Salt, the Verb

Megan and I have found a new favorite cooking show: Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrell. For those of you who are Iron Chef America fans, she was Mario Batali's sous chef with the crazy blonde hair.

Despite the online hate that Anne receives about her show, "Secrets" is a great show for those of you who are bored by the basic techniques provided by most home-cooking programs. As a former instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, she clearly has experience teaching chefs, which of course Megan and I are. Plus, she's entertaining, because she simply loves cooking, and it shows.

Watch her show, and watch her salt something...anything...especially her pasta water! You will be amazed by the quantity that goes into her cooking.

Actually, better yet, watch this impromptu lesson by Gregan:

-Greg

-Salting heavily, the Anne Burrell way

Impromptu Strawberry Scones

At Gregan's Bistro, the Friday night special is...scones. After dinner and a movie (The Hurt Locker), we came home and weren't tired, so Megan baked. I'd say we baked, but I only "dictated" and watched Megan do her magic. Friday night baking is what all the cool kids are doing!

Seriously though, Megan and I have fun in the kitchen and enjoy looking through cookbooks, talking about food, and shopping for ingredients. I think that we're lucky to gain so much enjoyment from something you do every day: eat.

I highly suggest that you try something new in your own kitchen (instead of watching more Iron Chef America). Maybe you're not ready for baking impromptu scones on a Friday night, but how about roasting chicken Sunday evening?

This has been a public service announcement brought to you by Gregan's Bistro.

-Greg

Strawberry Scones

by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/strawberry-scones-recipe/index.html

*We would suggest adding more sugar (doubling or tripling the amount) in the recipe and using larger sugar crystals to sprinkle on top. The scones were great, but not sweet at all. We understand that scones are not as sweet as other pastries, but these still needed more sugar. These scones tasted more like biscuits and less like the scones you would purchase at your local bakery.

-Prepping the scone batter

"Our whole health kick right now is going out the window."

-Finishing the scone batter with strawberries

"Beautiful girl, beautiful dough..."

-Cutting up the scones

"I have a boyfriend with no foot. He can't have a girlfriend with no hands."

-Applying the egg wash

"Everybody loves crystalized yumminess."

-Cream cheese scones take one

"My hair is just not as pretty..."

-Cream cheese scones take two

"This is real cooking, none of that Food Network bull$hit."

-Scones coming out of the oven. Golden brown and delicious...GBD. Mmmm.

-A look inside the cream cheese scones. Marvel at their deliciousness.

Epic Valentine's Day Dinner

Valentine's Day with Gregan became an affair to remember. Why?

• Over five hours spent in the kitchen
• Four complicated, gourmet recipes that would make most home cooks cringe
• Homemade pasta dough mixed by hand, using the well-technique
• Rolling out said dough with brand new Kitchenaid pasta roller attachment...multiple times
• A bottle of wine for Megan, and a large saison and several Hefepoizens for Greg
• Fleeces and sweatshirts worn at all times
• Cream in every recipe
• Oyster mushrooms, crab, shrimp shells, three varieties of fresh herbs
• Straining sauces
• Reducing more sauces
• Recording the proceedings for posterity
• Flambe...seriously....fire on purpose
• and eating everything, of course!

Do not attempt these recipes unless you are willing to put away huge amounts of calories, and laugh and love the process. Megan and I were and did.

The menu:

1. Pan-fried mushrooms in thyme butter
2. Crispy roasted asparagus
3. Seafood ravioli with shrimp cream
4. Bananas Foster

This post is by far and away the largest collection of video clips posted so far on Is Deliciousness a Word?, but if you can make it through them all, you'll understand why this Valentine's day was the best ever.

It's great to love food, and it's great to love cooking. It's even better to love cooking the food you love, with the one you love. I couldn't ask for more.

Greg

-Ingredients (actually missing quite a few):

-Kneading pasta dough two ways:

-Pan fried mushrooms in a thyme butter sauce:

*Watch me do the weakest stirring ever. C'mon...stir it like you mean it!

