Chicken Satay, Chef Jet Tila

Serves 6.

For the Chicken:

1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper
1/4 cup coconut cream (from one 14-ounce can)
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
12 to 16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

For the Peanut Sauce:
1 14-ounce can coconut milk, unstirred
11/2 teaspoons red curry paste, or more to taste
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter, or more to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste

Prep:

For the chicken: Mix the curry powder, salt, sugar, garlic powder, and pepper in a baking dish. Mix in the coconut cream. Set the marinade aside.

Slice the chicken breasts at an angle and against the grain into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices. Add the chicken to the marinade and stir to coat evenly. Insert 1 skewer through the center of each slice of chicken (do not weave the chicken on the skewer), covering the top half of each skewer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Meanwhile, to make the peanut sauce: Spoon 4 tablespoons of the coconut cream from atop the coconut milk in the can. Heat the coconut cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the cream to a simmer. Add the curry paste and stir to blend well. Cook until the mixture thickens slightly and is aromatic, about 1 minute.

Stir in 3/4 cup of coconut milk and the peanut butter (reserve any remaining coconut milk for another use). Stir constantly until the mixture is well blended and the sauce simmers, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add the fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar, to taste. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, about 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. If any oil rises to the top, skim it off with a spoon.

Preheat a heavy large grill pan over high heat or prepared a barbecue for high heat. Grill the chicken satays just until the chicken is cooked through and grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken satays to a platter and serve the peanut sauce on the side.

Today’s featured video recipe with Chef Jet Tila teaches you how to cook a healthy Thai staple , Chicken Larb, which is a ground or finely chopped meat, in this case chicken, served with Thai spices, red onion, and mint.

Chicken Larb Gai, Chef Jet Tila, Wazuzu Restaurant
1 Tbsp. Tamarind Paste
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3 to 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Large Shallot, sliced
2 Lbs. Ground Chicken Breast (or finely chopped)
1/2 – 3/4 cup Red Onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Cup Mint leaf
1 -2 tsp Thai chili powder
2 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. Fish Sauce
½ Cup. Palm Sugar or brown Sugar
¼ Cup Roasted Rice Powder (purchase or see below to make yourself from Jasmine Rice)
3 – 4 Green Onions (scallions) , chopped

Add tamarind paste to ground chicken and let stand for 15 minutes.
Heat a medium pan to medium an add oil. Sauté garlic and shallot until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the chicken to the pan, stir-fry until chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, stir in fish sauce, lime, sugar, and chili powder then mix well. Adjust ingredients as necessary.
Add Mint, onion, and roasted rice powder. Give it a good toss and sand remove from heat.
Serve with sliced carrots, lettuce, and or cabbage.
(Roasted rice powder can be bought in the store, but making it yourself is fun and easy. Take 3 to 4 tablespoons of jasmine rice and roast it in a dry pan. Keep stirring as the rice cooks. Once the rice is dark brown and fragrant, put it into a blender or food processor. Grind until a coarse powder is formed. Rice powder makes a great topping for Larb and any other salad.)

For more from Chef Jet, check out Average Betty as she visits his restaurant and learns his secret recipe for delicious Drunken Noodles, with video here, and his Chicken Satay Recipe.

Here’s a quick sneak peak, featuring Eatocracy and Mario Batali in this short video interview.  The topic:  food, love, and what to make on a first date to impress.  His technique is surprisingly simple, and trust us, it should actually work!

When we lived in NYC, we escaped frequently during the summer, just to get away from the intense heat.  One year we went driving upstate with no destination in mind, and somehow landed in paradise:  the Mohonk Mountain House. Picture this: a gorgeous Victorian castle built in 1869 in an enchanted forest on the clear blue waters of Lake Mohonk.  Only an hour and a half from Manhattan, our lazy weekend consisted of paddleboating on the lake, horseback ridding on carriage roads, and shameless spa indulgence topped off with amazing food and service.

Today’s summer cocktail recipe comes to us thanks to the talented chefs from the Mohonk Mountain House Restaurant.  Simply delicious and easy to make, it’s a Strawberry and Basil Gin Martini, meant to be sipped and enjoyed at the end of a hot summer day.

Strawberry and Basil Gin Martinis
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

8 fresh strawberries
10 fresh basil leaves
2 ounces of gin
2 ounces strawberry-infused vodka
1 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ounce of simple syrup

Preparation:
In a cocktail shaker, muddle strawberries, basil and simple syrup. Add ice and the remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into martini glasses and garnish each drink with a fresh strawberry.

