Category: Three Star Michelin

Bringing Catalan Cuisine to Houston: A Promising Start

Tuna, with green onions.

Tuna, with green onions.

The time I spent in the Arzak kitchen was brief but rewarding, and several dining tours of Spain – including days and nights in Barcelona, Girona, and Donostia –  instilled in me a passion for Basque and Catalan cuisine. So I was excited when I heard that a chef from Catalonia was going to be in charge of a new kitchen in Houston, BCN Taste & Tradition.

Angela and I were invited to a preview dinner at BCN last night, and it was a great beginning: excellent beef tartare, ahi tuna, a rib eye with foie gras, and, of course, jamón Ibérico. BCN opens to the public on Saturday, September 20, and I will definitely schedule a return visit(s). Service was outstanding, the dining room and bar area are understated and unique for Houston (one can easily imagine being in an elegant, comfortable European restaurant when dining at BCN), and the menu is a showcase of Spanish deliciousness.

Lobster, deconstructed.

Lobster, deconstructed.

That jamón that we love so much.

That jamón that we love so much.

Rib eye, with foie that could have used a bit more sear.

Rib eye, with foie that could have used a bit more sear.

 

 

In Which I Begin Cooking With Nathan Myhrvold

Seared with a torch, cooked at 170F ... (Brockhaus photo)

Seared with a torch, cooked at 170F. (Brockhaus Photo)

In 2012 I won a copy of a something I had placed on my wish list the minute it was published: “Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking”. It is a five-volume wonder that’s found in the collections of restaurants around the world; I first got my hands on it in Germany, when I was working at Amador. My copy was back in the U.S., at my parents’ house, where it had been shipped.

One of the first things I did when I returned to the U.S., in 2013, was open the box containing the books and dip into the volumes. (The volumes are stored in an acrylic case, and if there is someone you really love who loves to cook you should get this for them. It costs about $500.) I did not, however, have enough time to start cooking from it, so I put the books back into their case and the entire thing back into the box and vowed to, as soon as possible, begin using it in my kitchen.

Much to read, much to cook, much to eat. (Photo courtesy Modernist Cuisine)

Much to read, much to cook, much to eat. (Photo courtesy Modernist Cuisine)

That time has come. Yesterday I put a rib eye in the freezer, initial prep for Low-Temp Oven Steak. Today I took the steak from the freezer and seared it with a torch, making sure to pay attention to the fat on the sides of the meat. My gas oven’s lowest temperature setting is 170F – the method Nathan Myhrvold and his team perfected uses 160F – but that’s not an issue. Use 160F if you can; if not, just use the lowest setting on your range. I inserted the probe of my digital thermometer into the thickest part of the rib eye and set the unit to notify me when the internal temperature of the steak reached 134F.

Perfect temperature (overlook the imperfect plate and the large flake of Maldon I overlooked). (Brockhaus photo)

Perfect temperature (overlook the imperfect plate and the large flake of Maldon I overlooked). (Brockhaus Photo)

The steak was ready in less time that I anticipated, so I didn’t have time to make the spinach dish I had planned, but who cares? I removed the rib eye from the oven and put it on a cutting board, sliced it immediately, drizzled melted butter over it, then sprinkled some salt on top. It tasted very good – the searing with the torch created that flavor we all love on a steak, and the slow and low cooking resulted in extreme tenderness.

I am making a list of different cuts of beef to prepare using this method, and this is the “Modernist Cuisine” recipe that is up next at Brockhaus: 72-Hour Braised Short Ribs.

Photo of the Day: Lamb Tongue at Restaurant Amador

I miss working in the kitchen at Amador, and wish I had been able to stay there longer.

I miss working in the kitchen at Amador, and wish I had been able to stay there longer.

“A little more than two years.” That is how I reply when anyone asks me how long it has been since I have had my hands on some lamb tongue. To many people it will sound odd, but when one works daily with items on a menu you become one with them, and discover their nuances and feelings. These things have identities and personalities, and the more you handle them, smell them, feel them, the more they open up to you, the more they give you. And the more you miss some of them when they are taken off the menu or you no longer work with them.

One of my tasks at Amador was prepping lamb’s tongue. Christian, another cook with whom I worked closely at this Michelin Three Star-restaurant located in Mannheim, Germany, showed me how to slice it thinly and use a round to cut it into the shape required for the dish. Not every piece was usable, because we sought a particular, even coloration. Gray does not look good on a plate, and Chef Juan Amador wanted (and wants) nothing but perfection.

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