Author Archives: Chef Justice Stewart
Stir Fried Mahi Mahi with Rice Noodles (Thai style)
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs Mahi Mahi, cubed
4 Tbsp peanut oil, divided
2 fresh green chilies, seeded and chopped
Grated rind plus the juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp fish sauce
4 oz wide rice noodles
2 shallots, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh red chili, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp hot chili sauce (Sriracha)
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Directions
Place the fish in a shallow bowl and in a separate bowl make the marinade. Mix half the oil, green chilies, lime juice and rind, and fish sauce together and pour over the fish. Cover and chill for two hours. Put the noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 8-10 minutes (or check your package instructions). Drain well and set aside. Heat the second 2 Tbsp of oil in a wok or large skillet and sauté the shallots, garlic, and red chili until lightly browned. Add the soy sauce and the chili sauce. Then add the fish with the marinade to the wok and stir fry gently for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Add the drained noodles and stir gently. Mix in 1 Tbsp or cilantro and serve immediately.
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Take a Walk on the Wild Side!
Pan Seared Venison Steak with Pineapple Ginger Sauce & served over Arugala Salad
I live in NYC, a place that has maybe the most diverse food scene in the world. Here I have tried a wide range of food from different countries and cultures. When it comes to food I have a pretty open mind and I am willing to try most cuisines (I do have my exceptions, which you’ll learn soon enough on this blog). Wild game is one of the only cuisines you don’t stumble upon everyday, even in the Big Apple. I am not saying you can’t find it here. Restaurants such as The Waterfront Alehouse (which I reviewed here), Jean-Georges in Manhattan, and Henry’s End in Brooklyn Heights, which has a “wild game festival”, are just a few I know of.
Most people up here in the north won’t eat anything other than beef, pork, chicken and fish. Two years ago I stumbled upon this website http://www.fossilfarms.com that had almost every type of game meat. I made a mental note to order from them, but it slipped back into the dungeons of my busy brain. A few weeks ago I visited the website and was overjoyed to find that they opened a factory store right in New Jersey. The only catch was that it was a one hour and fifteen minute drive from my home(yikes!). So my girlfriend and I decided to make a day of it and hit a shopping mall and have lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack (yummy).
When we arrived I was not disappointed, the freezers were stocked with everything: alligator, antelope, buffalo, elk, ostrich, kobe beef, fois gras and the list goes on. I opted to buy quite a few of these meats since I’m such a daring cook and not afraid to try new things. In the future I will bring these dishes to you, so stay tuned! But tonight we cook elk which is a naturally lean alternative to mainstream meats, very low in fat and cholesterol. Elk is referred to as “Red Deer” and is very similar to beef, although it has yet to be generally accepted in steak houses and restaurants. Supermarkets are also reluctant to stock up on elk meat. It’s often served as a rare exotic dish and is mostly popular among meat lovers. The elk from Fossil Farms is all natural and never fed any growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics. The taste of it was savory, and the flavor was pretty close to venison but slightly more “gamey” — although my raspberry wine sauce quickly tamed it! I braised carrots and asparagus in kobe beef stock and served it all up with wild rice. Yummy dish!
Elk Tenderloin with Raspberry Wine Sauce
- Antelope Burger with Pineapple/Ginger Sauce
“Gamey” flavor just refers to the wild taste that game, like deer or elk, has. It is a stronger, tangy, earthy flavor that is very difficult to describe if you haven’t tasted it. Although wild game is lower in fat than grocery store meat, that doesn’t make it taste gamey. Also, although wild game tends to be tougher, because the animals get more exercise, that doesn’t make it taste gamey either. Gamey flavor comes from the fact that the animals in the wild eat a very varied diet of weeds, acorns, wood bark, etc. This flavors the meat distinctively. Since we are used to eating meat that is grain fed, which has a much milder flavor. Game meat tastes strange to us now.
Watch for future game meat coming from Gourmet De-Constructed. If you’re interested in purchasing wild game from Fossil Farms you can visit the website if you are in the tri-state area take a drive into New Jersey. They are located at 81 Fulton St., Boonton, NJ.
Venison Cutlets with Cranberry/Merlot sauce, Fingerling Potatoes Roasted in Thyme & Rendered Duck fat
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Chinese Style Black Sea Bass ( 中国风格的黑鲈鱼)
Chinese style black sea bass with bok choy and shitaki mushrooms
Ingredients:
2 whole black sea bass (about 1 pound each), cleaned
Marinade:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped scallions
Preparation:
On each side of the fish, make three diagonal cuts 2 1/2 inches long and about a 1/2 inch deep. Stir the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and spoon it over the fish, making sure it seeps into the cuts. Let the fish stand in the marinade uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Make the sauce:
Melt the butter in a small skillet, and saute the sesame seeds until golden, 1 minute. Stir in the ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, cornstarch, and water; stir until smooth. Stir this into the butter mixture, and heat to a simmer stirring frequently. Cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Set aside and keep warm. Arrange the fish in a baking pan, and bake until it flakes easily, about 20-25 minutes. Stir any accumulated pan juices and the chopped scallions into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the fish or serve alongside.
