Photo from Hog Island Oyster Company

This Saturday, (April 30, 2011) I am honored to be the Guest Shucker at the Hog Island Oyster Company at the Oxbow Market in Downtown Napa.  From 2:30 p.m. to 5:30  p.m., yours truly will shuck and share with everyone who comes to the oyster bar.  Hog Island will also serve one of my sauce recipes, a Salsa Verde, that is my all-time favorite with oysters.

I hope you’ll come and share some oysters with me, and if you bring some home, you’ll want to make your own Salsa Verde to enjoy with them.  Enjoy!

SALSA VERDE
Makes about 1 cup

This is a quick little sauce of Spanish origin that is delicious on all kinds of grilled, pan seared or roasted meats, fish and vegetables.  Note that I’ve used blanched or roasted garlic rather than the fresh raw type.  I think this is especially important if you are going to make the sauce ahead.  Within an hour, raw garlic can become harsh and hot.  Blanched or roasted garlic maintains its more subtle and sweet flavor and doesn’t overpower the sauce as it sits.

1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
4 anchovy fillets, rinsed
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons blanched or roasted garlic (see note below)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or mint or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup or so fruity extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add the parsley, anchovies, capers, garlic, basil and zest to a food processor or blender.  With machine running, slowly add the oil until just blended.  Sauce should still have a little texture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Note:  To poach garlic, separate cloves but don’t peel.  Place in a small sauce pan and cover with at least ½ inch of cold water.  Place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil.  As soon as water boils, drain and repeat process one more time.  Rinse to cool off cloves.  Remove husk from poached garlic and store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To roast garlic, cut off top quarter of a whole head to expose each of the cloves.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Wrap loosely in foil and roast in a preheated 375-degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until garlic is soft when gently squeezed.  Store covered in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Squeeze out as needed.

Photo from the Alasa Seafood Marketing Institute

I hope everyone has had a great Passover and Easter weekend.  As a result, many of us have some leftover hard-boiled eggs to put to good use.  This recipe was printed in a recent article of Restaurant Hospitality, talking about seafood trends in restaurants.  Let me know how this recipe works for you!

Makes 8 deviled egg halves

4 hard-cooked large eggs*
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
¼ tsp. each hot sauce and salt
5 oz. Wild Alaska Crabmeat

Optional Garnish: pimenton or paprika, and chervil sprigs

Halve eggs lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks from eggs and place yolks in a mixing bowl.

Mash yolks with a fork (or press through a sieve). Add mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce and salt; blend. Fold in the crabmeat. Gently spoon mixture into egg whites. Garnish with sprinkle of pimenton or paprika, and chervil, if desired.

*To make perfect hard-cooked eggs, place eggs in a single layer in a deep saucepan. Cover eggs by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook 3 minutes. Turn off heat; cover and let sit 15 minutes. Drain; add ice water to cover eggs. Gently crack eggs all over, then peel under cold running water.

Photo from Eva Abreau

I should rather title this “memorable” restaurants in New York.  How could anyone pick the “best” in a place like New York City?  I’ve just returned from a trip there where I taught cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE).  The following restaurants are some of my favorites that I  recommend to friends.  Please let me know your experiences at these places, and I would love to hear about your favorite New York eatery!

Savoy and its sister restaurant Back Forty:  Peter Hoffman is chef/owner and a friend.  Absolutely dedicated to local/seasonal/sustainable

Union Square Cafe:  Been around for more than 20 years and often voted best restaurant in NYC.  Eclectic American food in a fun atmosphere

Prune:   This is the place to go if you are feeling in a carnivore mood.  Very creative use of meats and innards!

Le Bernadin:  Very elegant and may be the best seafood restaurant America, if not the world!  Eric Ripert is chef.

Locanda Verde:  Actor Robert DiNiro’s place.  Andrew Carmellini is chef and he’s great.

Minetta Tavern:  Keith McNally’s latest and very fun.