More words via CNN video from top restaurant chefs regarding the BP oil spill disaster. Featuring Chefs John Besh, Marcus Samuelsson, Michael Voltaggio, and Michel Nischan from the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

Watch it here.

Caution should be used when following celebrity chefs, as unfortunately there is a pathetic ongoing trend toward the creation of fake or impostor chef twitter accounts.  For instance there is a fake Eric Ripert (the authentic account is @AvecEric),  multiple fake Jamie Olivers (the real Jamie is here) , and a fake Food Network Chef  Michael Smith (authentic Michael here).

Depending on the chef, some accounts appear to be not the actual chef, but their staff tweeting.   It’s quite easy to tell this after a bit of tweet watching.   Our favorites include chefs such as Rick Bayless that actually get twitter,  interacting frequently with their followers.

The Savory Tv Delicious Chefs list includes not only celebrity chefs, but many lesser known talented chefs as well.     Did we miss someone special?    Let us know in the comments.   Enjoy!

]]> http://www.savory.tv/2010/06/19/chefs-on-twitter/feed/ 9 http://www.savory.tv/2010/06/16/grilled-pork-recipe/ http://www.savory.tv/2010/06/16/grilled-pork-recipe/#comments Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:21:27 +0000 Savory Tv http://www.savory.tv/?p=6370 Swanky, breathtaking, and slightly over the top, Aspen, Colorado is a food lovers dream.  Home to the mother of all food festivals, the Food and Wine Classic, the ski town we call home boasts amazingly decadent eats throughout the year.

One of our favorite locals is Chef Ryan Hardy, Executive Chef of Montagna Restaurant in the Little Nell Hotel.    In addition to his incredibly delicious creations, here’s why we love him.  Ryan’s artisan style of handcrafted food uses local grass fed beef from the neighboring town of Carbondale, as well as local fresh eggs and herbs.   He cures his own prosciuttos, makes his own fresh fruit preserves, and even creates his own cheese.  If we could classify Chef Ryan Hardy as a ski run, he would surely be a double black diamond gem.

Chef Ryan was recently featured on The Today Show grilling a “Perfect Pork” recipe for Fathers Day, his own grilled creation featuring pork shoulder with chimichurri sauce served with a peach, tomato and basil salad.

Read on for the video and recipe

Grilled pork shoulder with chimichurri sauce
Ryan Hardy

Serves eight to 10

For the grilled pork shoulder
• 1 4- to 5-pound whole pork shoulder, boneless
• 1 tbsp cumin seed, toasted and ground
• 1 tbsp paprika, smoked
• 1 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tbsps salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

For the chimichurri sauce
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp paprika, smoked
• 0.5 cup oregano, leaves only
• 1 cup parsley, leaves only
• 0.5 cup mint, leaves only
• 0.5 cup cilantro, leaves only
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsps lime juice
• 2 tsps red wine vinegar
• Salt

To make the grilled pork shoulder:
At least two days before grilling, chop the garlic cloves to a fine paste and combine in a bowl with the spices, sugar and salt and extra-virgin olive oil.

Rub the pork shoulder in the paste, wrap and let sit overnight in the refrigerator, or two hours if you’re rushed.

About a day before grilling, place the whole shoulder, uncovered, in a roasting pan and cook in a 275-degree Fahrenheit oven for six to eight hours or until the pork is fork tender.

Remove from the oven, let cool and store in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, slice the pork shoulder into 1- to 2-inch steaks, season with salt and black pepper again and grill over a hot charcoal fire for five minutes per side (sub gas grill if necessary), preferably with wood chips added to the coals.

Serve with the chimichurri sauce.

To make the chimichurri sauce:
Mince the herbs together with the garlic, add the paprika and cover with olive oil to make a loose paste. You may not use all of the olive oil.

Add the lime juice and vinegar, season to taste and let sit to marinate for at least two hours at room temperature.

Grilled peach, tomato and basil salad
Ryan Hardy

Serves 8

For the salad
• 4 peaches, ripe
• 4 tomatoes, ripe, heirloom variety if possible
• 32 basil leaves
• 0.5 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Moscatel vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the croutons
• 1 cup bread for croutons – see notes below
• Several cups extra-virgin olive oil

To make the croutons:
Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces.
Fry the pieces of bread. To do that, pour extra-virgin olive oil into a appropriately sized pan until the oil is about 1 inch deep. Warm it up, add the torn bread, and raise the temperature until the bread begins to fry.
When the bread is golden brown, remove from the oil to a towel and season with a pinch of salt.
Keep in a jar for two to three days on your counter.

