Quit your crying and cut the onion

The single most asked question I get is "How can I not cry when cutting an onion?" My first response is usually in my head where I want to say 'don't be a little baby about it...', but then I smile and tell them to put back the overpriced onion goggles in their basket and show them this easy ways to break them down. It goes fast so here are the step by step instructions. If you missed how to hold a knife please check it out first here.

Ahh... the dreaded onion, looks scary huh?

First know your onion anatomy, the steam end which grows out of the soil is the first to go

Always place the cut side down. It is just easier to cut something that is not rolling around. That ugly root end is the girl we want to take to the prom, she has her stuff together and is literally holding every layer of that onion together.

Slice through the root end so you get two halves.

Go ahead and peel any onion skin off now. It's much easier now, and you lose less onion.

Insert the point of your knife about 3/4 of the way to the root.

Press into the onion until your reach the cutting board and then slice down. Remember we are not cutting off a slices yet, we are just making a cut. 

Now move over a 1/4 inch and make another insert and slice.

Repeat, still never cutting all the way through the root end.

Depending on the size of your onion, you may get  4-5 cuts across,

Now lets get horizontal. 2-3 cuts will go across 3/4 to the root end. Keep your fingers perched up top and watch out for the thumb and pinkie fingers they like to get in the way.

Repeat until you have only a small amount on top, like this. your onion will resemble a book with little flaps all over it but still connected by the root.

Now come back to the claw position with your hand and make cuts straight down, repeating and inching closer to the root end.

See that dicing magic happening!

You will have a beautiful tear free 1/4 inch dice when your done. Go only until your reach the starting point of your first cuts and discard or stock bag your root end, we are done with her now.

This works with shallots and garlic too!

Knife Knowledge and How to Avoid an ER visit.

Listen up friends! The single most important tool you need to learn to cook is a Good Sharp Chef Knife. You don't need a whole fancy set or a $500 one to get started. You just need a solid knife. I use a Wustof Classic 8 inch Chef Knife. It has been with me since I enrolled in culinary school and its my favorite hands down. I'm lucky enough at my job that I get to try all the new shiny knives and hottest ones on the market.

I teach roughly 2-3 knife skills classes a month and my message is always the same. You have to find a knife that feels good in your hand or you will never use it. There are hundreds of options out there. Think of it like a car. There are Corvette and Hondas. Everyone may tell you to get the luxury of the Corvette and how amazing it is. It however may feel too heavy or uncomfortable in your hand. Try the Honda... you just may love it.

Here is a quick checklist of what you should look for in the knife you buy.

• Is it a single piece of steal from point to handle? Meaning can you see one continuous piece of steal running through it. If there is a fully covered Handel skip it, it is flimsy and will eventually crap out on you, and cost you more in the end because you will have to replace it.
• Do you feel any type of pinching or rubbing on your gripping hand? If you do try another knife, its like shoes- if they hurt when you try them on you will get blisters and calluses later when your using it.
• Is the length comfortable for you? Chef knives come in all different lengths. I find that 4 inch knifes do not really have much use in the kitchen and 10 inches are for those trying to compensate for something else smaller. Try out and decided between a 6 or 8 inch knife. You can do almost all your work with that size.
• Asian knives vs. Western Knives. Ok- Asian knives are all the rage. They have detailed and fancy handles and basically are small versions of samuri swords. They are far to light for me, but you may love them. They are for a more eastern style cooking (think sashimis, and fine detailed artistic work). Western Style or German Knives are heavy, and in my opinion ready to be the workhorse of the kitchen. They can break down whole chickens through the bones, your hardest vegetables and fruits, and are built to last. Both have needs and most people who start with one style chef knife end up later buying the counterpart as a second knife.
• Don't feel pressured to buy a whole set. Unless you obsessed with being all matchy matchy... Stop, buy what you need, and add on later.
• Spend the extra money and get a good cutting board: wood, bamboo, or plastic. NO GLASS or marble. A good board will extend the life of your knife and time between sharpening it.

So I'm sure by now you have stopped reading, went out and bought a great knife, and are so excited to use it, right? Well now to the important stuff... How not to cut your fingers off, or what some may call Knife Basics. This is a step by step run through for you, so watch and learn folks.

You should always hold your knife in a whats called a pinch or professional grip. your thumb on one side and your pointer finger pinching the other side.

Your other fingers should wrap under the handle and come around to form a good grip. This will make the knife an extension of your arm, causing less fatigue on your wrist and less opportunity for the knife to go all loosy goosy and slip and cut you.

Unless your cutting a huge melon or chicken, all basic cuts should have the tip of your knife on the board.

Your other hand will be in what's called the claw position ( yes- I do in my head say "The CLAW!" like Jim Carrey in Liar Lair every single time I teach this)

This should feel a little awkward because its training yourself to do a new habit, but when you start, keep your three middle fingers on the boars bent over, and you can hold down your pinkie with your thumb. Those two fingers are the most likely to slip out from under your claw and require stitches. This happens a lot on holidays, so heads up- the wait is long in the ER.

