Tim to Table: November 2012

Banh Cuon Tay Ho

Delicious Banh Cuon!

Delicate rice wrap that is not too oily and a good filling. Served with the pork roll, fried yam+shrimp, pink raw garlic flavored beef. Topped with fried shallots and of course served with a lot of nuoc Nam fish sauce.

Wifey got the turmeric catfish make your own roll. Catfish was tasty with turmeric, and green onions served on a hot plate.

TTT approved

Giant green onions and pork belly

What to do when you have uncured pork belly and giant green onions from the Korean market?

Stir fry that belly!

2 thinly sliced Shallots
Half a stalk of giant green onions or leeks
6 slices uncured pork belly cut into three
2 handfuls Bean sprouts
Garlic and ginger

Most importantly make sure you use high temp oil to get the right sear and wok hay into your food. Sear aromatics and get bacon seared. Add in greens and sear to get some light char. Finish with bean sprouts and soy sauce/oyster sauce.

how did it taste? The pork was crispy, the leaks were melted into the pork fat, and the bean sprouts were crispy adding a nice textural contrast.

TTT approved

La brasserie bordelaise in bordeaux

La Brasserie Bordelaise

Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux was beautiful. I had two intentions on this business trip which included a good meal and some wine from Bordeaux. I walked through the streets of wine country and decided on the busiest restaurant.the restaurant had an awesome decor and ambiance with wine bottles everywhere, and smiling people. The french waitress started off the night with hostility and not wanting to serve me. By the end of the night I was getting free wine, free delicious frites. From my understanding this is very French :-) .

I started off with a salmon tartar that was really good just mainly consisting of salmon, olive oil, parsley, coarse sea salt and some lemon. Great way to start. I was sitting at the bar and split a bottle of wine with someone that also used to live in U.S. next I got a pan seared cod which was extremely moist and had good nice and crunchy skin.
the wine came from Saint Emilion and had a very good structure with some tannins and a good floral nose. The fellow I met at the bar had a seared flank steak which was incredible and was just grilled with no salt or flavoring. The salt was given for each diner to add on at the end to taste. The meat had excellent beef flavor with a nice char and was moist due to putting the salt on at the end vs. I'm the beginning. What a great experience.
TTT approved!

A delicious dinner from the sea ready in 10 minutes

One of the best things to cook when you are in a hurry is seafod! Went to the fish market and picked up a few large scallops and a pre tenderized calamari steak.

Pan seared scallop over sauteed spinach had a nice sear and tasted sweet like the sea. We pan fried the scallop without any seasoning by pre heating a pan to high heat using a high temp oil(grapeseed oil). After searing for a two minutes served with a squeeze of lemon allowing the true flavors of the scallop to come out.

Kale salad with pine nuts

Panko crusted calamari steak - This was easy to cook and was ready in 5 minutes!. Get a pre tenderized calamari steak, dip into egg wash then panko. Pan fry for three minutes in a non stick pan for 2.5 minutes on each side and it's ready! the calamari was soft, sweet, not chewy, and had a nice breading to it.
TTT approved.

AD HOC Fried Chicken at home

AD HOC Fried Chicken

"World's best fried chicken" cooked at home

Thomas Keller's Ad HOC fried chicken is truly the best chicken you will ever eat. The crunchiest, juiciest, and most flavorful fried chicken you'll ever consume. Now the cook at home can make this recipe at home! Enjoy the step by step pictures!