Recently I came across a food blog called the Foodies of G5 and an article titled The Life of a Foodie. http://g5foodies.blogspot.com/2009/10/life-of-foodie.html

The article stated the following about Find Your Inner Foodie:

“However there are also bloggers who are living the life, showing everybody on the internet how the life a wealthy foodie is. Find Your Inner Foodie is an example of a high-end blogger. This blog is written by a husband and wife who travel the world, learning about other cultures and food. Although this is a recently started blog, you can tell that the life of a rich foodie is quite different than others. While being wealthy may assist in living the foodie life, one does not need to be wealthy to prosper as a foodie.”

While we may not yet be wealthy, the point is made that you do not have to be wealthy to prosper as a foodie.  I agree with this sentiment in the fact that simplicity often makes the best dishes.  Using a few good quality ingredients, will win over using too many ingredients any day.  Early Chinese chefs believed in the balance of the five tastes which were sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and pungent (or spicy) Using just a few key ingredients can give you a balance and a great flavor to your dish.  Cooking does not have to be complicated. Great dishes can be made with few ingredients. 

Lately, I have been making garlic vinaigrette dressing for salads that Eric Ripert learned from his grandmother. It is so incredibly simple, yet tastes delicious. I use balsamic vinegar and pour into a normal size bowl until it just begins to coat the bottom of the bowl. Add a clove of minced garlic and stir in a small squeeze of Dijon mustard using a fork to mix. Then add a bit of olive oil to balance out the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.  I am not giving exact measurements here because it is best to learn to taste as you combine the few ingredients.  You will be amazed at the flavor you get by combining the sweet and sour elements of the balsamic, with the pungency of the garlic and mustard, along with a bit of salt added. It is a combination of the tastes that have been sought after since the classical chefs of China.  It shows you that great flavor can come from simplicity!

Last night, I decided to stay simple when cooking some fresh flounder filets.  I drizzled the dish lightly with lemon juice and olive oil, and sprinkled it lightly with herbes de provence which adds a simple yet elegant French touch.  Of course, I also sprinkled lightly with kosher salt and black pepper and added some minced garlic before putting the fish on the grill.  My wife had given me a great fish basket for Christmas, which makes it easier to grill and turn over flaky fish. It worked like a charm, although not the easiest to clean. You can get yours at Sur La Table. The flavor of the flounder spoke for itself, as the seasonings are just accessories to help the flavor of the fish swim upon your palate! No you do not have to be rich to be a foodie. The path to finding your inner food starts with simplicity.  In the words of Eric Ripert, “Cook from life!”

1. Use a rocks glass or similar sized glass and coat the bottom of the glass with super-fine sugar. You can often find this sugar at the grocery for use with iced tea.   
2. Cut one lime into quarters and add to the glass.
3. Cut up an equal amount of tangerine and add to the glass.
4.  Sprinkle a bit more sugar over the fruit.  (Brazilians like it sweet!)
5. Using scissors cut some fresh mint into the glass.  (Mint is not added in a traditional caipirinha)
6. Take your muddler and muddle, muddle, muddle.  This releases the juice from the limes and tangerine, and brings out the flavor of the mint.  (If you don’t have a muddler find a very sturdy spoon, or Leblon will send you one if you pay for the shipping)
7. Add ice to your glass
8. Fill up your glass with cachaca (I used Leblon)
9. I add all of the ingredients to a shaker and shake
10. Pour back into the glass, leave out the fruit pieces if there are too many, and garnish with a lone sliced star fruit. Don’t forget a stick of sugar cane for added appeal!

Smile and enjoy your Lone Star Caipirinha! 

2 Cups of Cider Vinegar

½ cup plus two tablespoons of ketchup

¼ cup of firmly packed brown sugar

5 teaspoons of salt

4 teaspoons of red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Just whisk all of these ingredients together and you have your sauce.  Chop up some cabbage and add some of the sauce to it and you also have Carolina coleslaw.  Now I smoke my pig until he is black on the outside.  It’s amazing how something that looks burnt actually taste so wonderful. In fact it is not burnt; the meat is just absorbed with the intense flavor of the smoke.   The best thing about smoking a Boston Butt is you can leave it on the grill why you watch the Dallas Cowboys become the NFC East Division Champs!     

