Bear Cuisine

Grill-Fried Bacon and Eggs

In Salted Mark Bitterman has a chapter about cooking on salt blocks. I was completely intrigued and ordered one from The Meadow.I didn't try the entire recipe, but the eggs I did cook were truly wonderful. Quite unlike any fried egg I have ever had before with a "sheen of salt simmering underneath the egg."

I am confident that the full monty will be even better. If you try it, let me know how you like it.

 

GRILL-FRIED BACON AND EGGS

(serves 2)

• 1 (8by8by 2-inch) block Himalayan pink salt
• 4 large eggs
• 8 slices baguette
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 thick slices bacon
• freshly cracked pepper to taste

Start heating the block before you even begin assembling ingredients for your dish. Set a burner on your stove to its lowest possible setting and place the block over the heat. Giving your salt block 10 or 15 minutes to warm from temperature to 150 or 200 degrees F allows it to evaporate out and off any moisture locked up in the matrix of the crystals and allows the heat to spread evenly through the block, minimizing the stresses caused by expansion.

On a gas stove increase the heat in increments every 10 minutes, from low to medium to medium to high. It should take around 35 minutes to heat a block from room temperature to its high temperature of about 600 degress F.

Crack the eggs into individual ramekins or other small containers and set aside.

Brush the bread slices with oil and set aside.

When the salt block is very hot (you should only be able to hold your hand above it for 2 or 3 seconds), lay the bacon slices on the block so they are parallel to one another and separated into two groups of 2 slices each. Cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.

Flip the bacon. Carefully pour 2 eggs on top of each group of 2 bacon slices. Pour slowly and guide the eggs with a small spatula so that they land right on the bacon. The eggs will start to set up as soon as they hit the salt block. Don't worry if some egg white runs over the edge of the block. Cover with a large lid and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is set but the yolk is still runny.

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread slices.

Lift each portion of bacon and eggs off the grill onto a warm plate. Add the toast and season the eggs liberally with fresly cracked black pepper.

Using an oven mitt remove the salt block from the burner and set aside to cool before cleaning.

Salted. A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral

 

Years ago, encouraged by one of my cooking mentors, I learned about finishing salt and cultivated a taste for Maldon Sea Salt. No doubt, my liking for Maldon was encouraged by my anglophilia. Still, I could taste that this salt had a brighter, minerally quality that was lacking in ordinary kosher salt. Somewhat later, along with everyone else in the cooking world, I discovered Fleur de Sel from Guerande. Even with these discoveries, it never occurred to me that salt was a subject as vast and as deep as the ocean from which much artisan salt is made. I was happy in my ignorance until Mark Bitterman's Salted showed me just how much I didn't know.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Bitterman writes with informed passion about his subject. He traces the history of salt-making and the rise of industrial salt. He discusses the science of salt and explains in depth how artisan salt is made and harvested. Very interesting stuff.

Early on he outlines explicitly the assumptions that undergird his work.

1.Salt is the single most important ingredient in cooking and the single most powerful tool for improving the flavor of food.

2.No two salts are the same, any more than two varieties of mushroom are the same.

3.Some things do not belong in our food supply. Industrial salts like cheap sea salt, kosher salt, and table salt are products that few people want in their kitchens if they understand and face up to how they are made.

4.There is no equating industrial salt with artisan salt. Artisan salts are better than industrial salts. Think of industrial salt as you would think of open-heart surgery: use only if your life depends on it.

5.Buying good salt can change the world by supporting traditional economies that preserve ecologically and culturally valuable resources. Buying standardized salt issuing from a handful of industrial suppliers supports one part of a globalized chemical industry.

6. Salt is not bad for you. On the contrary, it is very good for you. It is right and proper to use as much salt as you want so long as you are the one salting your food.

I particularly like this last assertion. I am convinced that one of the reasons older folks don't last long in assisted living facilities or nursing homes is that they are given such lousy, tasteless food.  Who wants to stick around for another day of crappy, saltless food. If you drink enough water, you don't have to worry about your salt intake.

Bitterman truly shines in his descriptions of individual salts. His prose is, at times, over the top. Normally, I prefer a more understated, restrained style; but his lyrical passages make me want to try every salt in his book. Here is his description of Maldon flake.

"We all have good days. Days when the rhythms of life inexplicably synchronize--our socks match, all the traffic lights go our way, everything we say is witty, and the eyes of those around us glitter with a mix of friendly adoration and carnal lust. You can just feel it. You've got the groove. You are the groove. The next day, inevitably, you inexplicably get a bloody nose while brushing your teeth, you drop your keys through a sewer grate, you get caught in a lie, and the plumber figures out you're an idiot. But what if every day could be a good day, an eternally brisk and refreshing excursion, structured with the right balance of what we need to feel amazed at ourselves and our lives?

"That isn't going to happen.

"But Maldon doesn't have off days. The crystals are proportioned just so, an effortless balance of scintillating flakes and snappy pyramids. The flavor is silvery, fresh, and good-natured, igniting fresh contrast in the color, texture and flavor of roasted meats and vegetables. Complementary as the salt may be to cooked foods, it is all but indispensable for finishing fresh green salads or any raw vegetable. It's also good almost anywhere else, lending a spark of contrast that demurely calls attention to itself.

