Even people who don't like Brussel Sprouts will like these.
Super simple and everyone loves them, they just take a little bit of prep work.
Cut (don't bother washing yet) the bottom 1/3" off your brussel sprouts. From the bottom, peel the leaves off the center.
After you've peeled a few layers of leaves, you'll note that it is getting increasingly harder - move on to next brussel sprout. Set aside the half naked ones for use in another recipe, toss the leaves in a colander for washing.
Now there are two ways to continue - one is both easier and healthier for a home chef, and the other is how a Chef might do it a restaurant.
First, the healthy home option.
Mix 1 teaspoon of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of sea salt with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Drizzle the flavored oil over the brussel sprout leaves, then spread them across a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven. I use convection if it is available.
1 lb of brussel sprouts trimmed of their first 3 layers of leaves covers about 1 hotel pan. Use a silicon mat or parchment paper.
Cook the leaves for about 10-15 minutes - looking for them to get crispy and even a bit brown on the edges.
The Chef way, stolen from the award winning Uchiko Restaurant in Austin, is made by flash frying the brussel sprout leaves, then drizzling them with a 1:1 simple syrup flavored with fish sauce. Just mix 1 part sugar with 1 part water (by weight - remember 1 part water + 1 part sugar = 1.5 parts simple syrup) over low heat until sugar is dissolved (about 10 min). Then add seasoning, in this case curry powder (to taste) and voila.
Poblano Pea Puree is a great pairing for lamb and seafood.
Savory, tangy, and fresh, this balances fatty meats and compliments both fresh white fish and oilier fish like salmon and mackerel.
Place two poblano peppers under the broiler until their skin blisters and chars on all sides, then place in an empty grocery bag and fold it closed to steam the skin off. Ziplocs work better for steaming, but we're trying to use less melted plastic around here.
After about 15 minutes, take the peppers out and the waxy skin will peel off easily. Remove the seeds, stem, and membrane and place in food processor / blender / stick blender.
To this add the juice of 1 Meyer lemon. If no meyer lemon, then use regular lemon and a touch of orange juice. Lime would be better if I was preparing this for seafood, but it was created to accentuate the buttery sweetness of lamb when brined in the Lime Jalapeno Fajita Bath Brine Concentrate.
Quickly blanch 1/2 cup of peas in boiling water - about 30 seconds. Add these to the mix.
You can add 1/4 cup mint or cilantro, or a mix of both.
Finally, add 1 clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon cumin.
Puree together and that's it. If you want to spice it up, add a jalapeno or serrano to the mix.
2 Poblano Peppers - roasted.
1 Meyer Lemon
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
1/4 Cup Fresh Mint or Cilantro
1 Clove Garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
This can be used to top enchiladas, baked potatoes, on turkey sandwiches, over eggs at breakfast, and of course with my Lime Jalapeno Brined Roast Lamb Loin
The loin roast weight 2.5 lbs, but I diluted it with pineapple juice instead of water as I normally would and brined it for less than 1 hr per lb as I normally suggest, going for just 2 hrs. It could have gone longer but I wasn't familiar enough with the cut of meat or the kitchen I was to be cooking in to feel confident.
I pre-heated the oven to 450 F and got a stainless steel pan to medium high before I removed the lamb from the brine.
A little olive oil in the pan and the lamb loin went in whole as I browned all sides before placing it in the oven for 8-12 minutes, aiming for medium rare.
At home I would have reached for grape seed oil, which has a higher burning point, and I may not dilute the lime jalapeno fajita bath brine with pineapple juice in the future as the sugars burnt too quickly in the pan.
This is the most fragrant hot sauce you will ever encounter. It calls to mind the perfumes of exotic shores, and yes, it's worth this moment of cheese.
1 Lb Serrano Chilies - de-stemmed (but keep as much of green cap on as possible)
3 Medium sized Tomatillos
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Peeled and seeded Green Apple
Zest of 1 Lime
Flesh of 1 Lime (Pith removed)
1 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoon Palm Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
1 Teaspoon Yogurt (must have active cultures)
Place all items in food processor and puree.
Place in covered bowl and leave out at room temp for 3-4 Days.
If a slight mold grows on top, scoop it off and continue (this has not happened when I've made this, but other similar recipes always include this instruction.
When bubbles appear below the surface you have evidence of lacto-fermentation. At this point the smell will overwhelm you, filling your kitchen with a unique essence of the fruits and chilies.
The taste is still a nice bright heat, tempered by the fermentation.
It will last in your fridge for about 1 week, or you can pasteurize and bottle to give it a longer shelf life (but lose the benefits of the active cultures).
In the Burger wars, too much is never enough. When April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig admitted to adding fat to her burgers, I knew what i had to do.
This burger recipe is the best I have come across.
Ask your butcher to grind 1/3 skirt steak, 1/3 untrimmed brisket (from the flat), and 1/3 boneless short rib.
There is a debate about whether one should season the burger mix before you make the patties or after (and just the outside) and it was tested by The Burger Lab and verified by our own test.
It is better to season just the outside of your patties because mixing in salt or acids before hand makes for a dense burger, more akin to a meatball.
That said, there is an increase in taste when mixing in the seasoning, and with THIS recipe, the burger is still going to be incredibly juicy even if you season first.
So - you can either add 1 tablespoon of our Smoked Habanero BBQ BATH brine concentrate or 1 tablespoon of the Lime Jalapeno FAJITA BATH Brine concentrate per Lb of meat or brush it on just before cooking (or on to the cooked side just after I flip is as I do).
I place a cast iron griddle directly over my coals, lay down some grape seed oil, then sear for 2-3 minutes per side.
This will be the most delicious burger you've ever tasted and it's great for Memorial Day and Cinco De Mayo cook outs.
I spread some mayo mixed with Lime Jalapeno Fajita Bath on one bun and mayo mixed with the Smoked Habanero BBQ BATH on another.
Grilled Passilla Chilies, charred green onions, cilantro, avocado, and lime juice tops the Lime Jalapeno Burger.
Smoked Mozzarella, Bread N' Butter Chips, and caramelized onions top the Smoked Habanero.
