Various Dishes I’ve Created Over the Years
November 8, 2015
I’ve been fortunate enough to be exposed to great farms and ranchers over the last few years. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have an outlet to utilize these great products they provide and create dishes that I’m proud of. I’ve always wanted to open my own restaurant. Even created a business plan and had a modest savings for this venture. Learning about the in’s and out’s of creating a small business has its challenges. Mainly capital to keep the venture afloat. We are still in hopes that this dream of ours will come to fruition. We’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and would eventually like to be our own bosses. Hopefully this will happen but in the meantime I wanted to share some of the dishes I’ve created over the last three or so years. -Chef Kevin
Dungeness crab salad over grilled pineapple, organic cherry tomatoes, sprouts and avocado purée
Roasted cauliflower, sunchoke and frisee salad
Chocolate chip bread pudding in cast iron skillet with house made salted caramel and vanilla bean ice cream
Sesame crusted ahi tuna over wasabi mashed potatoes and topped with a fresh mango salsa. Not fancy but it was very delicious
House-made bacon bourbon ice cream
Beer braised pork shank over cannellini beans and mirepoix with natural jus
Local greens with grapes, organic cherry tomatoes and candied walnuts
Mac-n-cheese with lardon and a pilsner cheese béchamel
Blackened ling cod, white cheddar grits, tomatillo sauce and a fried plantain
Armenian and lemon cucumber salad, cherry tomatoes, wild rocket, feta cheese and a mint vinaigrette
Cider brined, slow roasted Carlton Farms pork belly, carrot puree, jicama salad and Inca red drop peppers
Pan seared snapper, over yukon gold mashed, romesco and pesto sauces with sprouts
A Way of Life farms heirloom tomato bruschetta, micro sprouts, goat cheese, balsamic reduction
Liberty Farms duck confit, peach compote, frisee
char sui pork ribs, wasabi mash, broccoli rabe
Mediterranean spiced pan seared salmon, orzo arugula salad, tatziki
Slow braised pork shank, lentils, greens, demi glace
Pan seared true cod, curry, cauliflower, local cherry tomatoes, cilantro
Pan seared halibut, parmesan polenta, herb oil
Cider brined pork chop, cheddar-scallion potato cake, caramelized brussels sprouts, bacon and an ale-mustard sauce
Just some light reading
Meat’s Meat and Man’s Gotta Eat!!
March 29, 2013
I hate to steal cheesy movie lines from the 80’s but as soon as I signed up for 4505 Meats whole steer class, farmer Vincent came to mind from one of my favorite slasher films Motel Hell. Another gem is “It takes all kinds of critters to make farmer Vincent’s fritters!” Well, we are butchering a whole steer and not humans during this class but man that was a good movie!
I’ve already participated in two other classes at 4505 Meats. The sausage making class and whole hog class. Both fun, both different in approach and both very informative. This class is the mother of all butchery classes. Eight hours breaking down an entire local grass-fed steer in to primal and sub primal cuts as well as sinew, bones and ground beef. We leave with about a hundred pounds of various cuts of beef. So far I’ve made Cincinnati Chili which was delicious and this weekend I am making a shoulder roast. The product is premium.
The class started at 7 a.m. After a myriad of liquid stimulants to get the fog cleared, we immediately started in on this beast. Kent Schoberle was again there to guide us through the class. His patience helps tremendously with us because even though I have broken down a steer before, many decades have passed since taking this class in culinary school and everything seemed very fresh and new.
We worked with many of the same tools that we used in the whole hog class but this time the hack saw was much busier than last class. The steer was partially broken down in about 130 lb. segments so we could actually work with it. Having to handle a 600 plus lb. animal would have probably not worked very well with the class. These sections were huge but manageable. It was very interesting seeing the final product after breaking down the primal cuts in to sub primal cuts like steaks, roast and ground beef. Even cutting mistakes were quickly remedied and nothing got wasted. All in all, it was a profound experience that I hope can add depth to how I approach proteins in my kitchen and the appreciation of this craft was definitely felt after the class. I am including pictures with descriptions below to give you an idea of what was involved in the class. Enjoy!!
