Docsconz- The Blog

Goose Cassoulet - An Idea in Food

Goose was the one constant going in to the weekend. Knowing that Alex and Aki would be visiting and having had the good experiences that I have had with Mary Pratt's Elihu Farm geese, I thought it would be fun to cook one together. I was right.

The defrosted goose was left to dry uncovered overnight in the refrigerator. I then took it apart to Alex's specifications, separating the wings from the shoulder sockets and the hind quarters from the rest of the carcass while leaving sufficient skin behind to keep the breasts fully covered. I then cut out the neck and the rest of the spine and back, leaving the breasts on the sternum. 

While getting ready to cut the spine into smaller pieces for easier cooking to make a stock, I identified the iliopsoas muscles running along the internal spine and dissected them out. Otherwise known as the tenderloins, these lovely strips of muscle were too small to do anything with other than quickly pan sear them and share the bites as cook's treats. Tasty!

In the meantime, Alex and Aki had set smoked bacon bits to cook on the stove, chopped onion and fennel, cooked the wings and hind quarters of the goose and began their initial cooking of the Rancho Gordo cannelini beans in the pressure cooker. Submerged in water they were cooked on low pressure for 5 minutes in the Cuisinart electric pressure cooker with the pressure allowed to dissipate naturally. The water was drained from the beans and the rest of the ingredients including a large can of LaValle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, the onion, fennel, cooked bacon, picked goose meat from the wings and hind quarters and herbs and seasonings were put back in the pressure cooker with the beans. These were cooked at high pressure for 25 minutes and once again the pressure was allowed to drain naturally.

The goose breast was cooked in it's own fat along with some olive oil and seasonings that included fennel fronds and juniper berries. This was cooked in the CVap at 125ºF for about three hours then seared skin side down in a hot cast iron skillet. Alex then deboned the breasts and sliced them adding three or four slices atop each plated bowl of cassoulet. The result was rich, complex and delicious with plump, creamy beans - a perfect finale for a cold winter night's savory dinner.

Braised Bok Choy with Blood Sausage, Horseradish and an Onsen Egg - An Idea in Food

When Alex Talbot saw the blood sausage in the deli case at Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburg, he couldn't resist it. We had already bought the bok choy and eggs earlier that day at Kilpatrick Family Farm and had previously planned on cooking the goose that my wife and I had purchased from Elihu Farm. The dish came together rather easily and quickly in Alex's ever-whirring mind and became the second course at this dinner.

Alex peeled the sauseage and cut it into small chunks.

Goose bones were browned and made into a quick stock using the pressure cooker.

The bok choy was cooked with the goose jus from the pressure cooker along with horseradish and the blood sausage.

The eggs were cooked in a water bath at 75ºC for 13 minutes and peeled.

Chef Kevin London of Farm House at Top of the World in Lake George, a dinner guest, was enlisted to help plate the dish.

Perhaps my favorite dish of the night, this dish had it all. The bok choy was well braised, but still vibrant with enough horseradish to provide a little zing but not so much as to make it over assertive. It played a great supporting role. The jus was rich and warming and the blood sausage added spice, flavor and texture to the dish, which was unified by the silken coating of the perfectly cooked whites and the oozing European orange yolk of the egg. The dish was greater than the sum of its parts, but the ingredient that set it apart from other similar dishes I have had was the inspired use of the fortuitously found blood sausage. Later in the weekend, per a suggestion from Alex, I cooked some more blood sausage along with fresh eastern L.I.clams, parsley, onions, garlic and white wine served over linguine - another Ideas in Food winner!

Smoked Trout Brandade - an Idea in Food

Not every idea that comes out of Alex and Aki, the couple behind the blog and book, both called Ideas in Food is cutting edge. They are both as well versed with traditional cooking techniques and dishes as they are with the ultramodern. Their idea for the first course  of our Friday night dinner was just such a tradition based idea - a brandade, but instead of using salt cod, they would use smoked trout. I must admit, this was not an idea that I found initially appealing when Alex first proposed it, but I've learned to trust his judgement and skill. I'm glad I did. As with any dish, the quality of the ingredients is important. Here the key element was the smoked trout itself. Purchased that afternoon at Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburg, N.Y., it was of pristine quality.

