Here is the advertisement for the Master Chef NYU Premiere:
The Master Chef Premiere and Smart Cooking Expo is on Monday, April 13 in the Palladium Multi-purpose room from 6-8pm.
You can:
* Taste the Winning Team's 3-course dinner
* Meet with the SHC Dietitian and the Peer Health Awareness Team peer educators to have your healthful eating questions answered
* Enjoy a refreshing fruit Smoothie
* Watch the competition unfold and see who wins during the screening of Master Chef 2009 an NYU-TV production.
I will be there (not eating anything due to passover). Let me know if you want to come and I can make sure we all find our way there together. I imagine that I'll be second most featured in the video they make, plus you'll get to see me receive my prize.
Showing posts with label Master Chef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Master Chef. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Second place is not bad
So I came in second in the NYU Master Chef competition. The other team did a phenomenal job with their dishes and I believe squarely beat me. My food was praised too, though I think my first dish (the dal) was perhaps a little too spicy (which is often my problem with Indian food). I'm very happy to have competed and am looking forward to seeing the video which they will show of the competition. If anyone wants to come the video showing will likely be April 13th at the Kimmel center in NYU. I'm sure I will show up on the video a good amount, so it might be fun.
Anyway, I'll need a few days to decompress after the cooking marathon today, but I should be back at it posting in the not distant future.
Anyway, I'll need a few days to decompress after the cooking marathon today, but I should be back at it posting in the not distant future.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Master Chef finals menu
I needed to submit my menu for the finals for the nyu master chef today. I've included it below. In other news, I'm at a conference in Salt Lake City, and after eating out for a few days straight i have reaffirmed my many reasons to seldom eat out and if i do to be very selective in my choice of venue. Anyway, here's the menu and recipe.
1. (Kheer - rice pudding; 1 sauce pan, 1 wide pan, 1 cast iron pan) Boil ½ cup rice and one cup water in sauce pan. Simmer 3 cups almond milk with whole cardamom pods and ¼ cup coconut milk in wide pan. Before adding basmati rice, remove the cardamom pods. When rice has cooked for about 15 minutes add into the almond milk and simmer at low heat. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract, cardamom powder. Near the end of cooking heat oil in cast iron pan and add crushed cashews and almond slivers plus more cardamom powder and golden raisins. Add to the pudding. Chill for as long as possible before serving.
2. (Dal porridge; 1 large pan, 1 sauce pan for boiling water) In large pan heat veggie oil and brown cumin seeds. When popping add dry red pepper flakes and two bay leaves. Add in crushed garlic, chopped onion, green chili and ginger. Cook until onion has caramelized a little. Then add 2 diced potato, 1 diced carrot and 1 cup of peas. Spice with salt, pepper, turmeric and red chili powder. After a few minutes clear an area on the bottom of the pan and add a little more oil and then ½ cup of red dal. Roast dal for about two minutes and then add in two cups of pre-boiling water. Cook until it is half cooked and separating then add in ½ cup basmati rice and a little more hot water. Cook on medium heat until dal is fully broken down and rice is cook done. Spice to taste with more salt, turmeric, chili powder, cumin powder and pepper.
3. (Chapatti; large bowl, rolling pin, 1 large cast iron pan) Sift 1 cup of whole wheat flour with a pinch of salt. Mix with 1 Tbs olive oil and 1/4 cup water. Add more flour if dough is too wet. Put aside for 30 minutes. Split into small balls and with some flour, roll until flat. About 10 minutes before serving time, heat medium cast iron and with a little oil brown both sides, but do not cook until fully crisp. Cover before serving.
4. (Curry sauce; 1 deep pan) Heat oil in a deep pan. Add bay leaves and dried red pepper and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add mustard seeds, sizzle another 30 seconds, then add turmeric, garam masala and crushed cardamom. After about 15 seconds add medium sized pieces of chopped onion and garlic and hot pepper. Cook for a few minutes until onions start to get a little translucent, but not browned. Add in ½ cup peas and 1 chopped carrot and cook until they get a little tender. Meanwhile take 1 large can of unseasoned tomatoes puree and pour into the pan. Cook for 10 minutes or so then add in goat cheese and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper and any additional spice to taste.
