Momofuku Noodle Bar (New York, NY)

Chris' Note: Please welcome back Carli for part two of her New York guest post

Next up was Momofuku Noodle Bar. I've never been much of a sake fan, but the Momofuku sake was the best I remember having and was the perfect compliment to the meal.

We started with the steamed pork buns which looked so good (and matched that in taste) that I forgot to take a picture before taking a bite. Please forgive me.

For my main course, I had the Momofuku ramen and it was probably the best bowl of noodles I've ever had. After surviving my college and early home-owner (read broke) days on 10 cent packages of grocery store ramen, it was a shock to realize what I didn't know I had been missing.

While I've done what I can to convince Chris that NYC would be a great place for us, he has made it quite clear he does not feel the same way. Although he sites reasons such as the pace of life, the expense of living and the traffic, secretly his is probably worried I will gain 200 pounds and have to be rolled around to my favorite restaurants. If I had the ramen at Momofuku everyday like I do in my dreams, it would probably only take a year or so.

Bryant Park Grill (New York, NY)

Chris' Note: Thanks to my wife Carli for contributing a guest post about her recent trip to New York.

Anyone who knows me knows that my baby sister is getting married in NYC in August. If you know me a little better, you might know that I am happy to be included in all of the planning details. Thus, my recent trip to the Big Apple to help my sister iron out some of her big day details. As I did with my husband, each day of planning ended with some noms. While I was able to bribe my husband with cake tastings, my sister bribed me with meals the likes of which can not be found in my little corner of AZ.

Our first dinner was spent trying some of the wedding meal options at the Bryant Park Grill. For the first course, we tried bacon topped scallops and seared tuna. The scallops were cooked perfectly with just the right amount of bacon to seem decadent, without pushing the boundaries of gross man food. The tuna, on the other hand did not have the same high end feel and the bride and groom-to-be will most likely be choosing a second option to accompany the scallops.

We tasted four main courses that will have to be narrowed down to two. The pasta was almost immediately out as it could be found in my neck of the woods, which means that I probably could have cooked it while hung over (and I suck at cooking). The other three main courses were very good, however. The filet was pleasantly impressive with a texture and flavor to match, the mahi was predictable but good, and the lamb had just the right amount of gaminess to it.

For dessert we were provided a sampling of mini treats that the wedding guests would be given. Since I'm not that much of a dessert person, I would say that it was too much sweetness in all. But all in all, it was a good end to a great meal.

Corned Beef Dinner

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and the first thing that comes to mine (other than beer) is corned beef. Typically, I boil/simmer corned beef, but I decided to bake it this year for a change. Instead of just the flat, I also cooked a point as well. The point is much juicier and fattier than the flat.

To cook, I simply put the two pieces of corned beef into a roasting pan, and added some bay leaves and mustard seeds. I had previously rinsed the beef for a while to removed a bit of the excess saltiness from the brine. I heavily foiled the pan and put it into a preheated 350 degree oven. After about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, I checked the progress of the corned beef. It was tasty, but needed some more time to allow the collagen to break down. I added potates, carrots, and cabbage to the roasting pan at different times so that none would over cook and become mushy. In all, it took a little under 4 hours to finish.

I simply served the corned beef with the braised vegetables, mustard, and a slice of toasted sourdough bread. I found that the sweet honeycup mustard went well with the leaner flat, while stoneground champagne mustard better cut the richness of the point.

The next day's leftovers are just as good as the first day. When the meat is cold, you can see how strikingly different two cuts are. Though both cuts are from the brisket, the flat is extremely lean, while the point is heavily marbled with fat. I enjoy eating the leaner flat when eating the corned beef unadorned, but the point is preferred in other applications such as sandwiches and breakfast hash. We had lots of leftovers, but it seems like they never last long enough.

Speaking of sandwiches......

Pappardelle Noodles with Italian Sausage Ragu

After hearing how Daniel concocted a homemade pasta and how a co-worker made a great homemade spaghetti sauce, I decided to try my hand at pappardelle noodles with an italian sausage ragu.  I started with just under 2 cups of all-purpose flour, just under 1 cup of semolina flour, 3 eggs, and 3 egg yolks.

