New Orleans Sabbatical

As an Executive Chef/Owner I have noticed that if I am not rested and refreshed, my food suffers.  I hate that.  No, I HATE that.  As I’m sure you do too…. I decided, for many reasons to make Blue House Bistro a seasonal endeavor.  Some of the reasons include the seasonality of the Holland area, the high costs of running the bistro during the slowest season, and my own needs of a break from 14-hour days.  


I closed up & went to New Orleans.
  
My trip to New Orleans was so wonderful this year.  I treated the whole time I was there as one part sabbatical and one part rejuvenation.  I ate out a bunch, I met up with some chef & bartender friends a bunch, and I listened to and played some music.  It was wonderful.  


Some highlights---


• My discovery of The Three Muses restaurant on Frenchmen Street.  They have a delightful and delicious menu that is set to the tune of live music nightly.  If I could have afforded it, I would have eaten there every day! 

Angie K & Noelle Link

• I got to play some music with my good friend Noelle Link. 


• My tattoo was worked on by Rain of World Famous Forbidden Art during a special late night session.  

Rain of Forbidden Art Tattoo

• I also took a side trip to visit some family in Savannah.  I love Savannah.   


• I spent a bunch of quality time with my dog.  We went to dog parks, on walks, and to bars.  Yes, bars.  I love New Orleans.  There is even a website that lists what hotels, bars, and restaurants are dog friendly.

Chef Angie K & Sylvia at Igor's Lounge

• The promotion of my dear friend MaryJane to the Executive Chef position at The Country Club.  Being as this is the only restaurant in New Orleans that features a pool & hot tub (or would it be a pool and hot tub that feature a restaurant?!?!) I spent most of my time here.  


• While I was there it was also Mardi Gras.  Need I say more?  

Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras

Overall I had a great time & am ready to get back to work.  There is a lot to do at Blue House Bistro.  A LOT! Sometimes it is overwhelming, but (to be cliché’) Rome wasn’t built in a day!  I have a bunch of fresh and exciting things planned from some inspirations, so I hope that you will join me!  

New Year, New Mission & New Goals

Keeping true to my New Year's resolution of Blogging more frequently, I am sharing with everyone Blue House Bistro's revised Mission Statement and Goals.  I decided that it was time to give the mission and goals some thought since had been almost two years since I had originally devised them.  So, without further ado....

Mission Statement

At the core of our mission is the commitment to our food and beverages, and that in itself is a commitment to our customers. To provide delicious and remarkable meals and beverages that meet the highest standards of quality, freshness, seasonality, and ethical purchasing of ingredients possible. To consistently provide our customers with impeccable service by demonstrating friendliness, graciousness, efficiency, knowledge, professionalism and integrity at every level of our work.

Our Goals

We strive to have every person who comes through our doors leave impressed, inspired, and uplifted by Blue House Bistro and excited to come back again. We want to create and maintain a restaurant that is exceptional in its attention to every detail to create a haven for our customers; a break from the worries outside, a place to meet with friends, a place to savor delicious food and enjoy life. We try to provide all who work with us a friendly, cooperative, and rewarding environment which encourages growth and long-term opportunities. We will be part of the community and good neighbors who strive to improve the the quality of life in the greater Holland area. We are a fresh concept that is exciting and on the cutting edge of the hospitality and entertainment industry.

Local, Sustainable, & Jerky

The restaurant slows down significantly in the winter, so it is a good time to update content, repair the building, and fine-tune the whole business.  In doing all this, I realized that I haven't had a blog update since JULY!  It is unfortunate that somehow blogging always gets pushed to the side.  It is my new years resolution, therefore, to keep up with it on a much more frequent basis.

I've been switching between cooking and doing website updates all day.  The main thing that I have been focusing on has been tracking down all the sources for the food that is prepared here.  All the farms, all the farmers, all the distributors, etc.  No easy task, lemme tell ya!  There are a few new resources available that make it easier for customers to know where their food comes from.  Specifically, www.realtimefarms.com seems like an awesome resource, but (the joys of owning a business!) I am wary of the price tag.  I need to think about it more before I make a decision.

While doing research on the local and sustainable movement, I came across www.sustainabletable.org and found a wealth of information and ways to lead a healthier life.  This recipe caught my eye.  Maybe because it's almost (my) lunchtime, maybe because I have a weakness for venison jerky (hint...hint... to all my hunter friends out there!), or maybe because it is a tasty way to use super-deal-meats rather than freezing.  Whatever the reason, I hope you enjoy it!

