Monthly Archives: October 2009
A Season for Stews
| October 27, 2009 | Posted by admin under Uncategorized |
Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
Last week I was talking about gelatos and it seemed very season appropriate because it was a 70 degree day in the middle of October. However this week the weather and my focus has changed to stews. It’s raining damp and there is a distinct chill in the air. As I am thinking about what I would like to eat today I just keep coming back to a dish I used to sell in the Aspen mountains -a venison and winter squash pot pie. This dish had the very essence of the season in it. It was loaded with diced venison meat, butternut, acorn and hubbard squashes, caramelized pearl onions, roasted mushrooms, apples, dry cherries and a grilled venison sausage link. The stew was seasoned with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg and the crust is loaded with sage. For me the beauty of this dish and why it is so perfect for the season is probably due to the fact that when I eat this it brings me back to me early days in Aspen. I was cooking at the Ute City Bank and was charged with putting a dish together for our winter menu that utilized all of the excess meat including our venison saddles. So the resulting stew was one of my first dishes to be put on a menu. It was at a time during the year that was by far the best time to be in Aspen as far as I am concerned. The first snow had fallen but the lifts were not open yet, the town was empty and you could go on an amazing bike ride in the late morning through all of the pristine gold leaves of the Aspen trees. Later in the day it would cool off enough so that the snow would start while you were in the hot tub relaxing your tired muscles. Whenever the temperature cools off I think back to what a magical time and place Aspen was.
Many years later and many miles from aspen I’m sitting here in DC and there does not to be that same fondness for venison, maybe it’s a mountain thing. Fortunately there are a ton of other great items to utilize those, warm the soul, with slow cooked one pot items. Since we buy all of our pork, veal, beef and lamb directly from the farms we wind up having great product for stews. We run the gamut from a traditional blanquette de veau to a not so traditional smoked veal shank stew. The beauty in these slow cooked wonders is that you can put anything in them that warms your heart. You can make them as simple as you like such as beef in burgundy sauce with mushrooms. Our upcoming menu at Zola Wine and Kitchen will feature a few different varieties of stews so when you’re walking down E street NW between 8th and 9th stop in and grab a bowl then reminisce about a simpler time of school closings and snow angles.
Gelato Vs. Ice Cream
| October 20, 2009 | Posted by admin under Uncategorized |
Gelato Deliciousness at Potenza
Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
I Know, why am I writing about frozen dessert when we are in the midst of the cooler weather of autumn? Well first it is quite warm today and second I spent my morning making, tasting and freezing gelato.
I think I am more of a gelato man. Gelato is very old world of course no short cuts so that means no fruit purees, no nut pastes, no color additives, etc. When making different flavors only fresh and natural ingredients are used. So for a classic pistachio gelato we toast the nuts then steep them in the milk overnight to infuse the flavor then the pistachios are strained out and the gelato is then frozen. The color of this gelato is light and tan, not green. As opposed to when I have made pistachio ice cream I have used nut pastes as well as some recipes even call for blanched spinach to give it a bright green color. Also there is very little egg yolk in the gelato which gives it a very different texture. When it comes to the flavor profile the main difference is that the gelato tends to have a more natural roasted nut flavor that is lighter on your tongue and a bit less sweet. As for the ice cream it has a sweeter nut flavor that tends to be less toasty and is a bit fatter on the palette.
And then there is the standard, vanilla. The vanilla gelato I just made has less vanilla beans in it as far as a ratio and contains no egg yolk. It is simply fifty percent milk and fifty percent heavy cream, a bit of sugar and the beans. My recipe for vanilla ice cream that I have been using for many years now is also fifty percent milk to fifty percent cream, a bit more sugar a few more vanilla beans and egg yolks. When these two go side by side the gelato is much lighter and has more aroma from the beans. On the other hand the ice cream is big, rich and creamy. It’s a tough one, to pick my preferred style as far as these two go. But I can tell you one thing I can certainly eat more of the gelato than I can of the ice cream.
Well that’s where I’m at right now I will let you know about the café au latte vs. the coffee ice cream another time so back to the freezer I go!
