The Game-Changing Cookbook

Nathan Myhrvold's 2,400-page 'Modernist Cuisine' upends everything you thought you knew about cooking

Here's the recipe for the most astonishing cookbook of our time: Take one multimillionaire computer genius, a team of 36 researchers, chefs and editors and a laboratory specially built for cooking experiments. After nearly four years of obsessive research, assemble 2,400 pages of results into a 47-pound, six-volume collection that costs $625 and requires four pounds of ink to print.

To call inventor Nathan Myhrvold's "Modernist Cuisine: The Art & Science of Cooking," on sale next month, a "cookbook" is akin to calling James Joyce's "Ulysses" "a story." The book is a large-scale investigation into the math, science and physics behind cooking tasks from making juicy and crisp beer-can chicken to coating a foie-gras bonbon in sour cherry gel. There is precedent in this genre—science writer Harold McGee has published popular books explaining kitchen science, and chefs Thomas Keller and Ferran Adrià have written about sous vide and other techniques of avant-garde gastronomy—but nothing reaches the scope and magnitude of Mr. Myhrvold's book. While it will likely appeal to professional chefs, within its pages are insights that even the humblest home cooks can use to improve their meals. The book puts traditional cooking wisdom under scientific scrutiny, destroying old assumptions and creating new cooking approaches.

The man behind the tome is a former chief technology officer for Microsoft and an inventor of hundreds of patents (he invented an electromagnetic car engine and is seeking a patent for his French fries treated with starch and placed in an ultrasonic bath). Though many of Mr. Myhrvold's 51 years have been devoted to math and science—by the age of 23, he held two master's degrees and a doctorate in mathematical physics from Princeton—in the 1990s, his passion for food began to loom large. First, he got deeply into barbecue (he was on the "team of the year" at the Memphis World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in 1991), and then moved onto haute cuisine.

"My career at Microsoft really was getting in the way of my cooking," said Mr. Myhrvold. After leaving Microsoft in 1999, he launched Intellectual Ventures, an invention and patent firm, and in 2007, with help from two young, scientifically-minded chefs, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet, he began work on the book. When publishers balked over the size and scope of the project, Mr. Myhrvold said, he ditched the conventional route and decided to self-publish through his publishing company, the Cooking Lab.
Among the book's revelations: Expensive pots and pans are a waste of money. Organic food is no healthier than non-organic. Black coffee cools off faster than coffee with cream.

http://modernistcuisine.com/

Tower Bridge Bistro in Sacramento

Dining at the Tower Bridge Bistro was literally, one of the best restaurant experiences we've had in Sacramento.  My wife and I really enjoy dining out and it's not often we find a place  like Tower Bridge Bistro that has all the best qualities and attributes of a great restaurant  working together so very well.   (Ambiance, Service, Food).

It was easy to maneuver our way to the restaurant from 50 to J street, to 3rd, then down Capital Mall, with a quick left into the Embassy Suites just before Tower Bridge.  Parking became immediately convenient with onsite valet parking. The restaurant is located inside an Embassy Suites and this hotel chain really knows how to wow its customers with an inviting great lobby that not only has fine art, sculptures and beautiful architectural views, but also many conveniences  and amenities for the hotel guests as well.

The location and views from Tower Bridge Bistro are outstanding as they are located near old town Sacramento,  on the river directly adjacent to the famous Tower Bridge.  Inside, the decor is very classy with fine woods and stone work thru out.  Beautiful views from nearly every table are afforded by the floor to ceiling glass walls that look out to river and the bridge.  We can't wait to go back during the summer to dine on their outdoor patio.

We were greeted and seated immediately and met by our waiter David, who proved to be a very knowledgeable and gracious gentleman who made our dining experience all the better with his culinary knowledge, fast service and excellent recommendations including wine pairings.

After ordering some wine and perusing the menu we decided on a few items and entree's to share together so we could get a good sampling of what Tower Bridge Bistro had to offer.

The French onion soup, the roasted quail and spinach salad, the scallop and shrimp appetizers , the seared duck breast and beef tenderloin entree's and even the decadent chocolate mousse dessert that we tried were all prepared to perfection,  and exceeded our expectations.  All the ingredients were fresh and colorful and the sauces and sides were well thought out and worked very well together.  Everything we tasted was  top notch.  Our compliments to the chef!  We cannot say enough how excellent all the food was that we were served.