When you're ready to cut, slowly glide your knife towards the top of the board from the tip, rocking the body of the blade all the way through the bolster (back end of the blade). You should rock forward the whole length of the blade.

Chopping should never sound like chopping, it should be a symphonic sound of your knife gliding through the food you're cutting. As you cut, walk your claw backwards away from the blade.

Make sure you have a good grip on your knife and that all fingers steer clear of the blade. Don't beat yourself up if this is challenging at first, just stop and restart. You have probably been holding your knife and cutting the same way for as long as you can remember. Old habits die hard, but you will get it and become a much more efficient cook in the kitchen. 

The Infamous Squash Soup

My very first paid job right out of Culinary School was working for a small kitchen store in Saratoga, California called Home Chef. I was mostly a culinary assistant/sometimes instructor, which really means I was the dish bitch. I loved it! People would file in and sit and watch "the class"-it was really more like a show. It was all demonstration cooking with the added benefit of being able to smell the wonderful smells and taste the final dish. I would watch the instructors teach and just swoon. It totally gave me the teaching bug, and I knew this is what I wanted to do for a living.  This recipe is what I call my deal breaker meal. I have interviewed with this soup and people either love it or hate it, there has been no middle of the ground. It has morphed from its original recipe to my own version. I find most men hate it... no, really, all the men in my family hate it, but the women in my family love it and wait every year for me to make it by the bucket fulls.

I knew I was taking a huge risk when I auditioned for my current job with it. I knew this recipe backwards and forwards, had cool interjections of cooking skills and techniques to pepper in my presentation... It was a slam dunk! I was prepared and felt like the Jordan of instructors walking into my interview- this job was mine! Then I walked in and saw my panel I almost died... 2 men and one lady... crap! My mind scrambled and I figured I'd kick it during the presentation and wait for the horrified faces once they tried it. I was dead wrong- they all loved it and one of them still talks about that soup I made 2 years ago! So I'm leaving it up to you my faithful followers, make some for home, the office, or a pot luck because it is awesome. It freezes well and the leftovers are just as amazing!

 Home Chef's Roasted Squash and Pear Soup

Soup Ingredients

4 pounds butternut squash
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil (canola, grape seed, avocado)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 whole pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups chicken stock (from homemade stock post here)
1/4 cup white wine
1 bouquet garni
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 sage leaves
3 ounces Roquefort cheese or really any blue veined cheese will fly
1/2 crème fraîche or sour cream
2 ounces toasted hazelnuts
homemade croutons to garnish (recipe below, do not use store bought... it will suck, I promise!)

Cut the squash into halves or quarters and place cut side down on a baking dish. Roast in a 400 oven until tender, about 1 hour. Scoop out the flesh and cut into cubes. Drizzle hazelnut oil over the warm cubes.

Heat the neutral flavored oil in a large saucepan. Saute the onion for 5 minutes over medium heat, you just want to soften them, not brown them. Add the pears, squash, stock, wine, bouquet garni, and seasonings and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the sage leaves in during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the bouquet garni and puree the soup with the weapon of your choice. A immersion or stick blender works great, but a food processor or half filled blender works too. You want it completely smooth and creamy texture.

In a blender or mini chopper, combine the crème fraîche and Roquefort until smooth.

Serve soup in warmed bowls, with a scoop of the Roquefort creme in the center, sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the soup and garnish with homemade croutons.


Croutons Recipe

1 loaf french or italian crusty bread
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. cut bread into 1/2 inch size cubes. Toss bread with butter, parsley and seasonings in a large bowl. spread in a even layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp. you may need to toss them around a little during baking so keep an eye on them. My hubby wont eat the soup but he will get down on some croutons!

What the Cluck is up with Chicken Stock

Today we are starting with the basics. With the holidays fast approaching, we can make a big batch of chicken stock and store it at the ready for all your cooking needs. You can store this stock for 3 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer, either way it is much better than anything you can buy. Chicken stock is made up from a handful of basic ingredients that you may even have on hand already. It's a rewarding process and smells better than any air freshener you can buy. Let's Roll!

Ingredients

6 pounds chicken bones (necks, backs, wings,-any and all)
cold water
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bouquet garni ( now were sounding all fancy... recipe below)

Bouquet Garni
combine below items to a damp cheesecloth doubled over and tied shut or cloth herb sachet bag
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
10 whole peppercorns, cracked
10 parsley stems, twist to release maximum flavor
2 cloves garlic lightly crushed


Place chicken bones in a large stock pot and add enough cold water to cover the bones. Bring to a boil slowly. Once the water begins to boil, reduce down to a simmer (think little bubbles). Now here is the gross but important part. As "scum" forms on the surface of the pot, you have to skim it off with a slotted spoon or fine mesh strainer. You will end up with cloudy stock in the end if you leave it in there.

Add onions, carrots and celery and bouquet garni. Continue to simmer skimming scum and any pools of fat that form off the top, otherwise it will form a lid on the top of the pot and your stock can't breath.  I know it sounds life threatening, but trust me- it will be a better stock in the end.

Simmer the stock uncovered for 5-6 hours... yes, I said hours! Hard work and patience results in amazing stock.

