Daring New Cooking Endeavor

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve posted here. It seems the spring just got away from me. I haven’t stopped cooking though and I’ve had a few amazing successes (and a few terrific failures as well).

One of my big successes was finding a recipe for a Tangerine Beurre Blanc. It was originally paired with a filet of sole and asparagus, but I made it in Montauk for family with pan seared Scallops and citrus scented rice (recommend jasmati). It was AMAZING. This is my new go to sauce for light fish, although I’d wager it would go wonderfully with a chicken or pork. I doubled this recipe and put out some reserved sauce for the guests to use. It all went.

Tangerine Beurre Blanc
1/2 cup fresh tangerine juice (bottled works fine too as does an orange tangerine mix)
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
cayenne
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Boil tangerine juice with shallot in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low, then whisk in 1 tablespoon butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, adding each piece before previous one has completely melted, and lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool mixture. Remove from heat and stir in salt, cayenne, and lemon juice.

I’m also really excited to announce I’ve joined a great website called The Daring Kitchen. Monthly they issue a secret cooking challenge to their members. It’s our job to make it, blog about it, and photograph it. What a neat concept. I’m looking forward to my first challenge which will come through on August 1st. I was so happy to find the site. I frequently visit Tastespotting for inspiration and came across a dish that looked like something from Alinea. It turns out it was and that was last month challenge recipe.

I am a huge fan of Alinea and have the cookbook (for lack of a better word) which proudly sits on my coffee table (I’ve read it cover to cove at least twice). I am fascinated by the world of Molecular Gastronomy and no one does it better than Grant Achatz. Reading his book makes me want to go out and buy an Anti-griddle, a complete sous vide set up, and a full selection of modern hydrocolloids. Some day I will make the pilgrimage to Chicago and experience his magic first hand.

Anyway, stay tuned for my daring adventures….. Now I just need some daring diners to eat what I make!