Thomas Keller has some great recipes in his Ad Hoc book and his Cauliflower Beet Soup is one I will definitely add to the repertoire. The recipes are a little fussy in the process, but the payoff is refined results. Worth it for when you feel like wowing. If you feel a little lackluster, you can cut a few corners (ie garnishes) and the taste is just as satisfying.
Cauliflower Soup 2 heads of Cauliflower (or 1 large, about 8 cups) 4 T butter 3/4 cup roughly chopped leeks 3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion 1/4 tsp yellow curry powder (or Madras) kosher salt 2 cups milk 2 cups water 2 cups heavy cream extra virgin olive oil freshly ground black pepper
Core and trim cauliflower. Reserve 1 cup florets*. Roughly chop the rest into equal sized chunks. With 1/5 tbsp butter, saute onions, leeks, cauliflower and curry powder. Season with 1 tsp salt and and cover with parchment circle and lid. (Or just cover with a lid as I did...) Saute on med/high heat, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower starts to get tender.
Remove the parchment paper. Add milk, cream, and water to the pan. Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming the copious amounts of foam. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning. Dress with crispy beets, croutons, and cauliflower florets
Yellow Curry Powder 1/2 tsp ground allspice 2 tsp anise seeds 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp brown mustard seeds 1 tsp ground cardamom 1 4" cinnamon stick, broken 1/2 tsp whole cloves 2 tbsp ground coriander 1 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1 tsp whole mace 1 3/4 tsp black peppercorns (Tellicherry preferred) 1 2/4 tsp powder ginger 2 medium star anise 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds 2 tbsp ground turmeric 1 1/4 tsp sweet paprika 1 3/4 tsp sea salt (Maldon, or other flaky salt) Blitz in a coffee grinder (or what have you). Sieve and regrind large pieces to obtain a fine powder. Pickled Cauliflower 1 tsp white vinegar 1 cup cauliflower florets, finely broken 1/2 tbsp butter Bring some salted water to a boil. Add vinegar, cook florets about 5 minutes until just tender, then drain. Before serving, saute florets in browned butter. Torn Croutons frying oil (peanut or canola) 4-5 cloves garlic old bread with crusts cut off and torn into 1-2 inch pieces Saute garlic in 1/8 inch of olive oil for 10 minutes. Turn down the heat to a barely below audible sizzle and fry, tossing frequently, for 20 minutes. Deep fried beets canola oil 1 medium red beet, mandolined into thin slices Deep fry slices for several minutes each and let cool on a rack.
Fried Pork Chop is a standard at Taiwanese Cafes and fairly easy to make.
Second round of shots with a .22 from 7 yards at the Targetmasters range in Milpitas. My first round was actually better, with all shots less than 9 and two hits in the x. Beginners luck or maybe too many repeats on the Toy Story ride?
Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc Sungold Tomato Gazpacho is a relatively simple recipe which makes the taste of fresh produce really sing. The prep relies on good nice knife skills, a Vita-mix blender and chinois. We had to make do with painfully careful dicing, an immersion blender, and a basic strainer with wooden pestle. But it came out just fine!
Sungold Tomato Gazpacho
1 cup cold water 2 garlic cloves 1/4 cup onion, roughly chopped 2 lbs Sun Gold tomatoes, cut in half. Reserve 1 cup. 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, cored. Reserve other half of the cucumber, diced. 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped 1 red bell pepper, finely diced. Reserve. 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 1/2 tsp piment d'Espelette kosher salt freshly ground white pepper 3/4 to 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons minced chives
Soak onion and garlic in water. Add tomatoes and juices, cucumber and yellow bell pepper. Marinate for 5 minutes. Puree and strain until smooth. Whisk in vinegar and piment d'Espelette, then season with salt and white pepper. Slowly blend in the olive oil until the soup has a creamy texture and test the seasoning again. Garnish with reserved tomato halves, cucumber, red bell pepper, and chives right before serving.