       

                              

      




      In case you cannot venture to the UK, there are a number of pubs right here in Houston.  However, if you are looking for one with good food, and a nice pub atmosphere, try the Red Lion on Shepherd. The food is a bit expensive, but the prices will have you believing that you really are in London. The food here really is good British fare, and there is a fireplace in the end room which makes it feel cozy and comfortable.    All of the traditional British fare is on the menu, such as fish and chips, bangers and mash, and shepherds pie. However, the real specialties here are the fusion dishes.  The chef goes outside of the realm of traditional fare and makes Tandoori Chicken Enchiladas. I decided to give them a try and they were absolutely incredible!  The tandoori sauce was excellent and had just the right amount of heat.  You felt the heat build, but it was not so hot as to be uncomfortable.  Mozzarella Cheese was used for the enchiladas and melted nicely.  Instead of a sour cream sauce, a tzatziki sauce was used.   This cooled the heat of the tandoori and was an excellent replacement for a sour cream sauce.   Pickled peppers and onions garnished the enchilada.  This dish was superb and something worthy of an iron chef creation. The pub also has a good amount of draft beers and a small wine list as well. I enjoyed a Smithwick’s Ale along with my enchiladas.  My wife had a Cornish pastie, which is a puff pastry filled with beef and vegetables. The pastry was light and fluffy and the beef was infused with rosemary. It was a nice treat for a cold winter’s day.  The Red Lion was recently featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives.  So if you go see Sherlock Holmes and find yourself looking for a good pub, try the Red Lion. It’s elementary!

For the appetizer we ordered the baked oysters. The oysters were baked perfectly, not too well done, but just enough, and topped with Swiss chard and parmesan bread crumbs.  They were served on a bed of rock salt and were a perfect taste of the ocean on your palette.  Next, I had the redfish on the half-shell with fried mac and cheese.  The redfish was very fresh and the filet was of good size.  There is no better local fish in the gulf region then redfish.  The redfish was spicy, cooked in smoked paprika and chile powder.  It had a great flavor, and lucky for me I like spice.  The fried mac and cheese was exactly that. It is macaroni and cheese served in a square block of fried batter.  It tasted good but found the outer frying to be unnecessary.  My wife and I both agreed that the size of the mac and cheese needed to be reduced, as it appeared bigger on the plate then the fish, and so aesthetically it detracted from the dish.  My wife order the grilled scallops which come served on a bed of truffled polenta and mushroom ragout.  The dish featured 3 large scallops cooked to perfection. The truffled polenta and mushroom ragout were both rich and complemented the scallops well.  These had a great flavor but are merely bonuses, as the scallops could suffice well on its own.   For dessert we had the buttermilk panna cotta, which was light and delicious. It was served with fresh strawberries along with strawberry sorbet which sat on top of crumbled sugar cookie. The dessert was a perfect ending and we were also brought mini milkshake shooters of vanilla ice cream and brandy.  I left full and content. 

Reef has a great wine list as well and features many of the smaller wineries that we have visited in Napa such as Del Dotto and Reynolds Family.  Cocktails here are also taken to the next level.  I tried a drink called thyme before lime, which featured gin, thyme, grapefruit juice and lime, served shaken and served in a martini glass.  The cocktail was well balanced and refreshing. 

The story of Chef Caswell himself is a great story. It is a story of a young man who decides to go to culinary school and then travels the world, only to return home to become a success.  Houston itself may share a similar story.  Houston is about to surpass Chicago, and become the third largest city in the US.  Houston chefs and restaurants can no longer be ignored, and it will be local ingredients like that used by Caswell, that move Houston to the forefront of the culinary scene. 

Max’s wine dive has now opened a new location in Austin as well. Enjoy

    Thanksgiving has now come and gone.  I hope you had a good one.  I know I did.  How many of us know about the roots of Thanksgiving and why we eat the dishes that we do? Like so much of history, much of what we learned as kids was not correct.  For instance, did you know the pilgrims didn’t really wear buckles on their clothes?  The dinner we were taught about occurred in 1621. However, Thanksgiving wasn’t officially declared a holiday until Abraham Lincoln did so in 1863. It took Congress until 1941 before they finally made it official. Much of the history of the holiday is a complete mess. Try looking it up and see for yourself.  Most of the food that we serve for Thanksgiving dinner today comes from the late 1800’s. Venison was the main meal at the original 1621 Thanksgiving.  There were also a lot of wild turkeys according to Governor William Bradford’s account of the Plymouth Plantation.  This account along with the love of the bird by the Victorians of New England in the 1800’s probably led to the turkey being the main course for our Thanksgiving meal.  Benjamin Franklin himself thought so highly of the turkey, that he wanted it to be the national bird.  The bird did not end up on the seal of the United States, but the aura that he esteemed upon the turkey could have helped seal the deal for the turkey to end up on our yearly plate.