5. (Vegetable kofta; grater, medium bowl, 1 large cast iron pan, draining rack with paper bag) Add 1 cup chickpeas to a large glass bowl with 1 cup goat cheese and 2 eggs and ½ cup crushed cashews. Peel and julienne 1 carrot, 1 zucchini and 1 long hot thai pepper. Mix in with 1 thinly sliced onion and well crushed garlic (4 cloves). Spice with red pepper powder, cumin/ coriander, tumeric, curry powder, and salt/pepper. Then add in a few spoonfuls of chickpea flour to thicken up the mixture. Let sit for a little. Take you favorite cast iron skillet and cover bottom with oil. Heat and then shape into latka like patties (maybe 2-3 inches in diameter) and place into the pan. Let these get browned before flipping and repeating. Occasionally add more oil, and when cooked place them on paper bags for draining.
6. (Cabbage curry; large pan) In a large pan heat oil and add in black mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Roast until popping and then add in crushed garlic, sliced onion and green chili. Then add in ½ cup peas and ½ of a cabbage finely shredded. Add salt and turmeric as well as some garam masala. Cook until cabbage has taken on the color of the turmeric but is still semi-crunchy.
Course 1: In a medium sized bowl spoon out a portion of the dal porridge.
Course 2: On a small side plate put two, freshly cooked, chapatti. On a large plate place three vegetable kofta, covered with curry sauce, and a side of cabbage curry.
Course 3: On a small plate chill a few spoonfuls of kheer.
1. (Kheer - rice pudding; 1 sauce pan, 1 wide pan, 1 cast iron pan) Boil ½ cup rice and one cup water in sauce pan. Simmer 3 cups almond milk with whole cardamom pods and ¼ cup coconut milk in wide pan. Before adding basmati rice, remove the cardamom pods. When rice has cooked for about 15 minutes add into the almond milk and simmer at low heat. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1.5 tsp vanilla extract, cardamom powder. Near the end of cooking heat oil in cast iron pan and add crushed cashews and almond slivers plus more cardamom powder and golden raisins. Add to the pudding. Chill for as long as possible before serving.
2. (Dal porridge; 1 large pan, 1 sauce pan for boiling water) In large pan heat veggie oil and brown cumin seeds. When popping add dry red pepper flakes and two bay leaves. Add in crushed garlic, chopped onion, green chili and ginger. Cook until onion has caramelized a little. Then add 2 diced potato, 1 diced carrot and 1 cup of peas. Spice with salt, pepper, turmeric and red chili powder. After a few minutes clear an area on the bottom of the pan and add a little more oil and then ½ cup of red dal. Roast dal for about two minutes and then add in two cups of pre-boiling water. Cook until it is half cooked and separating then add in ½ cup basmati rice and a little more hot water. Cook on medium heat until dal is fully broken down and rice is cook done. Spice to taste with more salt, turmeric, chili powder, cumin powder and pepper.
3. (Chapatti; large bowl, rolling pin, 1 large cast iron pan) Sift 1 cup of whole wheat flour with a pinch of salt. Mix with 1 Tbs olive oil and 1/4 cup water. Add more flour if dough is too wet. Put aside for 30 minutes. Split into small balls and with some flour, roll until flat. About 10 minutes before serving time, heat medium cast iron and with a little oil brown both sides, but do not cook until fully crisp. Cover before serving.
4. (Curry sauce; 1 deep pan) Heat oil in a deep pan. Add bay leaves and dried red pepper and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add mustard seeds, sizzle another 30 seconds, then add turmeric, garam masala and crushed cardamom. After about 15 seconds add medium sized pieces of chopped onion and garlic and hot pepper. Cook for a few minutes until onions start to get a little translucent, but not browned. Add in ½ cup peas and 1 chopped carrot and cook until they get a little tender. Meanwhile take 1 large can of unseasoned tomatoes puree and pour into the pan. Cook for 10 minutes or so then add in goat cheese and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper and any additional spice to taste.
5. (Vegetable kofta; grater, medium bowl, 1 large cast iron pan, draining rack with paper bag) Add 1 cup chickpeas to a large glass bowl with 1 cup goat cheese and 2 eggs and ½ cup crushed cashews. Peel and julienne 1 carrot, 1 zucchini and 1 long hot thai pepper. Mix in with 1 thinly sliced onion and well crushed garlic (4 cloves). Spice with red pepper powder, cumin/ coriander, tumeric, curry powder, and salt/pepper. Then add in a few spoonfuls of chickpea flour to thicken up the mixture. Let sit for a little. Take you favorite cast iron skillet and cover bottom with oil. Heat and then shape into latka like patties (maybe 2-3 inches in diameter) and place into the pan. Let these get browned before flipping and repeating. Occasionally add more oil, and when cooked place them on paper bags for draining.