The first step was breaking up the fish. Aki did that, reserving the skin and the head.

The skin and head was used to infuse a quarter pound of melted Cabot 83% butter.

The next step was cooking the potatoes (yellow potatoes bought that day at Kilpatrick Family Farm) along with the peeled garlic cloves. My son, Michael peeled the garlic. The potatoes and garlic were boiled in water in a standard fashion. Once cooked they were riced together in a warm pan and mixed with the trout, the trout=skin infused butter, cream and some minced parsley.

The end result was magic. I may not have found the idea all that appealing, but the actuality was wonderful - silky smooth potatoes, moist, smoky meat and sheer pleasure.

Dinner with Friends - Alex and Aki Come to Visit

TV shows like Iron Chef America, Top Chef and Chopped all riff on a theme of spontaneous cooking to varying degrees. Iron Chef America specifies a specific ingredient that must be showcased, Top Chef offers surprise scenarios that must be adhered to and Chopped supplies baskets of disparate ingredients that must all be utilized in a single dish. All of the shows incorporate time limits in their challenges as well. These elements often lead to some fun television, but what is really compelling is the opportunity to take part when true professionals create a delicious meal spontaneously based on what is available.

 

Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food have, over the years become very good friends of my wife and I. With a presentation and signing of their new book, Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work at Red Fox Books, Alex & Aki along with their daughter and pup paid us an all-too-brief visit, a highlight of which was an informal dinner they cooked for us and a few friends on Friday night.

Blood Sausage

This delicious blood sausage came from Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburgh, N.Y. We ate it last night in a dish prepared by Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food. More detail's on the dish along with the rest of the dinner coming soon.

Ideas in Food Comes North

I am so very looking forward to a visit this coming weekend from my good friends Alex and Aki of Ideas in Food. For anyone in Northeastern New York who may be interested, you can meet them this Thursday evening, February 17th from 7-9PM in Glens Falls, New York at Red Fox Books where they will be signing copies of and discussing their outstanding new book also called Ideas in Food. If you can't make it to Red Fox Books for the signing or to your own local independent bookstore you can order it from Amazon via the link below.

 

Goose, Sour Cherry, Juniper

I don't understand why goose is not more popular than it is on American dining tables whether it be at home or in restaurants. Like duck and ostrich, these are very meaty, beefy birds. The breast meat is every bit as red as beef or lamb and the fat is simply the best. If one considers the rich deliciousness of a goose egg too, I would think they would be amongst the most popular menu items out there. Somehow, that just isn't the case, though.

For the second holiday season in a row, I bought a freshly killed goose from Mary & Bob Pratt of Washington County's Elihu Farm (more information below *) at the Saratoga Farmers Market this past Saturday. Last year, I roasted it whole in my CVap. It was delicious. This year, I decided I would try something different. I butchered it to cut out the boneless breasts from the carcass and separated the wings and the thighs with the legs  as well. I took the skin and most of the fat to render the fat and make goose cracklings.  I used the fat to confit the thighs and legs and am making a prosciutto from one of the breasts. The carcass and neck are being saved to make a goose stock.

For the remaining breast, I cooked it in my CVap Cook and Hold for 2.5 hours at 135ºF on a cedar plank with browning off. I then finished it on the cooktop searing it in a little butter. The meat was perfect! To complement the rich goose I made a sauce using Red Sour Cherry Preserves & Topping from Chukar Cherries. The cherry preserves were too sweet to use on their own, but with the addition of a generous helping of freshly ground juniper berries, salt and the juice of half a lemon, they made an excellent sweet and sour sauce to complement the meaty goose.

Yes, when I eat something as delicious and reasonably easy to make (I realize that there are few CVaps outside of restaurant kitchens. The breast with skin and fat attached can be seared just like a duck breast to the same wonderful end), I don't understand why it isn't more popular. Is it just a question of opportunity? If so, then I suggest that opportunities be found or made. goose is that good!