    The original pilgrims may have had pumpkins but no pumpkin pie.  They did not likely have the materials to make the pie crusts. They also may have had cranberries, but there was no sugar to make cranberry sauce.  These were people who were trying to survive each day and not feasting. The feasting comes from the New Englanders of the 1800’s.  What the pilgrims did have that does not often appear on most tables today is seafood.  They had clams, shellfish, and lobsters.   Oysters became a large part of the Thanksgiving tradition in New England in the 1800’s. Often oyster stew was served before the main course or oyster stuffing was made in the Turkey.  Eventually, this tradition died.   Many families stopped serving the soup course, as dinners became less formal or oysters became less available.  This tradition is still retained however in some southern families. 

            Thanksgiving today has essentially created itself. While it may not be historically correct, it has become a bird all of its own, born of its own traditions.  Does it really matter what these traditions are as long as we are creating happy memories?  In today’s world so few families sit down and have dinner together nightly, as once was the custom.  Thanksgiving is the one time where families still get together and create their own tradition.  Every family is different. Some go out and hunt for their dinner. Other families roast the turkey in the oven. Today, many even fry their bird, or even stuff it with other birds, such as ducks and chickens.  Some families purchase their bird already cooked, but most cook their own, even if it is the only day of the year they cook.  No matter the method, friendship, tradition and bonding with family occur.  For many today, football aids in the process.

            My tip for cooking a good bird is to brine your turkey.  You need a large stock pot or bucket in which you can put your bird and soak it in a solution of water, salt, and sugar (preferably brown).  This is the main part of the brine, but then you also add flavoring components as well. I prefer to use apple cider, whole black peppercorns, a bunch of thyme, bay leafs, three large oranges quartered along with their juice, at least 6 cloves of garlic and 1 cup of honey.  Let the turkey sit covered in the liquid for 6 hours. You may want to turn the turkey once during the process, to ensure every part gets properly brined.  Brining will infuse your bird with flavor and moisture, and make for a very tender, juicy, bird.  No matter how you plan to cook your bird, brining will ensure your turkey is a success! 

            To make my life easier this year, I decided to add a twist for dessert. Normally, we eat pumpkin pie for dessert, but this year I came up with the idea to make a pumpkin Crème Brule.  I went searching to see if anyone had done this before, and of course Emeril had beat me to the punch. So I tried his recipe, and it turned out great! I wouldn’t change a thing. All of my guests loved it! Here is a link: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pumpkin-creme-brulee-recipe/index.html

Hope you enjoyed your Turkey Day as much as I did. What foodie doesn’t love a day that revolves around food?  Until next year, I cannot wait. I am already planning the menu.  Happy Turkey Day!

1 Large Butternut Squash

2 Shallots

4 Garlic Cloves

3 Cups of Chicken Stock

1 Cup of Heavy Cream

3 tablespoons of Honey

4 tablespoons of butter

Salt

White Pepper

Black Pepper

Nutmeg

The hardest part of making the soup is figuring out the best way to separate the skin of the squash from the good “flesh” inside.  I prefer to use the method used by Alton Brown.  Take the squash and cut off the stem portion on the top and bottom. I then cut the squash in half horizontally at the middle where it starts to become fat. Then take each half and cut it in half vertically. Then cut the squash into slices about an inch thick.  The object is to get the squash into manageable pieces with just the outer skin on the bottom of each piece. Place the cut up pieces into a baking pan. Rub the squash lightly with butter and then season with salt and white paper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the squash for at least 30 minutes. This will give it a nice roasted flavor and will also make it easy to separate the squash from the skin. Using a knife or spoon remove the squash from the skin and place into a bowl.  Meanwhile, add two tablespoons of butter to a large soup pan and sauté the diced shallots and crushed garlic. Once the shallots begin to soften add the squash and the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and then simmer the squash until it begins to soften. (About 10 minutes)  Season the soup to taste with salt and black pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the honey.  Add the soup in batches to a mixer and blend until smooth.  Return the blended soup to a pan and over low heat slowly stir in the heavy cream.  Add about a teaspoon of nutmeg for additional flavor, or you can garnish the soup with it for additional color. Serve immediately and enjoy the fresh, sweet, flavors of the fall!