For the salad:
Dice the peaches and tomatoes into 1- to 2-inch pieces.
Mix together with the extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar. Add the croutons.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Allow to sit and marinate for 10 minutes.
Add the basil and serve at room temperature.

(Chef tip:  To soak or not to soak?  Soak!   Chef Rick Bayless, in his Authentic Mexican cookbook, says this: “The preliminary soaking keeps the outside from burning right off the bat and the inside damp enough to steam.”  He recommends soaking corn ears in a deep bowl of cold water for an hour, using a heavy plate to cover and keep submerged. He also uses a two step corn grilling process. To impart a leafy husky flavor, after soaking he grills the corn in the husks and silk for 15 minutes, until the husks are blackened.   He then removes the husks and silk and grills again until the kernels are browned.  Check out his Charcoal Grilled Corn with Cheese and Chile here.)

Mexican Grilled Corn Con Queso
Café Habana, New York City

Serves 12
Ingredients

* 12 ears fresh Supersweet Corn, husked
* 12 ounces Cotija (queso anejado) or feta cheese
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 12 fresh lime slices

1. Preheat grill or broiler. Grill or broil corn, turning occasionally until hot and some kernels turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.
2. Crumble 1 ounce of cheese on one side of a corn ear. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon chili powder.
3. Broil until cheese starts to melt 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with a slice of lime.

Grilled Corn with Maple and Chipotle
Chef Philip Anderson,  Harris Teeter Executive Chef

Ingredients
6 ears of corn, husked
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup butter
2 chipotle chilies, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine butter, maple syrup, garlic, salt, pepper, and chipotle chilies. Allow to simmer over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Preheat grill for medium heat. Place corn onto grill and brush with maple glaze. Be sure to turn corn frequently and brush with glaze.  Cook for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

Grilled Corn with Spicy Cilantro Butter
Chef John Folse

Prep: 30 Minutes
Serves 8

“When cilantro butter is brushed lightly over grilled corn, a dish inspired by the outdoor cooks of  Trinidad,  this accompaniment to seafood or steaks will be the hit of the barbecue.”

Ingredients
* 8 large ears of Silver Queen Corn
* 1/4 pound salted butter, softened
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 tbsps finely chopped cilantro
* 1/4 cup finely sliced green onions
* salt and black pepper to taste

Shuck corn and remove any silk and rinse thoroughly under cold running water and set aside. Into a food processor place butter, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Process until smooth. Transfer the butter to a ceramic bowl and fold in the cilantro and green onions. Cover and set aside.  When ready to cook, brush oil onto the hot grill and cook the corn, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes.  As the corn cooks, brush it occasionally with the cilantro butter.  When ready to serve, brush once more with the butter. Serve hot.

Corn on the Cob with Chilies, Queso Fresco and Lime Butter
Chef Michelle Bernstein, Michy’s restaurant in Miami

Ingredients

* 12 ears fresh corn, unshucked
* ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 4 tablespoons lime juice
* 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* ½ pound queso fresco, finely grated
* Combine ingredients below to make spice mixture:
* 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
* ¼-cup chili powder
* 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
* 1-tablespoon garlic powder
* ¼-teaspoon ground cinnamon

Soak the corn in cold water for 1 hour.  Prepare the grill.  Put the soaked cobs on the hot grill and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, turning frequently.

While the corn is grilling make the lime butter:  In a small bowl add the butter, lime juice, tarragon and salt and pepper, to taste.  Mix well and spread onto a large plate.  Take the corn off the grill and carefully peel back the husks (it will be hot). Remove the corn silk and tie the husks in a knot so you can hold on to it like a handle.  Roll in the butter and then roll.  Top with a good amount of the queso fresco; sprinkle with the spice mixture.  Serve immediately.

Grilled Corn with Herbed Goat Cheese Spread
Chef Susan Goss of West Town Tavern in Chicago
Serves 6

Ingredients

* 6 ears fresh supersweet corn
* 2 ounces fresh goat cheese (about ¼ cup)
* 2 tablespoons butter, softened
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1⁄8 teaspoon ground black pepper
* Pinch salt

Preheat outdoor grill or preheat oven to 500° F.  Place corn in husks on grill or roasting pan; wrap husked ears in aluminum foil.  Grill or roast corn, turning occasionally, until kernels are tender, about 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine goat cheese, butter, thyme, pepper and salt; stir until smooth; set aside.  Remove husks and silks or unwrap corn in foil;  spread goat cheese mixture on ears.