Hey everyone

Sorry it has been a while, I have been super busy getting things together for Catalyst restaurant in Cambridge Ma, we have been working night and day to get this project into a working state, not just with the construction but with everything else, I cant wait to share more recipes with you and other fun things, In this hiatus from 28 degrees I have had the opportunity to do some work with the ex chef of Villa Matta Mike P. here in boston as well as working closely with the chef owner of duexave in boston chef Christopher Coombes. Now that all of the construction is complete and there are only a few days to really call this place complete Chef William Kovel has had more of a chance to step into the kitchen and help Anthony Mozzatta and my self develop the up and coming lunch menu, and share his talents with ours to make a great menu and put some of our talents to work. I will be setting a day soon to write new recipes and photos for my face book. I hope we are all still cooking at home and really striving to bring back and older fashioned way of life, like dinner at a kitchen table!!

Buttermilk Panna Cotta and Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

To Make Panna Cotta

1 cup well shaken buttermilk
1/2 cup Heavy cream
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 Sheets of Gelatin or 1/2 pack of powder

First thing is to soak the gelatin in just enough water to cover. While you are soaking gelatin bring the heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar up in a small sauce pot until bubbles form around the edges once this has been achieved the gelatin is ready, strain out the water from the gelatin and add the gelatin to the cream and sugar mixture, whisking until completely incorporated. Once this is finished pour in the cool buttermilk and mix thoroughly let stand in a cylindrical container with paper covering the liquid, this will make sure there is no skin developing on the cream. Let stand for 15 minutes then evenly distribute into small serving containers or one small sized pie pan and refrigerate for approximately 1 hour

Strawberry, Rhubarb Compote

1# Rhubarb washed
1#Strawberry's washed
2 each oranges
2/3 cups sugar
2 tbl water
1 scant pinch of salt

Slice rhubarb on a bias and slice strawberry's from top to bottom in semi thick slices about 1/4 of an inch. Once this has been completed put in a large mixing bowl pour in sugar. Zest 1 orange and add to the mixture, Juice both oranges and pour into the mixture, add the water and scant pinch of salt. Let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes and add to a large saute pan, over medium low heat cook for 12 minutes stirring constantly as to not allow the sugar to caramelize. Pour into a non reactive aluminum bowl over ice and cool rapidly.

Once all processes have been finished to the full explanation you can spoon the compote over the panna cotta's and serve. Don't put hot compote on cold panna cotta or they will turn back into liquid.

Corn Muffin, jalapeno, butter, cream cheese frosting.

I believe the vast majority of people in America can say the have had corn bread, or a corn muffin, but have they ever had a Butter, cream cheese, frosted corn muffin with candied jalapenos! If you haven’t had one of these you should try making it. Thwe recipe is as follows!

First lets candy those jalapenos!

1 frezno chili cut in half and seeded

1 jalapeno green, cut in half and seeded

1 cup 3 to 1 simple syrup (1/4 cup sugar ¾ cup water)

In a small sauce pot combine and bring to a boil for 5 minutes turn off and cool!

This recipe will make more than any house will ever need for muffins, scale this part down!

6 cups Flour

6 cups Corn Meal

1 cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

7 Tbls baking powder

7 eggs

6 cups milk

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients together, whisk milk with eggs, in a mixer add the dry mix and mix in the milk and eggs slowly, alternate the oil and custard till all is incorporated

Let stand for ten minutes

In this time brunoise the jalapenos and fold them into the mix. When the ten minutes is up scoop the mix into greased cupcake molds and bake at 375 for 20-30 min rotating the pan at half time!

Butter,cream cheese frosting

1# room temperature unsalted butter

1.5# cream cheese

1 egg

3 ½ cups confectioners sugar

In a mixer fitted with a whisk mix together until incorporated and smooth, add a shot of lime juice and put in a pastry bag! Let it sit at room temp until the cupcakes have cooled then top them with the frosting.  

