By Request... 2 Caesar Dressings

I get email recipe requests all the time, which is one reason I now post recipes here - as a preemptive measure. So today I was asked for our caesar salad dressing recipe, and I realized that 1) it's not posted, and 2) it's really hard to scale down. But I thought I'd give it a shot. The first of the recipes below is just that - my condensed version of the G23 dressing. The second is one I use at home, or close to it, I think. Good luck.

Grill 23's Caesar Dressing

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 tsp red wine vinegar

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 shakes Tabasco

1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp anchovy paste

1 1/4 cups canola oil

1 cup olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

- in a countertop mixer, thoroughly combine all ingredients except for oils

- with machine running on medium-high speed, slowly drizzle in oils to emulsify

- season to taste

My Other Caesar Dressing

1 egg, poached for 2 minutes

12 anchovy fillets

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

2 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

juice of 2 lemons

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup olive oil

- in a blender, thoroughly process all ingredients but oils

- with motor running, slowly drizzle in oils until thickened

The Spanish Word for Étude

A number of years ago I came upon a new, revolutionary product: fata paper, ostensibly invented by some Italian chef, though I'm sure he was only its public face. Fata paper purported to be a transparent, oven-safe plastic that one might use as one would use parchment for meals "en papillote." It seemed pretty cool at the time - I pictured packing meals-to-go in the stuff, doing some nifty table presentation, whatever. Then I discovered Reynolds Oven Bags. My fata bubble had burst. Anyway, last night's dinner was a bit of a spoof on some of today's latest trends, and following are recipes for you to execute a perfectly modern menu at home: native cod, a ragout of corn, shiitakes & smoked shrimp, maiz fundido and cucumber-celery espuma.

It begins with the farm to table movement: garlic scapes, first blanched, then cooked for so long they approach a surprisingly edible state; and some local corn, which along with New Hampshire shiitakes, Maine shrimp and dayboat cod, all qualify for the locavore title. Next we hit Spain, home of the top culinary trendsetters for the past 15 years or so, and the hub of molecular gastronomy (a title which, to me, much better describes microwave cooking). So we have little monoliths of corn (the yellow rectangles in the photo) designed to only finally melt when the dish is fully cooked, which actually works out quite well. And here we use marshmallows, as it is typical to the school of avant garde Spanish cuisine to make use of rather improbable, perhaps inappropriate - or at least marginally appealing - ingredients. Of course we must include one of several types of foam, the one often refered to as "air." I personally prefer "fizz," but that doesn't do justice to such a scholarly study of la cocina. Also, I included one metric measurement for true authenticity. And finally we bake this whole bundle in fata paper, except that I left my expensive roll of fata paper at the office, so I got some Reynolds Oven Bags from Shaw's while Owen had a piano lesson. (I should mention, by the way, that Owen chose corn and shiitakes as ingredients.) I should also mention, that spoof or no, this was an unreasonably delicious dinner.

The Spanish Word for Étude

Ragout

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp butter

10 large shiitake caps, cut into brunoise

kernels and milk from 2 ears corn

6 oz smoked Maine shrimp, chopped

2 Tbsp combined thyme and oregano flowers

pinch salt and a few grinds pepper

- sweat shiitakes and corn in oil and butter over low to medium heat 7 minutes

- remove from heat and add shrimp, herb flowers, salt and pepper; chill.

Maiz Fundido

1 Tbsp butter

shaved corn and milk from 1 ear corn (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup thin sliced sweet onion

1/2 tsp sea salt

200 ml prepared dashi

2 marshmallows, diced ( I like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's brands)

1/2 cup 1% milk

3/4 tsp agar agar powder

- sweat corn, onions and salt over low to medium heat until onions soften - about 8 minutes

- add dashi and bring to a simmer

- stir in marshmallows and remove from heat

- puree in blender until smooth (this should amount to about 1 cup)

- return to pan and add milk and agar agar; whisk constantly while simmering 5 minutes and pour into small bread pan lined with plastic wrap; chill until set

Cucumber-Celery Espuma

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp soy lecithin granules (available at hippie supermarkets)

- puree celery, cucumber and water; strain

- add soy lecithin and warm this liquid over low to medium heat

- before serving, whip this mixture with an immersion blender

Assembly

4 oven bags

4 garlic scapes, blanched 3 minutes and shocked in ice water

corn, shiitake & smoked shrimp ragout

4 7 ounce portions of cod, seasoned with salt and pepper

maiz fundido

cucumber-celery espuma

- in each oven bag place a garlic scape and fill with the ragout (the scape is a spiral shape)

- top each with a portion of cod and 1/4 of the maiz fundido (which will be a solid block)

- seal bags with the provided enclosures and bake at 350 degrees until the solid maiz fundido rectangle has melted - about 20-25 minutes

- remove from oven and cut bags open; top with dollops of espuma and enjoy!

Really Good Pork Shoulder

I woke up yesterday determined - for reasons I can't even begin to explain in my picky and/or vegetarian household - to slow roast a pork shoulder. A few weeks ago I got this crappy, floor-model damaged grill from a large chain retail store, and it has a unique feature: there is no exposed flame, which might cause some to think its claim to be a grill at all dubious at best. Anyway, basically it consists of a steel basin poised over a set of weak gas burners, and if you toss some wood chips in the basin, it becomes a groovy smoker. So that's what I did. I got a decent pork shoulder at Whole Foods (had to ask for it, wasn't on display) and smothered it with this (after liberally seasoning it with salt and pepper, of course)...