Aldea:  Portuguese

Kuma Inn:  Southeast Asian

Momofuku:  Asian influenced.  Owner/chef is David Chang, respected bad boy who has 4 or 5 other restaurants in New York all really good and cutting edge

Gramercy Tavern:  Impeccable service and great food.  I go there every time I’m in New York

Frankie’s Spuntino:  Originally in Brooklyn they now have a restaurant in Manhattan.  The 2 owners and they are right out of the Soprano’s.  Great home style American/Italian cooking.

DBGB Kitchen and Bar:  Daniel Bouloud’s newest.  He is the founder of Daniel considered by many to be the best French restaurant in NYC.

For breakfast I love Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker.

Chef John Ash shares culinary tips and tricks during a Food & Wine Adventure at Cooking for Solutions © Monterey Bay Aquarium

I will be joining the Monterey Bay Aquarium for its tenth Cooking for Solutions celebration, May 20-22, 2011. In a weekend of celebrations, live cooking demonstrations, intimate salons and culinary adventures you’ll discover how I   and some of the nation’s top chefs find delicious ways to protect the health of our soil, water and ocean wildlife.

Cooking for Solutions 2011 will feature live events with special guests and celebrity chefs including:

Alton Brown – Be Square Productions, Atlanta, Georgia

Robert Irvine – host of Food Network’s Dinner Impossible

Lynne Rossetto Kasper – Author/host, The Splendid Table, St. Paul, Minnesota

Nathan Lyon - Chef/host, Growing A Greener World, Los Angeles, California

Rick Moonen – Rick Moonen’s rm seafood, Las Vegas, Nevada

Cindy Pawlcyn – Mustard’s Grill, Go Fish and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Napa Valley, California

P. Allen Smith – P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home, Little Rock, Arkansas

Joining this all-star weekend roster will be 40 other celebrity and regional chefs, as well as leaders in the sustainable and organic food movements.

The signature Cooking for Solutions Gala on Friday night is the feel-good

Photo from ©Monterey Bay Aquarium

celebration of the year with more than 70 restaurants and 60 wineries serving sustainable cuisine amid the aquarium’s award-winning exhibits and galleries.

Cooking for Solutions supports the Monterey Bay Aquarium respected Seafood Watch program. Seafood Watch is recognized as the leader in creating science-based recommendations that help consumers, chefs and businesses choose seafood that is caught or farmed in ways that contribute to healthy oceans.

Buy tickets for all Cooking for Solutions events at www.cookingforsolutions.org or call 831-647-6886 (toll-free 866-963-9645).

Friend the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Facebook

Follow the Monterey Bay Aqurium on Twitter – Use hashtag #CFS11 when you tweet about Cooking for Solutions!

Aquarium members enjoy exclusive Cooking for Solutions events and discounted tickets! To learn more, or to become a member, call (831) 647-6886 or toll-free (866) 963-9645.

Photo from Gary Soup

We have one more week before spring officially begins.  In celebration of the last week of spring, I’m sharing one of my favorite winter recipes.  This chutney is a delicious accompaniment to smoked and roasted meats and poultry dishes and as an accompaniment to cheese.

Makes about 1 quart

1- 750ml bottle of dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
3/4 cup sugar
3 whole star anise
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon coriander seed, crushed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 cup raisins (preferably golden, unbleached)
3/4 pound assorted dried fruits such as apricots, cherries, mangoes and/or figs coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons minced candied ginger
2 large tart-sweet fresh apples pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Add wine, sugar and spices to a non-aluminum pan and simmer uncovered over moderate heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let it cool. Strain discarding spices. You should have about 2-1/2 cups strained liquid.  Return liquid to pan and add raisins, dried fruits and candied ginger and simmer covered for 5 minutes.  Add the fresh apples and simmer gently until they are just tender, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Stir in lime juice.

Store covered in the refrigerator for several weeks.  Serve at room temperature for maximum flavor.