-Crispy roasted asparagus

*We did not mean for the asparagus to get crispy. We just forgot about it, and it turned out perfect. A beautiful mistaken discovery, like penicillin.

-Shrimp and crab ravioli stuffing

*Megan enjoys pushing food around in the pan. Watch her go.

-Unsuccessful pasta rolling by Greg:

*Tried to remain positive for a while, until I could take it no longer. "Shit."

-Successful pasta rolling by Megan:

*So, we thought it should be rolled to setting 4, because we wanted thicker pasta. Nope. Too thick. Setting five. This is what happens on first attempts.

-Preparing raviolis:

*Totally proud of ourselves here. We really are "cooking nerds."

-Shrimp cream sauce:

*Turns out the recipe does call for us to strain the sauce. That's what happens to the shells. Apparently they don't disappear. Megan was curious about how that magic was going to happen.

-Seafood ravioli with shrimp cream sauce (not the best photo):

*After four hours, we didn't even take the time to properly coat the ravioli. Look at how big they are, too! Dayamn!

-Bananas foster:

*Yes, you're suspicions are correct. Megan has had a bottle of wine to herself by now.

What a night! :)

Recipes:

Pan-fried mushrooms with thyme butter:

*From Take Six Ingredients, by Conrad Gallagher

Cut 3 cups wild mushrooms into thin slices. Heat 2 tblsp. olive oil in a skillet; when hot, add the mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and completely tender. Add one pad of butter and 1 tblsp. fresh thyme leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the butter starts to melt, stir in 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tblsp. minced chives. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally. Divide the mushroom mixture among warmed wide-rimmed bowls and scatter 1/3 cup parmesan shavings on top. Serve immediately with some crusty bread.

Note: the cook times seemed to be far too short, and both were doubled, with the time spent to reduce the sauce closer to 10 minutes. As the French say, "Cook it till it's done!"

Seafood ravioli:

http://www.discoversandiego.com/features/cheflarry/plain_recipe/appetizers/seafoodravioli.htm

Shrimp cream sauce:

http://www.discoversandiego.com/features/cheflarry/plain_recipe/appetizers/shrimpcream.htm

Bananas Foster:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bananas-Foster-I/Detail.aspx

Swedish Meatballs

On Friday night of Valentine's Day weekend, Megan and I prepared to attend a Winter Olympics opening ceremony party. Each attendee was tasked to bring a food representing a different country, so we chose to bring Swedish meatballs. Mmmm. Who doesn't like a meatball? Seriously...

The preparation was fantastic, and they tasted terrific! However, we learned that Swedish meatballs do not travel well. The sauce thickened up tremendously during the drive, and the meatballs got a little cold. Also, when we arrived, we found out that the host didn't have a microwave. Really? Isn't this the 21st century?

Still, the flavors were out of sight, and as a testament to their glory, they were the first food finished that evening. I highly suggest this to anybody looking for a good time on their way to a heart attack. Here is the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Swedish-Meatballs-II/Detail.aspx. Enjoy.

Greg

-Swedish Meatballs

Seafood Rirrotto

Like my father, I love risotto, so I was ecstatic when I learned that Megan loves cooking risotto. She has patience with stirring that I envy. This shrimp and scallop risotto was divine; she even made the scallops delicious (I'm not usually a huge fan). Just as impressive, Megan fried fresh sage to crumble on top, which is not something your average home cook would do. That's just how she rolls. She's way above average! She's an outlier.

The recipe used was an amalgam of many, but this one is very similar: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/sweet-pea-and-scallop-risotto-recipe/index.html. If you can stir for forty minutes, make it. Pure deliciousness. Plus the leftovers lasted almost all week.

Greg

-Shrimp and Scallop Risotto with Fried Sage:

-Final product:

Homemade Hash Browns

"If at first you don't succeed, try try again...then give up. No sense in being a damn fool about it." W.C. Fields

I was inspired leftover potatoes to make some fresh hash browns. This is probably the first and only time that potatoes will ever inspire me. After 2 unsuccessful attempts, I realized that I was putting too little oil in the pan, and the heat was too low.

