endive salad with gorgonzola, sun dried tomatoes, grapefruit with a grapefruit citron vinaigrette

endive leaves
grapefruit citron vinaigrette (recipe below)
gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
sun dried tomatoes (finely diced)
pink grape fruit wedges

grapefruit citron vinaigrette:
juice of 1 whole pink grapefruit
2 tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

pour all of the above ingredients in order into a blender except for the olive oil. start the blender on low and raise to medium low. slowly start adding in the olive oil until all of the oil is mixed. transfer to a container and into the fridge.

for the salad:
place the endives on your plate. add on the pink grapefruit wedge, then the gorgonzola cheese, then the diced sun dried tomatoes, and then pour your dressing over.

enjoy :)

justin

plum vinegar pickled turnips

1 1/4 pounds turnips
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
4 umeboshi (pickled plums) -chopped into a paste-
2-3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. yukari

peel the turnips and cut into bite size pieces. place in a large ziplock bag and add in the salt. close and let stand for 1 hour.

mix the umeboshi paste into the vinegar to create your plum vinegar, and then incorporate the sugar and the yukari. mix and set aside.

when the turnips are soft, squeeze out the excess liquid and return to the bag. add in the vinegar mixture to the ziplock and close the bag and let stand for 2-3 hours. chill in the fridge.

enjoy :)

justin

white wine marinated gobo (burdock root)

1 large gobo piece
3 dried chilies (cut in half lengthwise)
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. white wine
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. peppercorns
6 tbsp. vinegar (plus more for soaking and boiling)

wash the gobo well, and cut into short lengths about 2-3" pieces. then cut into quarters lengthwise, and soak in vinegar water.

pour a bit of vinegar into a pot of boiling water and boil the gobo until al dente. remove and immediately place into an ice bath.

in a separate pot boil the sugar, wine, salt, peppercorns, and chilies then cool. add in the 6 tbsp. of vinegar and the gobo and let stand for 1 hour. then add into a container and place in the fridge.

enjoy :)

justin

citron infused pickled grape tomatoes

1 dry pint (10 oz.) grape tomatoes
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
4 tbsp. olive oil
fresh cracked black pepper
thin quarter slices lemon
a few sprigs of thyme

peel the tomatoes by placing a small slit in each tomato, and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. then immediately transfer to an ice bath and then skin will be easy to peel.

mix all of the above ingredients together, add in the tomatoes, and let stand 30 mins. to 1 hour. transfer to a container and chill in the fridge.

enjoy :)

justin

wasabi soy sauce pickled celery

7 large stalks celery
2" piece kombu
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. mirin
2 tbsp. sake
1/4 cup soy sauce
wasabi root, julienned

wash celery and cut the top and bottom off of the celery stalks. peel the celery by taking the hair off. cut each celery in half and then in half again so that you have 4 slices of each celery stalk. then cut into 2-3" length pieces. place the already cut celery into a large ziplock bag and add in the 1 tbsp. of salt. shake bag and set aside for 20 mins.

bring a large pot of water to a boil for blanching the celery. add in the celery and boil for 2-3 mins. then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. drain and add back into the ziplock bag.

cut the kombu into 1/4" pieces and soak in water for 10 mins. in a small pot add in 1/3 cup water and the soaked kombu. bring to a boil and then add in the mirin and sake. boil off the alcohol. cool. then add in the soy sauce and wasabi.

add in the the liquid from the pot, including the kombu, into the ziplock bag of celery. let stand 2 hours.

remove from the bag and transfer to a container, and chill in the fridge.

enjoy :)

justin

miso mirin pickled radish

20 radishes
2 tbsp. miso
1 tbsp. mirin
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt

wash and cut the radishes into 1/8-1/4" slices and place into a large ziplock bag. add the kosher salt into the bag with the radishes and close. shake well to incorporate all of the salt to the radishes, and close making sure to get as much air out as possible. let stand for 1 hour.

in a separate small bowl mix the miso with the mirin to create a paste.

after an hour drain the excess water out of the plastic bag by squeezing the radishes. add in the miso mirin paste and incorporate with the radishes, and close the bag and let stand for another hour. remove from the bag, place into a container, and chill in the fridge.

serve and enjoy :)

justin

miso marinated wild pacific halibut

wild pacific halibut fillets (6 oz. per person)
1 cup white miso
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
1 tsp. soy sauce

mix the miso, sake, mirin, and soy sauce together to form the marination. lay the halibut into a tupperware container and pour the marinade over the fish, and mix all together. place in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

turn broiler on to HI. take most of the marinade off of the fish and place skin side up into the broiler. broil for about 4 mins. flip over and brush on some of the marinade, and cook for the remaining 4 mins. or until golden brown, and serve.

enjoy :)

justin

cumin crusted rack of lamb with cranberry pomegranate glaze

cranberry pomegranate glaze:
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 pomegranate
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water

in a medium size pot dissolve the sugar in with the water over medium heat. set aside. de-seed the pomegranate by cutting it in half across the equator of the fruit. fill a large bowl with cold water, and with a blunt object, such as a rolling pen, beat the seeds out of the pomegranate. place 3/4 of the seeds of the pomegranate and the cranberries in a food processor and blend together into a sauce. mix the blended sauce into the sugar water. bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, and set aside.

for the lamb:
i tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. old bay seasoning
1 rack of lamb (frenched)

combine all of the spices and salt and sprinkle it onto the rack of lamb. you want to get a nice thick coating, so us all of the spice rub. add some oil to a cast iron skillet over medium heat and fry each side of the lamb until it reaches a dark golden brown. finish it off in a 350 degree oven until an instant read thermometer reads 130 degrees F for medium rare. transfer the rack to a plate and let it rest for 10 minutes. slice the lamb between each rib, then plate with a drizzle of cranberry pomegranate glaze and a few seeds of the pomegranate.

enjoy :)

justin