Burger, Fries, and a Shake

Beef and ice cream don't seem like they go together but grind up that beef, put it on a bun and blend that ice cream into a milkshake and suddenly its a classic combination.  And what's burgers without fries so here comes a post with 3 recipes (we were too lazy to take 3 separate pictures).  I'm pretty proud of these burgers.  Since you're suppose to use beef thats about 20% fat for burgers, instead we are using about 3 parts of beef thats almost entirely learn and 1 part ground up bacon which is mostly fat.

For Burgers
12 oz of top round roast or other very lean beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 oz raw bacon, cut into 1-1 1/2 inch stripes
1 tbsp coarse mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
pepper
hefty pinch of salt

1. Run the beef and the bacon through a meat grinder.  You can use a food processor but it wont be as evenly ground.  Mix in the mustard, worcestershire sauce, egg yolk, pepper and salt.
2. Form patties, about 6 oz per patty.  Grill at high heat for about 2 minutes per side or until the center is 130-135 degrees.  Serve how ever you like it, we put them on brioche buns with lettuce, sliced shallot, ketchup, and mayo.

For French Fries
4 russet potatoes
1 gallon peanut or other neutral oil
salt (finer/ non-kosher salt is better for this)

1. Using a v-slicer attachment for cutting fries, use it for what it's intended for.  It's up to you whether you want to leave the skins on or peel them.  Place the cut potatoes in cold water.
2. Blanch the potatoes in 2-3 minutes in boiling water working in batches.  move to a baking tray lined with paper towels in a 300 degree oven to dry off the fries.  Once they are dry, fry in 375 degree oil 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy,  drain on inverted cooling racks over paper towels.

For Bailey's Strawberry Milkshake:
4 cups haagen-dazs strawberry ice cream
8 full frozen/fresh strawberries
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup baileys

1. I've said it once, I'll say it again, put all the ingredients into a blender, and you know, make a milkshake.

Grilled Roman Pork Chops

Latin was my favorite class in high school.  For christmas I got Harry Potter in Latin and it reignited my interested in Roman stuff.  I started reading parts of Apicius and have wanted to try cooking with ancient Roman flavors.  The problem is finding modern equivalents of certain ingredients.  Thai fish sauce is suppose to be dead on for the ubiquitous garum. Romans also liked to flavor their wines with herbs so vermouth is a pretty good substitute.

For Pork Chops
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fennel seed
3 tbsp vermouth
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup water or chicken stock
4 pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)

For Topping
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tbsp pine nuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp olive oil

1. toast the cumin and fennel seeds over medium heat in a small skillet until fragrant then grind them up.  combine with the parsely, garlic, vermouth, fish sauce, water (or chicken stock), pepper and salt to make the marinade; stir until the salt is dissolved.  Marinade the pork chops for at least 2 hours, over night is better.
2. grill over high heat for about 3 minutes per side.
3. to make the topping, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  toast the bread crumbs and pine nuts.  Set aside to cool, once cooled mix in the grated parmesan, sprinkle over the cooked pork chops and serve.

Valentine Steak with Yuzu Herb Butter

Keith loves steaks with herb butter, so that's what I made him for valentine's day.  Since I'm obsessed with yuzu and citrus goes so well with steak and will cut through the butter. The leftover butter would be great rubbed on chicken before roasting or melted, tossed with pasta.


2 dry aged new york strip steaks (or whatever cut you like)
vegetable (or other neutral) oil
kosher salt

for the butter
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp bacon drippings
2 dashes garlic oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp parsley finely chopped
1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp chives, finely chopped
1 tsp powdered yuzu zest (or fresh if you can get it)
1/2 tsp white pepper
hefty pinch of salt

1. Combine all the ingredients for the butter and mix with a fork; wrap in plastic wrap and move to the fridge for at least 2 hours.
2. Take the steaks out to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 500. Lightly coat in oil and sprinkle liberally with salt.
3. Put a cast iron skillet in the oven and let it heat up for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and put over high heat, move the steaks to the pan, searing them for 30-45 seconds per side. Then move the skillet with the steaks back into the oven, cooking for 2-3 minutes, than flip and cook other 2-3 minutes.
4. remove the steaks from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. now you have options, you can either cut a pat of the butter and let it melt on its own, or even better, add a couple pats to the skillet while it's still hot and let them melt and mix with the steak drippings and then spoon that sauce over the steaks.

Miso Mustard Chicken Wings

The basic procedure for these wings I got from Alton Brown but the sauce is original.  Since you can steam them in advance, and roast them later, these are great for entertaining.  If you are gonna steam them in advance though, keep them wrapped in the fridge and then unwrap them and put them on the cooling rack to dry off an hour before roasting, don't store them unwrapped or they'll get too dry.

