The Great Chef

For those who live in or around New Haven, Caseus is an authority in terms of cheese offer. They have a great collection of cheeses and a fair offer of olives and charcuterie.  If I had to review the fromagerie only, I would definitely rated it as the best you can find around but they happen to call themselves "fromagerie and bistro" and for the experience I had in the bistro I have to make the two spaces really separated in terms of rating.  My first time in Caseus  was around two years ago. The bistro has a very pleasant esplanade that make the wonders of esplanade craving europeans like me. I went there with a friend, twice, within a couple of months. Both times I did not feel very comfortable. The space is quite small (they have an additional room at the basement but it is equally small) and one cannot find any kind of privacy feeling, specially when you get to seat at the counter. Food wise, I had a positive impression, although they sometimes try some specially weir...

Halibut is one of the finest fishes you can have. Its meat is white and flaky and its flavor is delicate. This recipe by Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten elevates even more halibut's qualities by combining it with a blast of freshness - capers, tomatoes and wine. To serve 4: Start by preheating the oven to 500ºF. Smear 1.5 tablespoons of butter in a shallow baking pan that will hold the fish without crowding. Sprinkle the butter with 1 tablespoon of minced shallots. Season 4 halibut steaks, on both sides, with salt and cayenne pepper and lay it in the baking pan, over the shallots. Peel, seed, and dice 1 lb of tomatoes and distribute them around the fish along with 2 tablespoons of capers. Pour in 1.5 cups of dry white wine and bring to the boil on top of the stove. Then, transfer to the oven and cook for 5 minutes, basting once with the cooking liquid. Turn the fish and cook for another 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh copped parsley and serve at once with braised vegetables such as as...

A southern european cannot be away from the region's classic flavors and ingredients for too long and that is one of the reasons why there are a list of ingredients that always have a constant presence in our cooking. Elements like lemon, fresh herbs, peppers, tomato and olive oil never disappear from our pantry and refrigerator which means that, even on the less inspired days, we can serve vibrant and flavorful meals in a blink of an eye. The recipe I am about to share with you today is a recipe that will take about 20 minutes to prepare, that will bring fresh flavors to your table, and that uses two of those " habitues " of our fridge - flat leaf parsley and lemon. A scaloppine  is a very thin cut of meat (usually veal, although chicken can also be used) coated in flour, sauteed and served with a tomato, wine, or lemon and cappers sauce (aka piccata ). The sauce used at this recipe skips the cappers (and I thank Mrs. Marcella Hazan for that) and uses a beautiful lemon a...

When The Study at Yale  opened a couple of years ago, I started to take my laptop and just sit at the cafe, have a coffee and a blueberry muffin, and spend some time there - relaxing, thinking, reading. It became one of my favorite spaces around Yale campus by its classical, clean and quiet atmosphere. I realized, then, that if I turned right, at the entrance, instead of left, I would find a great restaurant - the Heirloom . The atmosphere is the same - a place where elegance and casualty embrace each other in perfect balance. The room is wide and bright. The decoration revolves around wood and leather and a cleaver mirror game gives you a sense of even more space and clarity. Nevertheless, one can find more intimate corners in this restaurant as well as a charming bar. The touch of seasonal fresh flowers adds the sense of life all healthy environments call for. If the space could not, just by itself, make New Haven surrender, Heirloom 's vision about food will make any foodie guil...

Granola is, probably, one of the most popular breakfast and snack foods consisting in a mixture of rolled oats, nuts, and sugar or honey. Its light weight and caloric content make it ideal for hikers, campers and athletes alike. It is usually eaten with yogurt, milk, or fruits but in reality it will fit any type of combination. Like everything made at home, homemade granola feels healthier because you can control the amount of sugar in it. Moreover, you can let your imagination run wild making different combinations of nuts and dried fruits and presenting yourself with a different treat every day. In this case, a delicious and healthy meal option, it will require only 20 minutes of your time, or even less. Here it is my recipe for about 4 cups of granola: In a bowl combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of almonds (you can use sliced almonds or whole. If using whole, cut them in half), 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, 2 cups of rolled oats, 1/4 cup of olive oi...

Skate is a cartilaginous fish that possesses one of the most flaky, white, sweet meats one can encounter in a fish. Along with monkfish, it is one of the "new sensation" ingredients among chefs, these days, and even though some species are now in danger due to non-sustainable fishing, skate is still inexpensive to buy. The versatility of this fish allows it to be cooked in many different ways but today I have a super simple, easy and fast recipe - fried skate wing. Take one wing per person, dry them with paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Place a skillet with 2 tablespoons of canola oil over moderate high heat. Put some flour into a plate and coat the fish well, shaking the excess of flour. When the oil is hot, gently put the fish in the skillet and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Turn the fish and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more. Take the skate wings to a plate covered with a paper towel, allow them to rest for a minute and transfer to a ser...

This is another recipe from Alentejo, Southern Portugal. The local name for this cookies is popias . These are among my favorite cookies and they are perfect for breakfast, for a snack, or an afternoon tea. But once you try them, they will serve, mostly, to feed your gluttony. They look hard but when you bite them you realize that they are like those huge guys who seem to be made of steel but who, in reality, melt as easily as butter under the sun. If these were not enough pluses, they are super easy and fun to do. Up to four dozen cookies: In a big bowl, combine 4 eggs, 2 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup of olive oil. Mix everything very well. Add zest from 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 6 cups of flour. Incorporate all ingredients very well until you get a mixture similar to oats or large sand in texture. Transfer to a clean surface sprinkled with a little bit of flour and knead until you obtain a homogeneous and smooth dough. Then take small pieces and shape them into rolls 8 t...

One of the things I felt most challenging when I started cooking more seriously was to get familiar with the terminology one encounters in most recipes. Bast, blanch, coat, deglaze, fold, mince, chop, reduce ... Give it a break so I can grab a dictionary! So, I thought it would be of some help to list here some of the most familiar, basic culinary terms and define them. This list does not intend to be not even near complete. It contains the terms that I think are more useful but this list is for you so... make it yours! I would be pleased to receive your suggestions. BAST - To spoon melted butter, fat, or cooking liquid over foods. BEAT  - To mix foods or liquids thoroughly and vigorously with a spoon, fork, whip, or an electrical beater. BLANCH  - To put food into boiling water and to boil it until it has softened or is partially of fully cooked. Food is also blanched to remove too strong flavors. BLEND  - To mix foods together in a less vigorous way than beating, usuall...

I have been reflecting on how could I turn this blog into a more helpful tool for those who are now starting to give the first steps in the kitchen. After all, cooking is not only following a recipe. It is also creativity and that comes with knowledge. You cannot be creative if you do not know the tolls you have at your disposal. That being said, I figured that the inclusion of some "back to the basics" posts could be of some help for whomever reads this blog. One of the great foundations of cuisine is the stock - a flavored water accomplished by some hours of simmering - by its versatility and great capacity of enhancing the flavor of your dishes. The stocks are the base for countless sauces and soups and once you cook your rice with them you will never go back to water again!  The word "stock" and "broth" are often used to name the same thing but, in fact, the broth is a flavored water with some of the ingredients in it while the stock is the liquid only...