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Poulet aux Crevettes
French cuisine is often seen as a benchmark for gourmet cooking. The word “gourmet” is French, after all. I have never been to France, but from reading about it I’ve learned tons of things about this beautiful country. France is a land of variety with a rich array of home -grown produce, with every region having its own specialties. But I wondered, what makes this cuisine so special? Part of what distinguishes French cuisine is simply the attitude of the French towards food. The joys at the table are fundamental to their way of life, and food is a constant conversation throughout France. Chefs, cheesemakers, winemakers, bakers, and pastry chefs are respected and revered in ways that are unheard of elsewhere. French cooks would rather spend time finding fine fresh products, than stocking up on processed food. A funny thing I learned is that at one o’clock throughout France the traffic becomes suddenly lighter, why? Because the French have their feet under the table. :)
So what I will prepare tonight is a classic French dish which has its origins in Burgundy: Poulet aux Crevettes (chicken with prawns). This meal has an unusual combination of ingredients and the recipe is traditionally made with crayfish. Here in NYC it is easier for me to obtain shrimp, so that’s what I will roll with this time.
You will need:
3 lb whole chicken chopped into 8 pieces
14 jumbo shrimp with heads, if possible (mine are headless)
1 small onion, sliced
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp of all purpose flour
2 garlic cloves chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large tomatoes, cored and quartered
bouquet garni (4 sprigs parsley, 3 sprigs thyme, 4 inch piece of celery and one large bay leaf tied together)
3/4 cup of dry white wine
2 tbsp brandy
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
6 tbsp heavy cream
Fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
Wash the chicken pieces, pat them dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heatproof casserole or deep skillet and cook the shrimp over high heat until they turn bright red. Remove the shrimp, allow to cool slightly and remove the heads and shells and put aside for later (leave the tails on the shrimp). Chill the shrimp while the chicken is prepared. Add the chicken pieces to the casserole skin side down and cook over medium high heat for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, turning to cook evenly, you may need to cook in batches. Transfer chicken to a plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium high heat stirring frequently until it is golden. Sprinkle with the flour and continue cooking and stirring for 2 more minutes. Then add the wine and brandy and bring to a boil while constantly stirring. While mixture is boiling add the stock, shrimp shells, tomatoes, garlic, bouquet garni, and chicken pieces with any remaining juices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to very low. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Remove the chicken pieces and strain the cooking liquid, pressing down on the shells and vegetables to extract as much juice as possble. Skim fat from the top of the liquid with a spoon and discard, and return the liquid to the pan. Add the cream and boil until it is reduced by 1/3 and slightly thickened. Return chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Just before serving add shrimp and heat through. Arrange on warmed plates, pour some of the sauce over and garnish with fresh parsley.
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Seafood in Red Coconut Curry (Thai style)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium sweet onion, cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
1/2 of a small red and 1/2 small green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 14 ounce can coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 1/2 – 3 1/2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar, to taste
4 dried kaffir lime leaves, optional (found in most Asian markets)
2 or 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lb black sea bass fillets or other firm flesh fish
10-15 large or extra large shrimp, deveined
10 mussels, cleaned, debearded and steamed separately
sea salt to taste
Directions:
Heat butter in a heavy saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onions and bell peppers until they are semi-soft, 5-7 minutes.
Add Thai red curry paste to the onions and peppers and stir well over the heat to mix. Pour in the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and kaffir lime leaves (if using). Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for around 10 minutes so the flavors can blend and the broth can reduce slightly.
In the meantime, rinse the fish and shrimp with cold water, pat dry, and lightly season with salt. Place the fish and shrimp in the saute pan, and nestle them into the broth as much as possible. Simmer on very low, covered, for 5 minutes, mix in steamed mussels and simmer cover another 5-7 minutes until the fish flakes easily. During the last minute or two of cooking, add chopped cilantro. Serve hot over Jasmine rice in a bowl along with broth. Enjoy!
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Meatless Monday: Kale, Cranberry & Almond Salad
Kale, cranberry and Almond salad
You will need:
1 lb of kale, ribs removed and blanch
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp sea salt for boiling water
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup of shaved fresh parmesan
Directions:
Blanch kale leaves in rapidly boiling salted water for three minutes; remove and shock in ice water
Rough chop cooled kale
Mix in cranberries, almonds, red pepper, olive oil and lemon juice
Toss with fresh shaved parmesan cheese and serve
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Pan Seared Citrus & Rosemary Lamb Chops with Twice Baked Bleu Cheese Potato
Recipe Coming Soon!!!
