Jerk Chicken

prep time: 25 minutes

Marinate for: 12-16 hours

Grill: 2 hours

Marinade

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

8-10 scallions, chopped

3 habanero peppers

3-4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme

1 tbsp ground allspice (grind the berries for best result)

1 tbsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon (best to grind from a cinnamon stick)

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

3 pounds bone-in chicken (drumsticks and thighs)

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a food processor until you've got a good liquidy marinade.

2. Trim your chicken of any excess skin/fatty bits.

3. Place the chicken and marinade into a ziplock bag or other container (16 hours).

4. Set up your bbq (charcoal 2-zone fire is the best!) FOR AROUND 250 degrees.

5. Make sure you let your chicken sit out at room temp for about 1/2 hour or so so you aren't cooking cold chicken.

6. Cook the chicken over Indirect Low Heat (See this for information on grilling)

7. Simmer the reserved marinade to kill any raw chicken bacteria for about 1 minute.

8. Brush the chicken with marinade while grilling.

9. Let chicken rest for about 1/2 hour. It can be served the next day after refrigeration for even better results.

Recession-Proof Eating : Braised Pork Belly

Good food doesn't have to take up much of your time or finances. You just have to know where to get your ingredients and create the right things that can be used in other recipes (which I like to call progressive meal planning) and also provide a satisfying experience at every step of the way.

For example, today we decided finally take advantage of Tom Collichio's {Braised Fresh "Bacon"} recipe which is included in his absolutely fantastic food lovers book titled 'Think Like a Chef'. The reasons to create this recipe were very evident, but the only one that triggered the the steps involved were the fact that it just looked KILLER. Other reasons included cheap ingredients and a surplus of byproducts like brown chicken stock.

Basically, we had to make white chicken stock, then brown chicken stock (which includes the white stock as an ingredient) and then slowly braise a pork belly. This entire process would take all day, but it was worth it for the smells alone.

I don't want to post every step here because I think you can get to this recipe if you already know how to make brown chicken stock. If you don't, the fundamentals can be found here, via google, or nearly any french or contemporary cookbook. I did follow Tom's recipe this time around since he was the inspiration for dinner.

The main reason that I wanted to post about this meal was because it only cost about 7 dollars worth of ingredients to make and a bit of time (and thyme). This meal will give about 2 days worth of meals for 2 people and also some extra brown stock to use in multiple recipes for the rest of the week.

Chinatown, which is the best place to get fundamental ingredients if you have access, supplied us with 2 lbs pork belly for $5 and also 6 chicken carcasses for $1 (for the white and brown stock). The rest was just simple ingredients that we've either grown like herbs, or come from our organic Bryson Farms weekly delivery.

So here is the recipe for the pork belly by the Top Chef. It's still braising in the oven and the smell is creating an incredible anticipation that can only be enjoyed by putting passion into creating meals.

from Chowhounds: http://www.chow.com/recipes/10762

GQ magazine voted this their favorite meat dish of the year, after strenuous debate over whether I should call it “fresh bacon” or “pork belly.” Whatever you want to call it, it is rich and delicious. When you buy pork belly, be sure to have the butcher leave the skin on.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds pork belly, skin on
• 1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 leek, white part only, trimmed and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• About 3 cups brown chicken stock

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat until the oil slides easily across the pan. Salt and pepper the pork, and add it, fat side down, to the skillet. Cook until the skin is browned, about 15 minutes, then transfer the pork to a plate.
2. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat and add the onion, carrots, celery, leek, and garlic to the skillet. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Return the pork belly to the skillet, fat side up, and add about 2 cups of stock (it should surround but not cover the meat). Bring the stock to a simmer, then transfer the skillet to the oven. Gently simmer the pork, uncovered, for 1 hour, then add another cup of stock. Continue cooking until the pork is tender enough to cut with a fork, about 1 hour longer.
3. Allow the pork to cool in the braising liquid. Remove the pork from the liquid, then gently lift off and discard the skin (use a small knife to separate any pieces that don’t come away from the fat easily). Score the fat, making crosshatch incisions, then cut the pork into 4 equal pieces.
4. Turn up the oven to 400°F. Strain the braising liquid, discarding the solids. Return the liquid to the skillet, bring it to a simmer, and skim off the fat. Return pork, fat side up, to the skillet. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook, without basting, until the pork is heated through and the fat nicely browned, about 20 minutes. Serve the pork in a shallow bowl moistened with a bit of the braising liquid.

Awsome Potato Salad

My gorgeous wife, the love of my life, most babelicious babe of all time just made THE best potato salad ever.

Although not precise, here's what's in it:

5 medium Red potatoes - skins on, boiled until soft
1 cup Green beans - steamed and chopped
Corriander - handful, chopped
3 Green onions - chopped
1/2 red onion - finely diced
2 tbsp grainy mustard
1/2 green (or any other colour) chopped
1 tbsp horseradish
3 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp ceasar dressing (Paul Newman's the best!)
Hot sauce - as much as you like (we used Marie Sharp's Belizian Heat)
season with salt, pepper and garlic power

POW!

