donaldson103211

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

1 zucchini, shaved longways

1 squash, shaved

Salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp high quality vinegar (rice or sherry)

1/2 tbsp agave

10 grape tomatoes, halved

2 larger or 3 smaller scallions, cut thinly on a bias

1 cob’s worth of corn

8-10 mint leaves, chiffonade large ones and leave small ones whole

1 pack of tarragon (6-8 stems worth), picked and left whole

4 oz crumbled fresh feta

Salt to taste

A lot of freshly cracked Black pepper (at least 10 cranks, but to taste)

Equipment: large mixing bowl, 1 small mixing bowl, utility/ paring knife, cutting board, mandolin

Cut the ends off of the zucchini and carefully slice it from end to end with the mandolin. You should have long, thin ribbons of zucchini.
Cut the ends off of the squash as well, but cut it with the madoline into thin rounds. Combine with the zucchini ribbons and add a hefty pinch of salt. Carefully mix until everything is coated in salt and let it sit for 15 minutes.
While that’s sitting, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and agave until fully incorporated. Slightly undersalt the dressing to account for the salty feta on top at the end.
Drain the liquid from the sliced zucchini and squash and add the mixed dressing along with your prepped tomatoes, scallions and corn.
Plate the the dressed salad and garnish with the fresh herbs, crumbled feta and black pepper.
Enjoy!

Cornbread Muffins with Berries and Cream

Cornbread Muffins (makes 9 muffins)

130 g ap flour

130 g stone ground yellow cornmeal

8 g baking powder

25 g toasted milk powder

big pinch of salt

2 large eggs

245 g buttermilk

60 g melted butter

80 g honey

1 tbsp butter (for toasting)

Equipment: scale, measuring cups/ spoons (1/3 and 1 cup, 1 tbsp and 1/4 tsp), 2 small mixing bowls, 2 larger mixing bowls, piping bag, 3×3 muffin pan, whisk, serrated knife, small sauté pan

Thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet in smaller one.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until no pockets of dry ingredients remain, lumps are good so be careful not to overmix. Transfer to a piping bag and rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 400 ℉ and prepare your 3×3 muffin pan by spraying with nonstick spray, or brushing the muffin pan walls with butter.
Fill your muffin molds 3/4 of the way up and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out with a little bit of moisture and crumbs stuck to it.
Once removed from the oven, flip the muffin pan over on a cooling rack and flip them individually right side up to cool.

Macerated Berries

1 cup Blueberries

1 cup Raspberries

50 g lemon juice

100 g light brown sugar

pinch of salt

In the other small mixing bowl carefully mix the ingredients together every 10 minutes until all the sugar is dissolved into the accumulated juices

Whipped Cream

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla paste/ extract

1 Pinch of salt

In a larger mixing bowl whip all the ingredients to soft peaks

To Serve

Cut the corn muffins down the middle and toast in a pan with butter
Plate the cut muffins next to each other with a heavy dollop of whipped cream laid across the top and plenty of berries and sauce spooned over the middle and around the edges. Garnish with fresh mint.
Enjoy!

Pain au Chocolat French Toast

***I recommend only using Pain au Chocolat/ chocolate croissants that have 2 batons of chocolate per croissant each

Serves 2 people

2 pain au chocolat

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla paste/ extract

1 tsp cinnamon

a 3-finger pinch of salt

1 tbsp butter

Agave, powdered sugar, berries to serve

Equipment: bread knife, whisk, large mixing bowl, pan with nonstick capabilities, spatula

Preheat your pan over medium-low heat.
Using a bread knife, carefully cut the croissants down the middle in between the batons of chocolate and set aside.
Thoroughly whisk together all the rest of the ingredients excluding the butter to make the custard. Make sure the whites and yolks are completely incorporated with each other before moving on.
Add the pain au chocolat halves to the custard and then add the butter to your pan. When the bubbles in the butter have subsided, remove the croissants and add them cut side down to the hot pan. Careful not to overcrowd the pan, work in batches if needed.
Once the first side is golden brown and dry in appearance, flip them and give them a light press to slightly to help with the other side’s browning. Don’t crush them or flatten them all the way!
If you have any leftover custard, I recommend spooning a little extra in over the French toast after you’ve flipped them to give their interiors extra creaminess.
Plate and then drizzle a bit of agave over the top. Dust them with powdered sugar and serve alongside fresh berries of your choice to help cut the richness of the French toast.
Enjoy!