6. (Cabbage curry; large pan) In a large pan heat oil and add in black mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Roast until popping and then add in crushed garlic, sliced onion and green chili. Then add in ½ cup peas and ½ of a cabbage finely shredded. Add salt and turmeric as well as some garam masala. Cook until cabbage has taken on the color of the turmeric but is still semi-crunchy.
Course 1: In a medium sized bowl spoon out a portion of the dal porridge.
Course 2: On a small side plate put two, freshly cooked, chapatti. On a large plate place three vegetable kofta, covered with curry sauce, and a side of cabbage curry.
Course 3: On a small plate chill a few spoonfuls of kheer.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Lucky for me
I competed today in the semi-finals of the Master Chef NYU competition and to my surprise I did well enough to make it to the finals! As my previous post indicates I made pierogi and borscht, plus a little pastry type dessert. It just so happened that of the three judges, each one of them had a special place in their hearts for both pierogi and borscht, so that worked out pretty well for me. Their comments were very nice, with really no criticisms. I would have made one criticism of my pierogi's though --- I felt that the skin was a little too sticky (which was probably because I cooked them in water I had used to boil potatoes). Otherwise I was very happy with the day. In fact, two of the judges asks to bring home portions of both of my dishes, so I felt really good about that.
That said, I will need to compete again in three weeks in the finals. The challenge is to create a full three course meal, again in only 1 hour of cooking time, but with 30 minutes (instead of 20 minutes) of prep time. My preliminary thoughts are to make an Indian feast! We are afforded one special ingredient, not on the list, and we are allowed to bring in one tool from home. I don't think I'll bring in any time because I don't want to unkosher it by using it along side their tools. For the special tool, maybe I'll use paneer, or if they don't have basmanti rice (they say white rice) I may ask for that. I will also need to look into the types of lentils I can get from them. A menu I've made before which works well is a dal and rice stew, malia kofta type indian patties with a sweet vegi sauce, and cabbage curry. I'm not too crazy about trying to make any sort of bread, though possibly I could find a flat bread which doesn't take that much time to make... probably not though. As far as dessert goes, I could try to make a rice pudding with cardamom and coconut milk.
The competition for the finals looks pretty good. The other team is of two people who both came with their own chef-type uniforms on, and who were both talking about their cooking experience, which seems rather extensive. They made some really good looking meat dish this round. Anyway, I look forward to competing again in three weeks, and for anyone interested, on April 13th there will be a showing of the competition show at the Kimmel center. Win or lose it will still be fun to go and watch.
That said, I will need to compete again in three weeks in the finals. The challenge is to create a full three course meal, again in only 1 hour of cooking time, but with 30 minutes (instead of 20 minutes) of prep time. My preliminary thoughts are to make an Indian feast! We are afforded one special ingredient, not on the list, and we are allowed to bring in one tool from home. I don't think I'll bring in any time because I don't want to unkosher it by using it along side their tools. For the special tool, maybe I'll use paneer, or if they don't have basmanti rice (they say white rice) I may ask for that. I will also need to look into the types of lentils I can get from them. A menu I've made before which works well is a dal and rice stew, malia kofta type indian patties with a sweet vegi sauce, and cabbage curry. I'm not too crazy about trying to make any sort of bread, though possibly I could find a flat bread which doesn't take that much time to make... probably not though. As far as dessert goes, I could try to make a rice pudding with cardamom and coconut milk.
The competition for the finals looks pretty good. The other team is of two people who both came with their own chef-type uniforms on, and who were both talking about their cooking experience, which seems rather extensive. They made some really good looking meat dish this round. Anyway, I look forward to competing again in three weeks, and for anyone interested, on April 13th there will be a showing of the competition show at the Kimmel center. Win or lose it will still be fun to go and watch.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
My dinner menu - a tribute to streechas
I need to submit my dinner menu for the semi-finals of Master Chef NYU by tomorrow at noon. For much of today (basically from 6pm till now, midnight) I've been working on my menu. I'm pretty happy that I spent this time because had I blindly written the menu I can assure you it would have sucked. The theme of the dinner is an early dinner at Streecha's. Streecha's is a Ukrainian eatery which is located near my apartment and is only open Friday through Sunday. I've blogged about it before, but in short it is the best place in Manhatten for fresh pierogi and borscht. So, my menu is exactly that, homemade pierogis and borscht, plus a little desert offering made from the same dough as the pierogis. The dishes are not made to be complex or original, but rather it is my attempt at authenticity -- the simple and enjoyable meal which has been enjoyed for generations before us. In my original plan I also included stuffed cabbage in the mix, but after making a batch I decided it would not work properly in the allotted time. I also tried to make it with brown rice, which I'm pretty sure is a horrible idea.
