Lion's Mane

Linguine with Tomato Sauce and Lion's Mane Mushrooms. Standard cooking on the pasta. The sauce started with sliced onion sauteed in olive oil with some salt, dried red pepper flakes, and a little cumin (which was nice). Once the onion softened a bit the mushrooms were added, sliced about 1/8" thick as per the mushroom man's instructions. The sliced mushrooms didn't take much time in the pan to get some color on each side. Then in with the mushroom mixture went a can of whole tomatoes and juice that were first crushed in a bowl. The tomatoes were cooked down with the addition of more salt, pepper, and some pasta water.

As this guy pointed out years ago, the mushrooms are sort of crab-like. I think after being cooked they'd be nice served Napoleon style, layered with avocado and possibly a thick slice or diced tomato. Maybe next time.

Those Dutch people make good sauce

It may look like cheez whiz, but it's not. It's a hollandaise, and the rich color is a result of Plum Creek Poultry's incredible eggs (available at the Shaker Square and Crocker Park farmers markets) with their ridiculously vibrant yolks. Who would have thought pale yolks have their place? Either that or my technique's off, which is quite possible.

The steak is from MillGate Farms (if you're at the Crocker Market Farmstead Ltd. has great grass fed beef), and it's the other part of a porterhouse that yielded the strip steak from the last post. The asparagus is is also from the Market, and cooked the same way as described in the last post (if it ain't broke . . .). These spears were Morton's sized. If you're not familiar with that reference, I don't think you're missing out, but these were some seriously huge, and seriously good, asparagus spears.

All good ingredients, but it's kind of cheating to use a hollandaise. The stuff is too good. After I finished the pictured plate it took all of my limited self control to avoid eating the leftover sauce by the spoonful. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
- Egg yolks (I always use at least two--it's tricky with one. The whites freeze well.)
- Butter, pieces or melted (There are proper ratios, but I just stop adding butter when I like how it tastes. This was the previously mentioned French butter from The Cheese Shop at the West Side Market.)
- Water (you may want to thin the sauce--water works well)
- Salt and pepper
- Cayenne (just a little)
- Lemon juice, or, gasp!, vinegar (I used white wine vinegar here. Lemon juice is better, but no lemons over here today).

Method:
- I always make this in a home rigged double boiler. There are lots of other ways to make this sauce, but I've always had good luck this way.
- Bring a small pot of water to a slow simmer
- Whisk egg yolks in a stainless steel or glass bowl that will fit on top of the simmering pot (the bottom of the pan should not dip into the simmering water)
- Once yolks are whisked, place the bowl over the pot of hot water and whisk steadily until the eggs get a thicker consistency (It may be necessary to keep lifting the bowl off of the simmering water to prevent the eggs from scrambling. You may want to use a dish towel for handling the bowl. Scrambled eggs in a hollandaise is not good.)
- After the yolks have thickened start incorporating the butter piece by piece (or slowly pour in melted butter a little at a time)
- Keep whisking and don't let the eggs scramble. If using pieces of butter add a new piece just as the previous one is melting away.
- When the sauce is a good consistency and tastes about right butter-wise, season with salt and pepper, a little cayenne, and acid (citrus juice or vinegar) to taste--it doesn't take much
- That's it. It holds pretty well if kept over the pot of hot water with the flame turned off (just make sure to stir occasionally), although it may thicken up a bit after a while (just thin with water, remembering it's always easier to add more than to take extra out). It also keeps well on a stovetop that's hot from the oven being on.

It's not a tough sauce to make, and it looks much better in person.

Another angle (still looks like cheez whiz):

Asparagus is here

First asparagus of the season, available to all those who braved the rain and made it to the Shaker Square Farmers Market. Paired with some ramp pesto riso and MillGate Farm's grass fed beef. I roasted the asparagus in a 425 degree oven in a little butter with salt and pepper. They came out tender-crisp and sweeter than any asparagus I've had in a long while. Great at room temp.

The beef is sauced with a shallot, bourbon, creme fraiche sauce. All that it involved was softening some shallots in the pan the steak was cooked in, adding and flaming some bourbon, adding a little water, creme fraiche, and seasoning and then swirling in some butter before straining the sauce. The shallots were from last season's crop from Snake Hill Farm, they're at the Market too. The beef had great flavor on it's own, but the sauce was addictive, and it would have been a shame to wash the fond down the drain.

Toulouse Sausage

With fries, two types of mustard, and homemade mayo. The mustard to the left is nothing-special whole grain mustard. The one on the right is Garden Vineyard Grove's Muffulata Mustard. It's like a New Orlean's style muffulata sandwich in a jar, with all the essential ingredients (except the bread, meat, and cheese). Really good stuff that will likely be available at the Crocker Park farmers' market. It's always worth stopping by her stand to try her wine jams. They're sweet, winey, and clean tasting (I'm just a fan and don't benefit from her success, but I do root for her.).

My mayo post is here. This one contains a little more mustard and I kept it relatively thin.

The fries came from half of one Russet potato cut on a mandolin. I had picked up a knock-off Benriner Mandolin in Montreal and was looking for an excuse to use it. These match sticks were as big as the device could cut, and I fried them twice in a wok with a little duck fat and seasoned with salt and pepper. Looking forward to using the Japanese mandolin on this summer's produce.

The sausage was picked up at the Jean-Talon Market and was made with the requisite pork, wine, and garlic. It was very nice, and I'd like to try it made with some fancy pork from happy pigs. I haven't been able to find Toulouse sausages anywhere in Cleveland, and if someone knows where they're available I'd love to know. For these I went with a quick sear in a little duck fat, and then put the pricked sausages in a 425 oven for a short bit.

Overall a good light meal and a good time reliving some moments from last weekend's trip.

Warning: Contains Raw Egg

Homemade mayonnaise. Many posts on the subject, but not too many pictorials. So here's one.

It's likely one of the easiest emulsions to make, and no matter how much Harold McGee I read I'm still amazed every time I see two runny liquids whisked together to form a mixture thicker than the original two parts. Really, it's like alchemy.

Pictured above is egg yolk, Dijon mustard, Canola oil, and white wine vinegar. Pretty special on their own, but they work well together too. It's also a self-portrait.

Above is the yolk, mustard, vinegar (lemon juice works well too), and some salt and pepper whisked together. It's the foundation.

At this point a good bit of oil has been added. You don't need to be as cautious as some say. Once the foundation is together I add a few drops of oil, whisk to incorporate, add a few more drops of oil, whisk to incorporate again, repeat, repeat, repeat . . . . As more oil is incorporated it can be added more liberally. While the adage "better a tired arm than a broken sauce" (or something like that) may be applicable, this isn't so bad. If it is use a food processor, but that takes the fun away. If it's not fun, buy Hellmann's.

The completed mayonnaise. Rich and slightly yellow. Very good stuff, but I wouldn't keep it for more than a few days in the fridge. It takes flavorings well (it's a mother sauce after all, at least according to Escoffier) too.

And don't forget, when in doubt ask "What Would Julia (Child) Do?":

The maximum amount of oil one U.S. Large egg yolk will absorb is 6 ounces or 3/4 cup. When this maximum is exceeded, the binding properties of the egg yolks break down, and the sauce thins out or curdles. If you have never made mayonnaise before, it is safest not to exceed 1/2 cup of oil per egg yolk.

MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck

And sorry about the grainy pictures.