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Oven Roasted Red Snapper
Oven Roasted Red Snapper
You will need:
2 whole red snappers 1lb each
1 tbls olive oil
1- 2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly crushed black peppercorns
1 large garlic cloves minced
1 small onion quartered
6 sprigs of cilantro with lower stems removed and discarded + 1 tbls of chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
1 of each small red, yellow, and orange bell pepper sliced thinly Tip: to be cost effective I grabbed a bag of mini sweet bell peppers that were assorted in the bag already.
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
a few lemon slices (for garnish)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F . Take the 2 whole cleaned fish and place in 14 x 11 baking pan. Make 3 vertical slices on each fish and rub each with the olive oil. Sprinkle the fish with the sea salt and crushed black peppercorns.
Stuff each fish with 3 cilantro sprigs,a few onions quarters, and sliced peppers.Stuff the slits of the fish with the garlic and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from stove and drizzle with lemon juice and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the fish is no longer translucent. Garnish with cilantro leaves, lemon slices and additional bell peppers (optional) and serve. Bon Appetit!
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Easy Sweet & Spicy Baked Lamb Chops
Sweet & Spicy Baked Lamb Chops
Easy Sweet & Spicy Baked Lamb Chops:
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. minced onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tbsp. bottled hot Sriracha chili sauce
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp. flour
Salt and pepper
4-6 lamb chops
In a skillet melt butter. Add onion, mushrooms and chili sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes and add honey. Add flour and water. Stir. Add salt and pepper to the lamb chops and place in a baking dish. Spoon sauce evenly over chops and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, with the last 5 minutes under the broiler for a nice crust. Serves 4 or 6 depending on how many chops you cook. Serve with side dishes of your choice. Bon Appetit!
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Oh Deer, It’s Almost Thanksgiving!
It’s November, and as we prepare for Thanksgiving here in NYC I wanted to cook something different with a holiday twist. Growing up, Thanksgiving in my home was a big event, with my grandmother pulling out her cape and being a “superwoman” in the kitchen as usual. Turkey, mac & cheese, greens, yams, cakes, and sweet potato pies, which she always made too many of every year. Occasionally she would make a ham (which I did not partake in), or a roast beef. We generally think of Thanksgiving as a uniquely American holiday, but there’s actually a long tradition of harvest-time celebrations and thanksgiving celebrations around the world. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day occurring on the second Monday in October, is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. In the West African country of Liberia, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November. You can also find celebrations in a number of other countries such as Grenada, Netherlands, and parts of Australia , such as Norfolk Island. The actual type of celebration may vary, but one thing that’s universal with all of the celebrations is food!
This week I want to give you a few ideas of different types of dishes to add to your menu for this holiday season. Today we will do a venison meatloaf w/cranberries and a bourbon/walnut sweet potato mash. This dish is sure to be a hit as a side addition to your holiday feast. I mean, the ingredients themselves spell harvest season. Most people add pork to the venison meatloaf, since the meat is so lean. I decided to add some ground chuck beef instead as I don’t eat pork. Add the bourbon sweet potato mash and the veggie of your choice (I roasted brussells sprouts), and you will have everyone clamoring for more and more! I hope you all enjoy my pre-Thanksgiving creation! :)
venison meatloaf w/cranberries and bourbon/walnut sweet potato mash
venison meatloaf w/cranberries and bourbon/walnut sweet potato mash
Bourbon sweet potato mash:
4 pounds of baked sweet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons (3/4 cup) butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F. Roast potatoes on rimmed baking sheet until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly. Scoop flesh into large bowl; discard skins. Mash hot potatoes until coarse puree forms.
Heat cream and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until butter melts, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir hot cream mixture into hot potatoes. Stir in syrup, bourbon, and all spices. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with walnuts.
Venison meatloaf:
1 1/2 pounds of ground venison
1/2 pound of ground chuck beef
1 tbs olive oil
1 large chopped shallot
1/2 cup of oats
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
3 large eggs beaten
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Heat olive oil in a pan and saute garlic and shallots until soft but not brown, remove from heat and allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and in a separate bowl mix eggs, salt, pepper, allspice, and celery salt together and whisk well. Knead the venison, beef, oats, and cranberries together without over-mixing, which will make your loaf tough. Add the egg mixture and garlic and shallots to the venison and continue to knead gently until well mixed. Form your loaf and place in a meatloaf pan, I don’t have a meatloaf pan so I used a large casserole dish. Spread very thin even layer of the tomato paste over the top and bake for 1 hour or until oven thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, slice and serve with bourbon sweet potatoes. Bon Appetit!
Gourmet De-Constructed 