Published by TheFoodMonkey on 05 May 2012

A Mechanical Steam Punk Cocktail Shaking Apparatus

Behold the Post Imperial Shaker: A mechanical steam punk cocktail shaking apparatus!

From the video description:

This cocktail shaking machine is based on a turn-of-the-century machine called an “Imperial Shaker,” and was built as part of The Touring Pop-up Sideshow Saloon event organized by the Peerless Prodigies of P.T. Barnum. Technically, this machine uses a flywheel driven by a hand-crank, which pushes a ‘crank-slider,’ or pivoting piston. At the end of the crank-slider is a carriage where two cocktail shakers live. The elliptical motion produced by the crank-slider lends itself to mixing cocktails, where a simple up/down motion would not stir the ingredients as much.

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Published by TheFoodMonkey on 15 Mar 2012

Everything We Ate in New Orleans

The Seafood Pot Crawfish Boil

To a lover of good food, there is nothing more sublime than a few delicious days in New Orleans. Please enjoy a slide show of the bounty that awaited us.

Maximize the slide show to get info on each of the dishes.



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Published by TheFoodMonkey on 02 Mar 2012

Taste of the South End — March 6th

boston food blog taste of the south end 2012

The AIDS Action Committee announces that the 17th annual Taste of the South End will take place Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Attendees will enjoy small plate culinary creations from at least 40 of the South End’s most vibrant restaurants. The popular event will also feature live cooking demonstrations, a silent auction and raffle, extensive wine tasting and beer sampling.

Taste of the South End takes place from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama at 539 Tremont Street in Boston.
Tickets are $95; VIP admission is $150. Proceeds benefit AIDS Action.

Here is an interactive map of all the participating restaurants:

View Taste of the South End 2011 in a larger map

Hope to see you there!

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Published by TheFoodMonkey on 29 Feb 2012

Winning Recipe from Regional S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition

boston food blog the food monkey almost Famous Chef competition S. Pellegrino

I recently served as a media judge for the New England regional round of the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition along with Chef Chris Damian of Legendary Restaurant Group, Chef Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, Chef Chris Coombs of Deuxave and DBar, Chef Raymond Ost of Sandrine’s Bistro, Jennifer Che of Tiny Urban Kitchen, Jackie Bruno of NECN, and Susan Holaday of Foodservice East.

In the competition, five culinary students from Bunker Hill Community College, The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University – Providence, Southern New Hampshire University, Newbury College, and Southern Maine Community College, had two hours to prepare and present the judges with their signature dishes.

The ultimate winner of this competition was Geoffrey Lanez from Johnson & Wales University who presented us with a masterfully crafted Pan Fried Halibut with Pistachio Crust, Fennel Beurre Blanc. While not required, Lanez showed immense aplomb by slipping each of the judges a personalized portfolio comprised of his biography and signature dish recipe. I have no doubt he will represent New England well when he proceeds to the national finals.

To fully appreciate the degree of difficulty/sophistication of the dishes prepared by these student competitors, here is the (fully metric) recipe for Geoffrey’s winning dish. I encourage you to imagine having to prepare this under time pressure and under the harsh scrutiny of many a seasoned culinary eye.

Pan Fried Halibut with Pistachio Crust, Fennel Beurre Blanc

Geoffrey Lanez
Johnson & Wales University, Providence RI

 

Halibut with Pistachio Crust

Ingredients

  • 8 fillets, 5 ounces each Halibut fillet
  • 60 grams Butter
  • 10 grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 whole lemon Lemon zest
  • 224 grams Whole butter
  • 325 grams Sicilian Pistachio
  • To taste Salt
  • 56 grams Clarified butter
  • 30 grams Braising Reduction
  • 300 grams Whole butter
  • 50 grams Fennel Fronds

Directions

  1. Heat a medium size sauté pan with oil.
  2. Begin searing the halibut skin side up.
  3. When the fish develops a golden crust, take it out of the pan and cool it down.
  4. Melt butter in a sauce pot.
  5. Put pistachios in a robot coupe and pulse once.
  6. Add melted butter and clarified butter in a bowl with the pistachios.
  7. Put over a sheet pan with plastic wrap, cover with plastic wrap, and use a rolling pin to flatten it.
  8. Cool down crust.
  9. Cut out perfect squares and place on top of fish.
  10. When ready to fire, place into a 350 degree oven until the fish is fully cooked.
  11. Take the braising liquid from the fennel and reduce until sec.
  12. Mound butter into the reduction and hold in a thermos.
  13. Incorporate fennel fronds a la minute.