Stilton and leek soup is something that I hadn’t had before I went to England.  We were out in the middle of the country at a pub called the De La Pole arms in Wingfield Village.  This is a village that my ancestors settled around the 14^th century.  Today, there are only about 300 people that live spread out in the area, and Wingfield consists of the bare essentials. You have your castle, your church, and most importantly, your pub.  We went to the church first and paid our respects. We were lucky enough to be greeted by some locals who were very hospitable and showed us around. One gentleman, who was a bell ringer at the church, took us to the top of the church to see the bells and the trap door that opens out onto the roof of the church, where you can get a great view of Wingfield Castle.  After all of the climbing, we were hungry and ventured across the street to the pub for lunch.  My wife ordered the stilton and leek soup which was excellent.  Ever since then, my wife has wanted me to make her this soup, so I finally did last night.  Making and eating the soup took me back to my tiny village in the English countryside.  This is what is great about food. Food can take you those places you want to go, when you can’t always get there.  The smells and tastes whisk you away, and for if a brief moment you are somewhere else. This is a great fall or winter soup as it is thick and hearty.  You will need:

3 Cups of fresh leeks chopped (both white and green parts)

1 cup of diced celery

1 cup of diced carrot

4 cloves of garlic crushed

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

½ tablespoon of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 potatoes peeled and diced into thin slices

5 cups of chicken stock

¼ cup of heavy cream

10 oz of English Stilton

4 tablespoons of Port Wine

Chives for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by sautéing the butter, leeks, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften. Once the vegetables soften, add the chicken stock and the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes soften.  Discard the bay leaf and, move the soup in small batches to a food processor and blend until the soup is nicely pureed. Pour the pureed soup back into the pan and set to low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and crumble in the Stilton. You do not want the soup to boil.  Stir in the port wine which will add a great dimension to your soup. Nothing goes better with Stilton then port. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper and garnish each bowl of soup with fresh chives. Serve immediately and think of the rustic pubs in the English countryside. This one takes me back.

http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/pdf/winners/gabf09_winners.pdf

Congratulations to Dogfish Head for taking gold and silver in the specialty beer category and to St. Arnolds Brewery of Houston, TX. for winning the gold for their Summer Pilsner. 

Please note this is only one foodie’s interpretation of the sauce:

If you want to check out a picture of Salmon Lemon Dill go to the Foodie Fotos section:

1 Cucumber Chopped (Leave off the outer skin)

1 Shallot Diced

2 cloves of garlic crushed

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 Teaspoons of Fresh Dill

½ cup of chicken stock

2 count of dry white wine

1 cup of heavy cream

Juice of one lemon

1/3 cup of flour

1. Add the butter to a medium sized sauce pan and sauté the shallots and garlic over medium heat.

2. Add the dill and the cucumber. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil

3. Add the white wine and reduce. Then add the lemon juice.

4. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often.

5. Slowly stir in the flour again bringing to a boil

6. Add another squeeze of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. 

This dish pairs well with a nice chardonnay. Enjoy!

Bo = Beef

Ga = Chicken

Tom = Shrimp

Thit = Pork

Muc = Squid

Do Bien = Seafood

Thap Cam = Combination Seafood and meat

Dau Hu = Tofu

Pho = Traditional Vietnamese Soups

Bun = Bowls of rice vermicelli topped with thinly sliced Beef, chicken, pork, or topped with shrimp. Often they will have the word Nuong which means grilled. So a grilled beef vermicelli bowl would be called Bun Bo Nuong. (Bowl, Beef, Grilled) These are often served for lunch and accompanied by a fried eggroll and fish sauce.

Cha Gio = Fried Eggroll

Goi Cuon = Traditional spring roll usually made with shrimp and served at room temperature. Spring rolls are usually served with a peanut sauce.