Fennel and Citrus Salad with Pistachios

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

2 heads of fennel

3 oranges

2 grapefruits

1/2 cup toasted pistachios, chopped

1 small red onion

5 oz fresh arugula

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 clove of fresh garlic, grated with a microplane or finely minced with a knife

1 tbsp whole grain or dijon mustard

1 tbsp agave/ honey

salt and chipotle chili powder to taste

Optional: 5 oz crumbled blue cheese, a dry gorgonzola dolce if possible

Equipment: chef knife, mandolin (optional, but helpful), cutting board, bowl for mixing, bowl with a mesh strainer set in it, microplane/ fine grater

Start by cutting the onion as thin as possible. A mandolin will make this easier, but it isn’t necessary as long as you can cut it very finely. Rinse the cut onion under cold water through a mesh strainer to help prevent the harsh onion flavors from overpowering the other ingredients after the salad has sat for a while.
Cut the fennel next, at leasts thin as the onion. Remove and reserve the fronds. Set the everything aside while you cut the citrus.
To prepare the citrus, cut the top and bottoms off of each orange and grapefruit just enough that you get past the pith and can see the segments of the flesh clearly. To peel them, place the fruit on one of their flat sides and cut the peel away, careful to remove all of the butter white pith. Cut the peeled citrus into wheels and remove any seeds that you see. If the grapefruit are larger than the oranges, cut those slices into half moon shapes. Set aside.
Add the oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, agave, salt and chili powder to a small container with a watertight lid and shake well until creamy and everything is fully incorporated with each other.
Add 2-3 tbsp of the vinaigrette to a large mixing bowl and spread it around the bottom third of the bowl with a spoon. Add the arugula, fennel and onion with another couple tbsp of dressing on top and mix until everything is mixed together equally and fully coated in the dressing. Taste the salad at this point for seasoning. Add salt, chili to taste
Plate the salad in a tall pile on a large serving dish. Place the citrus on top of the salad in a visually appealing way. Sprinkle the pistachios (and the cheese if desired) evenly over the top and garnish the with the fennel fronds. Serve immediately alongside grilled or roasted meats and seafood.

*Since you rinsed the red onion, you can reserve some salad for later if you don’t plan on serving it all at once, just utilize the vinaigrette accordingly and store everything separately in the fridge.

Chick o’ Stick Cookies

Recipe makes 8 cookies

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cups desiccated coconut (separated into 3/4 cup and 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup Turbinado sugar

Equipment: hand mixer, mixing bowl, baking sheet, parchment paper, oven

with a hand mixer cream together the peanut butter, brown sugar and 3/4 cup of the coconut until it’s light and airy
add the egg and blend until smooth
with clean hands, roll the dough into 8 equal sized balls
mix the rest of the coconut and the turbinado sugar together and roll the dough balls in that mixture
bake the cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350℉ for 10-15 minutes, or when the edges just start to darken

best enjoyed with coffee or tea

Vegetarian Cabbage Frittata

Frittata:

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 of a head of cabbage diced

1/4 a small yellow onion diced

2 stalks of celery sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp chipotle chili powder

8 eggs, scrambled thoroughly with a fork or whisk

3 oz feta cut into small cubes (1/2 inch)

3 oz smoked gouda cut into small cubes

Crema:

1/2 cup sour cream

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 a bunch of dill, chopped

2 scallions, sliced very thin on a bias

Equipment needed: chef knife, cutting board, flexible spatula, fork/ whisk, pan with nonstick capabilities (I recommend a well-seasoned carbon steel pan but regular nonstick is fine), plate for flipping

In a nonstick pan of your choice, preheat 2 tbsp of your oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, sauté the prepped vegetables until the edges just start to brown.
Add your spices and cook for 30 seconds, then turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add the rest if your oil to the pan and pour the eggs on top of everything. Evenly distribute the ingredients in the pan with your spatula.
Add the cubed cheese and let the whole thing cook, undisturbed for 10 minutes. Be careful to keep your eye on it in case the heat is too high.
Once the eggs are cooked most of the way through and there is very little liquid egg sitting on top, flip the frittata over using a plate turned upside-down on top. With your hand firmly pressed on the plate, turn the pan over with the plate and slide the frittata back into the pan once it’s flipped.
Let it cook for another minute or two and remove it from the pan and let it rest on a non-plastic cutting board.
While the frittata rests and cools slightly, make the crema. Mix together the sour cream with the chopped dill and lemon juice.
Cut the frittata into wedges and serve with the crema dolloped on top and the sliced scallion sprinkled over the plate.

For some extra protein, sauté some dry Spanish chorizo with the vegetables and leave out the 3rd tbsp of olive oil.

I hope you enjoy my recipe!

Restaurant Review: The Dutch on 131 Sullivan St.

On June 8th 2024, I dined at the restaurant with a few of my colleagues from my day job. We had a 7 pm reservation and sat until just after 9:30.

The space was dimly lit with a large bar and small tables. Our server was fantastic, always checking on us and keeping our drinks from being dry for too long. The bathroom was beautiful.

Dutch gets a 6.5/10

Here’s what I drank:

Fort Copper cocktail ($20): rye, sweet vermouth, aperitivo

A great start to the meal, this cocktail was well balanced. It had 1 large cube of ice and was served with an strip of orange peel that was imprinted with their logo. The taste was equally as orange-y as it was herbaceously bitter. Aperol Spritz’s manly sibling, if you will.

Torch and Crown ‘Bat Flip’ Spring Ale ($11): draft beer

This draft was freshly juicy and hoppy, slightly bitter and quite refreshing. It was a perfect pair for many of the dishes that we enjoyed. This is the type of beer that you dream of after a long and hot day.

Saratoga still water for the table

Nicely chilled and we never went without for too long.

Here’s what we ate:

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (shared, $25 for 4 pcs)

Shrimp cocktail is one of the things I can’t resist ordering when I eat at a restaurant that’s new to me.

The shrimp came out on the same ice tray as the oysters. I’m not sure which garnish specifically came with which items, but they all sort of went with each other. There was cocktail sauce, mignonette, fresh grated horseradish and what appears to be either ketchup or mild cocktail sauce.

The red shrimp were cooked nearly to perfection. I prefer my cocktail sauce to have a bit more of a kick that what came out in the ramekin, but the extra horseradish helped compensate.

1/2 dozen Blue Pool Oysters (shared, $5 per pc)

This was their only west coast oyster. I’m guessing this was to prioritize more locally sourced selections, which I respect. Having said that, I tend to prefer the smaller, sweeter taste of west coast oysters and these did not disappoint. These bivalves were very clean with little to no grit, coming across the palate with a lot of fresh flavors. Think creamy oceanic cucumbers on petite half shells. The mignonette that came with it was pretty classic and delicious, shallots in vinegar.

House-Made Scallion Chipotle Cornbread (shared, $9 for 1 pc)

A rather small portion in my opinion. A litlle dry, which was compensated for by the whipped butter it was accompanied with. The butter was light yet decadent.

Crab-Stuffed Devilled Eggs (shared 2 orders, $9 per order of 2 pcs)

Delicious, but needed a little salt. Also a little light in portion size, I would like to have seen the same amount of crab split between 3 eggs.