Date Balsamic Vinaigrette with Molasses

Last night I planned on making a blueberry balsamic vinaigrette until I discovered that my magic ratio wasn't possible without the Honey or the Blueberries that I thought we had. So, I went back to the fundamentals and substituted the honey with molasses for the sweet side. I had no other berries on hand and found a container of honey dates and decided to see what would happen if I pureed those.

The magic ratio is:

1 part berries (strawberries, blueberries, whateverberries)javascript:void(0)
1 part honey
1 part olive oil
1 part balsamic vinegar
a pinch of kosher salt
a tiny bit of grainy mustard

The newly discovered dressing was comprised of the following measurements:

1 tablespoon Molasses
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
2 Honey Dates
1/4 tbsp grainy mustard
kosher salt to taste (a pinch...yes a real pinch)
freshly ground pepper to taste

I pureed everything in a food processor and then moved everything to a bowl to finish mixing with a whip. That quantity is tough to really blend together in a food processor bowl or even a blender. More would work better.

The salad was built with fresh organic field greens, tomato, toasted pumpkin seeds, roasted sweet potato and red onion. This is a KILLER salad and dressing. Enjoy.

Seared Scallops on Crustini with Bacon and Herbed Goat-cheese

This was a quick little meal invention that was inspired by a cookbook Ms.Huxtable was reading to pass the time at Chapters while I was shopping for french schoolbooks. Look for french recipes in the near future ;)


Serves 4

4 or 8 Bacon strips (depending on presentation, more bacon=more fun)
8 Sea Scallops (sliced into 2 for each)
1 crusty baguette
Herbed Goat cheese (such as Rondelé)
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Slice baguette on angle to create 4 long and thin (1/4 inch) angled slices from the baguette. The slices will be much crispier if they are thin. Brush each with Olive oil and broil in the oven, watching closely as they will turn from crusty to burnt in seconds. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Rub each with garlic clove and then spread herbed goat cheese as thick as you like.

Heat skillet on medium heat and fry bacon until desired crispness. Remove to paper towel for greasy soak-up and reserve the bacon fat in the pan. Add scallops to the hot pan and sautee each side for about 1 1/2 minutes. Scallops cook fast. Lay 3-4 scallop pieces on top of goat cheese. Place 1 to 2 strips of bacon on top and serve.

Burger Grease Art

Prime Rib Steak with Sweet Potato Fries and Garlic Aioli Sauce

The most enjoyable time of year for me is the reawakening of spring. When the snow is consistently melting and you can stand outside at 7 o'clock while the sun is still out with a t-shirt and a hoodie, you know it's time to BBQ. I got a bag of charcoal, some prime rib and went to work to make the greatest steak dinner that might challenge any restaurant of quality.

For the Prime Rib
1 or 2 nice pieces of prime rib steak (bone in!)
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

A half hour before you plan on grilling your prime rib, make sure that you take it out of the refrigerator and let it unchill. If your meat is cold, you'll have a harder time to get the perfect doneness that you desire. A rare steak shouldn't be raw, but it will be if you start grilling it cold.

Sprinkle salt on both sides of your steak and then grind some pepper all over. Brush a tiny bit of olive oil on both sides as well. It really helps get some black yummy char happening.

I've learned that pure charcoal is the way to go. Forget propane or natural gas grills. When you want a man steak, you sure as hell better know how to light a fire without any lighter fluid. Use a WEBER!

I cooked this steak for about 3-4 minutes per side on high heat.

Garlic Aioli
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 egg yolk
kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon (grainy) mustard
1/4 tsp water
1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice

After a suggestion by MarcO, I went with a garlic Aioli sauce for the sweet potatoes. When I realized how much I made, I divided it into two batches and added about a tbsp of Horseradish to one and enjoyed it with the Prime rib. Inspired by classic roast beef of coarse.

Sweet Potato Fries
1 or 2 big sweet potatoes
4 cups water
2-3 tbsp kosher salt
2-3 tbsp brown sugar.

These made the meal. Simply peel a sweet potato or two, and cut into your favourite cut of fries. I went with the classic 1/4 inch fry size using a mandolin slicer. Soak the cut fries in a brine of salted water and brown sugar for about 1 hour or so.

Setup the deep fryer at 320 F and put the potatoes in for about 6 minutes. Remove and drain. It's ok to let them cool a bit, and it's encouraged. Crank the heat to 375 F and finish the potatoes off when you're letting your steak rest. They only need about 1 minute at this point. Keep an eye on them. If they need 20 more seconds, you'll know. If you let them go too long, they'll become too dark and too toasted.