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Top Chef finale is Tonight…

And we’ve got the podcast to prove it!

Easily the most balanced group Top Chef has had in the finals. Usually, there’s a dark horse, but any of the three could take home the gold.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Rockin’ Good Pork Chops

The book includes simple recipes, using easy-to-find ingredients. Throughout the book, Dawn shares the budget-conscious wisdom she’s developed as a small restaurant owner. From planning meals using a menu calendar to how to purchase and store food with efficiency. It’s a valuable book to have that shares background on one of the state’s eating treasures.

If you haven’t been to The Rock, it’s only about a half hour away. In honor of one The Rock’s specialities, I tried out Dawn’s recipe for pork chops and spaetzle for the family. The result was a big hit with the kiddos. My ultra-picky daughter, Kate, actually asked if we could have “those noodle things” again because “I loved that!” If only you knew how much heartache this 10-year-old has imposed on me with her brutal and direct assessment of my culinary skills, “Yuck!”… “I’m not really hungry anymore”…”What are we having for dinner tomorrow?”

I did make a little pan gravy, using the juices from the chops. I made a simple light roux, 3 tablespoons hot oil plus 1 tablespoon of flour. I added about a half cup of water then all the juices. Thickened up within 5 minutes.

Here’s the playlist I listened to while I made it:

1. Magic Carpet Ride, Steppenwolf
2. Atomic, Blondie
3. Tainted Love (Where did our love go mix), Soft Cell
4. Carrie Ann, The Hollies
5. Reelin’ in the Years, Steely Dan
6. Eaten by the Monster of Love, Sparks
7. The Break, Soul Asylum
8. Erase it Again, Sparta
9. Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
10. The Joker, Steve Miller Band
11. The Boxer, Simon and Garfunkel
12. It’s Tricky, Run DMC
13. September Gurls, Big Star

 Here’s an excerpt from the book followed by the recipe…

Chops au Poivre and Herbed Spaetzle

In Germany, spaetzle is as popular as French fries, eaten with just about anything. When started cooking spaetzle at the Cafe, people went so crazy for it that I had to start making extra batches to freeze because diners were stopping in and buying the uncooked spaetzle right off me so they could cook it up themselves at home for dinner! If only they knew how easy they are to make, based on simple pantry ingredients and some fresh herbs. They really class up a simple dish of pork chops, though!

Ingredients

CHOPS

• 4 bone-in pork chops (6 ounces each, 1/2 thick)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons canola oil

 SPAETZLE

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat or whole milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
• teaspoon salt
• All-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped tender herbs (such as basil, chives, or tarragon)

Directions 

1. To prevent the pork chops from curling as they cook, make 2 or 3 small, vertical cuts into the fat and silver skin surrounding the meat on each chop.
2. Season the chops with the salt.
3. Place the pepper on a plate and shake the plate a little to evenly disperse it in a single layer Dip one side of each chop in the pepper, then place the chop on a plate.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
5. Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
6. Whisk the eggs, milk, lemon juice (if using), and salt together in a small bowl and pour into the well.
7. Combine using a wooden spoon to create a dough.
8. Generously flour a sheet pan. Break off pieces of dough (about 116-cup knobs), roll into a ¼-thick rope, flatten slightly, and cut into ¼-long pieces.
9. Repeat with the remaining dough.
10. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
11. Boil the spaetzle until cooked all the way through, 10 to 15 minutes, and then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water.
12. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and place the spaetzle on it to drain for a few minutes before cooking or freezing (if freezing the spaetzle, leave it on the sheet pan and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer to a few quart-size resealable freezer bags for up to 3 months).
13. While the spaetzle boils, start the chops. Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
14. Add the oil and then the pork chops, pepper-side down.
15. Cover and cook the chops until the pepper is browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
16. Reduce the heat to medium, turn the chops over, and continue cooking until the chops are cooked through, an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
17. Transfer to a platter to rest.
18. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skil’et over medium-high heat.
19. Add enough spaetzle to fill the pan in a single layer (you will need to brown them in batches) and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.
20. Repeat with another tablespoon of butter and the remaining spaetzle.
21. Transfer the spaetzle to a serving bowl and toss with the remaining butter and herbs and add a pinch of salt if needed.
22. Serve with the chops.

