, where the road splits, take Hagan and it is right on the corner of Toulousse and Hagan.  When you walk in the door, you walk into the bar area, which is where we sidled ourselves up to enjoy one of New Orleans delicious treats.  There are also some tables outside, as well as in a very casual dining room.  The menu is simple — some sides (fries, chili, gumbo), small po’ boys, and large po’ boys. 

  On our first trip in, we ordered fries, alligator sausage gumbo, a small friend shrimp po’boy (hold the mayo), and a large fried shrimp po’ boy.  Service was friendly and perfect, and when our food arrived, we affirmed that this was truly new orleans at its best.  The bread is likely baked there — it was soft on the inside, lightly crusty on the outside; the fries were hot and crispy; the gumbo was good; but the po’ boys stole the show.  PACKED full of small local gulf shrimp, lightly friend, we couldn’t put our sandwiches down.  The shrimp was obviously fresh, it was not overfried, and what came out of the sandwich was just a simple and pure deliciousness.  So good, in fact, that this was also our last stop out of town!  Second time around we had fries, chili, a small shrimp po’ boy (hold the mayo), and a meatball and provolone po’ boy.  Chili was decent, fries were delicious, and again, the sandwiches were perfect!  It’s off the beaten path, but for the foodies seeking out the delicious treats of New Orelans, we recommend it.  It was packed with locals, both on Saturday for lunch and Monday for lunch, and that should say something! 

Cafe du Monde:  All I can say is worth the hype.  I’d been here before for beignets, but it was at 4:30 in the morning after a night on Bourbon street — not necessarily the time to savor culinary creations.  This time though we popped over for beignets and free squeezed OJ (neither of us were in a coffee mood) at 10 am on a beautiful Saturday morning.  Our wonderful wedding hosts had planned a walking tour for us through the french quarter, and we began here.  We arrived at about 10:15, thinking this would be plenty of time to grab a quick order before the walking tour — WOA line!  We stood in line for about 30 minutes for our beignets, but they were absolutely delicious.  Hot, crunchy on the outside, airy — yet dense — on the inside, and OF COURSE, covered in powdered sugar!  They were absolutely delightful.  I know its a tourist destination, I know its hyped up, but it is most definitely worth all of it. 

 Cajun Delites:  From Gumbo to Red Beans and Rice, the classic dishes were available everywhere you looked.  Shawn and I accidentally slept through the dinner hour on Sunday, so when we woke up at 9pm, we walked out into the French Quarter to find a place that was open and serving some cajun classics.  The place we happened upon wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.  I had a really good traditional chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, and some very tasty red beans and rice.  However, my jambalaya tasted like Ragu.  Yes, I said Ragu, like the spaghetti sauce that comes in a jar.  It was horrendous.  However, the gumbo and red beans were soooo good.  Shawn on the other hand went for the other side of cajun cuisine — fried deliciousness!  Crawfish tails, shrimps, catfish, and the like.  It could have used some salt, but I believe he enjoyed it.  Now, while this impromtu cajun meal did satisfy the craving, the highlight of my cajun food experience was the friday night dinner put on by the the wedding hosts and catered by the Gumbo Shop.  When I walked into the room, I was so pleasantly surprised by the strong aroma of peppers, onions, and andoille sausage.  AHHH, I thought, it’s good to be back in the south!  EVERYTHING that the wedding hosts provided was phenomenal.  The bread pudding with rum sauce was TO DIE FOR, the gumbo was orgasmic, and I couldn’t put down the red beans and rice.  The Gumbo Shop delivered on its reputation — strong flavors perfectly melded together to create an overall delicious dish! 

Commander’s Palace:  We are glad we made it for brunch, but I don’t think we’ll be back.  The location was beautiful, with balloons and happy fabric on the chairs and a jazz band, and the food was full of cream, but it wasn’t the best food we had in New Orleans.  The brunch arrangement is an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  In all honesty, I would’ve been happy with the dessert!!  For dessert I ordered the bread pudding souffle — served tableside with a bourbon cream sauce, and Shawn ordered the fresh baked strawbery shortcake.  Both were VERY tasty, VERY satisfying, and indeed maybe even heavenly.  Our appetizers left a lot to be desired.  Shawn had a pork belly tart — which would have been a nice savory dish, except it was surrounded with this cough-syrupy sweet marmalade which was completely overpowering and absolutely ruined the dish.  I had a wild game gumbo, but the flavors were completely lacking.  I would’ve thought with a mixture of wild game sausages, the gumbo would have been full of flavor — not so.  And finally, we created a third appetizer that we were wanting to try — champagne poached crab meat with a duck fat hollandaise.  Now this was sinful, and the duck fat hollandaise was verryyyy tasty!!  Our entrees were good, but I don’t think they were anything to write home about.  I had a pecan crusted gulf fish topped with crab meat in a very heavenly corn/cream sauce.  The dish was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was good because it was covered in cream — not because there were great flavors.  Cream is delicious, but I wanted more!  More spice, more development.  However, all of that cream and butter did lead to a delicious experience overall.  But, for all of the great food and great flavors that you can find in New Orleans — do Commander’s palace if you’re wanting some heavy cream filled food, or if you want a great jazz brunch experience. 

The Most Simply Beautiful Wedding:  A quick shout out to our wonderful New Orleans hostess.  Her wedding was small and simple, but absolutely breathtaking.  Every detail was perfect, from the flowers to the location to the hand selected wine (along with a wine list explaining the various wines).  This, in addition to introducing us to the city via a wonderful walking tour and providing a lot of great suggestions on things to do and places to see.  We had a wonderful time and we were so honored to be there! 

Shrimp Scampi (Serves 2)

12 of the largest shrimp you can find

2 tablespoons chopped oregano

1/3 pound unsalted butter

1 cup white wine

3/4 of one tomato peeled seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon garlic finely minced

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

12 ounces cooked pasta (2-6 ounce portions) linguini, tagliatelle, or any other flat long pasta will work.

Assemble all ingredients by the stove with a large saute pan on medium high heat and a pot of boiling salted* water to heat pasta with.   Add 1/8 of a pound of butter to saute pan allow to foam for a second then add shrimp in batches of 6. Cook about half way and remove. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter, then add garlic and saute for 20-30 seconds (do not burn!). Add white wine to stop garlic from burning and allow to reduce by 2/3. Add tomato and oregano and juice of 1/2 lemon allow to reduce slightly more and turn heat to low and stir in remaining butter to make a rich sauce, return shrimp to pan leave in pan for 2 more minutes constantly stirring, only not allowing the sauce to get too hot (it will break and the butter will just look like little puddles rather than incorporated)  drop pasta in boiling water for 30 seconds allow to drain and toss with pasta. At this point you can adjust seasoning if you like adding more salt if necessary.  To make it even more fancy you can garnish this with the little tops on the fresh oregano. If you did it right it should totally be some of the best scampi  you’ve ever had!!

* salted water should taste like the ocean