Pierogi's or Vareniki as they are known in Ukrainian are dough stuffed with potato and onions and boiled. They may also be made stuffed with sauerkraut or just cooked cabbage, or even desert like fillings of cheese and fruit. In my case I decided to go simply with the potato and onion filling, and then to prepare a caramelized onion sauce (really just onions and a little butter cooked until golden) to go on top. My basic dough and filling recipe came from this random web search result (http://home.comcast.net/~dyrgcmn/Pierogi/pierogi.html). To make the dough sift 2.5 cups of flour (a mix of wheat and white would be good) and then add in two tablespoons of sour cream, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt and half a cup water. Work this until it sticks into a ball and then put aside for 30 minutes. To make the filling peel chop and boil a few russet potatoes. Meanwhile take a large yellow onion and dice it and then saute it for a while with some butter and oil. Be sure to add a fair amount of salt and pepper too. When the potatoes are done, drain fully and then mash in with the onion to form the filling. To assemble the pierogis roll the dough as thin as possible. Then cut circles the size of a top of a cup. Roll these circles until as thin as possible and fill with a spoonful of filling and wet half of the circumference. Fold one side to the other and make sure not to let any of the filling get onto the seal. These should go into already boiling water for about 10 minutes. When done plate and cover with an ample amount of some more golden onion sauce.
While the pierogis came out pretty well in my first attempt, the borscht needed a lot of work. This is a cabbage and tomato based borscht (no beets). Heat some oil in a deep soup pot and in another pot heat some bouillon to add later. Into the oil goes a significant amount of onion, carrot, celery and potato all very thinly sliced. At this point a bay leave or two would be good as well. Cook this until tender then add in a good portion of very thinly sliced and diced cabbage. Cook this with some salt until it has lost some of its water then add in the bouillon. Also at this point add in some celery salt and a bouquet of herbs including thyme, rosemary, oregano and dill stems. You can also add in a little more cabbage at this point. After a few more minutes add a large can of tomato puree and with only a few minutes before serving, add the juice of one lemon, some brown sugar, and enough balsamic and red wine vinegar to give the borscht a nice tang. Serve in a large bowl and top with ample diced dill.
The final aspect to my meal is a dessert similar in some ways to to rugelach. Use the same dough as for the pierogis and roll a very thin strip about 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Make a line of cast iron roasted walnut chunks (crushed pretty well) and raisins and brown sugar and red apple bits. Then roll this up and use a little water to seal the seam. In a cast iron pan lightly pan fry this until both sides are golden in color. Serve warm.
Well, I must admit I have mixed feeling about this menu. It may go over well as authentic and quality flavors, but it may just as well flop for being kind of bland and unimaginative. I'll update on which of these outcomes occurs Friday evening (the contest is from 1pm-4pm this week).
Pierogi's or Vareniki as they are known in Ukrainian are dough stuffed with potato and onions and boiled. They may also be made stuffed with sauerkraut or just cooked cabbage, or even desert like fillings of cheese and fruit. In my case I decided to go simply with the potato and onion filling, and then to prepare a caramelized onion sauce (really just onions and a little butter cooked until golden) to go on top. My basic dough and filling recipe came from this random web search result (http://home.comcast.net/~dyrgcmn/Pierogi/pierogi.html). To make the dough sift 2.5 cups of flour (a mix of wheat and white would be good) and then add in two tablespoons of sour cream, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt and half a cup water. Work this until it sticks into a ball and then put aside for 30 minutes. To make the filling peel chop and boil a few russet potatoes. Meanwhile take a large yellow onion and dice it and then saute it for a while with some butter and oil. Be sure to add a fair amount of salt and pepper too. When the potatoes are done, drain fully and then mash in with the onion to form the filling. To assemble the pierogis roll the dough as thin as possible. Then cut circles the size of a top of a cup. Roll these circles until as thin as possible and fill with a spoonful of filling and wet half of the circumference. Fold one side to the other and make sure not to let any of the filling get onto the seal. These should go into already boiling water for about 10 minutes. When done plate and cover with an ample amount of some more golden onion sauce.