Bringing the beast out of the walk-in.
Huge quarter steer!
More views
Ready to butcher!
Kent starting the process. He wouldn’t do too much since he wanted us completely hands on!
Another view of the front portion of the steer
Taking on this monster was very intimidating
Separating the shoulder and arm sections.
This shit was hard!!! I”m such a wimp…
Kristen getting busy!
Kent guiding us through the process.
Rib portions breaking down.
Let the games begin!!!
Sebastian getting busy!
Insert inappropriate joke here.
Nice rack baby!
“Hoff” confidently breaking down his portion.
Beautiful!
Kent working the band saw.
Oh the carnage!!!
Us getting down.
More breaking down with Kevin.
Parts of meat everywhere!!!
Tied roasts.
Cuts are starting to take shape.
Separating into bins.
More inappropriate meat jokes.
MEAT!!!
Braised beef lunch. Yum!!!!
More and more meat!!
This is my take home. Keep your hands off!!!!
4050 Meats Whole Hog Class
March 19, 2013
Well, half a hog actually, but the class was very informative and really fun. We were presented with a beautiful local hog from a Tomales Bay pig farm. I think I will call her Fanny. Don’t ask me why I chose to name a hog that had been sawed in half but hell, why not? Anyway, 4505 Meats had already processed the other half of the hog for their butcher shop so three of us got to break down the other half. About 115 lbs total weight. These are pretty large and robust animals. The hog had been aging for about 7 days. Most butchers desire up to 14 days for aging because important enzymes help make the meat tender after processing at the slaughter house.
Kent Schoberle once again guided us through the class. We ended walking with about 20 lbs of product each which included, roasts, chops, skin, fat, pork belly and bones. All individually wrapped and ready to take home. The class was about 3 hours long and well worth the investment. Here are pictures with descriptions of what went on. Enjoy!!
This is the product we broke down during our 3 hour class.
On the chopping block!
A closer look.
Kent describing the process.
Starting the breakdown.
Hack sawing the carcass into sections
Band sawing pork chops into shape.
Taking the belly off the ribs.
More breakdown!
Breaking down the leg/ham
Creating roasts to take home.
More meat portioning.
Final wrapped product! OINK!
My Mac-n-Cheese Made Simple
September 15, 2010
Everybody loves mac-n-cheese. If you have taste buds, you love macaroni and cheese. I for one am an avid fan of this wonderful comfort food. I’ve also had some really terrible mac’s in my life from family to friends and from restaurants who dare to try to create something that rides on a thin line between deliciously sublime to almost inedible. I wanted to take this chance to share my mac-n-cheese recipe with you in hopes that you will also enjoy at home what I’ve been very successful at selling for the last three years at my restaurant. Mind you, measurements are subject to change in regards to how much you actually want to make for yourself or family but the ingredients are key to ensuring your dish will stand out amongst others you have tasted. The dish can be made either vegetarian or with bacon which I suggest. We use house-cured bacon that is probably some of the best in San Francisco.
The following recipe with be scaled for 6 to 8 people. This is something that you can adjust on your own to fit the number of people you want to serve.
Dishes and utensils you will need for this dish are:
1 wooden spoon, 1 whisk, 2 medium to large sauce pans, 1 large baking dish, 1 large pasta cooking pot and strainer, 1 large mix bowl
Bulk Ingredients
2 lbs dry elbow macaroni
2 quarts cheese sauce (recipe follows)
1 1/2 cups 25/75 shredded parmesan and Japanese bread crumbs
1 cup premium bacon-cooked and drained
1 lb roux (recipe follows)
Salt and Pepper to season
Roux Procedure
1/2 lb whole butter
2 cups flour
In a sauce pan heat butter until melted. Slowly add flour into butter and stir with a wooden spoon until butter and flour start forming into a dough like consistency. Keep flame on low so not to brown or burn the flour. Continue to stir until bubbling and you achieve a “popcorn” aroma from the roux. Hold at room temperature until needed to thicken sauce.
