macaroni and cheese

mmm... mac n cheese. creamy, cheesey, gooey and salty, macaroni and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods. what better than to combat the cold damp fog than this recipe comes from a saveur magazine special edition issue, "classic american: comfort foods we crave." i follow the recipe exactly and here i'll illustrate it step by step.

a roux is created melting 6 T unsalted butter and stirring 6 T flour into it.

the roux is constantly stirred for 4 minutes over low heat until the flour is cooked.

3 3/4 cups hot milk is blended into the roux a 1/2 cup a time until the sauce thickens.

2 cups of grated cheddar cheese are stirred into the sauce until incorporated. i also seasoned it with some salt and pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a little heat.

here's the finished sauce that i held on the stove while i prepped the macaroni.

once the macaroni has been cooked al dente, it's drained well but not rinsed. it's then combined with the cheese sauce and checked for seasoning.

i then start layering the casserole in a buttered dish beginning with a 1/2 cup grated cheddar, a 1/3 of the macaroni, cheese, macaroni, and so on.

a 1/2 cup of heavy cream is poured over the top.

2 T of butter are melted and combined with a 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and sprinkled over the top of the casserole. this then went into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes to brown the top.

while that was going, i prepared a side dish of greens to help offset the richness of the mac n cheese. 3 cloves of chopped garlic went into olive oil to brown.

a bag of tj's rainbow chard is tossed into the pan and sauteed until wilted.

a cup of water is added to the pan and the lid goes on to steam and soften the chard for 10 mintues.

after 30 minutes, i noticed the crust still hadn't browned, so i cranked up the thermostat to 500 degrees for another 10 minutes. that definitely helped, as evidenced here.

time to plate. the mac n cheese is creamy and gooey inside with a nice browned crust on top.

the chard gets plated along with some mixed greens and grape tomatoes tossed in some balsamic vinaigrette.

wow. talk about cheesey. this version is extremely rich and gooey. great flavor. addicting quality. fortunately the acidity of the balsamic salad and the vegginess of the chard helped cut the richness nicely.

a bottle of beringer's white zinfandel also helped cut the richness of the cheese with its palate cleansing and almost effervescent quality.

as the mac n cheese cools, the cheese does start to curdle slightly and wasn't as creamy as i'd expected. i'd also probably switch from breadcrumbs to panko breadcrumbs to get a crispier topping. otherwise, this recipe makes for a pretty darn good classic mac n cheese, and definitely cured my craving for comfort food tonite.

french chicken in a pot

a month ago i picked up a martha stewart enameled cast iron casserole from macy's. i've always wanted an entire set of le crueset pots, but they're quite pricey, easily $1,000 for a set of 6 pans. the martha stewart version seems comparable except that it's much less and has no lifetime warranty. oh well. until i can afford 'em, martha will have to do.

so to break in my new dutch oven, i looked for a recipe worthy of such an honor. flipping through one of my old cook's illustrated magazines, i came across "introducing french chicken in a pot." the author of the article goes through his trial and error process in detail and then the actual recipe follows. it sounded pretty good, especially when he writes, "the meat was incredibly tender and juicy, with a rich, soul-satisfying flavor." so i decided to take a trial run.

i first prep the vegetables: 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped leek (substituted for a stalk of celery), 5 whole cloves garlic, 1 bay leaf, and 1 t dried rosemary (substituted for a fresh rosemary sprig).

i rinse a 5 lb chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. the legs are trussed together with twine. salt and pepper seasons the chicken in and out.

a tablespoon of olive oil is heated in the dutch oven until smoking. the chicken is then placed in the pot breast side down to brown. the veggies are scattered around to brown as well.

after about 5 minutes, i flip the chicken over to brown the other side well.

after the chicken and veggies are nicely browned, a sheet of foil is spread over the pot and the lid goes on for a tight seal into a 250* oven until the breast registers 160* and the thigh 175*.

after 1.5 hrs, i took the chicken out. unfortnately i waited a bit too long; the breast registered 175* and it was a bit overcooked. hopefully the semi-braising method would keep the breast meat moist.

removing the chicken proved a bit difficult, as the meat was so tender the legs and wings were falling off as i lifted the chicken out. but i got it to the carving board to rest for 20 minutes while i strained the pot juices into a small saucepan and reduced it with some fresh lemon juice.

a quick saute of some green beans with lemon juice and a toss of fresh greens with balsamic vinaigrette and feta dished up the chicken and au jus.

the chicken ended up being pretty flavorful, tender and juicy. the breast meat was a bit overcooked and slightly dry as i thought due to overcooking, but it was quite tender and not stringy at all.