What is a samosa!

A samosa is a stuffed pastry and a popular snack in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Centeral Asia, the Araibian peninsula , the Mediterranean (Turkey), Southwest Asia, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa. It generally consists of a fried or baked triangular, semi-lunar or tetrahedral pastry shell with a savory filling, which may include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground beef or chicken. The size and shape of a samosa as well as the consistency of the pastry used can vary considerably, although it is mostly triangular.

Seared Aleppo tuna,

Anyone can do a seared tuna that knows how to cook, but can they add the finesse needed to do it right. I will explain how I made this Aleppo seared tuna with mango salsa, fried yucca, and coconut cream.

These are the things you will need.

1# of  loin  yellow fin tuna +2

For the salsa:

1 ripe mango

1 small red onion

½ bunch cilantro

1 TBL passion fruit puree

1Tbl brunoise jalapeno

2 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar

For the Aleppo seasoning

¼ cup dried Aleppo pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbls salt

1 heaping TBL fresh ground black pepper

Coconut Cream

1 can coconut meat in syrup

1 can coconut milk sweetened

1 Tbl sugar

½ cup cream

1 large yucca.

First thing you should always do when working on a dish accompanied by salsa, is make the salsa before you do anything, Salsas are always better after they have sat at room temperature for a while.

Dice the mango, small dice the red onion, bruniose the jalapeno, chop cilantro, mix all these together add the passion fruit puree, and vinegar, season and let set.

Now adding the dry ingredients for the rub in a spice grinder, grind them to be fine and completely mixed.

For yucca, always peel through the second layer this can be achieved by slicing length wise down the side of the yucca and inserting the blade parallel with the slice. In a prying motion get the blade of the knife to start removing the skin on the yucca. Similar to peeling an orange if you think about it. Once peeled cut into desired sizes, I tried to match my tuna and yucca in size. Boil your yucca parts until they have softened and cool till completely chilled.

Coconut cream: strain the coconut from the syrup, add to sauce pot, cover with coconut milk. Bring to a simmer and cook for approximately 8 minutes, add sugar, cool completely, add to the blender and measure out the heavy cream. Blend the coconut with the milk until smooth. This part is important in order to get the proper consistency, while the coconut milk and coconut are blending add the heavy cream slowly to whip the cream into a solid state. Once you have added the cream turn off the blender immediately and poor the cream mixture into a metal bowl over ice and mix briefly.

Cut your tuna down to the desired size and season generously with your rub. You don’t want the tuna to be exposed through the spice mix. Get a pan hot, add canola oil, just enough to coat the bottom. Being very careful not to splatter yourself with hot oil place the tuna in slowly, sear for about 45 seconds on all sides and remove from the pan. You do not want to cook to deep in the tuna.

In another pan get hot with oil and sear your yucca till golden brown on all sides, finish in a 400 degree oven for about 4 minutes.

Now all the mies en place has been completed you can play with the plating all you want. That is how I did my tuna. It looks like a lot of work but really it is nothing.

How to cook a hard boiled egg!

On the rounded side of the egg poke a hole with a tack to open the air sack inside of the egg. Bring water to a rolling boil. Set a timer for 12 minutes, place your egg into the boiling water very carefuly and start the timer. Once the timer has sounded, remove the egg and cool in ice water until ready. Peel and eat! thats the recipe for a perfect hard boiled egg, if anyone needed it.

Marli Ave egg off

I have made 150 hard boiled eggs for this marli ave event today in downtown Boston. The challenge was to make them into a deviled egg of your choosing. What I did with mine is whipped the yolks in a food processor and emulsified a simple lemon black pepper aioli into them until they were creamy. I transferred them into a separate bowl where I folded in chives and alepo pepper to add that reddish speckling everyone is so used to seeing. I will finish them with chard scallions, sweet and spicy rocotto sauce and micro amaranth. I hope they are a big hit!!! Wish me luck!