Mmmmmmm...Breakfast of Champions

After kneading the dough into an even consistency, I let that rest overnight in the refrigerator.  For the ragu, I started by sauteing chopped onions, garlic, roasted red peppers, and a pinch of salt in olive oil.  I then added tomato paste, marsala wine, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, and a bulk chicken italian sausage to the mixture.

After reducing the heat, I left this to simmer over the course of 4-5 hours.  The end result is a deep, rich red sauce.  The house smelled like delicious sausage for days.

The ragu was placed with the pasta dough in the refrigerator overnight for dinner the next evening.  In order to finish the pasta, the dough was rolled through a pasta machine, starting with the highest setting and finishing at the third to lowest (thinnest) setting.  Between each rolling, the dough was dusted with flour.  I prefer a thicker pappardelle noodle, which is why I decided not to go down to the thinnest setting.  After rolling the dough, the pasta was cut into 12-inch sheets.  The sheets were individually rolled, sliced into 3/4 - 1 inch strips, and then unrolled.  The pasta was dusted with flour a final time and dropped into boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  When the noodles were finished boiling and drained, they were immediately served and topped with shaved parmesan cheese and basil. 

What was amazing to me was how easy it was to make fresh homemade noodles.  My next attempt, I will probably adjust the all-purpose to semolina flour ratio to see if that makes any difference.  All-in-all, I was very pleased with my first attempt at homemade pasta and can easily see doing this again in the future.

Cassoulet (and Soufflé)

After seeing Chris's French food meals of Coq au Vin and Beef Bourguignon, I thought I'd continue the trend. I'd been inspired to try Cassoulet after having a delicious version at LM not long ago, so I decided to make it on Saturday since Kristen had the day off from work as well. This is a hearty, long-cooking comfort food meal that really hit the spot on a cold, snowy weekend.

Things started off on the wrong foot as I had forgotten to soak the dried great northern beans the night before. I happened to get up early on Saturday morning, so I soaked them in a large bowl of cold water first thing in the morning. They ended up soaking about 7 hours. Close enough. I put the beans in a large roasting pan along with a lamb shank, a few chunks of smoked hunter's bacon, a pork trotter (for richness and gelatin), thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves and a few carrots, just so that I could say I had some vegetables. I also added some spices such as black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and some others.

I put the pan in the oven and cooked it for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in the oven at 350F. When it

came out, the beans were tender, but not mushy. I set it to the side, and I grilled up some smoked polish garlic sausages, and reheated and crisped the skin of a half duck. When the final 2 meats were cooked, I assembled all of the meats with the beans, and topped with a combination of panko breadcrumbs and crushed homemade croutons. The cassoulet was put under the broiler to create a crunchy crust.

Garnished with some chopped parsley and topped with a spritz of lemon, the cassoulet was plated with a bit of each meat on top of a bed of the beans. A dish with 4 meats (braised bacon, roasted duck, grilled polish sausage, and braised lamb shank; the trotter was removed after cooking) and beans is right up my alley. Deliciously rich and hearty, my first attempt at cassoulet was terrific. After being concerned throughout the cook that the beans were overcooked, I was glad to see that they were tender with a plesant bite. The lamb shank could have used another 30 minutes to braise, but bacon was nice and tender. I was very happy with the decision to grill the sausages as well, as the char added another dimension to the dish. The next time I make this I'll add a bit more liquid, to create a bit more sauce with the beans.

As good as the cassoulet was, it wasn't even the best thing eaten that night. What better way to follow rich French food than a light soufflé? I convinced Kristen to make a chocolate soufflé for dessert, and it was the perfect finish to the meal. Eggy and light, yet intensely chocolately. Some melted vanilla bean ice cream was a great lazy-man's sauce to accompany the soufflé.

David Burke's Primehouse (Chicago, IL)

Every year in February, Chicago holds a restaurant week where a large number of restaurants have discounted prix-fixe menus. This year's restaurant week coincided with Kristen's birthday. She wanted steak for her birthday, and I'd been wanting to try the dry aged steaks at David Burke's Primehouse, so the decision was an easy one.