Beef, Bison or Venison Jerky with Italian Herbs

You can view the original recipe here
Recipe by:
The Garden of Eating, by Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz, Planetary Press, 2004
Courtesy of Sustainable Table ®

Description:
Eliminate unwholesome ingredients such as refined salt and sugar, sodium nitrite, artificial flavors and colorings, and other preservatives and additives by making jerky yourself! Make it with organic and sustainable ingredients for an even healthier snack. Cook time: 24 hours

Ingredients:
2 pounds extra lean ground sustainable meat
1 teaspoon each of dried, crumbled basil and oregano
1 teaspoon lemon pepper or ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
tablespoons dried onion flakes, optional
1 teaspoon finely ground unrefined sea salt or 2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

Directions:
Break meat apart in a shallow 1-quart bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well with clean, bare hands to evenly distribute spices.

Form tablespoon-sized balls and flatten to ¼’ to ⅜’ thick, or use a jerky press or jerky gun to yield uniform strips, tubes or discs.

Oven drying: Preheat oven to 140° F. Line 2-4 cookie sheets or roasting pans with aluminum foil folded up at the corners to catch drips from roasting rack. Arrange meat without overlapping. Hold oven door ajar with a wooden spoon. Dry for 10 to 14 hours.

For crispier jerky, dry until a test piece splinters when bent.

Food dehydrator: Arrange meat without overlapping on as many racks as needed. Dry at 145 degrees for 10-14 hours.
Pat off beads of oil with unbleached paper towel. Cool and store in sealed jars, cellulose, wax paper bags or heavy zip-locking freezer bags.

This will keep 1-2 months at room temperature, 3 or more months in the refrigerator and indefinitely in the freezer.

New Orleans Spicy Shrimp

While lurking about in food/recipe blogs, I found a recipe adapted from Chef/Owner Scott Boswell of Stella. While I personally have never been to Stella and do not know Scott Boswell personally, I have known some of the people that have worked there in the past. My friend, Steve, was one of them, and I have had the privilege of swapping some great recipes with him over the years.

The ingredients in this recipe include a combination of global influences and “swamp-trotting” flavors. It is right up my alley. I changed it a bit from the original format that I saw it, I think that the shrimp was being cooked to long, and I adjusted some of the ingredient levels to suit my preferences. As complicated as it may sound it is actually a simple recipe. The trick is to go fast, so that you don't over cook the shrimp.

This appetizer sells on the menu at Stella for about $15.00. Let me know if you try it, how it turns out & what (if anything) you change!


Ingredients
3 Large Whole Shrimp
1 ½ Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 Tbsp Chili Flakes or Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Chopped Green Onions
1 Tsp Granulated Sugar
1 Tsp Chili Paste (bought in or made from dried chilli powders & oil)
1/3 Cup Cold Unsalted Butter Cubed
To taste Salt and White Pepper
Thick Sliced French Bread

Preparation

1. Peel and de-vein the shrimp. Leave the tail portion and head intact. Season them on both sides with salt and white pepper.

2.In a very hot sauté pan add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and allow it to just reach the smoking point, and then add the garlic and shrimp. Sauté shrimp on both sides turning after a few seconds

3.Add about 1/4 cup of the white wine to the pan and then add the chili flakes/cayenne pepper, continuing to sauté. Turn the shrimp often to coat evenly with the chili flakes.

4.Coat the French bread with the remaining olive oil and then set it under a broiler or toaster oven to toast the top side

5.Add the remaining white wine, green onions, sugar, chili paste, and then stir well to combine all the ingredients in the pan.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and gently whisk in the chunks of butter to smooth into the sauce.

7.Serve with toasted French bread and garnish with more chopped green onions.

Blue House Bistro

Ratatouille Bruschetta

I can't believe how long my hair was....

This is a recipe I demonstrated at the Holland Farmer's Market in 2008.  Most people have such a fear of eggplant.  The secret to making any recipe with eggplant successful is to soak slices of it in a mixture of salt, lemon juice, and water for a few minutes, then press the eggplant to squeeze all the excess (and absorbed) juices out. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 small eggplant, cubed
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add eggplant; stir until coated with oil. Add peppers; stir to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.

Add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix well. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender but not too soft.  Serve mixture on toast. 

Serves 4.

www.bluehousebistro.net

My quest for green tomatoes

I have been trying to make a Layered Crab Cakes with Fried Green Tomatoes topped with Hollandaise Sauce for a little while now to no avail. Green tomatoes are not the kind of item that you can purchase in normal supermarkets, and my food vendors (if they even have them) would sell them to me by the case (which I definitely do not need). My trip to the Holland Farmer's Market on Saturday was disappointing at best. Out of a dozen or so stands that were set up, only a couple were selling vegetables at all. Neither of them had green tomatoes, although one of the vendors tentatively promised me some on Wednesday. There were a few stands selling tomato plants, but they were only blooming. If they had fruit growing, I might have felt brave enough to buy either just the green fruit or the whole plant.