Beef Tartare Cones (shared 2 orders, $16 per order of 2 pcs)

This was the best thing I ate all night. The Keller-esque snack was presented as crispy cone shaped tuiles filled with beef tartare garnished with caviar and one hazelnut. I would arrange the prevalence of flavors within this dish in this order: hazelnut oil, caviar, leen beef. Though I tend to prefer beef tartare where the beef shines first and foremost, this was a scrumptious couple of bites. The hazelnut oil came across my tongue very truffle-like. It was either that or they used truffle oil and just didn’t list it on the menu. I wouldn’t assume this to be the case since it was one of the most clear-to-taste components of the dish, and one would assume that what you taste the most of would be listed in the menu description.

“Chef’s Garden” Lettuces (shared 2 orders, $12 per plate)

Salad is an essential part of a balanced meal in my opinion, and this “chef’s garden” example checked all of my boxes. High quality greens with a lot of texture dressed lightly with a little extra lemon on the side and a garnish of grated parmigiano on top for a balanced finish. No bells and whistles because none were needed; I love salads like this.

14 oz Smoked Pork Chop with Mustard Jus ($45)

I was pretty excited for this pork chop, however I ended up a bit disappointed. There was nothing too exciting about it. The “Mustard Jus” was fine, its accompanying mashed potatoes were fine. It all needed just a bit more salt.

Honestly the sauce itself came across as bland. Given how heavy the char was on the outside of the chop, maybe the flavors cancelled each other out. I adore a good char on meat, but in this case it tasted shallow. With the dim lighting of the restaurant, it looked almost black all over.

The mashed potatoes were good, but there was so little of it I had to damn near ration it throughout eating the dish. It was definitely not a bad plate of food, but what was there almost felt like each component was not quite seen to its most delicious state.

The other gents I was with had their own drinks and entrees, totalling to approximately $456 before tip.

All in all I had a nice time at The Dutch. The food was good, not great. Everything was certainly on the higher end price-wise, which I guess I should’ve expected given the neighborhood where it’s located. My most prevalent critique throughout the meal was the mildness of seasoning on most of the dishes.

If you eat here, prioritize the raw bar, small plates and cocktails since that’s where you’ll get the most satisfaction.

Vegan Beans

makes approximately 1 gallon of beans

2 quarts dried beans

1/2 cup olive oil (plus enough to sear the aromatics)

2 large shallots, halved pole-to-pole and root “hairs” trimmed

1 head of garlic, halved orbitally

1 poblano pepper

1 lemon, halve

2 packets of Sazon Goya

1 tbsp dried mexican oregano

1 tbsp Aleppo chili flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp mustard oil (or 2 tsp dried ground mustard)

water

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Equipment: 6-8 qt pot, chef knife, broiler/ torch

Start by preheating a large pot with 1/4″ of oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers. With their cut sides facing downward, place the shallots, garlic and lemon into the oil. Cook until thoroughly browned. Remove everything from the pot and reserve.
Char your poblano pepper under your broiler or with a butane torch. Your end result should have all of the chile’s skin black, blistered and starting to separate from its flesh. Place the freshly charred poblano in a metal bowl and cover with a pot lid or plastic wrap and let it steam for 10 minutes. At this point, rub the burnt skin off using a dry paper towel. Cut off the stem and remove as many seeds as possible. Place aside with the other seared aromatics.
After checking your beans for debris, add them to the pot along with the 1/2 cup of olive oil, Sazon, oregano, chili flakes, paprika, four 4-finger pinches of salt and 10-12 cranks of freshly ground black pepper (approximately 2 heaping tsp). Fill the pot with water so that the beans are covered by at least 2 inches.
Add your reserved fruit and veg to the top and bring the whole thing to a boil. At this point, reduce the heat to a gently bubbling simmer.
The beans will need to cook between 2.5-4 hours, or until they are tender all the way through. Be sure to keep your eye on the water level, making sure to cover the beans in water whenever needed.
Remove the aromatics from the beans. At this point, you have 2 choices: you can dispose of the aromatics to keep your broth clearer and thinner, or you can blend them in a food processor (careful to de-seed the lemons beforehand) and add them back to the beans. The latter makes your broth thicker and more unctuous. All the flavor has been cooked out of the aromatics, so this step is primarily for texture and appearance.
Turn the heat off on your burner and add your apple cider vinegar and mustard oil. Mix thoroughly and taste your beans. At this point you want to add more salt/ pepper/ vinegar a little at a time until they are seasoned to your liking.
Enjoy with rice or alone as a delicious vegan protein source!