I realize that besides wings, different versions of "Benedicts" rule the deliciousness blog, but unlike the wings, these entries will keep on coming. Enjoy.

Greg

-Homemade hash browns benedict.

*Note: for some reason this video is being stubborn and will not turn sideways. So, turn your head when you watch to see it as it was intended. :P

Buffalo Wings Redux

Originally, this was intended to be a pure video-blog, but the incompleteness of the clips has led to additional writing portions that are longer than the videos themselves. Therefore, using the last set of chicken wings from the Costco purchase described multiple times before, I set out to show how I make buffalo chicken wings from start to finish.

However, since I film these things myself, I could not film myself cutting the chicken wings into drummettes and wingettes. You can find how to prep the chicken itself in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnahgARLdsU

I'm out of wings, so there will be no more wings blog entries for a while. If you're not inspired to make your own buffalo wings, there's little else that I can do for you. Seek help. Try good ole Alton Brown: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HX6q61JWR4&feature=related. I will admit, that his wing preparation is much more involved than my own (he actually steams his wings before baking them), but as always, his advice makes good sense.

Greg

-Buffalo chicken wings, in action:

-Removing the wings from the oven:

-The proper technique for Buffalo-ing your wings:

-The result of all that not-so-hard work:

-Gone in seconds:

Thai Style Chicken Wings

More wings! Mmmm....I'm starting to notice that I have a lot of wing posts...and meals.

Greg

-Thai-style Chicken Wings

My New Hand Mixer

For those of you who don't know, I used to be the Brownie King of Glendale. How I became the King is an epic story of glory that I won't bother you with. Just take my word for it...I used to be the King...used to be...

After years away from the throne, I am formally announcing a coup to regain sovereignty over the brownie kingdom.

With a new hand mixer and brownie cookbook in hand, I've begun my re-ascension to the crown. My Aunt Maggie bought me a great hand mixer for Christmas, so I'll be trying it out today with a new brownie recipe for marbled chocolate cheesecake brownies. Mmmmm...

Nobody said regaining the crown would be easy. Admittedly, these marbled chocolate cheesecake brownies came out a little dry. IMO, the most critical part of cooking brownies is removing them from the oven at the proper time. I believe that there is an optimal cooking time for making the brownies soft, chewy and delicious...I did not take these brownies out at that time. Also, I used glass pans, which held the heat too long as well (IMO). You live and learn, so heed my warnings in the recipe below.

Eventually, I, the king, will return triumphantly. The only real question is, what type of brownie will I try to conquer next?

Greg

The mixer is used for the first time:

Special surprise feature!

-Marbled chocolate cheesecake brownies

-Recipe/Instructions:

This is the exact recipe I used, courtesy of the Blissful Brownies cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Blissful-Brownies/dp/1405491272) given to me for Christmas by my Aunt Maggie. *Note: I'm a teacher, and the republication of this recipe is intended for educational purposes only. :P

"Brownies: 6 oz butter, 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup flour

Topping: 1 cup ricotta cheese, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 egg

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 11 x 7 cake pan.

Melt the butter in a medium pan, remove from the heat, and stir in the unsweetened cocoa and sugar. Beat in the eggs, then add the flour, and stir to mix evenly. Pour into the prepared pan.

For the cheesecake mix, beat together the ricotta, sugar, and egg, then drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture over the chocolate mixture. use a metal spatula to swirl the two mixtures lightly together.

Bake for 40-45 minutes [Greg says 35-40] until just firm to the touch. Cool in the pan, then cut into squares or bars."

The amount of "cheesecake" topping made in the recipe is too much to allow "marbling." I suggest making half the amount described in the recipe. Do not use all of the topping, but use about six-8 tsp sized dollops. Otherwise, it will be more of a solid topping than a marbled one. It also makes it difficult to perform the toothpick test for moistness, so trust in your timer and intuition. Enjoy!

