Dinner reviews from our Casa SaltShaker evenings
At the dinner last night, a young woman was asking me how my cooking changes as time goes on, a sort of “what’s your process?” conversation. The subject comes up time and again, both with guests, and just chatting with friends and colleagues. For me, I often discover a new ingredient, or a technique, and… Read More Mexican Invasion
You may or may not remember the group of sauces that I learned to make one day while in Guadalajara, one of which was a salsa negra. There are various versions of Salsa Negra, or Salsa Baja, in Mexican cuisine, most come from dark roast or deep frying chilies or tomatoes, or adding soy, or,… Read More Burnt Offerings #2
Just a look back at the last thirty days of dinners and some favorites out of the various dinners. A raved about favorite over the last year since we introduced it and brought it back numerous times, our combination Parihuela-Chupe, a tomato based seafood soup with a touch of dairy, miso, herbs, and plenty of… Read More Thirty Days – Favorite Plates
Time once again for that annual look back at whatever, in my mind, made last year interesting. Let’s hit the Casa SaltShaker stuff first. 120 dinners, 1041 people. That’s pretty much the same as the previous year, at 123 dinners and 1096 people. Those are both a drop from the previous couple of years which… Read More The Annual Round-Up v. 2.0.1.5
Over time, I’ve been playing with various versions of vegetable gnocchi that don’t involve potatoes. It’s not that I don’t like potatoes, I love them, but, just to do something different. It’s not some invention I came up with – various vegetable gnocchi are out there in the canon of recipes, and as I’ve been… Read More Plate by Plate: The Cavolfiore is Coming!
In Like a Loin, Out Like a Lamb The lamb: Trim lamb loins, setting the fat aside, toss the silverskin. Cut into serving sections. Season with salt and pepper, lightly coat with olive oil, and vacuum seal in bags, side by side, ready for sous vide cooking. Pull out your trusty Nomiku (or other sous… Read More Plate by Plate: In Like a Loin, Out Like a Lamb
“Best rabbit I’ve ever eaten!”New plate that’s been in the works for a bit: Rabbit Loin with Semolina Gnocchi. Rabbit: Salt and pepper a rabbit loin inside and out, roll, and tie. Sear until lightly browned on all sides, finish in hot oven for 6-7 minutes, until just medium. Rest. Untie. Slice. Separately, saute the… Read More Plate by Plate: Hopping Down the Bunny Trail
Over the last weeks, since returning from our adventures, a few new plates have found their way onto the menus. A few others, also new, are still “works in progress” that need some tweaking. And, I have yet to sit down and come up with some new inspirations from our travels in Colombia, Ecuador and… Read More A Few New Dishes