*From Elihu Farm:

Raising the Geese. The goslings, all gray and white Toulouse (a heritage breed), arrived onelovely morning in May as day-olds, peeping away in four large boxes at our local Post Office. Right away,we dipped their bills in fresh water as we counted and transferred to larger containers. Then it was off tothe sheep barn for “goose starter,’ grain mix, and lights for warmth, and more water, water, water.

They soon learned we were t-h-e meal ticket, and chattered away when we were nearby. As theygrew, their pen grew, until they were large enough to explore the grass near the barn. Geese love grass,and are excellent lawn mowers.

In a short time, we ‘weaned’ from the brooder, and soon put them to pasture all the time,surrounded by electric netting for protection. Vigorous healthy birds, they love their grass, and love theirwater and more water and more water. They still eat some grain for carbohydrates to keep them warm.

Goose for Dinner. There’s nothing quite like the flavorful dark meat from goose, which is lower infat than beef or lamb. The fat is semi-solid, containing over 50% of the beneficial monounsaturated oleicfatty acid, an Omega-3. Rendered goose fat is excellent for sautéing vegetables or roasting potatoes. Weexpect our geese to be leaner than conventionally raised birds.

Ordering. The geese run from about 7-1/2 to 10 pounds, dressed, and cost $7.95/lb. Pick up onthe farm or at the Saratoga Springs Farmers’ Market. Delivery to Albany may be available. Contact Maryand Bob Pratt, [email protected], 518-753-7838, 518-744-3947.

Seared Scallops Over Parmesan Creamed Spinach

I have been reveling in the quality of both the sea and bay scallops that I have been getting at Pura Vida Seafood from Suffolk County, Log Island at the Troy Farmers Market. I made this as an appetizer course recently to celebrate my eldest son's being home from college.This would do well on a holiday menu.

Ingredients:

Sea Scallops (preferably diver) 1lb

Spinach  8oz cleaned

Parmiggiano-Reggiano 4oz in small chunks

Heavy Cream 2oz

Pine Nuts 2oz toasted

Pimentón 0.4oz

garlic 2 large cloves roasted or pan-fried until just brown

Butter 1oz

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Wilt the spinach over medium heat then combine with all the other ingredients except scallops and butter in a narrow container and puree with a stick blender or use a food processer to achieve a nice smooth blend.

Spoon the mixture into 8 small ramekins making sure that it is evenly apportioned.

Place the filled ramekins in the hot oven for 5 minutes.

While the ramekins are baking, pan-sear the scallops in the brown butter so that both sides are nicely seared and sprinkle with fleur de sel or other high quality salt and fresh ground pepper per your preference.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and portion the scallops evenly amongst them. For additional holiday cheer, halved grape tomatoes or julienned piquillo peppers can be added on top along with the scallops.

If one isn't comfortable using the cream, good olive oil can be substituted to make a variation of a spinach pesto. Both work well.

Bucatini with Tuna (Yellowfin) Sauce

It has been a few years since I had made this dish, mostly because it is difficult to get good tuna here and I used to make it with bluefin when that was relatively plentiful and cheap (I know, I'm dating myself). While I love where I live, one of the area's biggest negatives has been that it has been relatively difficult to get top quality fresh seafood at a reasonable price. That recently changed, though, when I discovered at the beginning of November that Pura Vida Seafood, fishermen from Suffolk County in Long Island, are now making the trek up to the Saturday Farmers Market in Troy, N.Y. Though that market has always been one of the best in the area, I have generally stayed closer to home, shopping at the Glens Falls and Saratoga Markets. With Pura Vida and their fantastic variety of wonderfully fresh seafood, I have started making the drive down to Troy more regularly. This past Saturday I loaded up on sea scallops, grey sole, clams, oysters and some gorgeous yellowfin tuna.

This dish was one of my mother's Friday staples as I was growing up. It couldn't be simpler, however, the quality of the fish is critical.

Ingredients:

FRESH yellowfin tuna      1.5 pounds

500g good Italian Bucatini pasta

1 large can of whole tomatoes preferably San Marzano DOP

1 large red onion cut in half and sliced 1mm thick on a mandoline (diced is fine)

2 large cloves of garlic sliced thin or minced.