like the recipe author states, this is not a crispy-skinned chicken roast; the skin was soft and a little rubbery. but, there was a lot of flavor and the meat was very moist. for future iterations, i think i'll "beef" up flavor with the addition of other aromatic vegetables like celery and carrots and a couple of lemon wedges in the cavity of the chicken while it cooks.

all in all, a pretty good first use of my new enameled cast iron pot.

casero cremini stuffed pork chops with roasted potatoes and sauteed spinach

for dinner tonite, i wanted to recreate something christien enjoyed at dinner a couple weeks ago at luna park. he had ordered the breaded pork cutlet stuffed with mushrooms and swiss cheese with mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple-cranberry sauce. i swung by lucky's and picked up ingredients that i thought would make something close to the original. so here it goes.

i started off with a half basket of cremini mushrooms, queso casero (a fresh mexican cheese that is briny and has the texture of firm ricotta), and a few sprigs of basil from the basil plant i bought from trader joe's.


these were chopped and combined in a bowl to serve as the stuffing for the chops.


i then sliced pockets into each of the pork loin chops to allow room for the stuffing.


and dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper were combined into a marinade which coated the chops. the chops were then stuffed with the mushroom mixture, lightly dredged in panko breadcrumbs, and placed on a rack over a sheet pan.


this went into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes until brown.


10 minutes earlier, i had also tossed some chopped red potatoes, garlic cloves, and red onions with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a bit of chili powder in a pan, and placed this into the oven to brown and crisp.


i also sauteed a bunch of spinach with garlic and olive oil and plated everything up with a drizzle balsamic-honey reduction.


looks hearty doesn't it? the chops were pretty good overall and the stuffing added some extra moisture and flavor. there was some room for improvement though. in order to get the panko crust to brown, they needed to stay longer in the oven which sort of dried out the chops a bit. fortunately the stuffing added some moisture, but i might look at using a cheese that melts more than the queso casera. i'd also chop the stuffing finer so it holds together better.


the potatoes were nicely roasted and seasoned, and the spinach was, well, spinach.


a couple glasses of babcock chardonnay nicely washed the potatoes and chops down, being crisp and slightly fruity. yum.


while the recipe needs some finessing, christien thought, "it was simply wonderful," and "it had a lot more meat and more stuffing than luna park's." good stuff.

mi tierra supermercado y taqueria

on our way down beautiful and winding highway 1 to the monterey bay aquarium, christien and i were both in the mood for something really good to eat. i did some quick research on chow beforehand and found some suggestions on best places to eat in the area.

"You may want to choose places off the beaten path to avoid crowds. With that in mind: There are many many good taquerias in the Seaside and Marina areas which are just minutes away from the fairgrounds. Very casual (plastic chairs and tables, no table service) pero, la comida es muy autentico. Cruise Fremont and you'lll see. For quick bites, almost any Mexican market will have a small deli grill dispensing tortas, burritos and taco."

we drove up and down fremont street noting each tacqueria along the way and finally settled on mi tierra supermercado y taqueria, my land supermarket and taco stand.


with its long length and barrel-vaulted ceilings, the market looked like army barracks gone cinco de mayo.


inside, to the left, and all the way in the back by the produce section...


was a small "deli" with a couple of guys working the service counter. the tacqueria served up usual fare on its menu: tacos, burritos, tortas, and sopas. everything looked incredibly good, fresh, and cheap! i assume they benefit from having market-fresh meat and produce right there.


christien ordered his favorite, menudo, or beef tripe soup, which came with hot tortillas and garnishes for the soup. it was a beautiful red-orange color and had great body and flavor depth.


i ordered a torta de carnitas, a grilled roll with beans, carnitas (deep fried pork), avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa all slathered together into a toasty hot package. the meat was perfectly seasoned, tender, moist and extremely tasty and hearty.


we also shared tacos al pastor (bbq pork) and tacos carne asada (beef), both of which were delicious as well, but were a little skimpy on meat.


and a couple of large agua frescas washed the food down, papaya and horchata. the agua frescas here were very well made with fresh and strong flavors. highly recommended.


christien has been on a hunt for quality menudo ever since moving to california. i'm happy to report that mi tierra tacqueria's menudo ranked amongst the best he's had here, due to the caldo (broth) which was extremely rich and flavorful to begin with. the lime, cilantro, onions, and oregano that one usually adds to the soup to spice up the flavor weren't necessary to make the menudo taste good. but of course, he adds them anyway. this, he says, is how it's supposed to be and just like grandma makes it.


overall, a very, very good experience and i would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in taking a side trip from touristy monterey bay and sampling what authentic fare local latinos have access to in the area. don't expect tables and chairs, it's not that kind of scene. we were literally sitting right next to the apples and oranges. but if you're into food as much as i am, you'll know how to appreciate the food at mi tierra supermercado y taqueria.