Cheese Sauce Procedure
For this procedure I suggest you do not use a hoppy beer. A light pilsner would suffice for this dish.
1/4 cup pilsner beer
1 quart heavy cream
2 lbs shredded sharp cheddar (tillamook or similar quality)
roux to thicken
salt and pepper to taste
Pour beer into medium to large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add cream and also bring to a boil then immediately reduce to a slow simmer. In small increments, add roux and whisk continually to break up roux and to thicken sauce. When you have achieved the thickness you desire, slowly fold in cheddar until the sauce becomes silky and smooth. Season with salt and pepper and hold warm until next step.
It is my understanding that most novice cooks are able to cook pasta so I will leave this step out. The final step is combining all these ingredients.
Place pasta in a large mixing bowl and slowly add the cheddar bechamel sauce and bacon. Add only enough sauce that you are comfortable with and if you like your macaroni more saucy, then by all means add more sauce but if you like it crunchy and drier, add less. A reminder that when baking this dish, the sauce will thicken from the oven heat but all in all this is a very durable dish to make. When the macaroni and sauce are incorporated, place in a large baking dish like a pyrex for example. Sprinkle the macaroni with the parmesan-breadcrumb mixture and heat in a 375 degree oven uncovered for approximately 20 minutes. The bread crumbs should be nicely browned and and there should be bubbling around the edges of the macaroni. Serve immediately to the delight of friends and family!
The Trials and Tribulations of The Pork Belly
June 29, 2010
I’m the first to admit that I love pork belly. I’ve eaten it plenty of times in all types of applications from burritos to basted with fois gras butter but I really never worked with it that much. The restaurants where I worked just never used it so my exposure to this delectable dish never came to fruition until last week where I decided to tread through the uncharted territory of the roasted pork belly.
I’m mean come on, it’s bacon folks. Plain and simple. We’ve had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It goes on salads, in my mac-n-cheese at The Monk’s Kettle and on burgers. How hard is it to make it into a delicious appetizer? Well, for this impatient chef, it took longer than expected but the results were definitely worth the culinary lessons I learned along the way.
Pork belly brining, braising and roasting needs patience. A half-gallon of patience. We brined the bellies in apple cider, sugar, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf for two days which is what I do with my pork chops. Vundabar! I read a number of recipes and treated the product like the pork butt I braised for my bbq pork sandwiches and attempted to treat the bellies like the butts and ying and yang didn’t get along with each other this time.
The bellies came out nice and flaky but I wanted that certain je nes se qua that I enjoyed when dining and enjoying this dish in San Francisco. The bellies I enjoyed were about two to three inches thick with a nice layer of crispy fat that made this dish epic. My bellies were huge and it was like I was cutting off huge chunks for a Texas bbq rather than something that was delicate. I scrapped the first batch which went directly into my bbq pork which I have to say, was wonderful!
I did some more research and found out a key step from Chef Gordon Ramsay. After you braised the bellies, basting them in their own juices and white wine and when “fork tender,” you semi cool them and place them on a sheet tray and then place another sheet tray on top pressing the meat down for twenty-four hours to make them very flat, uniform and easy to work with. I had already brown the skin of my last batch and trying to reheat these monsters would have been a culinary disaster for my customers so down into the cooler they went with three number ten cans of ketchup pressing them to the specs I would hope for.
I came in the next day to see a beautiful sight. Perfectly uniform bellies waiting to be portioned and braised in stock to a crisp golden brown. I served the pork belly with a blemheim apricot compote, house-cured bacon and caramelized baby fennel and a Moonlight Brewing “Working For Tips” demi glace. The reception of all this hard work was overwhelmingly positive. I am already planning on serving pork belly again this week with a different application. I can’t wait!
My actual pork belly dish ala blackberry pic. Could be better but you get the point
Tales From an Urban Chef 