Sam’s Coconut Sablé

makes 16 cookies

75 g unsalted butter, room temperature

50 g extra virgin olive oil

80 g white sugar

25 g fine dry coconut

55 g egg yolk

5 g dark rum (optional)

3 g salt

5 g baking powder

50 g powdered coconut milk

130 g all-purpose flour

Mix the butter, olive oil, sugar and dry coconut until the mixture is fully incorporated and slightly fluffy.
Add the egg yolk, rum and salt and mix thoroughly.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until no dry bits of flour remain. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
Once fully chilled, preheat the oven to 300℉. Roll the dough into 16 balls, each one approximately weighing 30 grams. You should end up with 16 dough balls.
Space the dough balls out on 2 parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges of the sable should be just barely starting to brown.
Cool for 5 minutes on the sheet trays, then remove the cookies from their trays and finish cooling on the counter until they’re no longer warm to the touch.

Vanilla: Basic or Bullied?

What do you think of when you hear the word “vanilla?” Does it conjure up images of plainness, boredom or familiarity? For years, vanilla simply served as a basic flavor for me, as it does for most people. As for vanilla sweets, I never preferred them, but they were always there just in case someone happened to not like chocolate. I didn’t dislike it, nor did I ever seek it out in any capacity. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that having the same thing over and over gets old, even when it comes to the things we enjoy the most. I learned to cherish the intention that some things should be enjoyed with, those being indulgent things like gelato and cheesecake that could ruin my health if I had it every day. Every day does not need to include the most decadent dishes; Sometimes something light and simple makes you feel the best.

Recently I started trying to look at vanilla as a balancer of flavor, a baseline to build upon, as well as its own pillar. I would argue that most don’t know the taste of vanilla in its purest form: floral, pungent and almost spiced. This I blame on the quality of most vanilla syrup and extract, those being the most common forms of vanilla that most people encounter in their everyday lives. For example, vanilla and coffee compliment each other wonderfully, but a bad quality vanilla quite literally sabotages your whole experience.

I see that most people don’t even think twice when it comes to stuff like that. “The quality of this vanilla is not good enough” surely isn’t a thought that a lot of people have. I am not those people. If I’m looking forward to something nice and vanilla flavored, I’m not looking for some half assed vanilla something or other, I expect it to hold its own. That’s why I don’t get vanilla coffee. Most places use mid vanilla syrup, and I would rather not even fool with it in most cases. With food costs reaching record highs, it has become more important than ever for me to be pickier when it comes to paying money for food products/ ingredients. Some would consider that being too bougee, stuck up or even snobbish. I want my food to work for me, just like I worked for the means to be able to afford things in that higher quality bracket of products.

So next time you get vanilla ice cream, vanilla coffee or anything that can be seen as boring because of its vanilla characterization, think about the fact that vanilla is wonderful! We have to hold the things that we consume at a higher standard. Believe me, I know how hard it is to not be able to afford all the nicest versions of things, but cherish the times you DO have the opportunity to pick that real vanilla extract, paste or beans. Your taste buds will thank you, along with all the people in your life that you get the pleasure of sharing your creations with.