I highly recommend trying the scallops appetizer, the French onion soup, and the beef tenderloin, but really, no matter what you order, I am sure it will taste great.  

To summarize our experience at the Tower Bridge Bistro:  the location is great, the ambiance fantastic, service excellent  and the food outstanding.

We have found a new favorite restaurant in Sacramento and we plan to go back often.

Ingredients

Ingredients

Meats, herbs, spices, sauces, broths, oils and more are what make up the every day meals we eat.

The above ingredients were for a recipe for Oven-Roasted Sea Bass with Couscous and Warm Tomato Vinaigrette. (missing from the photo is the bass)

It's amazing how many things go into a food creations

Purple Place Burger

The Purple Place

Went to the Purple Place last week to try their burger that has won a few "best of" contests.

I'd been here years ago, but since then its changed ownership and the entire place upgraded. There's a really nice menu now that consists not only of bar food basics such as hot wings and nacho's but they also serve seared sea scallops, pot stickers and more. For their entree's they range from scallop risotto (which I can't wait to try!), prawns, new york steak, ribs, tacos and a line up of burgers, sandwiches & panini's.


I tried the cheeseburger with cheddar with the works along with garlic fries. It all was very tasty and I look forward to going back to The Purple Place to try some of the other items on the menu.

Located at 363 Green Valley Road, El Dorado Hills
http://www.purpleplacebarandgrill.com

Party-Que

BBQ'ing for a Party

I was asked to serve as chef at a friend's 60th birthday party on Saturday, so being the wanna-be-chef that I am, I said heck yes! It was a party for about 50-70 people, the hostess I think planned for more because she prep'd a lot of stuff - I cooked enough food for an army (we could have easily served 100).

I cooked up a dozen kielbasa and a variety of other sausages on one grill that I had going (see photo above), and on the main grill I cooked over 100 skewers that had; chicken, pineapple, zucchini and mushrooms that I basted with Mr. Yoshida's teriyaki marinade (which is very good). Ideally the chicken should have been marinated the night before and some seasoning's added but I didn't know what I was cooking until I got there, otherwise I would have brought some good seasonings to add.

That was the first time I've cooked for that many people and I found it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to cook in quantity, the most important part was just making sure everything was done properly (especially the chicken), but not over done (can't stand burnt, hard, over cooked meats or soggy vegetables).

We also put together a bunch of side dishes, desert and more, there was food of all kinds and lots of it.

I must have done something right because everyone kept thanking me for the good food and at the end of the night the hostess informed me that 75 out of 100 skewers had been consumed, that was pretty good considering all the other kinds of food that was also available.

That was the best kind of payment I could have ever wanted.

Happy 60th Birthday Chris!

Chicago Donuts

Chicago Food
Part 3

I haven't been to a donut shop in years, seriously, but while in Chicago, I took the kids out one morning for a stop at the local Dunkin' Donuts.

We ordered some coffees and a few donuts and we all enjoyed the sweet sugar bomb treats for breakfast. Gotta love a fresh made glazed donut

Breakfast of Champions

Manderes

Manderes

One of my favorite beer joints / restaurants in Folsom is a small pub and grill at 402 E. Bidwell called Manderes. They have a motto that says "No Crap on Tap" and they mean it. This place is just like Cheers. Brent (pictured above) and Dave, the owners, along with Avalon, Lindsay, Tim and the rest are super friendly and always make you feel welcomed in their "home"

Manderes only serves the best of the best beers and wines, and their food is very good.

Some of their great beers include my favorites: Alagash, Leinenkugel, Anderson Valley, Deschutes, Lagunitas and at least 100 more choices between on tap and bottled.

I've had a lot of fun going to this place over the past 1.5 years since they opened and once a month they host a really fun beer tasting event that always packs the house. They usually showcase a brand or style of beer each time that includes a tasting of the best selections along with an entree' for $18. It's held on the 2nd Wedensday of every month

If you're ever in the Folsom area, I highly recommend you all check out this restaurant and bar.

They have daily food specials consisting of grilled salmon, pork chops, and more, and their regular menu consists of such tasty dishes as Chimay Glazed Chicken, Korean Bulgogi (which you know I like) and they do up a really great steak, ribs, shrimp and more.

Be sure to try their cheesecake blintz dessert sometime too!

