Unless you have some pyrolized banana liquor sitting around next to the rum, this is a drink that takes a bit of time from start to finish. About 30 days or so to be exact. What is pyrolized banana exactly? Well, if you’ve ever tried black garlic or cooked with it, you have had pyrolized…… Continue reading Aviary Cocktail: Perfect Storm
Category: Fruits
Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle
Tapioca pudding is so often looked down on I think. Not sure why. Many think of it as that goopy thing that comes out of a box and old people eat it in nursing homes. When made right though using tapioca pearls, dairy and sugar it is delightful. It has great snappy texture and just…… Continue reading Tapioca Coconut Pudding, Mango Sorbet and Brittle
Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream
It’s rare that I proclaim something “the best”. Even when I do -like I am doing about this ice cream- it’s sort of a hyperbole. Maybe it should be “up until now, in my humble opinion, this is the best apple ice cream I’ve had”. So, if you had not gotten my point yet, what…… Continue reading Granny Smith Apple Ice Cream
Plum Tart with an Almond Crumble
Summer is winding down supposedly, even though it is still close to 100 F out there. I do not much like summer in Houston. It’s too hot, too humid too…sunny. Autumn is by far my favorite season and I look forward to its -hopefully- lower temperatures and cooking. Summer does have some things going for…… Continue reading Plum Tart with an Almond Crumble
Citrus-Cured Salmon, Parsley-Chive Coulis
Seafood gently poached in fat is a great way to cook. Lobster poached in butter and tuna in olive oil are both such examples. The fat slowly cooks the meat and is kept at a relatively low temperature, about 44 C to 52 C (110 to 125 F) depending how you like it cooked, leaving…… Continue reading Citrus-Cured Salmon, Parsley-Chive Coulis
The French Laundry: Pear Strudel with Chestnut Cream and Pear Chips
Back to that endless well of inspiration and technique, The French Laundry Cookbook. It’s like a small mini cooking course for every…course. I refine, learn and always end up with an awesome dish or two. This dessert was from a couple months back when pears were at their most abundant. I had some of the…… Continue reading The French Laundry: Pear Strudel with Chestnut Cream and Pear Chips
Plums and Pistachio: Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Gelato, Poached Plums, Yogurt
This is the second installment of the Plums/Pistachio pairing and this one has a much better gelato. This one is an easier plate to pull together and delivers excellent flavor and texture. We have a fragrant Italian olive oil rosemary cake, excellent pistachio gelato, plums poached in a juniper syrup and a yogurt vanilla sauce.…… Continue reading Plums and Pistachio: Olive Oil Cake, Pistachio Gelato, Poached Plums, Yogurt
Mugaritz: Dried Tomato Salad, a Bunch of Garlic Cloves and Herbs
Soaking a fruit or a vegetable in pickling lime or Calcium Hydroxide is a theme in the Mugaritz book. Soaking any vegetable in a mixture of water and pickling lime binds the cellulose and makes the fruit firm. The longer it is soaked the harder a shell it forms. The reason pickling lime is sold…… Continue reading Mugaritz: Dried Tomato Salad, a Bunch of Garlic Cloves and Herbs
Oven Dried Tomatoes 