"Marlborough flakey is more delicate in crystal and refined in flavor, and Cyprus flake is heftier and bolder in all regards. What they leave untended is a sizable middle ground--which Maldon occupies with insouciance. Crushing Maldon between the finger and thumb, and letting the flakes fall to the surface of your favorite food is almost as satiating as eating it."

 

See what I mean?

 

You can find the salts that Mark Bitterman loves at his website, The Meadow.

 

Borscht

"Soup of the evening, Beautiful soup"  crooned the Mock Turtle in Alice in Wonderland. I find myself in agreement. I love soup--of whatever kind. It may just be my favorite thing to cook and to eat. A soup I have been wanting to make for a long time is Borscht and when the right combination of vegetables presented themselves the market, I seized the opportunity.

 

This recipe is from James Peterson's Splendid Soups. This is the simple peasant version which you can make in an hour and a half.

SIMPLE BORSCHT

(6 servings)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped

4 leeks, white part only finely chopped

1 celery rib, cut into 1/4- inch dice

1 medium-size turnip, cut into 1/4- inch dice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound fresh trimmed beets, cut into 1/4- inch dice (2 cups)

3 cups beef broth

6 tablespoons white wine vinegar or to taste

salt and pepper

sour cream or creme fraiche

chopped fresh dill (optional)

slices of black bread

Melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables soften.

Add the beef broth and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Taste a few of the vegetables to make sure they have softend thoroughly.

Sprinkle in the wine vinegar to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve in hot bowls. Serve the sour cream, chopped dill and black bread at the table.

VARIATIONS:You can puree the soup in a blender and strain it, finishing it with a cup of heavey cream. In the summer, cold pureed borscht makes a lovely cold soup.

MuDu Noodles

Folks who visit here usually want to eat Southwestern style or traditional New Mexican food. If you live here, however, you can find yourself wanting to eat from a more international palate. We both love Asian food and one of our favorites is MuDu Noodles in Santa Fe. Mu, as the locals refer to the chef of this popular spot, is committed to using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. She prepares noodle dishes from several Asian cultures which feature fresh, clean flavors. Long noodles mean long life in China. Long or short, life is a pleasure when you can savor food like this.

Recently I ordered her Yaki Udon and it was just wonderful. This dish features pan-fried udon noodles with organic chicken, shrimp cakes, sweet and hot peppers, egg, carrots, snap peas and shitake mushrooms in a spicy tamarind-chile sauce.

Yaki Udon

 

Here is a more traditional recipe for Yaki-Udon, just in case you want to try making it yourself. While not spicy, it is still very healthy and delicious.

YAKI-UDON

(Traditional Japanese Seafood Noodle Stir-Fry)

1. 14 ounces dried udon noodles
2. 2 tablespoons venetable oil
3. 6 ounces bay scallops,cut into quarters
4. 1 pound large cooked prawns, shelled and deveined
5. 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
6. 8 ounces bean sprouts
7. 15 fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
8. 4 teaspoons dried green seaweed, soaked in hot water and drained
9. 4 tablespoons bonito flakes
10. 4 tablespoons Japanese or light soy sauce
11. salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Bring water to the boil, add the noodles and cook for 7 to 15 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan until very hot and stir-fry the scallops and prawns for 2 minutes. Add the spring onions, bean sprouts, mushrooms and seawed and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add the noodles and remaining ingredients and seasonings and stir-fry for 1 minutes. Divide the noodles and seafood among four bowls and serve.

(adapted from Healthy Noodles by Kurumi Hayter)

 

If you wanted to spice this up, you could add some Sambal to the seasonings. This isn't a traditional Japanese ingredient, but who cares. We should feel free to play in our own kitchens.

A Season of Celebration

Our summer is replete with personal celebrations. My birthday is in June and and our anniversary is in August. These days plus the celebration of the earth's bounty that takes place all summer long make this season an especially festive one for us. This year we celebrated both occasions by dining at Max's. This restaurant, located on an out-of the-way side street in Santa Fe , is guided by Chef Mark Connell. Without doubt, he will be one of the next "celebrity" chefs. Mark is young (a mere 31), loves his work and brings creativity and a marvelous palate to his dishes. The meals we have had the pleasure and privilege to eat at Max's are as good as any we have had anywhere. What follows are pictures from the tasting menu we shared in June.

Oysters on the Half Shell with Prosecco Granite

Heirloom Tomato Salad with South Mountain Goat Cheese Sorbet, Arugula and migas

Foie Gras Torchon with Spring Pea Salad, house made brioche, rhubarb syrup

Line Caught Alaskan Halibut with baby artichokes, black garlic pickled ramps, preserved lemon and Seranno ham

Suckling Pig Tasting

Braised shoulder wrapped in chard,crispy confit, seared loin with Cipollini onions. Served with Sauce Robert.

If you are in Santa Fe, please make a reservation at Max's. It is more than worth every penny you will spend.