Pho Chay

Pho Chay

In my winter haze I began fantasizing about travel to somewhere warm and cheap. Since actual travel was not in my budget, I satisfied my need by reading and cooking. I had heard of pho before, but for some reason this year it has gotten more press than ever. Maybe it's because of the clean, cleansing broth, or the slippery noodles and crunchy condiments that make you slurp and chew at the same time. Whatever it is, the pure satisfaction of this dish has had me in a trance all winter long. I found in my research that Pho is generally made with beef, Pho Bo. I knew that if I wanted to serve it as a regular dish on the bakery dinner menu, I would have to come up with a version that could be served as both a beef or a vegetarian dish. It may not be the classic, but it is delicious.

For the broth you will need:

4 ounces dried mushroom blend (preferably one that has shiitakes in it)

2 medium red onions skin on and whole

a fist sized knob of ginger

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon whole clove

1tablespoon whole coriander

1 tablespoon fennel seed 

3 whole star anise

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar ( or a half dollar sized hunk of palm sugar, if you can find it)

salt to taste

To finish the soup:

1 package rice noodles, the thinner ones

chopped cilantro

chopped fresh basil

fresh mung bean sprouts

scallions thinly sliced in the bias

crimini mushrooms very thinly sliced

Lime wedges

Sambal Olek

To make broth:

soak dried mushroom blend in 4 cups water overnight in the refrigerator

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Drain mushrooms reserving the liquid. Pat dry and toss with olive oil and salt. Spread mushrooms out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment and roast in oven for about 15 minutes until golden and even slightly crispy. 

While Mushrooms are roasting cut 2 red onion in half lengthwise and place on another sheet pan lined with parchment. Place whole knobs of ginger on same pan and roast them in the same oven

with the mushrooms. once the onions are caramelized and the ginger is soft, slide the onions into a large stock pot, chop the ginger into big chunks and put it in the pot along with HALF of the roasted mushrooms. Pour in 10 cups of water and bring to a slow simmer. As it's coming to temp, dry roast your spices in a clean dry saute pan and add them to the pot. Add salt and sugar and fish sauce. Let simmer gently for at least 1 1/2-2 hours. Strain broth and keep very hot until ready to serve, checking the spice and adjusting as needed. (or if your doing it ahead chill and store for up to one week)

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add rice noodles cook, stirring frequently. boil until just tender then drain and toss with a tablespoon of vegetable oil to keep from sticking together. Set aside until ready to assemble.

To serve:

Put noodles in bottom of bowl. Sprinkle on some of the roasted mushrooms and some of the sliced fresh mushrooms. Ladle hot broth over this and serve at table with the condiments on the side, so people can put on what they like. Serve with a nice refreshing bottle of 'Red Saigon' (over ice, the way they do it down there!) and you'll feel like you've had a little trip to Vietnam, sans the jet lag. 

King Salmon with honey cayenne glaze

 John went trolling for salmon today with his friend Harry. Harry is half of the wonderful couple that sold us the land on which the bakery now proudly calls home. He and his wife Shirley were very flexible and amazing when it came to doing the land deal, carrying the loan themselves at a time we were hard pressed to get credit from a bank. (The bank kept wanting to refinance my 10 year old car...they put more trust in the car than my business, which is window into the difficulties the super-small start-ups go through) We faithfully made our payments and saved our money, and eventually...thanks to the fact we had an asset that was tangible, we were able to design and build our dream bakery. We have worked hard to live up to the town's needs and expectations and we are grateful to all those who helped us along the way. Today, this one is for Harry and Shirley...Thank You! And Thanks for taking John out so he could bring home something that's a little rare this time of year. Fresh King Salmon. This particular fish is what's referred to as a 'feeder' king. King Salmon spawn after 5 years or so, until then they roam the oceans building up fat reserves for their harrowing journey upstream. Where we live, on a bluff about 500 feet above the shores of Cook Inlet, we have a very fine and expansive view of a particularly popular spot for these feeder kings and we watch all winter as, at times, a dozen boats or more are making the slow movements back and forth indicative of trolling. John came home with two fish, one a white king salmon (I sadly did not get a photo of before it was processed for the freezer). The other was a fine light pink gem, very fatty and beautiful pale color due to the cold temps and season.

To cook it, I decided to keep it simple and sear it skin side down and then finish it under a broiler with this super simple honey cayenne glaze. 

To make the glaze:

1/4 cup honey- any kind- go crazy!

a pinch of cayenne pepper 

stir it up in a little dish and set aside.