Photo taken by John Ash

I just returned from a couple of weeks in Viet Nam.  It was an amazing trip.  In Viet Nam you’ll find the whole cultural spectrum of primitive to ultra modern often chock-a-block to each other.  The foods are wonderful, the best being what you find on the streets everywhere.  Flavors and ingredients differ in this long, narrow country.  In Hanoi, the capital in the north, food is more hearty and rustic, no doubt driven by the weather there which can be pretty cold in the winter.

As you move south, the beautiful beaches of the China Sea in Da Nang are quickly being developed into first class resorts.  Reminds me of the beaches in Mexico 30 years ago.  Probably says get there before it becomes too touristy.  Europeans are flocking there to buy homes and condos because of the temperate weather and cheap prices.  As you’d expect, cuisine is heavily seafood oriented.

Saigon in the south is tropical and lush.  The nearby Mekong Delta is one

Photo taken by John Ash

of the most important food-producing spots in the world.  Every where you look are rice paddies, bananas, fish farms, ducks and four-footed animals of all kinds.  The food here reflects that diversity.

Though you don’t see much of the French influence today (with the exception of the delicious Bahn Mi sandwich made with a classic French baguette) the French dominated the region from 1887 when French Indochina was formed which included what we know today as Viet Nam along with Cambodia and Laos.  This ended in 1954.

My observation is that Vietnamese food differs from Thai not so much in terms of ingredients but more a subtlety of flavor (probably a contribution from the French) in seasoning . . . Vietnamese being not so fiery chile influenced as Thai often is.

A dipping/table sauce that appears everywhere is Nuoc Cham.  There are as many variations on the recipe as there are people who make it.  Below is my riff on Nuoc Cham in a fish salad.  This particular recipe is one that I’ll be preparing for this year’s Cooking for Solutions event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in May 2011.  Go to www.montereybayaquarium.org/vi/vi_events/cooking for more information.

VIETNAMESE SALAD WITH FRESH TROUT

Serves 4

Any crisp vegetables that you like could be added or substituted here.  There are several inexpensive tools on the market which make julienning a snap.  I’m pan cooking the trout here but you could also grill or poach it.  I love serving this in little Asian to-go boxes!

2 completely boned trout, about 10 ounces each

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lime juice

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

2 ounces thin rice noodles softened in warm water and drained

Toasted sesame oil

2 cups very finely sliced green or Nappa cabbage

1 cup or so carrot cut in fine julienne

1 cup or so finely julienned daikon radish, crisped in ice water and drained

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into fine julienne

2 cups seeded and thinly sliced English cucumber

Nuoc Cham (recipe follows)

1/4 cup or so loosely packed tender cilantro and/or mint sprigs

2 tablespoons chopped toasted peanuts

Season the cavities of the trout with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime.  Add oil to a large skillet and, over moderately high heat, cook the trout until just done.  Remove and set aside to cool.  Remove skin from trout and break fillets into large pieces.  Set aside.

In a bowl toss the noodles with a few drops of sesame oil. Combine the cabbage, carrots, daikon, red pepper and cucumber and gently toss with the noodles.  Add the trout and artfully arrange on a plate or in a small Asian to-go box.  Spoon the Nuoc Cham over and top with cilantro and chopped peanuts.  Serve immediately with chop sticks.

Nuoc Cham

Makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

4 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon minced fresh red chile or to taste

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

5 tablespoons sugar or to taste

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving for flavors to develop.  Adjust salt/sweet/tart/hot flavors to your taste.

John Ash © 2011

.

Duck with Grapefruit Sauce

Duck is one of those birds that most Americans shy away from. If that describes you, then it’s time to give duck a try! They are widely available frozen in supermarkets, and much richer in flavor than a typical turkey. They are also easy to cook, using this two step method:

First Step:

•    Preheat oven to 350 degrees
•    Coarsely chop some aromatic vegetables like garlic, onions and carrots and place in the bottom of a roasting pan
•    Prick the duck all over with a cook’s fork to help release the fat and nestle it in among the veggies.  Add a splash of white wine if you want.
•    Cover with foil and roast for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until tender and juices run clear.
•    Halve the duck, remove and discard backbone.  At this point you can refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Second Step:
•    When ready to serve, roast in a preheated 450 degree oven for 25 – 30 minutes to heat thru and crisp the skin.
•    Delicious!