 

Fingerling Potatoes with Chorizo

Ingredients

  • 9 each Fingerling Potato
  • 10 grams Garlic
  • 150 grams Chorizo
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • To taste Salt
  • To taste Pepper on a sheet tray.
  • 500 grams Water
  • 2 each Bay leaves
  • 5 each Peppercorns
  • 2 each Thyme

Directions

  1. Cut fingerling potatoes vertically in half.
  2. In a medium size sauce pot, simmer potatoes in water, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns until tender.
  3. Take the potatoes out of the water and cool down
  4. In a medium size sauté pan, heat oil.
  5. Render chorizo.
  6. Remove chorizo and sauté garlic then fingerling potatoes.
  7. Add the chorizo back in the sauté pan.
  8. Hold hot for plate up.

 

Pan fried crab cake

Ingredients

  • 150 grams Crab meat
  • 2 each Shallots
  • 30 grams Butter
  • 5 grams Dijon mustard
  • 30 grams Pernod
  • 30 grams Brandy
  • 5 grams Sambal
  • 40 grams Heavy cream
  • 1 gram Parsley
  • 10 grams Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 gram Old bay into a log.
  • 60 grams Panko
  • 60 grams Flour
  • 60 grams Egg yolk
  • 100 grams Oil

Directions

  1. Begin by heating a medium size sauté pan with oil.
  2. Sweat shallots until tender.
  3. Add Dijon mustard and sambal.
  4. Deglaze with brandy and pernod.
  5. Add crab meat and sauté.
  6. Add parsley, heavy cream and reduce until sec.
  7. Take crab meat mixture and cool.
  8. Pipe crab cake mixture into plastic wrap and roll
  9. Freeze if possible, if not available refrigerate.
  10. Slice ¼ slices out of the log and bread.
  11. Pan fry until golden brown.

 

Braised Fennel, Carrot puree, Sautéed broccoli rabe

Ingredients

  • 60 grams White wine
  • 3 each Tarragon
  • 4 each Thyme
  • 188 grams Fennel stems
  • 127 grams Onions
  • 120 grams Leeks
  • 5 grams Star anise
  • 400 grams Fish bones
  • 1 liter Water
  • 6 each Bay leaves
  • 10 each Peppercorns
  • 10 grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 each Fennel bulb
  • 500 grams Fumet
  • To taste Salt
  • 20 grams Pernod
  • 2 each Tarragon stems
  • 2 each Thyme
  • 1 teaspoon Peppercorn
  • 4 each Fennel stems
  • 5 each Bay leaves
  • 10 grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 454 grams Carrot
  • 40 grams Butter
  • 350 grams Carrot juice
  • 20 grams Sugar
  • 40 grams Broccoli rabe
  • 1 each Shallots
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • To taste Salt

Directions

  1. Sauté fennel stems, onions, and leeks until translucent.
  2.  Add fish bones, and deglaze with white wine.
  3. Reduce until half and add cold water.
  4. Add star anise, tarragon, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
  5. Bring it up to a boil and reduce down to a simmer.
  6. Simmer for 30 minutes and then strain.
  7. Cut fennel horizontally into ½ inch slices and stick tooth picks into the sides. This will prevent the fennel slices from separating during the braising process.
  8. Heat a medium size sauté pan with oil.
  9. Sear fennel slices and stems, deglaze with pernod, and cover ¾ with fumet.
  10. Add thyme, tarragon stems, peppercorns and cover with a chartuese and foil.
  11. Place in a 350 degree oven and cook until tender.
  12. Remove fennel slices and hot hold.
  13. Strain out peppercorns, tarragon stems, thyme, and bay leaves.
  14. Take extra fennel stems and puree with braising liquid.
  15. Strain through a chinois and hold for beurre blanc.
  16. Macedoine the carrots.
  17. Take diced carrots water, sugar, and butter and put into a sauce pot.
  18. Cover the vegetables with chartuese and cook carrots until tender.
  19. When the carrots are tender, blend them in a robot coupe and then pass through a tamis. Adjust with water if needed.
  20. Season and hold for service.
  21. In a sauce pot, boil water with salt.
  22. Blanch broccoli rabe and shock.
  23. Heat a medium size sauté pan with oil.
  24. Sauté brunnoise shallots, garlic, and broccoli rabe.
  25. Season and hot hold.

 

Plating Instructions

  1. Drag a spoonful of carrot puree on the plate.
  2. Place braised fennel on the plate.
  3. Put a teaspoon of the fennel beurre blanc over the braise fennel.
  4. Place pan fried halibut above fennel.
  5. Spoon a tablespoon of the fennel beurre blanc on the side of the fish.
  6. Place broccoli rabe, fingerling potatoes and chorizos.
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Published by TheFoodMonkey on 14 Feb 2012

South End Cordials Crawl — Feb 27th


The South End Cordials Crawl will be Monday, February 27th, and will visit Coppa, Myers+Chang, and Estragon. Tickets are $30 each, and you get a cocktail and a snack at each location.

Here’s the schedule:

  • 5pm at Coppa (253 Shawmut Ave.)
  • 6pm at Myers+Chang (1145 Washington St.)
  • 7pm at Estragon (700 Harrison Ave.)

E-mail heather@myersandchang.com to reserve your spot!

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