Source: ”DOLLARS TO DONUTS: Comfort Food and Kitchen Wisdom from Route 66’s Landmark Rock Cafe” by Dawn Welch (Rodale Press, November 24, 2009, $19.99/paperback).

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Julie of “Julie and Julia” fame in Tulsa tonight

Julie Powell, author of “Julie & Julia,” will be in Tulsa tonight to raise food for Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
Powell, an Austin, Texas,-native who wrote the famous Julie/Julia Project blog that became the impetus for the book and film, will sign and discuss her new book, “Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession.”
That book, which went on sale Dec. 1,
details the aftermath of her blogging fame and subsequent problems that befell her marriage.
Powell will be present at 7 p.m. at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma Culinary Center, 1304 N. Kenosha Ave.
The event is sponsored by Book Smart Tulsa and is free to the public with donation of two non-perishable food items.

In 2002, Powell embarked on an ambitious yearlong cooking and blogging expedition through all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” She detailed the experience first in blog form in what she called “The Julie/Julia Experiment.” That blog turned into the 2005 New York Times bestselling memoir, “Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously.” Nora Ephron directed the film adaptation, “Julie and Julia,” which starred Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, that was released in August. The DVD  is due in stores Tuesday.

Powell has made appearances on national television shows from ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CBS’ “The Early Show” to “The Martha Stewart Show” and the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.” Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Times, the Washington Post and more. She is a two-time James Beard Award winner, has been awarded an honorary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and was the first winner of the Overall Lulu Blooker Prize for Books.

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Open House at the Metro

The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro, 6418 N Western, is having Holiday Open House from 1 to 7 p.m. today. The public is invited to stop by for tasty treats and prize drawings plus gift certificates are 10-percent off today, 20 percent if you on purchases exceeding $1,000.

Owner Chris Lower is one of the city’s most decorated restarauteurs. He opened The Coach House back in the early 1980s and, along with chef Kurt Fleischfresser, was behind the openings of the original Iguana Lounge, Earl’s Rib Palace, Deep Fork Grill, and Portobello to name a few. He’s behind two new and flourishing concepts, Big Truck Tacos and Cool Greens.

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Two great tastes that taste great together

 

Sherrel Jones’ story on Snider Farms peanut butter and “The Field Guided to Candy” byAnita Chu inspired me to do something I’ve talked about for years: Try my hand at making peanut butter cups.
My lust for Reese’s Peanut Butter cups is storied. I shudder to think how much of my excess baggage is filled with Reese’s.
I figured if I was unable to kick the habit, I might as well save some dough and learn to make them myself.
Thanks to the rich, dense peanut butter from Hollis and chef Chu’s expert directions, I can now make a pretty fair rendition of this classic candy from the mind of Hershey’s employee H.B. Reese in 1928.

The peanut butter cups are one of a myriad of treats from Chu’s book of confections. It’s a sized like a field guide and would work as a stocking stuffer, but is probably more valuable to ring in the holiday season leading up to Santa’s big day.
As for the cups, here’s a couple tips. I used two kinds of chocolate: Ghiradelli milk chocolate for baking and Hershey’s milk chocolate chips. The Ghirardelli had a higher milk content and mirrored the flavor of Reese’s to perfection. The Hershey’s was good but less reminiscent of the original. The reason I used two different kinds is that I ran out of chocolate. This is most likely because of my inexperience, but I recommend buying extra of the Ghirardelli. Also, baking milk chocolate wasn’t super easy to find, but Cresent Market carried it. I suspect some of the gourmet shops have it, too.

In the video, we also tried out the Waring Professional blender, a gift-contender for those shopping for small appliances. To try it, we made a peanut-butter chocolate shake. The shake recipe was adapted from Bobby Flay’s “Burgers, Fries, and Shakes” — an excellent stocking stuffer for your family’s kitchen lead. Shakes are tricky for blenders in that they can be difficult to manage if the ice cream is to cold. The Waring is a wonder in simplicity. Two speeds, heavy-duty housing and a thick glass jar that holds up to 48 ounces. There’s no guess work here and clean up is super easy. Outside of this shake demonstration, I also made a couple smoothies that had perfect consistency. This is a keeper.
Without further ado, here’s the Peanut Butter recipe from “A Field Guide to Candy” by Anita Chu. I’ve made slight adjustments for use with Snider Farms peanut butter. Keep in mind you will need a candy thermometer to temper the chocolate.*

Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

• 1 pound milk chocolate for baking
• 1 cup Snider Farms peanut butter
• 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Melt and temper the milk chocolate.
2. Use a small spoon or pastry brush to coat the cup molds with tempered chocolate
3. Refrigerate about 30 minutes to let the chocolate set
4. Combine the peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar and salt in a bowl. Spoon the mixture the cups. If you’re using a standard cream peanut butter, put the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
5. If using Snider’s peanut butter, take pinches of peanut butter and gently mash them onto the set chocolate in the cups, filling to near the top of the cup molds. If using standard peanut butter, pipe the peanut butter mixture into the cups.
6. Cover the peanut butter mixture with the remaining chocolate. Use a spatula to smooth the tops.
7. Refrigerate peanut-butter cups until set, about 1 hour, before removing them from molds.

Makes about 48 cups. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. But don’t worry, they won’t last that long.

*How to temper chocolate, according to Anita Chu

1. Finely chop chocolate (I used a food processor and it worked great)
2. Place two-thirds of the chocoate in a double-boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Place a candy thermometer or digital thermometer in the chocolate and stir frequently with a rubber spatula
3. Do not let temperature of the chocolate exceed 105 degrees for milk chocolate. When it has fully melted, remove the bowl from heat. Wipe the bottom of the bowl to get rid of an condensation.
4. Stir in the remaining third of the chocolate a little at a time. Let it melt before adding more.
5. Let the chocolate cool to about 85 degrees. If it is warmer, keep stirring and let it cool some more. If it is cooler, begin reheating in the next step.
6. Once the chocolate reaches 87 degrees, place it back over simmering water. Remove bowl from heat once you’ve reached the right temperature.
7. Spread a small spoonful of chocolate on a piece of wax paper. If it looks dull or streaky, re-temper, starting with Step 2. If it dries quickly with a glossy finish and no streaks, the chocolate is in temper.

Source: Anita Chu, “The Field Guide to Candy”

Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake

Ingredients

• Six scoops chocolate or vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup (optional if using chocolate ice cream)
• 1 tablespoon Snider Farms peanut butter
• 2 peanut butter cups
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Add softened ice cream, syrup and milk to blender, pulse 10 seconds
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, up to 30 seconds.

You may need to stop and stir any chunks toward the blades.

Source: Adapted from “Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries and Shakes”

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Try a basket

 

Some of the metro’s gourmet shops were kind enough to put their goodies up to the Try This challenge. I along with a team of hungry folks sampled goods from Gourmet Gallery, Jamie’s Culinary, and The Beef Jerky Emporium.
Gift baskets are the bread and butter of Janet McDonald and Cindy Utecht at Gourmet Gallery. Christmas is year-round at the shops in Edmond and Northpark Mall. They keep records on the baskets they make so if you have a repeat giftee, there’s a good chance they’ll know just what to fill it with and fill it well. Gourmet Gallery has a great selection of gourmet foods that are ready-to-eat or a little added water away from meal time. Their pasta selection is unrivaled. They also have a huge selection of Made in Oklahoma products to send to your friends in faraway lands like Idaho. They also have a wide selection of high-end cheeses, dips and pretty much anything else you can hang on a cracker.
Jamie’s Culinary, in Casady Square, makes a lot of the treats you’ll find behind their doors. Jill Nevard and others conduct cooking classes, do catering, and have an impressive selection of dishware. Gents, this is the place to find your ladies not only a fresh-baked cookie or 12 but a lovely ceramic jar to store them in. Cooking classes are always a good gift, too.
The Beef Jerky Emporium’s excellence has been well documented by this Dude of Food. Mark Garvey, patio-builder extraordinaire, is committed to quality and will wrestle anybody who questions it. He’ll even start in the prone position. Mark doesn’t accept any products that he doesn’t consider the best. Perhaps that’s why he won consecutive national prizes for his house jerky, which is only one of more than 200 varieties. But don’t be fooled, there’s much more to jerky at Garvey’s two locations. Pickles, rubs, hot sauces, steaks, tamales, Cajun foods from Hebert’s Meats, and tons more. He claims his store is the ultimate spot to shop for the man in your life. But he’s fooling himself if he doesn’t think chicks dig jerky. Just watch the video if you need confirmation.

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