While the pierogis came out pretty well in my first attempt, the borscht needed a lot of work. This is a cabbage and tomato based borscht (no beets). Heat some oil in a deep soup pot and in another pot heat some bouillon to add later. Into the oil goes a significant amount of onion, carrot, celery and potato all very thinly sliced. At this point a bay leave or two would be good as well. Cook this until tender then add in a good portion of very thinly sliced and diced cabbage. Cook this with some salt until it has lost some of its water then add in the bouillon. Also at this point add in some celery salt and a bouquet of herbs including thyme, rosemary, oregano and dill stems. You can also add in a little more cabbage at this point. After a few more minutes add a large can of tomato puree and with only a few minutes before serving, add the juice of one lemon, some brown sugar, and enough balsamic and red wine vinegar to give the borscht a nice tang. Serve in a large bowl and top with ample diced dill.
The final aspect to my meal is a dessert similar in some ways to to rugelach. Use the same dough as for the pierogis and roll a very thin strip about 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Make a line of cast iron roasted walnut chunks (crushed pretty well) and raisins and brown sugar and red apple bits. Then roll this up and use a little water to seal the seam. In a cast iron pan lightly pan fry this until both sides are golden in color. Serve warm.
Well, I must admit I have mixed feeling about this menu. It may go over well as authentic and quality flavors, but it may just as well flop for being kind of bland and unimaginative. I'll update on which of these outcomes occurs Friday evening (the contest is from 1pm-4pm this week).
Friday, February 27, 2009
You win some, you lose some
Today I competed in the quarter finals for Master Chef NYU. Unfortunately my summary of this morning's events will be relatively brief since I have suffered a great setback --- I broke my index finger nail. Not all of it, and it doesn't hurt, but when picking up a box of leftovers from today's competition, my soap and water weakened nail (too many dishes to wash) crack on the top leaving a little bit of finger tip exposed. No fun. But, like the title says, you win some and you lose some. This broken nail was my loss. The competition was my win. I will be advancing again to the semi-finals next Friday. I'm happy to have made a well praised dish (the tuna / couscous /coleslaw lunch), however I regret the amount of time it takes to prepare and compete... so many numbers to think about and this is certainly cutting back on my numbers time (I study math). In any case, the competition did go well. The first batch of couscous I made had too much seasoning (I used bouillon and used too much.. so I remade a second batch which came out much better. I think I used a little too much of the spice rub on the fish, but otherwise it was very well received. I know need to conjure up a dinner recipe by Monday at noon for the semi-finals which will be held next Friday. Oy! My first thought is Chinese stirfry with my perfect tofu (see previous blog on the perfect tofu). I'll need to give this some serious thought though, and I'll likely post on Sunday with my ideas.
As a post thought (that is a thought post posting) I do want make clear that doing well in this competition is in many ways no great feat of culinary prowess. I am mostly competing against college students who are far better at cooking than I was then (for instance in the summer before my Junior year I attempted to make apricot chicken and ended up with a horrible mush). In any case, I am confident that if my Mother, sister, sister-in-law, aunts, or Bubbie were to compete in this with me, my best dish would be a rough approximation for their worst dish. Having cast doubt on the culinary abilities of my competitors, I now will likely lose in the next round (hows that for karma).
As a post thought (that is a thought post posting) I do want make clear that doing well in this competition is in many ways no great feat of culinary prowess. I am mostly competing against college students who are far better at cooking than I was then (for instance in the summer before my Junior year I attempted to make apricot chicken and ended up with a horrible mush). In any case, I am confident that if my Mother, sister, sister-in-law, aunts, or Bubbie were to compete in this with me, my best dish would be a rough approximation for their worst dish. Having cast doubt on the culinary abilities of my competitors, I now will likely lose in the next round (hows that for karma).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Possible menu for round 2 of NYU Master Chef
Tomorrow at noon is when I must submit my ingredient list and recipe for the second round of Master Chef NYU, which will be held Friday morning. The recipe must be for a lunch menu, and the meal must be capable of being made by me, with only 20 minutes of prep time, and one hour of cooking time. I thought a fair amount about this yesterday and today I did some recipe experimenting. I am proud to say that I am pretty much settled on the menu which I'll be explaining briefly.
I should note some of the basic ideas on which I am judged:
1. Seasonality of ingredient. There is a lot of focus on using winter ingredients (which works in well with my winter diet).