1 dozen chicken wings
2 tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp white (shiro) miso paste
1 1/2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp butter, melted
juice of 1/2 lemon
white pepper
kosher salt

1.  Cut off the tips of the wings, discard, and separate the wings at the joint. Lightly sprinkle the wings with salt.
2. Place the wings in a steamer basket in a single layer and place the basket over an inch of boiling water.  Steam the wings for 10 minutes.
3. Place on a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Move to the fridge for at least an hour to dry off the skin.
4. Preheat oven to 450. Roast the wings on the cooling rack on the baking sheet for 40 minutes or until the wings are golden brown and crispy, turning them halfway.
5. While the wings are roasting, whisk the mustard, miso, honey, and lemon juice together. drizzle in the melted butter while whisking. season with white pepper to taste.
6. As soon as the wings are done, toss in the sauce and serve immediately.

Braised Pork Belly

I love pork belly. It's mostly fat and will probably will be what kills me but still, so good.

For the brine
1 cup kosher salt
100 grams rock sugar (can't really accurately measure that one volumetrically)
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
3/4 tsp dried chilis
1/2 whole fennel seeds
2 inch piece of galangal, cut into chunks
3 medium shallots, quartered
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
8 cups water
1 lb ice

For Braise
3 shallots, quartered
1 head garlic, halved
1/2 white onion, cut into chunks
2 inches of galangal, cut into chunks
2 tbsp dried shrimp
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
3/4 tsp whole fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried chilies
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
32 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup chinese cooking rice wine
1 1/2 to 2 lb pork belly
1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the Sauce
1 cup of the strained braise liquid
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp chinese cooking rice wine
1 tbsp maltose
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp chili garlic sauce (sriracha)

1. combine all the ingredients for the brine except the ice and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt are all dissolved.
2. add the ice to jump start the cooling off process.  once it has throughly cooled off, transfer to a large ziplock bag along with the pork belly. place the brining pork belly bag in a bowl incase it leaks, and put the whole thing in the fridge, overnight, at least 12 hours, turning the bag at least once midway through the brining process.
3. when it's done brining, remove the pork belly, discard the brine, and rinse off the pork belly.
4. preheat oven to 225. add the oil to a dutch oven or other oven safe, heavy pot with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. brown the pork belly on all sides, about 5 minutes per side give or take.
5. remove the pork belly to a plate and drain the oil and rendered fat from the pan, leaving only about 1 or 2 teaspoons. add in the coriander, fennel, chilies, peppercorns, and galangal. sauté until fragrant.
6. add the rest of the ingredients for the braise to the pot including the browned pork belly, as well as any juices that might have leaked out onto the plate. bring to a boil, turn down the heat to bring it to a simmer. cover and transfer to the oven.  braise for about 3 to 4 hours or until it its fork tender.
7. remove the pork belly from the braise and place on a cooling rack over a sheet pan, pat the skin down with paper towels and move to the fridge for 1 hour to let the skin dry completely.
8. pour the braising liquid through a strainer into a gravy separator. put one cup of the degreased braise liquid into a small sauce pan along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. reduce over medium low heat until it thickens to the point it coats the back of a spoon.
9. reheat the pork belly by broiling it skin up until the skin is crispy. I can't give you a time on this, you just have to watch it the whole time; it happens very quickly.
10. slice, it up and serve it on steamed buns with the sauce drizzled on it.

Stir Fried String Beans

I had this the first time when Keith took me to Grand Szechuan.  The food was great and I spent the whole lunch shoveling food into my mouth making Keith translate what all the Chinese NYU students were saying at the table around us, but i digress.  Keith recreated this dish for my parents and this is what he came up with.  It was pretty good, though the xo sauce which is made from scallops I believe might tip the scales to the too fishy side for some people, so if you're worried about that, I'd leave it out but definitely keep the dried shrimp in.  In other news, I have no idea why there is a photo of a cucumber in the picture.

1 lb string beans
5 tbsp vegetable oil (or any other neutral oil)
1 lb minced meat (of choice)
2 tbsp dried baby shrimp chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 teaspoon dried chilies/red pepper flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp chinese cooking rice wine
1 tbsp chinese xo sauce (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil


1. cut the string beans into 1-2 inches in length and wash thoroughly. fry in pan over med/high heat with 4 tbsp of oil for over 5 minutes until fragrant and you notice that the beans get a little brown and wrinkly. remove and drain the oil.
2. heat the remaining 1tbsp of oil in pan and fry garlic, dried chilies and baby shrimp for about a minute. add in meat, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and xo sauce (if using). stir fry until fragrant and till meat is cooked.
3. add in cooked string beans and continue to stir fry for about 3-5 minutes. serve with rice.