Chef at Home

Archive for May, 2009

Not all 'gastro-pubs' are created equal.
Some are just pubs with a big kitchen.
Some are superfancy fried food joints.
And then
there's pubs like Anchor & Hope or
The Harwood Arms
who blow you away.

Compared with food-centric American cities, London is not known for 'destination eating.' Meaning, unless for a Michelin rated experience, Londoners will rarely travel clear across the city for a meal, a drink, a baguette or a sweet thing. One has one's 'local,' and that about does it. For the food obsessed, though, there are of course exceptions.

I went to The Harwood Arms once, by happenstance. Close friends of mine were married in Fulham, and booked the gastro-pub for their meal and reception afterwords. It was one of the most seamless restaurant 'large party' experiences I was ever part of. The house decorated a long farmhouse table in clementines and rose petals, and when our pre-arranged meal came out, many of us were rendered speechless as the food was gorgeously presented, well-executed and stunningly delicious.
But every time I attempted to go there again, from late winter to early spring, they were booked to capacity and unable to seat me.

Until last Bank Holiday Monday.
San Franciscan friends were visiting and I wanted to introduce them to a piece of London they might not otherwise be in the know about.

Our entire meal, complete with an ending of every single dessert (or pudding, as it is named in Britain) is documented in a set on flickr.
I beg of you to make a booking here. Especially if you know you're on your way to London.
I dare say you will not be disappointed.

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Sure, it sounds cliche and from days long ago. Still, have you looked at its role in cooking? What about its uses? Today we used a decadent garlic butter as a warm bath for reheatable softboiled eggs. The butter seasoned and glazed the exterior of the eggs, providing a welcome mat for the flavors within.

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Calamari Crackling
145 grams cleaned squid tentacles
80 grams cleaned squid bodies
5 grams squid ink
260 grams tapioca flour

1.5 liters Canola oil for frying
Salt

Puree the squid tentacles, bodies and ink in a food processor until it reaches a smooth paste. Add the tapioca flour and pulse the mixture to evenly combine the tapioca into the squid paste. Turn the machine on and puree the mixture to form a sticky dough. Divide the dough between two large vacuum bags and seal on high pressure. Use a rolling pin to spread the dough to inside edges of the bag so that a uniform thickness is achieved. The dough should be about two millimeters thick. Place both bags in a steamer large enough to hold them and gently steam the dough for twenty-five minutes. After twenty-five minutes, remove the bags and cut them open. Carefully pull the dough out of the bags and lay it on dehydrator trays.  Dehydrate the sheets for several hours until the dough is completely dry and brittle.  The dough will take on a shiny matte appearance and be easily broken into pieces.  When the dough is dry, remove it from the dehydrator and break the sheet into pieces roughly 4cm wide and 8cm long. This recipe makes more calamari crackers then are needed for the dish. The dried cracker base may be reserved in its dry form in a zip top bag for several weeks.

Heat a pot of canola oil to 177ºC.  Slide the crackers two at a time into the oil.  The cracker will sink to the bottom of the oil and then begin to puff and expand. Fry the crackling until it is completely puffed and there are no dark spots of unexpanded cracker dough.  Remove the puffed cracklings from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined tray.  Sprinkle with salt while still hot from the fryer.

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There’s something so soothing about buttered noodles. The slick texture giving way to tender pasta yielding against my tongue. The buttery sweetness balanced by slightly gritty, salty cheese. A sprinkling of fresh ground pepper to spice things up. Buttered noodles are often served as a side dish although for a solitary meal they can be pure indulgence. On my rare evenings alone I love a simple dish of pasta. If I’m feeling ambitious I’ll dice an onion and melt it with some anchovies, add a few handfuls of al dente capellini and some grated piave vecchio. It’s a meal fit for a queen and one that I’m prone to share with a glass of good red wine and my own company. Pictured here is something a bit more social. Potato chip noodles with sweet butter, grated parmigiano, tomato concasse, and king crab meat. This was accompanied by fresh ideas and good company.  Whether fancy or plain, buttered noodles facilitate meditation because they make people feel safe and well taken care of. They’re quick, easy, and still incredibly indulgent.

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Using dark roasted instant mashed potatoes we create the flavor of fried potato chips without the fat and the starch. Potato chip gnocchi are being worked on as are cavatelli. Potato chip vichysoisse is also planned as is a refinement on potato chip ice cream. Potato chip bread would also be quite tasty along with potato chip noodles. The rich flavor of the roasted flakes is something we have experienced in past preparations using them as a breading. Their new integration into our cooking refines the steps we have previously taken and reminds us the pleasure of revisiting ideas, ingredients and innovations.

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This is our corn and miso soup with calamari cous cous and crisp. Glad to feel the weather is warming up.

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Just because you think you know does not mean you know. We were invited to help prepare an array of tea sandwiches for a bridal shower. The menu was loosely based on the tea sandwiches prepared for Aki’s baby shower. We saw the list of sandwiches and kept some true to form and interpreted a few others. What is really interesting, humbling and exciting is that the sandwiches we thought would be the go to favorite, the simple ham and egg salad were snubbed. They were, in some peoples minds, boring. Neither sandwich lacked flavor and they both were quite tasty, they happily ended up as my breakfast, and still they were just commonplace. The sandwiches of note, the explosive flavor bites, were the vadouvan chicken salad on cinnamon raisin bread and the smoked turkey with mango chutney, whipped brie and shaved apple on rye. Who knew? I figured these two to be overlooked and perhaps even questioned. Once again I am schooled in what people want, what they enjoy and what really is tasty in particular surroundings.

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Thank you for the lovely fruit basket. My family and I arrived home very late last night to an empty refrigerator, with a jet-lagged, restive and hungry child agitating for food — only to find a festive and delicious assortment of fruit (from the very pricey Agata and Valentina no less).

My daughter quickly tore into the grapes, saving me from the humiliating business of doing an impromptu “Dancy Dance” from Yo Gabba Gabba (a strategy that has been known to work in situations of similar extremis). I thank you for your kindness to someone who has shown you no good reason for such a thing, your good humor — and for appreciating the New York Dolls.

I will honor the sentiments of your note and promise to see to it that no puppies are hurt, killed or otherwise inconvenienced during my remaining time on television. Given my frequent trips to countries where the line between “pets” and “food” can become somewhat …confusing, this is easier said than done — and might well lead to some socially awkward moments. But one good turn, I think, deserves another.

Best,

Anthony Bourdain

bourdain rachael ray anthony bourdain no reservations travel channel
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