Messing things up and making them right again

You already know I am not a rookie or first timer in the kitchen....That I have the experience and know how to make fabulous meals for myself or for a crowd. I can make simple food or over the top crazy food and I can bake like a Mo-fo or put up 5 gallons of tomatoes in cans for the winter.

But even I make mistakes. Examples as follows.....

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  Burning Caramel Sauce because I was signing invoices. More than once.
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  Forgetting to add water to steamed vegetables because I was making homemade puff pastry for Beef Wellington. Oops.
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  Reversing the measurements for salt & sugar in scones because I was rushing to get all my assignments completed before break. Yum!
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  Burning 5 sheet pans of bacon because it was 5am and I was quite possibly still inebriated from the night before. Crap.

And there are many many more....my point is that any time any of us effs up in the kitchen there is always an excuse. I was distracted, tired, rushed, drunk, not paying attention or any number of other fun reasons.

The crummy part about tonight is that I was REALLY looking forward to my dinner and I effed it all up.

Thanks to some help from Zack. An ex-boyfriend and old friend from a gazillion years ago who I was happily catching up with while sauteing, stirring and pan frying my dinner.

Yep, sorry buddy, I am sharing the blame with you just a little because I was too busy chatting with you on FB to double check my sand dabs before pan frying them. So they got fried with their organs still in them. Note to self....don't believe the fish guy when he tells you they are "ready to cook".

Blech. Seriously Blech. In the trash and out the door...as fast as possible so I didn't barf.

But on a positive note I still got to enjoy my fabulous sweet corn risotto cake and sauteed spinach for dinner because I did watch out for those, thank you very much! And had about a three hour chat session with someone who I really needed to talk to.

I'll share the corn risotto cakes because they were the star of my dinner tonight. I made the risotto a couple of nights ago for my lovely girlz who came over for food and wine therapy. That night they were paired with seafood and truffle oil (fabulous!) and I made an overabundance of the risotto so I set some of it aside without the seafood and oil for future use. And damn if they werent twice as good with a crispy crust.

Sweet Corn Risotto

2 Shallots, Chopped

1 T Olive Oil

12 oz Arborio Rice

1/2 Cup White Wine

2 Ears White Corn

4 Cups Corn Stock*

1 T Fresh Thyme Leaves

Salt & Pepper to taste

2/3 C Parmesan Cheese

*To make corn stock, shave off kernels of corn in to a bowl and then scrape the cobs with the back of a knife to get all the juice and pulp left in the cob. Add the corn kernels and pulp and juice to 6 cups water and boil until it is about 4 cups in volume. Add salt to taste.

Saute the shallot in olive oil until soft and add rice. Stir for about 5 minutes or until opaque. Add wine and stir until all wine is absorbed. Add the corn stock about 1 cup at a time stirring constantly. When adding the last cup of stock, add the thyme leaves. Stir until rice is tender, if you need to add more liquid, use water or chicken stock. Add cheese at the last minute.

If you want to add a protein, this is the time to do it....sauteed shrimp, scallops & calamari is what we opted for with just a drizzle of truffle oil. You could do chicken as well or add mushrooms for an earthy flavor.

For the Risotto cakes, start with cooled risotto, best if refrigerated. Melt a little butter in a nonstick skillet. Shape risotto into a cake about 3/4" thick. Pan fry on both sides over medium heat until crispy. The might fall apart a little, just nudge it back together....it'll hold. :)

Just like I found out tonight that some things, no matter how far apart they have fallen, can come back together and hold.

I added extra bacon

I am pretty sure you know where I work and what I do....what I don't think you know is that I am lucky to have a freaking awesome culinary staff at my fingertips. I am not just talking simply good cooks or creative chefs...which they are both. But they are also nice.

Seriously nice.

As in, when you walk in to the kitchen you don't get berated by an jerk in a chef coat & toque until you cry. Or when you ask for a custom menu, you actually get one with no wanking, bitching, complaining or up charging just because the menu is "custom". Or when I get a last minute request for a cake for the next day from a clueless client, the pastry chef looks pained, but then turns around and whips up a beauty in the midst of a day that we are serving 800 people at the resort. It is a "can do" and "like to do" attitude I can totally live with and appreciate so much.