Strain the finished stock through a fine strainer to remove bones and vegetables. Take a moment and admire your hard work... Liquid gold! Good job!

Place your stock in a non-metallic container and let it cool down in  the fridge. Any fat that might be there will make a fat raft on top and you can just scoop it off and toss it before portioning it into your final storage containers. Or if you're like Ross you can drink the fat! (There's always time for a Friends reference)

Quick Tip: For future time-saving stock, keep a freezer bag in the freezer and put all onion, celery and carrot peels, stems, ends, and randoms. That way you can just toss into bones and water and save some time. I won't tell anyone you did not cut them up perfectly.

Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

So a GIANT bowl of cream cheese frosting! If the recipe title did not get you hungry, this will keep you reading a bit longer and hopefully in the kitchen cooking up a batch. True Story: I'm a lover of all things fall! Pumpkin everything starts in my house shortly after my birthday in August. By shortly after... I mean the day after: deco up, pumpkin spice coffee creamer, and basically all things Halloween and fall invade my house. Luckily, I have found a great following of fall obsessed friends and their pumpkin obsession runs deep as well.

This recipe was passed on to me a few years back from a fellow pumpkin addict in California and became an instant hit with my family. You can find the original recipe on 
allrecipes.com , but of course I can never just follow a recipe- I have to improve on it and make it my own. So here is my modified version of these spicy cake-like cookies! Try them out and let me know what you think. I learned about vanilla bean paste a couple years ago and I'm obsessed with it. It is a little harder to find, way cheaper than vanilla beans, and  totally worth the search. If you can't find it just sub out for extract and it will be great too!

Cookies 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup white sugar 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 egg
1 small can pumpkin 

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar
Cinnamon sugar for crunch and garnish

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets.
	Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger together in a bowl.  Beat 1 cup butter, white sugar, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and egg with an electric mixer in a separate large bowl, beating until mixture is smooth.  Beat in pumpkin puree. Gradually stir dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Batter will be moist.
	Spoon batter by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
	Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool for about 5 minutes on sheets before removing to finish cooling on a wire rack

Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. 

Beat in confectioners' sugar until it is smooth and spreadable, or like it owes you money! 

This is the hardest part... wait until they are cooled! 

Frost cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting and top with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

                    He has a weakness of self control when hot cookies are involved

So Gross..but So Good!

It's that time of year! Party invites are arriving and you're freaking out. Not only do you have to find an original and prize winning costume idea, but you now are also challenged to bring along a treat to share. I have searched the inter-webs (get it webs... Halloween... I'll be here all week folks) looking for some spooky, gross, and gag worthy ideas to pass along to you. I'm no luck with costume help- heck I don't even iron- but we have hosted our fair share of Halloween Extravaganzas over the years. Here are a few quick and easy ways to add a little spooky to your party eats and drinks. Post some of your creepy dishes to share.

Fresh mozzarella bocchini balls stuffed with olives and pimentos in a pool of red food colored white balsamic vinegar. These are disgustingly delicious!

Old fashioned deviled eggs with black olive spiders, they kind of look like egg sacks to me

Witches brew: 1 half gallon of lime sherbet, 1 carton of orange juice, 2 liter of sprite and a little dry ice    (do not eat the dry ice..bad idea all day long)

Baked sweet potato jack-o-lanterns, a spritz of olive oil, salt, pepper, and some steady knife skills. 350 for approximately 20 mins or until a sharp knife can easy be inserted into them. They are really cool and shrivel up so they could also double as spooky shrunken heads if you used yucca root in place of sweet potatoes.

By far the easiest trick in my book of spells. Juice boxes + white electrical tape + googly eyes = mom/dad of the year award winner! 

This is Really Happening People!

For years friends and family have been telling me to create a blog. My students want a place to ask questions and know what I actually make at home. I personally think it is just a little self indulgent place for my random thoughts about all things food! So here goes. I'm a chef by professional trade and a foodie by pure heart. I'm a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Fransisco and have taught thousands of people kitchen basics of how to cook in many different venues. I currently teach at... well let's just say a kitchen store that happens to have a culinary program. It will kind of be like Voldamort- "it that shall not be named". I find it keeps the lawyers away :)

I teach a few days a week, but the real magic happens when I sit on my couch and enjoy the pure bliss of questioning what shall I make today.  This can be any number of outcomes from a yummy lemon roast chicken with garlicky roasted veggies smothered in fresh herbs to a big ol' batch of chocolate pecan toffee cookies and a take out pizza because I got sidetracked with the cookie-making goodness. I really go wherever my mood takes me. My family is pretty open to trying new things, and we eat pretty healthy for the most part, but love a good indulgence as well. You're not going to hear me preach on my options of allergy substitutions, organic vs. processed, or any of that heavy stuff- you can make those decisions in your house. I'm just about the foods and where to get 'em and how to make 'em!  So I guess what I'm trying to say is welcome guys and gals. You might want to buckle up- I don't have any idea how to drive this thing or where we are going, but we will get there and have a lot of fun on the ride!