Another thing to note about this great little place, they've won many awards since opening: They're in the list of Draft magazines Top 200 bars in the NATION, they were ranked in Sacramento Magazine as one of the best things to do in the Sacramento area. They won KCRA 13's Best Beer Selection in Sacramento, and they have won several times for Best Bar in MyFolsom.com's Best of Folsom selection.

Check out Manderes at:
http://manderes.com/
402 E. Bidwell Street
Folsom, CA. 95630
(916) 986-9655

Friday Night Out

Mexican Restaurant Review

Friday night we went skipped the home menu and went out to dine at a place we've never been. This is my review of a nice Mexican restaurant in Roseville called "Mas". Located at 1563 Eureka Rd, Roseville (916) 773-3778 - www.masmexicanfood.com

When we arrived, I noticed that I had been to this building before when it was another restaurant, but after walking in, I could see they really improved the place. The ambiance was very nice and they even had a bar and huge outside covered patio area. We sat out on the patio with our good friends Larry and Suzanne and enjoyed a pitcher of very good Margarita's with some fantastic homemade tortilla chips and home made guacamole that was excellent. For dinner I ordered the mole enchilada's which were tasty and Ronda had some tostados. Suzanne had the same as Ronda and Larry tried the carnita's tacos.

The food was very good, the drinks great and the service excellent. But my favorite part of the evening was the outstanding mariachi band that was playing and roaming around the restaurant. When they came out to our area they played a few songs, the singer was excellent and the players were spot on perfect. I think there were about 8 players in this band. Suzanne gave them a tip and they came over to our table and played a song just for us. The music was fantastic, I really enjoy Latin music (one of my favorites is the Buena Vista Social Club).


We capped off this nice evening out with a stop at Larry and Suzanne's house where Larry busted out a super fine wine from his vast collection (over 500 bottles)

It was a 1977 Fonseca Port and it was pure bliss! It's not often that we get to taste a 32 year old vino. This was one of the best wine's I've ever had and as a serious port wine connoisseur, out of a 1 to 10 rating, I give this one an 11!

Cheers!

Pizza Time

Believe it or not, Americans eat 75 acres of pizza a day!

The dinner menu for tonight was home made pizza. We made two different types;

The first pizza was what we call our "traditional" - it's tomato sauce with shredded mozzarella and fontina cheeses with sliced shallots, olives, green bell pepper, mushrooms and turkey pepperoni on top of fresh made pizza dough. (sometimes we add sausage too)

The second pizza was a funky new recipe for us - "pizza with smoked salmon" by Wolfgang Puck. Seriously, the guy's a millionaire, he's doing something right.... most of his recipes are pretty decent.

For this smoked salmon pizza I made the garlic chili oil (see recipe below) the night before by boiling 1 cup olive oil with 1-2 head(s) of garlic for about 15 minutes until they turned golden brown (be careful, don't burn them!), set the pot aside to cool for a while. After the oil has cooled add red pepper flakes to absorb into the oil for a few hours or overnight. Next pour the oil thru a strainer into a bottle. (that's the oil I made pictured to the left)

Our traditional version pizza came out great, the flavors mix together very well, it's no wonder its our favorite classic blend. (click on any photo to see a larger detailed view)

The smoked salmon pizza came out pretty good too but it was rich and a tad on the salty side (from the salmon) I think it would make for a better appetizer cut up into thinner slices, instead of as an entrée in larger slices... but don't get me wrong - it was very tasty.

Here's the recipe for the smoked salmon pizza:

Ingredients
- 6 oz of Pizza Dough (make your own or you can find ready to bake dough at your local grocer - we've found it at Trader Joes and WinCo)
- 1 Tbsp garlic - chili oil (prepare this as described above)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 Tbsp dill cream (recipe below)
- 2 1/2 oz of smoked salmon
- 1 Tsp chipped fresh chives

Directions

1. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.
2. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll out the dough into an 8- inch circle, with the outer edge a little thicker than the inner circle. Brush the dough with the oil and arrange the onions over the pizza. Slide a pizza paddle or rimless baking sheet under the pizza and then slide the pizza onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. With the pizza paddle or a large spatula, carefully remove the pizza from the oven and set it on a cutting board. Use a knife, an icing spatula, or the back of a spoon to spread the Dill Cream over the inner circle. Arrange the slices of salmon so that they cover the entire pizza, slightly overlapping the raised rim. Sprinkle the chopped chives over the salmon. Using a pizza cutter or a large sharp knife, cut the pizza into 4 or 6 slices. Serve immediately

Dill Cream
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 3 Tbsp minced shallots
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 fresh ground white pepper

mix well in medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate until ready to use.