Egg Nog Curry

Yes. Egg nog curry. Where should I begin?

...

I like Iron Chef America. I prefer the original Japanese version, but I DVR and watch Iron Chef America regularly when I'm bored (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahzTkGnmQuc). However, watching the Food Network only makes me hungry...and bored, which apparently is better than being bored alone.

If you watch the Food Network, then you understand that during the holidays, they see the need to remind viewers that it's the Christmas season....with every second of their programming. We get it. Their obsession with cramming red, white and green into every cranny inevitably led to an Egg Nog Battle on Iron Chef America.

I wasn't afraid. I didn't change the channel, and I was rewarded with inspiration for...egg nog curry.

Let us relive this culinary experience together:

Egg nog rice was also made by the Iron Chefs, so I'm not crazy people. There was no visible steam throughout the cooking proccess, which was obviously unusual for the rice. It turned out to have very little egg nog flavor on its own. A higher ratio of egg nog in the cooking pot would have improved that. I suggest a ratio of 1 cup rice/1 cup egg nog/.5 cup water.

I overestimated the number of shrimp (10-15 probably), and didn't end up using coconut milk at all. I began by heating a touch of oil in a saucepan and sauteeing the garlic and the red curry paste for 30 seconds or so. Then, I added the equivalent of a can's worth of egg nog to the pan, in place of the traditional coconut milk. The rest of the ingredients follow the Panang curry recipe from earlier. Again, this is not really that creative or crazy, I'm just trading egg nog for coconut milk, which are rather similar.

I'm not that crazy...

I'm hopefully not that crazy...

In the end, I wasn't that crazy. The curry definitely had an egg nog flavor to it, and the egg nog was an effective seasonal substitute for coconut milk. However, it was a sweeter curry than I had intended.

Although I anticipated the egg nog's sweetness and added less brown sugar than normally, I should have added more fish sauce, curry paste and/or lime to provide balance. I also chose shrimp, green peppers and sweet onions to meld with the egg nog's flavor, but this curry's yin needed a yang. The curry was tasty the night I made it, perhaps due to my hunger or it's novelty, but the leftovers were merely palatable. Overnight, the sweet sauce's flavors had concentrated more and penetrated deep inside the shrimp. That said, I still at it all.

Do not give up on the egg nog curry! I will not. I think that when I prepare this dish again next year, it will be better (definitely going to be an annual tradition). And, yes. I'm thinking what you're thinking: once a year is as often as egg nog curry should be made, if ever.

French Benedict

Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite breakfasts, hands down, but who has the time during the week (or weekend) to cook it? "Not I," said the tall pig.

This is a "French" version of the Benedict (for reasons explained in the video) and is super easy to make and enjoy. It's become a go-to breakfast for me. Try it, you'll like it.

Greg

-French Benedict: Poached eggs atop toasted French bread, sopressata and Havarti cheese

Recipe/Instructions:

-French Benedict-

I'm not blogging to teach you how to cook, sorry, and for those of you who do know how to cook, I won't waste your time with needless instructions. So, toast some bread, poach some eggs and assemble the toast, sopressata (or other sliced meat) and Havarti (or other variety of) cheese as shown in the video. Then, eat and enjoy. *Note: I have also spread Dijon mustard on the toast before adding the meat, cheese and eggs. The mustard really kicks it up a notch, but you should use discretion with the amount of mustard you apply.

Christmas Eve Eve Dinner

I have to admit that Megan and I are quite the culinary team. On Christmas Eve Eve, we combined our skills to make a fantastic meal. I prepared the appetizer, main, and dessert, and Megan provided the sides (veggies are her forte and meat is mine). We paced out the meal perfectly, played Tile Rummy while waiting for our Camembert to bake, and thoroughly enjoyed the entire meal and evening.

The pork chops are fantastic for those of you who are not pork fans, like me. This recipe originally came from the Family Circle cookbook, and has now been included in my Nancy's Special Recipes cookbook (available in extremely limited editions). I first prepared this back in high school for my family, and it won them over, so obviously, it's pretty quick and easy.

