Category — Dinner

Vera Wang’s name is synonymous with wedding dresses–both Chelsea Clinton and Alicia Keys wore Wang’s dresses at their weddings this past month! But, did you know that Vera by Vera Wang makes items for the reception, too? These Vera Wang “With Love” Champagne Flutes by Wedgwood can be used to toast to happiness and then taken home and used for any subsequent special occasion that calls for some bubbly!

Vera Wang “With Love” Champagne Flutes

Imagine the Presidential wedding if Chelsea Clinton used these  Vera Wang Wedgwood dishes! The icy blue is such a beautiful color.

Vera Wang Wedgwood “Vera Lace Bouquet Iris”

And if Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats had these dishes? it would be so fitting to their Grecian themed wedding as well as a nod to Vera Wang’s Asian ethnicity!

Vera Wang China Grosgrain Chopstick Stand

Summer is the most popular times to have weddings, and weddings mean registries, and registries mean Jardins du Monde! Jardins du Monde is the name of Juliska’s Ceramics which include Dinnerware, Bath , and décor. This collection is so appropriate for me because the namesake of the Jardins du Monde is a park in France, one of my favorite countries!

Neiman Marcus carries the Juliska Four Jardins du Monde Salad Plates for $168.00

And The Juliska Jardins du Monde Medium Platter for $160

Bloomingdale’s has  Four Juliska Jardins du Monde Canape Plates for $78.00

Love!

Image by justinhenry via Flickr

Here’s a recipe for a super easy stir fry :

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, diced
3/4 pound of chicken breasts, cut into thin slices or squares*

*Please note: If you prefer a different meat or vegetable in this dish, it’s easy to substitute and still get a great outcome.

In a wok , heat the sesame oil until very hot.  Cut or dice vegetables with a sharp knife such as a santoku . Add sliced onions, peppers and carrots.  Sautee for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic and ginger.  Sautee another minute and then add the cut up chicken breast.  Cook through (5-7 minutes or until all pink is gone) and then add soy sauce and black bean sauce, toss with spatula or slotted spoon to cover all ingredients with the sauce.

I like to serve this over rice but it can also be served over rice noodles.  I have these great bowls I bought in Chinatown at Pearl River that I think look really great to present Asian dishes on.

I am a perfectionist and need to have an accurate oven thermometer for my meat and my oven gloves , the DuPont Nomex 3 Finger Gloves , to be able to re-create the perfect braised ribs my mom used to make.

DuPont Nomex 3 Finger Heat Resistant Gloves

OXO Oven Thermometer

Here is a Wolfgang Puck Braised Short Rib recipe via Cooking on the Side

Braised Short Ribs

From the back of the Wolfgang Puck All Natural Beef-Flavored Stock carton

INGREDIENTS:

6 serving-sized pieces beef short ribs (about 4 pounds)

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled

1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine

4 cups beef stock

Season the beef with the peppercorns. Coat the beef with the flour. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an oven-safe 8-quart saucepot over medium- high heat. Add the beef and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s well browned on both sides. Remove the beef from the saucepot. Pour off any fat.

Heat the remaining oil in the saucepot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly browned, stirring often. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and stock and heat to a boil. Return the beef to the saucepot. Cover the saucepot. Bake at 350°F for 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock mixture.

Transfer the beef to a serving platter. Heat the stock mixture in the saucepot over medium heat to a boil. Cook until the mixture is reduced to 1 quart. Remove and discard the parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Serve the beef and gravy over hot noodles or mashed potatoes.

Thomas Keller recently opened his Beverly Hills restaurant Bouchon , but to get his food at home is a dream come true. This is the award-winning Keller’s Favorite Simple Roast Chicken Recipe, which I added one simple step of injecting Keller’s roast chicken with a marinade injector.

Thomas Keller’s Favorite Simple Roast Chicken with Marinade Injector

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it’s a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it’s cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan (like this 3-qt. Mauviel Saute Pan with Lid ) or roasting pan (like this Le Creuset Roasting Pan ) and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don’t baste it, I don’t add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don’t want. Roast it until it’s done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I’m cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook’s rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You’ll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it’s so good.