Smoking Salmon

BBQ, God's gift to Foodies since the cave man

I've been a bbq chef since I learned to play with matches and roasted my first hot dog over an open flame on my moms bbq in our backyard. I still remember that day, I burned the hot dog to a crisp, but for some strange reason I liked that crunchiness, it seemed to taste good, but heck, what did I know.. I was only a kid.. I've learned a lot since then...

I love to bbq, I think it's some kind of Neanderthal trait in my dna that makes me desire to cook meats over an open flame.... it's that lust for fire that seems to always mesmorize us so much when we're sitting around a campfire at night staring at the dancing flames.

As we all know there'a a lot more to bbq'ing then just slapping some meat on top of some burning coals. There's direct and indirect cooking, there's charcoal and propane and then there's smoking...

Smoking meats is a different and very unique way to cook meats and create incredible flavors.

There's a saying that must always be followed when smoking meats - do it LOW and SLOW. That means cook on a very low heat (150-250 degrees at the most).

I have an electric smoker box (pictured to the left)

Today I made some smoked salmon using the following recipe for brining (which is a necessary process for good smoked fish)

Ingredients
1 cup kosher salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp crushed black peppercorns
2 large salmon fillets (pin bones removed)

Directions
In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish.

Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan. Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather.

Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process.

Smoke fish over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

ENJOY!

Let the good times roll

First post in my new "Today's Menu" blog

This blog is going to be about what my wife (Ronda) and I (Dave) are cooking on a given day. We both like to cook a lot, I myself (Dave) dream of being a chef, for now I enjoy working the culinary arts at home. Ronda and I are both very good cooks and we love trying out new recipes all the time. Sometimes we find some really good ones that are worth repeating... and sharing.

This post is about a new spin on jambalaya, taking it in a casual direction by rolling it all up in tortilla's for two. All the tastes and spices in a package that can be taken on the go or chowed down at the dinner table with a nice side of fried okra.

I've noticed there's been a new trend of using tortilla's in more dishes ever since NASA announced they use tortilla's instead of bread because they don't make messy crumbs.

With today's society always on the go, people wanting a convenient grub grab are eating more and more from drive thru's these days to help them keep up with their busy lives. IMO, that's not exactly healthy but it is happening more and more.

Enough rambling about drive thru's... .this recipe was found in August's "Cuisine at Home" issue, and like every recipe from this subscription, its a really good one.

This is my first post in my new "Today's Menu" blog so I don't have photos for the first few stories, but I will be sure to add lots of nice photos to my future blogs on food.

Jumbalaya Wraps
Makes 2 servings (actually it makes almost 3-4 if you throw in a few more shrimp)
Total Time 40 minutes (there is a lot of slicing and dicing)

1/4 cup dry converted rice
1/2 cup hot water
3 oz. andouille or kielbasa sausage, sliced thinly on the bias (this is good to do)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced green bell pepper
8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (add more if you like shrimp, I suggest cutting them in half - make 'em easier to eat in the burrito)
2 tsp. chopped garlic (or more if you're a garlic maniac like me)
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken (boil the chicken, then shred with a fork)
1/3 cup quartered cherry tomatos (these taste great, we also have used heirlooms)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
kosher salt to taste
2 burrito-size flour tortillas (10 inch)

Cook rice in hot water according to method on package, keep rice warm
Brown andouille sausage in oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat about 3 minutes
Stir In onion, celery, and bell pepper; saute about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic; cook, stirring constantly until shrimp turns opaque, about 3 minutes.
Add chicken, tomatoes, and rice; cook just to heat through, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsely and Tabasco; season to taste.
Divide jambalaya evenly between tortillas; roll to wrap

Enjoy these jumbalaya burrito's with a side of Fried Okra, read on for the recipe

Fried Okra
Fresh okra is best, but if you can't find any, frozen will work almost as well. Thaw and dry frozen okra before tossing it with cornmeal for frying

Combine 1/4 cup cornmeal, 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of sliced okra and toss to coat
Pour vegetable oil into a saute pan to a depth of 1/2 inch; heat to 350 degrees. Add okra and fry until golden, about 5 minutes.
Remove okra with slotted spoon; drain on a paper-towel-lined pate. Season okra with kosher salt and black pepper to taste

ENJOY!