Don't get me wrong, I have some friends out there that have been chefs that have been awesome to work with and very talented...but there are always one or two who are jackasses that spoil the vibe and need to just move on. And fortunately for me and the rest of the staff, those people are now gone. :)

I have wanted to make this recipe since it was requested and printed in the LA times in April 2009 as it appeals to me in so many ways. My mouth truly waters when I think of it and just now with a full belly I can still smile and taste it and want seconds. But I am cool with leftovers for lunch.

Bacon and Egg Risotto
(yeah, you read right!)
Adapted from Chef Jamie West, Executive Chef at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
Serves 2

1 Large Shallot, chopped
1 T Butter

2 Cloves Smoked Garlic (Ojai Farmers Market), chopped
5 Strips Thick Cut Bacon (applewood smoked is preferred), chopped in 1/4 inch dice
3/4 C Arborio Rice
3 C Chicken Stock, heated
3 T Chopped Chives
1/4 C Grated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
2 Egg Yolks (from really fresh eggs)

Saute the shallot in butter until soft, add bacon and saute 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until bacon is slightly crisped and rice is toasty. Add garlic and stir a few minutes.

Start adding stock/broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently while it is simmering (not boiling). Cook until rice is creamy and tender, you may have some stock/broth leftover. Test for salt and season if needed with salt & pepper. Add in chopped chives and grated Parmesan.

Divide in to 2 portions, making a well in the center. Drop in egg yolk and take a picture if you want.

Then stir it all together, dig in and lick the bowl if you wish. I wouldn't blame you if you did.

And yes, the original recipe called for 5 strips of bacon to serve 4....I halved everything in the recipe except that because I have an addiction. So sue me, I'll eat raw veggies again tomorrow before I have to squeeze my butt in a bathing suit this weekend.

It was worth it.

Vanishing Risotto

On slow day in the office my friend Tiffany and I sat at our respective computers, google-ing recipes in our quest for "what's for dinner". Risotto was the theme of the day and after muddling through 500 recipes, half of which were wild mushroom or butternut squash, we found 2 different recipes that piqued our interest enough to print and share with each other.

Tiff opted for the Champagne Risotto with Seared Scallops which she says was fabulous. One of the best things about the recipe was that it is actually scaled to a 2 guest serving size, which is rare in recipe world and very useful when you have a household of just 2. Going to save that recipe for the next time I have a risotto craving...My recipe was one for shrimp risotto with seared scallops, however I changed things up just a bit so I didn't have to go to the store at all.

I made the recipe similar to the one found on Epicurious, but had to gussy it up a bit with my homemade shrimp stock (no pre portioned mire poix for me, no siree!), the addition of sauteed fennel and mom's ingenious idea of brightening it up with some of her preserved lemons. After portioning out the boys dinner and sending them off to the living room and football game, us girls made up our plates and before we could even carry them in to the table, my dad was back with a clean plate (tongue tracks baby!) asking if there was more for him to have seconds. Now visualize moms head and mine swelling to semi large proportions :)~

This was seriously good, no BS. I make risotto a lot as it is one of those dishes you can make fabulous without a whole lot of effort and most often with the random bits of goodness that occupy your kitchen & fridge. My only sad moment was this morning when mom told me she was polishing off the leftovers.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did, I can't wait to make this again!



Shrimp Risotto with Preserved Lemon & Truffle Oil

1 ½ pounds shrimp with shells on
½ onion, rough chop
1 large carrot-rough chop
3 large celery stalks-rough chop
7 cups water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion-small dice
1 Fennel bulb-small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 of a preserved lemon-rind & pulp cut in fine dice
¼ C grated Parmesan cheese

Truffle oil
4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives


Preparation
Shell the shrimp and slice shrimp lengthwise. Add shrimp shells, onion, carrot & celery to the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes and then strain, set aside.

Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; saute 1 minute, using slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Add onion & fennel to pan; saute until translucent, about 1 minute. Deglaze with wine if needed. Add garlic; saute for a few minutes, add rice; stir 1 minute. Add the rest of the wine; simmer until absorbed. Add 1 cup of shrimp stock to rice; simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding liquid 1 cup at a time and stirring often, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender but still firm to bite, about 20-30 minutes. You may not use all of the stock. Add salt little by little until seasoned to taste…be very careful not to over salt! Add in preserved lemon to taste, stir in butter, Parmesan and shrimp. Season with salt and pepper if needed

Divide risotto among 4 plates, drizzle lightly with truffle oil, sprinkle with chives, and serve.