Located in the James Hotel on the corner of Rush and Ontario, Primehouse specializes in dry aged steaks. They offer steaks up to 75 days, dry aged on site in their own aging room lined with Himlayan salt. The restaurant week menu was the only menu available, unfortunately, so we couldn't choose from all the steaks normally available or taste the red velvet cake in a can dessert.

The dinner started with popovers, instead of traditional bread service. The popover was nice and light, with a crispy exterior. It was served with butter topped with some of the Himalayan salt.

For appetizers, Kristen had the Surf and Turf Dumplings and I started with the Lobster Bisque. The Surf and Turf consisted of 2 lobster dumplings and 2 short rib dumplings. The lobster dumplings were boiled and the lobster was quite tender. The short rib dumplings were fried and served with a sweet chili sauce. I liked the lobster dumplings better and Kristen preferred the short rib ones. I went with the Lobster Bisque with Green Apple Essence. The bisque was rich, with an accent from the sherry. The green apple cubes added a tart contrast to the bisque. However, it was a tad too sweet, and made me wonder if there was some apple juice in the soup.

For our steaks, Kristen chose the filet topped with blue cheese, and for a supplement, I ordered the bone-in 35 day dry aged strip. Kristen's steak was nicely cooked at medium rare, and she was very happy with it. It did look a bit goofy with just the small cut of beef and so much white on the plate. My strip came on the rare side of medium rare, and was beefy with a slight minerally tinge. I also found that small bits of Kristen's blue cheese matched very well the steak, which wasn't surprising as blue cheese is one flavor that many associate with dry aged beef. I did hope for a bit more pronounced dry aged "beefiness" for a 35-day aged cut, but I was happy altogether. The steaks came with roasted wild mushrooms and basil mashed potatoes. The roasted mushrooms included shiitake, crimini, and oyster mushrooms, among others, but needed some salt. The basil mashed potatoes, on the other hand, were fantastic. They were buttery, yet light, and the basil was a very inspired complement. We'll definitely try to make these at home.

For dessert, Kristen had the pineapple upside-down cake with sour cherry sorbet. The cake was a tad dry and the sorbet was a little too sour, but eating them together balanced everything out. I ordered the Tahitian Brownie with Kahlua Ice Cream and Banana Mousse. The brownie was intensely chocolatey, almost fudge-like. The Kahlua ice cream and the banana mousse, which was frozen, helped cut the richness of the brownie. A rich ending to a rich meal. We were very pleased with the meal, and was among the best steaks we've had in Chicago, even if they didn't reach the heights of the dry aged beef at CUT and Carnevino in Las Vegas.

Coq au Vin

This weekend, we tried another classic French dish, Coq au Vin.  To me, this is very similar beef bourguignon, with the main difference being chicken as the main protein (vs. beef, of course).  Things started the same way by browning applewood smoked thick cut bacon in a little olive oil.  And this time, I was prepared, so I was able to get a nice chunk of bacon from the butcher.  After removing the bacon, salt and pepper seasoned frying chicken (I purchased two bone-in/skin-on chicken breasts and two chicken legs) was browned.  Subsequent to browning, the bacon was placed back in the pot and simmered for another 10 minutes.

I then flambeed cognac that was added to the mixture.  After the flame died out, a burgundy wine, chicken broth, and various seasonings were added and allowed to meld over low heat for about 45 minutes.

 
During this time, I sauteed two onions and crimini mushrooms in a browned butter/olive oil mixture.  In addition, I removed the chicken from the sauce, allowed it to reduce by boiling rapidly for several minutes, and added a beurre manie to thicken and provide a slight richness.  Once the vegetables were done, they were added to the main pot, along with the chicken, and allowed to simmer for a few more minutes. 

Because I wanted to give the flavors an opportunity to develop, I refrigerated the coq au vin overnight for dinner the next night.  When I was ready to serve the meal the next evening, I simmered everything for about 20 minutes over low heat, turning and basting the chicken every few minutes.  I also took the reheating opportunity to make a quick garlic mashed red potatoes, by boiling the chopped potatoes with several cloves of garlic and then whipping them with some milk, sour cream, butter, salt, and pepper.

Since I had allowed the sauce to reduce, it created a great thickened sauce compared to the beef bourguignon.  I'll have to do the same next time.