1 clump of fresh basil chiffonaded

1 tablespoon chili powder (optional)

salt and pepper

4 tablespoons good olive oil

Procedure:

1. Cook the onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil on low medium heat until translucent then add the garlic and cook lightly.

2. Add the can of tomatoes and a half a can of water and heat through. Once heated, I took a stick blender and pureed everything together. Add the chili powder at this point if desired.

3. In a separate pan cook the tuna in a tablespoon of olive oil to sear it.

4. Add the tuna to the tomato sauce and simmer for several hours with a lid on and kept just ajar. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula.

5. Cook the pasta al dente then transfer to a large pasta bowl.

6. Once the pasta is done add the chiffonaded basil and remaining olive oil to the sauce and stir.

7. Add the sauce to the pasta, breaking up the tuna as you do. Toss and serve hot.

Three Pears

Pipe Screams - Happy Halloween!

Pipe Screams from John Sconzo on Vimeo.

 

 

Keyboardist extraordinaire Bryan Kirk of The First Presbyterian Church in Glens Falls N.Y. plays Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (only a segment here) on the church's wonderful pipe organ on October 30th, 2010 during the church's annual "Pipe Screams" concert in celebration of halloween. It was frightfully wonderful! Happy Halloween!

The video was taken with a Canon Powershot G11 camera.

Pumpkin Soup 2010

For the past few autumns, I have taken to making pumpkin soup. Some of you may remember the pumpkin soup I made for The Albany Times Union last year (Unfortunately, the link is no longer active). Making soup is a great way to use the wonderful heirloom varieties of pumpkin that have been showing up in the local markets, such as the Galeux d'Elysines (the light orange pumpkins that look like they have peanuts growing out of them) I used here. In my area, Sheldon Farm Market always has a great selection of heirloom pumpkin varieties.

Taking the medium sized pumpkin, I roasted it in a 325º F convection oven for two hours, scooped out the seeds and then scooped out the flesh, enough to fill a Vita-Mix blender about half way. I added two cups of home-made chicken stock, two sticks of cinnamon, a bulb of fresh Kilpatrick Farm ginger some toasted cumin and cardamom (about a tsp), two tablespoons of Argyle Cheese Maker's Greek style yogurt,a generous dash of cabernet vinegar, a good squeeze of agave nectar, salt and pepper and blended them to a fine puree.I let the puree slowly simmer for several hours to thicken .

To serve the soup, I put several small chunks of beautiful Longview Farm's Feta cheese on the center bottom of the bowl. On top of the cheese I layered several strips of house roasted (by my wife), spicy hot Sheldon Farms red chilis in olive oil and about a tablespoon of freshly crumbled bacon atop that. I sprinkled fresh thyme leaves over the top before finishing the plating by pouring the soup around the solid ingredients and adding a dash of fruity olive oil and an additional squeeze of agave nectar on top (maple syrup would make a fine substitute). The result - well balanced and delicious! Try it!

Fresh Ginger

I picked up this fresh ginger root on Saturday from Kilpatrick Family Farm at the Saratoga Farmers Market. It is a revelation! I never had freshly harvested ginger root before. I had never even seen it this fresh before. It is juicy, piquant and absolutely full of flavor. I sliced some thin along with some garlic and sauteed it with some of the season's last haricot verts from Farmhouse at Top of the World that my wife purchased on Saturday at the Glens Falls Farmers Market.

Blog Find: Leslie Parke's leslieparke.com

Leslie Parke is an artist's artist with an eye for interesting art that she likes to share along with an educated assessment. Though I usually promote food and food blogs, Leslie's outstanding art blog, accessible through her website, leslieparke.com is a welcome and worthy exception. Her website features her own fabulous work, while her blog covers everything else that interests her (and yes, there is food, too!).

Landscapes For Landsake

Leigh McCloskey's "Mikey"

Of course, open farmland is necessary to grow the crops and raise the animals that become our food, but it nourishes more than just our bodies. Some of the most beautiful farmland in the country exists in eastern New York State, especially in Washington and Rensselaer counties. Still packed with small family farms, the quality of the produce is wonderful, as is the scenery. The open farmlands of this area also nourish our collective soul through the work of a number of extremely talented artists who have made this area their home and the inspiration for much of their work. This weekend, The Agricultural Stewardship Association is holding their ninth annual Landscapes for Landsake curated Art Show at Maple Ridge in Cambridge, N.Y. to benefit the organization's important work in preserving this valuable farmland as farmland for future generations.