Lobster Mania
| October 13, 2009 | Posted by admin under Uncategorized |
Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
Maine Lobster has long been a very sought after luxury commodity, but now it seems that people are shying away from so called luxury items including lobster, foie gras, caviar, truffles, etc. This has caused, at least in the lobster market, a drop in price on some of the sizes of this delicacy. Does this mean that it is no longer a luxury ingredient? Will it now become food for the masses? Or does it simply mean a sell-off of current inventories and a price rise just in time for New Years Eve? I for one am not going to wait around to find out; I am going to take advantage of the current situation and cook more lobster than I ever have before!
I will begin my lobster mania this coming Friday evening at Zola Wine and Kitchen for our first secret supper. Secret suppers will be held every Friday night and the 5 course menu will feature a special ingredient themed into each delectable course with a secret recipe. Guests will receive the menu when they arrive for dinner. I have been excited about these dinners because we will get to have a ton of fun cooking and serving a limited amount of guests in an amazing setting. The menu you will also feature paired wines with each course. I don’t want to give away any of the surprises but I am seeing vanilla, pomegranate, chanterelle mushrooms, caviar, oso sweet onions, sweet potatoes, butter, don’t forget about some kind of cured or smoked pork product. I think the biggest challenge will be incorporating lobster into a dessert. Here’s a question: does one of the courses have to be dessert? Or if you are like me and you feel that it’s a necessity to round out a great meal with something sweet does the dessert have to contain lobster?
A Lobster dessert? I think the idea of having a lobster dessert in itself is worth the price of admission. But for those of you not so keen on having lobster with your sugar think about this. Many chefs use rosemary, tarragon and various other herbs in their sweet plates and these items are far more savory than lobster. When you break it down lobster meat is nice, sweet and has a slight bit of salt from the sea water. These components are necessities in pastry. I’m not sure if I just sold you on lobster for dessert but I think it deserves an attempt. Who knows… if the lobster dessert is a little too far out there then maybe we should just do five savory lobster courses and add a sampling of house made chocolates to satisfy the sweet tooth in us all. What do you think?
A Burger for Any Occasion
| October 7, 2009 | Posted by admin under Uncategorized |
Executive Chef, Bryan Moscatello
I have to tell you that a great hamburger is one of my favorite lower end foods. But these days a hamburger may not have a very low end price tag. You know there are many different types of burgers to choose from as well. I’m not talking different meats or from different restaurants either. I am speaking to the thin griddled burger that is so riddled with fat even when it is well done it still has more moisture than some medium rare burgers. The big fat grilled hamburger tends to be made from a specific blend of meats in order to achieve a specific fat to meat ratio as well as the flavor profile being manipulated by using beef meats mixed with some milder meats to come up with a unique rich flavor.
I have my favorites in all categories but for me when I really want a burger it is definitely that thick juicy medium rare burger that when you bite into it, if you can get your mouth around it, a stream of juices runs down your hand. It’s eating this type of burger that you find out many things about the establishment you are dining in. First and foremost, many an afternoon burger has been spoiled by the cook sending out an over cooked product. This hurts because either you send it back and have to wait for the second attempt but you wonder if they’re going to get it right this time. Or do you suck it up and eat it anyway? If you choose to eat it you know it will not satisfy that craving. I always will opt to wait for a remake so that I can get the satisfaction of that juicy burger. I am a simple man when it comes to my burgers all I really need is to have some melted cheese a toasted bun, some lettuce and tomato .
Then there is the late night craving or the Sunday morning hangover cure. For either of these instances I always run for that greasy griddled burger. They have to be thin patties, preferably two again on a toasted bun with mayonnaise and American cheese, a little iceberg lettuce, chiffonade doesn’t hurt but is not required. If I have had an extremely hard night that Sunday morning burger will also have bacon on it. This example of the burger is classic Americana and I love it.
And then there is the gourmet burger. This newer addition to the burger world comes in just about any incarnation. You can find them studded with braised shortribs and topped with epoisess cheese served as sliders, that’s how we do it at Zola wine and Kitchen. You can also find them loaded with foie gras, topped with avocado, fried and fried with a fried egg. In this genre you can find almost anything your heart desires. Which is nice because why would you not like to try a beef burger that has been studded with bleu cheese and topped with fresh pork belly and crispy bacon? I have. Let me tell you it was delicious but also not for the timid burger eater so you may want to save that one for a special occasion.