Big shout out to Rob for suggesting Chimay Grande Reserve (blue label). Wowsers! This is now one of my top 5 favorites, because it's...well...delicious....AND you can actually find this Belgium Trappist Ale at your local megalomart. Try it if you love beer like me....or if you don't, because it will make you change your mind. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/215/2512

Greg

-Baked Camembert topped with sun-dried tomato bruschetta

-Pork chops with glazed apples and onions, roasted zucchini, and cheesy baked mashed potatoes

Recipe/Instructions:

-Baked Camembert topped with sun-dried tomato bruschetta-

First off, purchase a high-quality Camembert cheese. We bought ours from a French importer, but I'm sure Whole Foods or Trader Joe's has some acceptable ones as well. I note this, because my mom told me that poor quality Camembert tastes terrible. Pre-heat your oven to 375, and take the Camembert out of the plastic wrap, but place back in the box it comes in. Then, top with 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, 2-3 garlic cloves (sliced), and some fresh thyme sprigs. The easier way is to top it with pre-made sun-dried tomato bruschetta. Bake for 10-12 minutes and enjoy with bread or crackers.

-Pork chops with glazed apples and onions-

Prepare by coring and slicing two Granny Smith apples crosswise, and slicing one sweet onion into rings of the same thickness (1/4"). Then, cook the pork chops in a sautee pan over medium heat with a few tblsp of vegetable oil. I placed the onions in the pan, too, so that they would begin to soften up and capture some of the pork juices. When you have flipped and cooked the pork to desired doneness (8-10 min.), remove the chops and place on a warm plate. Put the apple slices into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until they just begin to brown. Then add one can of frozen apple juice concentrate and bring to a boil. Stir in 2 tsp. of Dijon mustard (I used imported French mustard from Epicurius Imports, because that's how I roll), 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Cook to combine and remove from heat. Top the pork chops with the apples and onions and serve. Bon appetite.

-Potatoes and zucchini-

Recipe/instructions are unavailable. Bug Megan if you want to learn how to make them.

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

When your Greg-sized, you eat big meals. This breakfast is certainly not for everyone; it's definitely not Megan food, and probably rivals McDonald's breakfasts for calories. It's French toast stuffed with peanut butter and jelly...complete with a side of bacon.

In this video, you'll notice the return of the Challah bread. Yes, the Challah was also a Costco purchase, and it was delicious all week! Multipurpose bread - sausage rolls, French toast, and...regular toast. Apparently, I'd be a good Jewish boy, because Megan said that I'd make a Jewish mother proud by eating a whole loaf of Challah bread in less than a week.

Greg

-Challah bread French toast, stuffed with peanut butter and blackberry preserves

Recipe/Instructions:

French Toast with peanut butter and jelly:

French toast: Mix milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. I don't know the amounts. I eyeball them, because I'm such a badass chef. If I had to estimate, I would suggest the following proportions: 1 cup milk / 1 egg / 2 tbls sugar /1 tsp vanilla. I could be way off, so try it a couple times and figure out what you like (e.g. I don't like "eggy" French toast). Once you have your liquid mixture ready and whipped together, dunk the bread slices in. Make sure to flip it and let the liquid soak in for only a second or two. Any more and the bread would be too soggy for stove-top cooking). Grill your dipped bread on a buttered griddle over medium-high heat, until GBD.

The first PB and J French toast sandwich I prepared by lathering peanut butter and jelly on the bread, sandwiching the two slices and then dunking the whole thing into the liquid. However, the sandwich structure did not let the egg in the center have direct contact with the stove, and didn't cook through. So, for the second sandwich, I cooked each slice on one side, flipped them, then put the peanut butter and jelly on and sandwiched the slices. This worked much better.

I suggest taking it easy with the PB and J; a little goes a long way with these strong flavors, but the melty peanut butter and sweet jam go terrific with the French toast. This breakfast sandwich is no Monte Cristo, but easily made and thoroughly enjoyable.