Unfortunately, it is getting ever more difficult to keep this marvelous land doing what it does so well - working as farms. With suburbia or even industry ever approaching and the difficulties of surviving as a farm getting ever greater, the pressures on this land continue to grow, even as the actual amount of farmland continues to shrink. Contributing artist, Leslie Parke described the situation thusly:

The message and the work of ASA are important for anyone who enjoys a meal of good, clean and fair food or those who just enjoy a bucolic view. This event is always a great way to support those goals and have a good time in the process. Curated with works chosen by Evan Wilson, the show itself takes a broad look at what makes a landscape from traditional vistas to more narrowly focused views of animals, farm implements and more to exceptional pieces of furniture and sculpture made from found products of the landscape. To support the work of the ASA click here.

 

Oven Dried Tomatoes

 

Sun-dried tomatoes have received a bad rap in recent years - perhaps because they were just about everywhere and in everything back in the '80's and early '90's or perhaps because most people have only tried commercial versions. That's too bad, because they really are a great product, especially when starting with good tomatoes. The best I can recall was when I was in Sicily back in 2002 at Anna Tasca Lanza's Tasca d'Almerita Regaleali Estate and Cooking School with Peggy Markel's Culinary Adventures. Of course they grew their own tomatoes and dried them in the glorious Sicilian sun, which I could swear I tasted in every bite. 

Unfortunately for tomato drying purposes, we don't have too much Sicilian style sunshine where I live, so actually drying tomatoes in the sun is not a very practical project. The good news is that drying them in an oven is very nearly as good.

 

My wife bought a bushel of Juliette plum tomatoes from Linda Gifford at the Glens Falls Farmers Market and dried her own. She washed them, cut them in half, scored the backs of each half tomato and placed them on cookie racks with a little salt sprinkled over the tomatoes. She then placed them in the convection oven to roast at the lowest setting of 170ºF with the door propped just ajar to allow the exit of moisture. The duration can be quite variable depending on the amount of moisture in the tomatoes as well as the ambient environment. The object is to get a texture between leathery and brittle. It took her about 4-5 hours to get a great result.

 

So forget about what you thought you knew or didn't like about sun-dried tomatoes, if you have never had freshly dried ones! So long as you have good plum tomatoes, it is pretty easy and they are oh, so good!

Food, Farms & the Future at Skidmore College

 

Tomatoes - September 2010

 

I have lamented about the apparent dearth of really good tomatoes around where I live this summer, but these from Kim Feeney and her husband Kevin London at Farmhouse at Top of the World were an exception to the rule. The tomatoes were sampled and the photo taken at last weekend's Saratoga Performing Arts Center's Food and Wine and Fall Ferrari Festival held on the grounds of SPAC. They sell their tomatoes and other produce at the Glens Falls Farmers Market.

An End of Summer Breakfast

I can't recall a better summer for peaches. They are still good.

Goat's milk yogurt from Long View Farm  is thin and tangy, perfect for pouring.

Mix the two and find magic in a bowl. Add a little cereal for some crunch and a perfect end of summer/ Labor Day breakfast 

Ferrari Challenge at Watkins Glen

Yesterday, my son, L.J. and I drove across N.Y. State to meet up with my friends, Scott and Tanya Boswell, who were participating in the Watkins Glen Ferrari Challenge along with their friends from Ferrari of Tampa Bay and other regional Ferrari clubs. Jerome Bocuse was also there running his Ferrari adorned with the logo for Bocuse D'Or USA and Daniel Boulud came up with his friend, Dean Santon to participate. While I didn't get a chance to ride in one, let alone drive one, we had fun, partaking of a unique experience. The cars are simply stunning - beautiful just standing still and jaw-dropping when zooming around the track. It was a pleasure to bask in their glow and to resonate with their rumbling engines. The event started on Thursday and was continuing through the weekend. I wish that we were able to stay for more than just the Saturday afternoon.