•    One Big Table by Molly O’Neil.  Simon and Schuster $50.

•    Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson.  Chronicle Books $40.

•    In the Green Kitchen, Techniques to Learn by Heart by Alice Watters.  Clarkson Potter $28.

•    Sweet Magic:  Easy Recipes for Delectable Desserts by Michel Richard.  The Ecco Press $27.50.

•    The Gourmet Cookie Book,  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt $18.50.

•    Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, by Alice Medrich.  Artisan $25.95.

•    Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys by David Tanis.  Artisan $35.

•    Street Food of India:  The 50 Greatest Indian Snacks – Complete with Recipes, I. B. Tauris $28.

•    The Essential New York Times Cookbook:  Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser,   W.W. Norton $40.

•    Around My French Table:  More than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan.  Houghton Mifflin

Let me know what you think of these choices.  And if you have any favorites I haven’t mentioned, I’d love to hear about them!

Photo from ©Monterey Bay Aquarium

Every year I look forward to the annual “Cooking for Solutions” get together in May at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It’s always a sell out and folks tell me that they wish they would have signed up for some or all of the awesome events.  Well here’s a little insider tip: Tickets go on sale right after January 1, 2011.  Go to www.cookingforsolutions.org and you’ll have the first pick.  This year’s event takes place May 20-22.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Photo from isante_magazine

I’m sharing Tom Simoneau’s “Best Wines of 2010″, which I think you’ll find interesting.  Tom is “The Wine Guy” on KSRO radio where I have my show, “The Good Food Hour”, broadcast every Saturday morning at 11 AM Pacific.  You can hear it live on the net or check out archived shows at www.ksro.com.  If you are in Sonoma County you can hear the show at 1350 AM.

Be sure to share your thoughts on these wines after you’ve tried them.  I’d love to hear what you think!

Tom Simoneau’s Wines of the Year 2010

Best Whites:
•    Sparkling Wine : J Vineyards and Winery, 2001 Vintage Brut, $50. Always among the top California Sparklers. Owner Judy Jordan and wine maker George Bursick make up a dynamic duo in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley.  250 million bubbles in each bottle. It has just been discovered that Champagne bubbles contain up to thirty times more flavor than the wine itself. The bubbles act like a flavor escalator.

•    Chardonnay: Saintsbury, 2008 Carneros , $19. From the original cool region appellation, lots of talk about the Russian River, but don’t forget Carneros. Multi-clone, 100%ML, unfiltered, and lees stirred – a classic. And it’s screw capped.

•    Sauvignon Blanc: Lake Sonoma Winery, 2009 Dry Creek Valley, $14. Lean and lightly grassy, delicious. Lake Sonoma Winery – part of Heck Estates which also includes Korbel, Kenwood, and Valley of the Moon.

•    Alternative White:  Hess Collection, Gruner Veltliner 2009 Small Block Series Mount Veeder, $36. This hard to find varietal with Austrian roots is worth a search. Hess is not afraid to stretch the envelope and I applaud them. Melon, granny smith apple, and snap peas.

•    Off Dry White:  Mill Creek Vineyards and Winery, 2009 Gewurztraminer, Dry Creek Valley, $19. How does that song go? “We are family.” Local boy and girl make good owners. Bill and Yvonne Kreck both attended Healdsburg High. Bill’s dad planted their Cab in 1965. Their son Jeremy is the winemaker while his brother Brian runs the web. Can you say locavore?

•    Rosé:  Boeschen Vineyards, 2009 Katie Rosé Merlot, St Helena, $20. I first discovered Boeschen through the Napa Valley Vintners and St. Helena Star Tasting Group. Every time I taste them, Boeschen is in my top three. This year’s discovery – a father, son, and son-in-law team.