2. Healthy ingredients. Read: no butter or cream sauces...
3. Presentation and flavor / complexity.
The theme which I am looking for in my lunch menu is a healthy, non-meat take on a NY street lunch. The flavors I focus on can generally be associated with Moroccan cuisine. Cilantro, green onion and parsley figure in as the main greens, and cumin and coriander, as well as cinnamon are the main spices. Lemon provides a tangy acidity to complement and freshen the flavors, while brown sugar adds a mild sweetness. The main dish is marinaded (in a dilute lemon, herb and brown sugar mixture) tuna medallions seared with a Moroccan spice rub and diced greens (cilantro, green onion and parsley). Depending on the quality of the tuna (I'm not sure if its sushi grade) the centers will either be left raw or cooked just enough --- also the amount of marinading time will vary. The spice rub and greens will also serve as the base for a light sauce, which will be mixed with just a little greek yogurt, and served on top of the plated tuna medallions. Under the tuna will go a simple couscous, likely prepared with a vegetable bouillon cube and maybe some raisins and parsley. This will be plated on the right side of a long oval shaped plate. In the middle I will place two lines of pan roasted chickpeas, prepared with ample cumin and a little kosher salt. To the left of this will go a coleslaw of carrot, cabbage and finely sliced onion. The carrot and onion will marinade in the same type of marinade as the tuna (in a different bowl though). With a little time left I'll mix this in with the cabbage and toss with some olive oil. To this I'll add some roasted sliced almonds, and serve.
The portion size will be six tuna medallions (roughly 5 ounces of tuna), about 20 chickpeas, a few spoons of couscous and a few spoons of the coleslaw (after all this is supposed to be lunch). What makes this a lunch menu? To me, this is a healthier, more seasonal take on NY push-cart lunches. I think that using the same types of flavors throughout helps bring out different elements of each spice and herb --- in the tuna you get the highly heated, moist version of cumin and the herbs, while in the sauce things are much lighter and more refreshing. In the chickpeas the flavors are dry and the texture is crunchy, while the coleslaw is again lighter and tangier....(yea, this is a bunch of bs.. but it does still taste good).
Here are the exact recipes.
Marinade (for tuna, for sauce and for coleslaw)
Finely dice cilantro, parsley and green onion. Mix equal parts of lemon juice and water and add enough to cover the greens. Add in a few small lumps of brown sugar plus a little red chili powder.
Spice rub (for tuna, for sauce)
1 part cumin powder and brown sugar
.5 part coriander powder, cinnamon powder, sweet paprika, kosher salt
.25 par onion powder, red chili powder
.1 part (or less) nutmeg
Mix together!
Tuna medallions
This depends on the quality of the tuna (I'm not sure what quality the competition has... in fact I have a vague fear that when they write tuna, they mean canned tuna fish...). If sushi tuna, do not marinade as long and do not cook as long. If not sushi tuna, marinade longer and cook until mostly done.
Slice half inch thick medallions (2" by 1.5" rectangle in the other dimensions) and add to a portion of the marinade. When ready to sear, remove from marinade and brush off the greens. Roll in the spice rub until mostly coated. Then take some of the greens and push onto the top. Heat a cast iron skillet with a little vegetable oil until just about smoking. Sear the greens side down first, cooking variable amounts of time for the grade of the fish. Flip when half cooked and sear the other side, cooking for only a little while. Remove and plate. Serve 6 medallions (about 5 ounces) with the greens side up.
Sauce
Dice green onion bottoms and cook in a little oil until browned. Add in a portion of the spice rub, and then deglaze with some of the marinade. When cooked down, take off heat and add in a little greek yogurt. Mix and let relax. When tuna is plated, place a small dollop on each piece of the fish.
Couscous
Here I assume they are using the fast cooking (pre-steamed) couscous. Dice half and onion and cook until translucent with a little olive oil and a few chopped raisins. Add in a cup of couscous and saute for just a moment before adding in some already hot (but not boiling) vegetable bouillon base. Cook tightly covered on very low heat for 7 minutes and when done, pour into a bowl and mix it with some diced parsley. Plate as the base for the tuna.
Chickpeas
In a cast iron skillet heat some olive oil. Meanwhile drain, wash and dry some chickpeas. Add ample cumin and some kosher salt to the oil when hot, and then add the chickpeas. Cook, every few minutes shaking the pan, until the chickpeas are browned and crisp. Remove from heat and plate two lines of these.
Coleslaw.
