recipephile

The Miracle Mile

Hello Everyone

In anticipation of a trip to Chicago and a RecipePhile dinner with four very good friends, my friend Tiffany and I spent an evening dreaming up ideas for a dinner party. The entrée was spectacular (Cornish Hens With Supreme (1) Citrus Cream), but the appetizers are what really shined in this Asian influenced meal. The feeding frenzy began with twists on two favorite dishes from two favorite restaurants.

The first appetizer, Shrimp and Savoy Cabbage Rolls, was inspired by Betelnut (2), a favorite Thai and Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco. Next in line was Rare Beef In Lime Juice, one of my favorite dishes from Nam Phoung (3) in New York City. Together, these fantastic dishes were exploding with flavors and we could not have asked more appropriate surroundings, compliments of two very talented guys, Tim and Max (4).

I hope you enjoy this week's edition of RecipePhile. Special thanks to Tim, Max, Nick and Mark for letting me use them as my food guinea pigs. You guys are great.

Have a wonderful week.

Michael
"Always remember that food is about more than eating...it is about thinking, buying, preparing, enjoying and most importantly... sharing."

Fish For Julie

Hello Everyone

My friend Julie and I planned on seeing the movie musical Chicago on Saturday, but after seeing a line of at least 500 people wrapped around a city block we changed our minds. Julie quickly scalped the movie tickets and we were on our way to the Chelsea Market to buy food for dinner.

Since both of us had already eaten pretty big lunches, we decided to go for something light. We landed on fish and the wheels began to spin. All I could think about was the braised leeks and Cinzano brodo I had the night before at Mario Batali's restaurant Babbo (1). The flavor combination was incredible. I wanted to replicate this concept in a different form and my head kept saying Asian. An idea for a green tea infused broth kept coming to me, so when I got home I tried it out. Water, green tea bags and a mirepoix (2) -- It was bitter and totally awful so I went back to the drawing board. The resulting broth that was created was absolutely delicious.

Let me know what you think of this one and if you have any adjustments or ideas on how to make it better, drop me a line.

Have a great week.

Michael
"Always remember that food is about more than eating...it is about thinking, buying, preparing, enjoying and most importantly... sharing."