•    Best Value White: Chateau St. Jean, 2008 Chardonnay Sonoma County, $14. Solid, best value, available everywhere, often discounted. Food friendly sipper that is a can’t miss, if you like Chardonnay, you’ll like this wine.

•    Dessert Wine: Merry Edwards, 2008 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley, $39 for the 375ml. Miss Russian River Valley known for her stunning Pinot Noirs scores big with this sweet nectar from the wine gods. Fruit drops, cane cut, bird netted, picked on Halloween, cold soaked, then finally barrel fermented producing a wine begging for fois gras, if you are so inclined, or dessert in the form of a white peach gallette.

Best Reds:
•    Cabernet Sauvignon:   Rodney Strong Vineyards, 2007 Reserve Alexander Valley, $45. Rodney Strong was a pioneer of Sonoma County’s modern wine industry. The Klein family purchased the winery in 1989. Every bottle of wine produced under their ownership has Sonoma County on the label. Their commitment to Sonoma is second to none. And this reserve is a great example.

•    Zinfandel: Wilson Winery, 2008 Sawyer Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, $34. In the Dry Creek Valley the name Wilson is synonymous with Zinfandel. Fruit forward and perfectly balanced. An electrifying, yum, yum of a wine.

•    Rhone Style: Bella, 2007 Syrah Lily Hill Estate Dry Creek Valley, $40. Bella Vineyards is a family owned red wine house located deep in the heart of Dry Creek Valley. Bella, Italian for beauty, was named after owners Scott and Lynn Adam’s daughter, Julia Belle.

•    Blended Red: Lancaster Estate, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, $65. A blend of all five of the Bordeaux varietals from their Alexander Valley hillside estate. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 9% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot. Could be the best yet from Lancaster.

•    Luxury Red: Opus One, 2006 Oakville, Napa Valley, $160. The head of the class. Opus One, the original cult wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon based wine with all 5 Bordeaux Varietals, 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec.

•    Alternative Red: Kent Rasmussen, Esoterica, 2007 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley, $40. Originally intended for use as a blending component in their Cabernet Sauvignon, their Cab Franc was so good they bottled it separately and with one taste you’ll be glad they did.

•    Best Value Red: Columbia Crest, 2007 Grand Estates Syrah, Columbia Valley, $12. Washington State ranks second only to California in total U.S. wine production. Land cost and grape prices are the reason Washington State equals big wine value. And Columbia Crest is big on value and taste.

•    Most Fun Wine:  Parducci, True Grit 2007 Petite Sirah, Mendocino County, $29. So good they named a movie after the wine… or was the wine named after the movie? The latter is correct and let’s just say this is a John Wayne of a wine. True Grit the movie, the wine, the sequel.

•    Alternative Packaging: Black Box Wines, 2008 Malbec Argentina, $24.99 for 3 liters. The wine business is global and a wise wine consumer can find value if he or she is not afraid of innovation. Wine in cans, in plastic, and in boxes. Big on value and on the environment.

•    Pinot Noir:  Goldeneye, 2007 Anderson Valley, $55. Dan and Margaret Duckhorn of Duckhorn Vineyards established Goldeneye with the goal of creating a Pinot Noir house of equal stature to their Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot. They chose Anderson Valley and the wine defines the flavor of this Mendocino Appellation.

Merlot:  Duckhorn Vineyards, 2007 Napa Valley, $52. Duckhorn Vineyards was one of the first North American wineries to champion the idea of producing exceptional quality Merlot as a stand-alone varietal. Duckhorn played a big part in creating Merlot popularity. This ’07 is outstanding.

Winery of the Year: Duckhorn Vineyards. Since Duckhorn Vineyards was founded in 1976 they have grown slowly and thoughtfully through the years. Today the brands include not only Duckhorn, but Paraduxx, Decoy, and Goldeneye. Are you detecting a theme here? Hint – waterfowl. New Zealand born Bill Nancarrow is the executive winemaker.