Add a fair amount more lemon to a portion of the marinade. Add a few thinly sliced pieces of onion, plus a carrot or two, peeled and coined. Chop a cabbage and add a little kosher salt to draw some water out. Add the carrot, onion and marinade to the cabbage and toss with olive oil. Add some roasted and cooled almond slivers or slices.
Plating
The plate is long oval. The coleslaw goes on the left, with the chickpeas between it the couscous. On the couscous goes the tuna and sauce. Cut a few sprigs of cilantro and parsley and arrange near the chickpeas and in the middle of the couscous.
Thoughts?
I should note some of the basic ideas on which I am judged:
1. Seasonality of ingredient. There is a lot of focus on using winter ingredients (which works in well with my winter diet).
2. Healthy ingredients. Read: no butter or cream sauces...
3. Presentation and flavor / complexity.
The theme which I am looking for in my lunch menu is a healthy, non-meat take on a NY street lunch. The flavors I focus on can generally be associated with Moroccan cuisine. Cilantro, green onion and parsley figure in as the main greens, and cumin and coriander, as well as cinnamon are the main spices. Lemon provides a tangy acidity to complement and freshen the flavors, while brown sugar adds a mild sweetness. The main dish is marinaded (in a dilute lemon, herb and brown sugar mixture) tuna medallions seared with a Moroccan spice rub and diced greens (cilantro, green onion and parsley). Depending on the quality of the tuna (I'm not sure if its sushi grade) the centers will either be left raw or cooked just enough --- also the amount of marinading time will vary. The spice rub and greens will also serve as the base for a light sauce, which will be mixed with just a little greek yogurt, and served on top of the plated tuna medallions. Under the tuna will go a simple couscous, likely prepared with a vegetable bouillon cube and maybe some raisins and parsley. This will be plated on the right side of a long oval shaped plate. In the middle I will place two lines of pan roasted chickpeas, prepared with ample cumin and a little kosher salt. To the left of this will go a coleslaw of carrot, cabbage and finely sliced onion. The carrot and onion will marinade in the same type of marinade as the tuna (in a different bowl though). With a little time left I'll mix this in with the cabbage and toss with some olive oil. To this I'll add some roasted sliced almonds, and serve.
The portion size will be six tuna medallions (roughly 5 ounces of tuna), about 20 chickpeas, a few spoons of couscous and a few spoons of the coleslaw (after all this is supposed to be lunch). What makes this a lunch menu? To me, this is a healthier, more seasonal take on NY push-cart lunches. I think that using the same types of flavors throughout helps bring out different elements of each spice and herb --- in the tuna you get the highly heated, moist version of cumin and the herbs, while in the sauce things are much lighter and more refreshing. In the chickpeas the flavors are dry and the texture is crunchy, while the coleslaw is again lighter and tangier....(yea, this is a bunch of bs.. but it does still taste good).
Here are the exact recipes.
Marinade (for tuna, for sauce and for coleslaw)
Finely dice cilantro, parsley and green onion. Mix equal parts of lemon juice and water and add enough to cover the greens. Add in a few small lumps of brown sugar plus a little red chili powder.
Spice rub (for tuna, for sauce)
1 part cumin powder and brown sugar
.5 part coriander powder, cinnamon powder, sweet paprika, kosher salt
.25 par onion powder, red chili powder
.1 part (or less) nutmeg
Mix together!
Tuna medallions
This depends on the quality of the tuna (I'm not sure what quality the competition has... in fact I have a vague fear that when they write tuna, they mean canned tuna fish...). If sushi tuna, do not marinade as long and do not cook as long. If not sushi tuna, marinade longer and cook until mostly done.
Slice half inch thick medallions (2" by 1.5" rectangle in the other dimensions) and add to a portion of the marinade. When ready to sear, remove from marinade and brush off the greens. Roll in the spice rub until mostly coated. Then take some of the greens and push onto the top. Heat a cast iron skillet with a little vegetable oil until just about smoking. Sear the greens side down first, cooking variable amounts of time for the grade of the fish. Flip when half cooked and sear the other side, cooking for only a little while. Remove and plate. Serve 6 medallions (about 5 ounces) with the greens side up.
Sauce
Dice green onion bottoms and cook in a little oil until browned. Add in a portion of the spice rub, and then deglaze with some of the marinade. When cooked down, take off heat and add in a little greek yogurt. Mix and let relax. When tuna is plated, place a small dollop on each piece of the fish.