Green Tomatoes

My search continues. In the meantime, here is a recipe that will go on the features menu at Blue House Bistro as soon as I find green tomatoes. If you have some in the Holland, Michigan area send me an email or come by Blue House Bistro; there are hungry people waiting!

Crab Cakes

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/8 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup diced bell peppers (I like red the best because of the color mixture)

2 tbsp butter

3 eggs

2/3 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp mustard

Tabasco to taste

Two 10 oz cans of crab meat (unless you have access to fresh!)

1/4 cup cooking oil (use more or less depending on the size of your pan)

Sautee the onion, celery and peppers in butter until it onions turns clear. Whisk the eggs and combine with breadcrumbs, cheese, and seasonings. Stir in onion mixture and crab meat. Shape into patties. Heat oil in a skillet. Place crab cakes in hot skillet. Sear on each side until golden brown; about 2-3 min.

Fried Green Tomatoes

3 medium size green tomatoes

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 cup breadcrumbs

pepper to taste

1/4 cup cooking oil (use more or less depending on the size of your pan)

Slice tomatoes in 1/4 inch slices. Dip in milk. Dredge in combined flour, pepper, breadcrumb mixture. Heat oil in a skillet. Place tomatoes in hot skillet. Sear on each side until golden brown; about 2-3 min.

Layer the crab cakes and tomatoes into towers.

Hollandaise Sauce

1/2 cup softened butter (in pieces)

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Tabasco to taste

dash of salt

In the top section of a double boiler (because this sauce goes wrong FAST!) combine egg yolks, vinegar, and Tabasco. Whisk constantly over boiling water while slowly adding butter until it reaches desired thickness. Spoon over crab and tomato towers. Serve immediately.

Things That Go Wrong...

I want to talk about my work, my vision, my cooking style and my restaurant. It is inspiring when people sense the love that has gone into creating every aspect. What you see when you walk into my dining room is the culmination of HOURS and HOURS of planning and effort; from the menu layout, to assembling the tables (We just got new ones. Have you seen them? I love them!), to painting the walls, to ordering the merchandise/food, to getting all the necessary licenses & permits, to (at a more basic level) learning how to cook in the first place, etc. 

I love it when the dining room is full, the kitchen is bustling with activity and everything is going absolutely right. Still, sometimes things can and do go wrong. It is quite disconcerting when that happens, especially when there isn't a whole lot I can do about it. If your steak was cooked incorrectly, I can fix that. If the wrong button on the cash register was hit and it says you owe me $1067.58, I can fix that. Not every issue, however, that comes up can be easily addressed. Here is an explanation of the most common issues I run into & how I deal with them...

The restaurant runs out of an ingredient, item, or dish. It is an imprecise science and art to gauging just how much of something to order. My restaurant is tiny and on a VERY tight budget, and we need to maximize capital without having too much stuff sitting (or going bad) on the back shelves. I go to the store everyday before or after work, and sometimes quickly sending friends (beware if you are my pal & you stop by to visit I might put you to work!) during the middle of an order during the day. Sometimes for no reason I can figure out (if you happen to know why, please enlighten me) everyone who walks in the door on a certain day will order approximately the same thing. It is weird, and we will run out of that certain thing.

Service is a bit awkward. In whatever manner you choose to interpret it, something about the server or experience was off. It may be your servers first day (on the job or in the industry) & they are still getting the hang of things. You may have been one of the “lucky” few who got the other owner, Seraphena for a server. She is great in theory and terrible in practice. I know & she knows, which is why she avoids serving except in an emergency or when we are SUPER busy. Otherwise, the kitchen may be (or have been) on fire and we are all just trying to get our composure back.

There is no alcohol. I am absolutely on your side on this one. We are raising money for the correct license, so eat here often. If you absolutely MUST have beer or wine with your meal, call for pick-up or delivery.

The table next to you is too loud, too big, or otherwise annoying. I can't help you there, The restaurant is a “boutique bistro” and it gets full quick. What I can tell you is to focus on your lovely dinner/lunch companions and the wonderful food instead.

The food isn't spicy enough. It is a common misconception that everything I make is or should be super spicy. I am a Neo-American Creole Fusion style chef, which is a blend of French, Spanish, Italian, American, and whatever else I feel inspired by that day. I also cook for a broad audience in the Midwest with varying levels of tolerance; I tend to tone down the spiciness in all but the most obvious of dishes. I make my own hot sauce, ask for some if you want to turn up the heat.

These aren't big deal issues. Nope. They are really not. Although, I apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused you if one of those things happened to you at my restaurant. If you want some juicy kitchen disaster stories check out this site http://www.dinnersfromhell.com You will be glad you never ate or worked at these restaurants.