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp zinfandel
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp grain mustard
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp celery seed
3 cloves garlic, minced

- whisk together all ingredients, bring to a simmer in a small saucepan and reduce by half

Then I smoked it away from the heat with the left burner only on in a 3-burner setup, and soaked wood chips (maple and hickory) over that burner, while the pork was on the rack above the grill on the right side. Can you picture that? This task did require that I tend the smoke all throughout the 5 1/2 hours on the grill at about 200 - 210 degrees, adding small handfuls of chips every half hour or so. I also rotated the pork shoulder a few times, as the side nearest the heat would tend to brown more quickly. When the internal temperature reached 170 degrees, I removed the roast to allow it to rest, cranked the heat and threw on a halibut fillet and bluefoot and trumpet royale mushrooms. Good stuff, mate!

Lightly Smoked Tomatoes with Griddled Cheese

Yesterday as my pork shoulder gently roasted over hardwood, I had the opportunity to take advantage of such a tiny fire, so I put together this quickish tomato salad. Since it's the beginning of August a number of our herbs are in bloom, and that's when they're at their best - when the sweet pollen highlights everything you already like about them. You will swear you used sugar, but since you've only had a glass or two of viognier from the Cotes du Ventoux, you're still pretty lucid, and certain you don't remember adding any, which you didn't.

7 small tomatoes, quartered
fresh pollen from 3 fennel flower clusters
2 Tbsp Greek oregano flowers

1 Tbsp African basil flowers
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp basil vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces halloumi, cut into small squares

1 Tbsp olive oil

fresh ground black pepper
squeeze of lemon

- gently combine tomatoes and herb flowers/pollen with the Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and fresh ground black pepper
- roast over smoldering hardwood until tomatoes just begin to soften - about 10 minutes; remove to serving bowl

- in a nonstick skillet saute halloumi in olive oil until browned on both sides
- season with pepper and squeeze lemon into pan; add cheese to tomatoes
- whisk together basil vinegar, olive oil and salt; drizzle over tomatoes and cheese

Basil Vinegar

1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup mixed African basil flowers and leaves
1/2 tsp sea salt - combine all ingredients and bring to a boil

- remove from heat and allow to steep 30 minutes; bottle

Another Perfect Condiment

I came up with this a few years ago by throwing things into the food processor at random. Most likely they were the things closest to me at the time, but it turned out to be mad good. We first creamed it with swiss chard for a ravioli filling. At the moment we smother a sirloin steak with some before wrapping it in bacon. I could see it as a sandwich spread, a pasta sauce, a way to dress up a steak, even as a midnight snack straight out of the Tupperware. We call it "The Condiment."

I should mention that this recipe assumes you have a supply of caramelized onions convenient to you, which you don't, do you? So I'll wait here while you make some. Ready?

The Condiment

2 cups caramelized onions (not 2 cups onions, caramelized)

1 lb gorgonzola, crumbled

1/4 cup pimenton dulce (it also assumes that you have this, which you better)

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

- in food processer puree dry ingredients and slowly drizzle in water while motor is running

- there is no step 2, assuming you have figured out what to do with your new condiment and the dishes

Non Award-Winning Clam Chowder

Unlike just about every other chowder in this town, mine has never won an award. Never. Not a one. The recipe has appeared nowhere, and the soup, itself, generates little - no, zero - media buzz. I'm so proud of my happy little chowder. You go, chowder. (I'm sure this is just a coincidence, but I've never been employee of the month.)

Gluten-Free Clam Chowder

1/4 cup small diced onion

1/4 cup small diced celery

1/4 cup small diced leeks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp pimenton dulce

- toss all ingredients together and set aside for at least 1 hour

1/4 cup small diced bacon

above chowder "guts"

1 Tbsp oloroso sherry

- render the bacon over low heat, then add the chowder guts; cover and sweat until softened - about 10 minutes

- deglaze with sherry and set aside. Meanwhile:

3 cups clam juice

2 cups heavy cream

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups diced red potato

1 cup minced clams

1 1/2 Tbsp kudzu starch dissolved in 3 Tbsp water

- bring clam juice, cream and bay leaf to a simmer; add potatoes and cook until just done

- add clams and stir in kudzu starch slurry; cook until chowder consistency

- stir in above chowder guts, season with fresh black pepper and additional salt if needed

Corny Eggs

This might seem kind of obvious, but I'd never done it before: pureeing corn with eggs for scrambling or making an omelet. We got an afternoon harvest of corn yesterday and when I came home from work I made a simple corn saute. Then this morning I pureed it with egg substitute and made a scramble. Man it was good! I also came up with a new trick - removing the corn from the cobs with a vegetable peeler. I used one with sharp teeth meant for tomatoes and peppers, and, in the words of my lawyer, it "fulfilled its proxy with grace and aplomb." Seriously - he actually said that to me once. I've never forgotten it. Anyway, what that means in this case is that it removed the kernels and their oh so valuable milk in one fell swoop.

2 ears corn, stripped to the cob with a vegetable peeler - discard cobs or make a corn stock

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup water - or if you actually made a corn stock, use that

1 cup egg substitute

1/4 tsp salt

- saute corn in butter with salt over medium heat for 5 minutes

- add water and lower heat; cook 5 minutes more

- cool and puree in blender with egg substitute and additional salt

- prepare as you would scrambled eggs or an omelet