Couscous
Here I assume they are using the fast cooking (pre-steamed) couscous. Dice half and onion and cook until translucent with a little olive oil and a few chopped raisins. Add in a cup of couscous and saute for just a moment before adding in some already hot (but not boiling) vegetable bouillon base. Cook tightly covered on very low heat for 7 minutes and when done, pour into a bowl and mix it with some diced parsley. Plate as the base for the tuna.
Chickpeas
In a cast iron skillet heat some olive oil. Meanwhile drain, wash and dry some chickpeas. Add ample cumin and some kosher salt to the oil when hot, and then add the chickpeas. Cook, every few minutes shaking the pan, until the chickpeas are browned and crisp. Remove from heat and plate two lines of these.
Coleslaw.
Add a fair amount more lemon to a portion of the marinade. Add a few thinly sliced pieces of onion, plus a carrot or two, peeled and coined. Chop a cabbage and add a little kosher salt to draw some water out. Add the carrot, onion and marinade to the cabbage and toss with olive oil. Add some roasted and cooled almond slivers or slices.
Plating
The plate is long oval. The coleslaw goes on the left, with the chickpeas between it the couscous. On the couscous goes the tuna and sauce. Cut a few sprigs of cilantro and parsley and arrange near the chickpeas and in the middle of the couscous.
Thoughts?
Friday, February 20, 2009
NYU Master Chef, Round 1
I competed this morning in the first round of NYU Master Chef. As I mentioned in earlier posts, my menu was composed of blintzs three ways (plain cheese, greens and mushrooms, and caramelized onions and sweet potato). The competition was held in a very nice kitchen classroom in the nutrition department of NYU. I quickly found a small cast iron pan worthy of blintz shell making --- whew! I had 20 minutes to prep (find pots and pans and utensils and chop stuff), and then one hour to cook. Everything went smoothly, and to my surprise I was finished with all of the fillings and making the shells with about 15 minutes to spare. I should have waited for about 10 minutes before frying the blintzs, but instead I cooked them, leaving about 10 minutes for them to sit around and cool off (this is not optimal). I plated six of them (two of each type) on a large plate, with a small plate of sour cream in the center, surrounded by six apple slices. The plate looks pretty good.
After explaining the dish and the idea behind it to the three judges, I left the kitchen to let them deliberate. Returning ten minutes later I proceeded to finish cooking the rest of the blintzs... in case other people wanted to try them.
The judges called the teams together and first gave their opinions of our dishes. Overall they thought mine was delicious. The complemented the use of winter/seasonable ingredients, and thought the flavors worked well. They did complain about the cheese only blintz, saying (as I also agree) that it was too plain and it didn't make that much sense (farmers cheese makes a much better filling). They also thought that something a little snazzier than sour cream could have been the sauce to go with these.
But..... they also told me that I had done well enough to advance to the next round!
That entails coming up with a lunch menu by Monday noon, which I will then need to cook next Friday morning. A blessing and a curse.
I purposely did not think much about this lunch menu, but now I'm going to need to do some good thinking. I'll try to post on my ideas at some point this weekend and get some feedback.
After explaining the dish and the idea behind it to the three judges, I left the kitchen to let them deliberate. Returning ten minutes later I proceeded to finish cooking the rest of the blintzs... in case other people wanted to try them.
The judges called the teams together and first gave their opinions of our dishes. Overall they thought mine was delicious. The complemented the use of winter/seasonable ingredients, and thought the flavors worked well. They did complain about the cheese only blintz, saying (as I also agree) that it was too plain and it didn't make that much sense (farmers cheese makes a much better filling). They also thought that something a little snazzier than sour cream could have been the sauce to go with these.
But..... they also told me that I had done well enough to advance to the next round!
That entails coming up with a lunch menu by Monday noon, which I will then need to cook next Friday morning. A blessing and a curse.
I purposely did not think much about this lunch menu, but now I'm going to need to do some good thinking. I'll try to post on my ideas at some point this weekend and get some feedback.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Master Chef NYU
Yay! I got accepted to compete in Master Chef NYU. The preliminary round for me is February 13. I am going to make Blintz's three ways: Traditional farmers cheese, savory mushroom and dark greens, and creamy sweet potato, caramelized onion and goat cheese. I have twenty minutes to prep and one hour to cook. I will need to have a few practice runs before the actual competition. That means that I will invite friends over and time myself at making this meal for them. Well, this is just an update and I don't have much more to say about it now, but I will post again when I have done my first practice run through. Also, if I pass the first round, I will need to design some new recipes, and may bounce ideas off people using the blog.
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