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A steak dish at Theodore Rex (James Brock photo)

The Brockhaus Cooks a Birthday Feast High Above Houston, Theodore Rex Has Great Taste, and Wine Families of Italy

August 8, 2018 / / 0 Comments

The Brockhaus returned in late July, to cook 41 floors above Houston in a penthouse apartment near River Oaks. I donated a dinner for four as an auction item at The Catastrophic Theatre’s annual gala, and the winning bidder decided to host a birthday feast for a friend, a Brockhaus Birthday.

I came up with a six-course tasting menu that included a tomatillo and cucumber gazpacho (perfect for a hot Houston evening), seared scallops and corn and tomatillo salsa, and ribeye. Alyssa Dole, a pastry chef who lives in Houston, contributed the dessert, a charred-tomato panna cotta with brûléed cherries and kadaif. I want to see her dessert on the menu of a Houston restaurant, because it is a fine dish, full of texture and flavor and one that satisfies all of one’s senses.

This dessert deserves to be enjoyed by the (discriminating) masses. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

I prepped the gazpacho and the dough for the Uovo in Ravioli the night before, and the pork belly was brined for three days. On Saturday, Alyssa made the ravioli, I took care of the risotto and the sauces for the Caesar salad, and all went well.

Here’s the menu:

THE BROCKHAUS

A Birthday Feast / Saturday, July 28, 2018

Houston, Texas

TOMATILLO & CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

SCALLOPS / CORN SALSA

UOVO IN RAVIOLI

PORK BELLY / PEA RISOTTO

GRILLED CAESAR SALAD (Ribeye from Meats by Linz)

CHARRED-TOMATO PANNA COTTA

The course starring the ribeye (Grilled Caesar Salad) featured charred romaine and a traditional olive oil-based sauce featuring garlic and anchovies. I cooked the ribeye at 175 Fahrenheit after searing it on the stovetop, a method I love. The steaks were dry-aged for 55 days.

A great piece of meat. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Romaine and ribeye make a wonderful pair. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Here are some other images from the dinner:

The flame, and a touch of sugar, transforms the flavor. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Put some romaine on a flame and taste. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Berkshire belly brined for three days, then cooked at 375 Fahrenheit. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Ravioli ready for the water. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Finishing ravioli in boiling water. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Rich pasta, egg yolk, pancetta … in broth, oil, and butter. (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

Ravioli in Uovo (Photo by Yoav Horesh)

The Brockhaus will return soon, so stay tuned to this space for details.

I have had the pleasure of dining at Theodore Rex a number of times in the past several months, and Justin Yu and his team are doing it well. There’s a dish of rice and beans that will move you, and the restaurant’s version of a Paris-Brest belongs in the Pantheon of Houston dishes. The wine list is thoughtful, as well, and you won’t find the service anything but exemplary. Here’s a review I wrote of Theodore Rex. Get a reservation, and let me know what you think.

Tomato Toast: One of the fine dishes at Theodore Rex.

Like a good Croque Madame? I do, and if you are in Houston, I’ve got one to recommend. It’s at Café Poêtes. Read about it here. And when it comes to wine, family and Italy are the themes this week. The Inamas and the Castagnedis produce great things, and if you have not tasted their offerings you’re missing something special. Here’s a look at the Inamas (think Soava and Carménère), and read this to get to know the Castagnedi brothers.

A family of wine. (Courtesy Azienda Agricola Inama)

In Which I Begin Cooking With Nathan Myhrvold

August 21, 2014 / / 0 Comments
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.

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