Goi Cuon Chay= Chay is vegetable so this is a vegetable spring roll.  Often served hot.

Com Chien = fried rice

Com = If a dish says com in front of it then it is usually a plate served with rice

Rang Muoi = fried. Typically with black pepper, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. I love this stuff!  Often you see Shrimp, squid, chicken wings, or fish prepared this way. Soft shell crab is really good too!

Chua Ngot = Sweet and Sour.

Cari = Curry. Can very in flavor but often coconut curry with chicken.

Banh Xeo =  This is the Vietnamese version of a savory crepe. It is seared rice flour filled with Shrimp, Chicken or pork and assorted vegetables, usually served as an appetizer.

Tau Xi = different dishes such as pork or chicken with black bean sauce. Sounds strange, but tastes really good.

Bo Luc Lac  = Shaking beef, this is cubes of beef, at elite restaurants in the US it is sometimes filet. It is called shaking after the movement the chefs make with the beef in the wok. This is a very popular dish in the US.

Xa Ot = Dishes made with lemongrass             

So whether you eat muc rang muoi, bun bo nuong, Dau Hu Chua Ngot, or Ga Xa Cari, be adventurous and enjoy having a foodie experience. Sometimes you have to try exotic dishes to find your inner foodie!

1 box of Fettuccine. This is usually about 1lb of pasta. You don’t have to use that much if there is just two of you, although you won’t mind having the leftovers.  Buy a good quality Italian brand. There are so many great pastas that you can find now in your local grocery. Some stores even sell homemade pasta. Go for it!

¾ of a stick of butter

4 cloves of garlic minced. Or as much garlic as you enjoy!

1 Shallot minced.  Shallots are great for use with sauces as they have a nice mild flavor. Do not substitute regular onion.

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of aged parmesan.  Spend a little extra here and buy good quality parmesan. One that has been aged 2 years works nicely. Even better if you grate it yourself, but you can find good quality ones already grated. The parmesan really affects the quality of your sauce.

1 Lemon

Chopped Parsley for garnish

1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Before you drain the water, scoop out a ¼ cup of the pasta water and reserve. Always let your pasta sit for a minute while draining to get as much of the water out as possible so not to ruin your sauce.

2. While you are cooking your pasta, melt the butter in a medium sauce pan and sauté the garlic and onion over medium heat until they are tender.

3. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil stirring to mix the butter and cream. Cook until the sauce begins to reduce. Remove from the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. 

4. While the sauce is thickening, return the pasta to the pan you boiled the fettuccine in. Add the ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to the fettuccine and set the temperature to medium. Add the sauce to the pasta and slowly mix in the parmesan cheese.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Always good to add a squeeze of lemon to the pasta. This will bring out the flavors of the Alfredo and brighten it up.

6. Add the chopped parsley to garnish the pasta and add some color.

Enjoy!

 "Great cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. High-quality ingredients and simple methods are all you need. Mix in some good friends and great locations and you’ve got a truly transcendent experience. I want to show you how a simple meal becomes a shared adventure; the rewards are new insight into the nature of food and a deeper respect for food’s meaning in our lives.

I have many such adventures planned for us. Over the next few months, we’re going to visit new places, meet new people and cook foods—some new, some familiar–together. I know we’ll inspire and learn from each other as we go.

I’ll share recipes and techniques and tell you my stories. And I hope to hear from you too. Come along with me. We’ll have fun, I promise."

 This sounds much the same as my own foodie philosophy.   Simple methods, high-quality ingredients, and great friends are all you need. That day in New York, I indeed had all of that. I have a memory that will last eternally.  That’s all that is important.   Often, you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great meal.  In the words of the Beatles, “Love is all you need.”   So Eric, I hope you forgive me.   While my inner foodie has been haunted by you, I believe the philosophy of food that we share, will allow my inner foodie to be at peace. Stop haunting me Eric!

http://mattbernier.blogspot.com/2007/08/coconut-syrup-recipie.html

Breakfast in Hawaii is also great because they have their famous Kona coffees to kick start your day. So whenever I am missing Hawaii, I pickup some Kona coffee at the market and cook up some ahi tuna and eggs, along with a side of coconut pancakes, and it takes me back to that beautiful day on Diamond Head when my wife and I were on top of the world.

Want to check out the view we had from Diamond Head? Goto the new Foodie Fotos section.