Chicken Wings with a Side of Silliness

If you've been to one of my parties, you've probably eaten my chicken wings. I think I make damn good chicken wings, and other people think so, too.

After hearing many stories of my great pub cuisine, Megan begged me to make my famous wings. I agreed to made some together. Two styles: Buffalo and Thai.

Mmmmm. Wings.

Giddyup.

Greg

BTW, chicken wings were the second meat I chose at Costco, so expect more chicken wing posts in the future.


-Chicken Wings Two Ways: Thai style and mild Buffalo style, with blue cheese dressing

Recipes/instructions:

Chicken Wings - Throw them into a 400 degree oven on a baking sheet for around 45 minutes. The skin will be crispy and GBD. Simple. Practice makes perfect.

Buffalo Wing Sauce - Easiest sauce in the world. Take the chicken wings straight out of the oven and into a mixing bowl. Put 2 tabs of butter for every 20 wings or so, and a few tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce. Texas Pete and Louisiana Hot Sauce are my 99 cent favorites; I hate Tobasco, but to each their own. Simply toss the wings with the butter and the hot sauce and let their heat melt the butter and mix the two together. Your wings will be perfectly coated and not drenched. You may easily add to or ease off the spice factor, too. I add cayenne pepper and sometimes paprika.

Thai Style Glaze- If you like chicken wings, but don't like the heat of Buffalo wings, try this glaze, which might be my new favorite wing sauce. Don't be afraid of the jalepenos, they are sweeter than they are spicy, and even Megan thought that these wings were not too spicy at all. They still are balanced, but nothing like a Buffalo wing. I basically read a few recipes from Allrecipes.com and created my own version. Here's a good recipe to begin with, but play around with it and make it your own:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/thai-style-chicken-wings/detail.aspx

Costco Italian Sausage

When you share an apartment with two other people and grocery shop at Costco, you must make a commitment to your food choices. You cannot buy anything and everything, because you must share the limited storage space in the fridge and freezer. Therefore, I tend to choose to replenish my stocks with one or two meats on a given visit. On this occasion, one of the meats I chose was Italian sausage, and that's why both the first videos and this video are of meals based around...Italian sausage. Megan earns full credit for this delicious dish! It was her creation alone; I only chopped the onions and consumed the finished product. She made sure to add lots of veggies.

Thanks again, Megan. :)

Enjoy everybody!

Greg


-Italian Sausage and Bell Peppers, Zuccini, and Onions with Linguini in a Pink Vodka Sauce

Instructions:

Boil water and cook linguini or other type of pasta. Figure it out, or go to Youtube and learn. Cut sausage into slices and brown in a sautee pan. Dice onions, bell peppers, zuccini and cook them in the sautee pan, too. Warm a store bought jar of Vodka (Pink) Sauce on the stove. Mix all these ingredients together and enjoy...this is a "weekday meal."

Inspirational Curry Italian Sausage

These first three videos provided the inspiration for this entire blog. I was at home, sick, and I made an unusual Italian sausage for lunch. I wanted to share the "curry dog," so I took some iPhone pictures. Then, I realized that my new 3GS could take video, too! I switched to video, and here we are today, on the internet.

This lunch was delicious, but not nutritious. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I hope you do, too.

Greg


-Italian sausage on toasted Challah roll with grilled onions and panang curry sauce





-Italian sausage on toasted Challah roll with grilled onions and mayonnaise.

Welcome to "Is Deliciousness a Word?

Welcome to my food blog, "Is Deliciousness a Word?"  

I'll sum up quickly, so we can get to the content:

• I'm 6'7" tall, so I need to eat food in large quantities.
• I like to cook and eat, so this works out well.
• I think I'm funny at times, yet at others I can be straight out silly or weird.
• I've never written or read a blog before.
• I love my iPhone 3GS, and I imagine your groaning...haters.
• I've been inspired to share my food with the world.

Read, watch, and enjoy "Is Deliciousness a Word?"....or stop reading and watching.

Greg