Image and Recipe via Lawyer Loves Lunch

I’ve added a recipe for a simple Green Bean and Potato Salad that I think would go great with Thomas Keller’s Chicken Roast!

image and recipe via Weekof Menus

Green Bean Potato Salad
Serves 6-8

8 oz green beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 lbs small red or white skinned potatoes (I did the small round dutch yellow that you can get at Trader Joe’s)

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Cook green beans in well-salted, boiling water.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Drain, rinse with cold water and pat dry.

Place cut potatoes in well salted water.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 8-10 minutes until potatoes are just tender.  (Poke a fork to see as cooking time will ultimately vary based on size of potato.)  Drain and set aside.

Quickly mix together white vinegar, olive oil, shallot, parsley and mustard to make a dressing.  Pour over the still warm potatoes and toss well to coat. [Side note: with a salad with this many ingredients, these 8 piece glass prep bowls let me get cooking and eating quickly!]  Cool completely.  Once potatoes are cooled, add green beans.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve room temperature or cold.

This past weekend, I went on a road trip to San Francisco with my girlfriends. It was more a culinary adventure than anything else and every meal we ate was insanely good. One of the standout dishes was the Tea Leaf Salad from Burma Superstar located at 309 Clement Street, San Francisco.

I’ve never had anything like it. Blogger Tea & Cookies describes it perfectly:

“The tea leaves are fermented, apparently hand-carried back from Burma, and have a deep vegetal flavor unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. It is mixed at the table with romaine lettuce, peanuts, fried garlic and split yellow peas, sesame and sunflower seeds, tomato, and dried shrimp… It is crunchy and crispy and the flavor is out of this world, a musky, fragrant taste I’ve found nowhere else.”

There are no exact recipes, but Kitchen Caravan has one that apparently comes close:

• 4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (about 2/3 head)
• 2 T unsalted roasted peanuts
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 6 medium shrimp, shell on
• 2 garlic cloves + 2 T oil for frying
• 3 T sesame oil
• 2 T green tea leaves
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 1 juicy lime
• 2 T cilantro, finely chopped
• ½ tomato, seeded and diced (optional)

Shell and de-vein the shrimp.

Fill a medium sized saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer. Poach the shrimp until just cooked through, which only takes a matter of minutes.

Remove them from their poaching liquid as soon as they are done cooking, cool, and refrigerate.

Clean the shrimp shells under running water. Dry them well.

Heat up the sesame oil in a small pan, (like this Swiss Diamond 8″ frying pan) and add in the shrimp shells along with the tea leaves. Let them infuse in the oil on moderate heat for 5-10 minutes, then turn off the heat and continue to let them infuse while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Slice the poached shrimps in half lengthwise.

Heat up the 2 tablespoons (I like the Anolon 4-piece measuring spoon set ) of oil in a skillet, and fry the garlic until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spatula and set it on some paper towel to soak up some of the oil.

Combine the cabbage, peanuts, sesame seeds, shrimp, and tomato (if you are using) together in a bowl.

Drain the infusing oil of the shrimp shells and tea leaves, pressing hard on the solids, in order to extract all of the flavored oil.

Make the dressing by whisking together the infused oil, fish sauce, lime juice, some salt to taste, and the cilantro.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.

Top the salad with the fried garlic.

This is one of my favorite chicken casserole recipes.  It’s one I’ve adapted to suit my family’s tastes over the past couple of years, and it just seems to be getting better.  If you’re a garlic lover, feel free to add a couple more teaspoons.

Garlic Chicken Mozzarella Bake

• 2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, do not drain
• 4 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, more or less to taste
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 dried bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni, drain in a colander, and place back in pot.  In a large skillet, cook onion and garlic in 2 tbsp. of olive oil until softened, and beginning to brown. Add chicken to skillet, and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add onion, garlic, and chicken mixture to macaroni and stir.  Then stir in mozzarella, undrained tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking pan, or casserole dish.

Topping:  With a fork, blend together 2 tbsp. olive oil, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and a pinch of salt.  Sprinkle over casserole.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until bubbly on the edges, and golden brown on top.

Covered casserole dishes are always convenient for this recipe.  When the meal is over, just pop the lid over the leftovers, and place in the fridge.  The casserole dishes above are available at World Market.