Heat up a cast iron skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. place fish in when it's just smoking and sear the bottom not moving the fish at all...4 minutes. Glaze the fish once or twice while on the stove , putting another coating on right before moving pan to the broiler. Broil another four to 5 minutes. This was a thick filet, so I check it once and glaze it again before giving it two minutes more. Pull from oven and let sit to rest, covered for 3 minutes. Slather on the last of the glaze right before serving. 

We ate ours with crisp green salad and fresh ciabatta bread from the bakery...divine!

Midweek dinner...baby back ribs

I know most people don't associate wednesday nights as rib nights. Ribs are something you have on saturday when you have all day to tend the fire, right? Not so, I say! Need a quick prep, no fuss meal anytime...babybacks are your friend. An hour in the oven is all you really need. One hour of undisturbed alone time for you to take a long hot shower. Or as Ruhlman so gently put it in his roast chicken post, go have sex. I bet there's even time for a shower afterwards. Otherwise you can help the kids with their homework, have a glass of wine...whatever. One winter a few years back, I discovered the true beautiful simplicity of this method, which was introduced by my friend chef Ryan Lee. I had ordered 130 pounds of ribs for a cast party after the local holiday performances of the Nutcracker Ballet. My kids were in it along with half the town and the party, especially the ribs were a huge deal. Usually they are lovingly slow barbecued by our friend, Blake LaRue, but Blake's back went out the night before, leaving him completely unable to perform his 'cuing magic. I knew I could put them in the wood fired oven, but how to know they would be perfect? Ryan suggested I use his method that works for one rack or twenty, in a word, foolproof. We set them up in hotel pans with lots of aromatics in the bottom and baked them as directed. Sure enough, they were beautiful! It is now my go-to rib recipe, with it I have the secret to making a lot of people very happy in a relatively short period of time, and that..on a wednesday night, is priceless!

Here's how we 'do' it:

1 rack of baby back pork ribs (or twenty, if that be the case)

1 oven- preheated to 350 degrees

1 roaster pan, rack in place, with tight fitting lid or foil to cover

Turn ribs to the bone side and make sure the butcher has removed the silver skin. The bones should be clearly visible, but if they are covered by a light silver film, you'll want to remove it. This can be easily done by pulling up a section at the edge and working your fingers to separate enough that you can get a hold of the whole end, it should pull away in one piece, use a sharp boning knife to remove any fragments left behind. Rub your spice blend into the flesh, generously, on both sides. If you don't have a favorite rib rub, try this:

2 Tablespoons Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 Teaspoons paprika (smoked would be great here, too)

2 Teaspoons ground thyme

1 Teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

mix all ingredients well and rub away.

lay rubbed ribs on rack in roaster pan 

throw some garlic cloves and chopped onion in the bottom and pour in about a cup of water.

Cover tightly and bake in preheated oven for one hour. This your chance to take a walk, call a friend, or 'you know what'. If you need a side dish, you could throw some scrubbed potatoes on the rack above the ribs.  Put some greens in a bowl for salad and then off with you!

After an hour pull pan out of the oven, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to rest. This is a great time to mix up my favorite bbq sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, the best you have.

Stir until smooth.

If you want to char the ribs on the grill, now is good time, but if your natives are restless and ready to eat, just cut them in between each bone and throw the whole lot in a big bowl, spoon on 1/2 the sauce and toss, coating the ribs evenly. Spill out onto a platter with the extra sauce on the side and your done. Time to pour another glass of wine and sit back and enjoy the quiet, as everyone will be too busy eating to make any noise...ahhh, wednesday!

Roast Chicken

We make alot of roast chicken...not something we serve here at the bakery, necessarily, but it is a staple on our dinner repetoire when asked to cater casual dinners...not to mention for chicken soup...which we made 3 times last week now that flu has hit town!
We buy free range, mostly, often organic,( but sometimes we can't justify the doubled price tag.)
Start by rinsing chicken well and pat dry lightly with paper towel let sit to air dry a moment while you prepare the mirepoix base.
This one has onion, celery and sweet potato

line the bottom of your roasting pan with the aromatics and place the chickens on top.
Core and cut into thick slices, one green apple and stuff it into the cavity
rub the skins with olive oil and sprinkle with a healthy layer of salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill
Add any spices you wish to this layer...thyme is a favorite
Fold the cavity closed and pull the legs together over the opening. use a 6" skewer to keep the legs together
(Some folks insist trussing is the only way, but, we think this works as well)
Pour about an inch of water into the bottom of the pan and place in a preheated 350 dgree oven (moderate heat)
uncovered. depending on the size of your bird, it will take 1 1/2 to two hours to roast. It should register 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer when done. (or the leg will pull away easily and the juices run clear) Let rest 15 minutes before carving.

This is where the brick oven really shines. It makes some lovely breads, it's true, but meats roasted this way are spectacular!