tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58092367908807012982024-02-18T20:43:44.309-05:00Undercover CookUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-71794886755185642532009-07-22T17:22:00.003-04:002009-07-22T17:26:14.857-04:00Kaiserchmarrn with warm blueberriesHome. Comfort. Delicious goodness.Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-35332040970009545392008-11-30T04:13:00.011-05:002008-11-30T22:09:30.369-05:00Yes, my shining moment!My favorite quote to date:"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"A good question posed to me by my chef-de-cuisine last week when he caught me trying to "wing it" by putting together a sauce I had never made before. It was so beautiful in its truthfulness. Not just for that particular moment, but in general, for how it is for me every day. No, I don't know diddlysquat and I'm trying to Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-60022881239442725292008-11-24T19:36:00.007-05:002008-11-24T19:44:42.234-05:00IssuesYou know you've been spending too much time in the kitchen when you find yourself calling out, "Corner!" on street corners and resisting the urge to yell out, "Behind you!" in crowded grocery stores.Cooks are such freaks.Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-69301949383571247302008-10-13T08:39:00.002-04:002008-10-13T08:48:18.813-04:00Time is relativeAfter a month at the amuse station, a big change has come over me. I see time differently, and feel anything is possible in just a few hours if you really PUSH and focus. I get it now. It's a mind thing, and I'm tickled and in awe by it. Now, 24 hours in a day seems like so much time and in the end I can say life is so much fuller by it.Well, I'm off to Germany today to be married, and when I Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-67263587797956397842008-09-28T04:07:00.003-04:002008-09-28T04:14:53.712-04:00Dinner...At 4:00 a.m. Left-over pizza. With O.J. (Why not have a little breakfast along the way?) Why does left-over pizza often taste better than the fresh ones? Maybe cause they're eaten when one is mad hungry.The phrase of the day is: "Mental mise-en-place." The chef who's most like my mentor called it that when I explained the mind-set change I learned from him. Mental mise-en-place. Gotta love it.OneUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-36838180605657181082008-09-27T03:22:00.007-04:002008-09-27T03:48:42.600-04:00FridayCovered in meat juice due to a malfunctioning trash bag.Hand jam.Foot jam.Some things:• There's always a faster way of doing everything. I learned this today while weaving my potatoes. Aha! I had a breakthrough moment and it made me stupid happy.• When you love the food, it loves you back.• I'm actually starting to get what it means to "push."• Must remember to think before I move. Sometimes Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-73142737414094938552008-09-25T02:26:00.003-04:002008-09-25T03:12:17.543-04:00In the crapolasIn the shits.Again.Tired.Stinky.Back pain.Achy hands.Dehydrated.Jaded.So why do I look forward to doing this another day???I look at my daily prep list and it looks like mission impossible, but my garde manger supervisor insists I can do it all by myself if I really push it. I really believe I'm pushing it all the time, but the rate at which chefs move is on a whole different caliber. I just Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-59711292498422833962008-09-23T22:59:00.003-04:002008-09-23T23:31:14.190-04:00The rise and fall of pizza doughThis was partly M.'s inspiration and partly my failure to find ready-made pizza dough at Whole Foods, as M. suggested. I was in the mood for a pizza with mushrooms and caramelized onions, but the pizzerias in New Rochelle are quite disgusting to say the least. M. made a really beautiful pizza for her parents at her daughter's 4th with WF pizza dough and I thought I'd give it a try, too. But I hadUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-5067635144760541022008-09-23T20:31:00.004-04:002008-09-23T20:46:18.060-04:00Cool beansSome neat-looking beans we had to shell recently. They were so cute I had to bring them home.Left: Can't remember the nameCenter: Jacob's Cattle, an heirloom variety that originated in GermanyRight: Yin Yang, or Black Calypso, is a rare heirloom variety that pairs well with cornUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-76527458106708273552008-09-22T11:41:00.008-04:002008-09-23T20:00:06.930-04:00A few of my favorite things• Being greeted in the morning by chickens, cows, sheep and pigs• Witnessing 2 pigs shamelessly making out in plain sight, in front of all the little kids• Sending off newlyweds with a clanging of pots and pans• Making a fresh batch of ricotta and butter every day• Kneading and seasoning butter• How ricotta becomes sweeter as you add the salt• The characters I get to work with side-by-side, Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-65638315310901569782008-09-22T00:18:00.006-04:002008-09-23T20:13:32.643-04:00Am I really here?My left fingertips are burnt, calloused and numb. I have a bad burn on my right forearm and wrist. I have a strange wound that won't heal in the space between my forefinger and thumb - a little accident that happened in my wrestle with a giant Hobart mixer. Both my hands are swollen and muscular like a man's, and they tingle with tightness every morning. My back aches, my feet hurt, and I'm Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-13942906419155518782008-07-08T23:46:00.007-04:002008-07-09T03:05:08.689-04:00Rustic walnut pestoComing back from my trip to a completely empty fridge, I'm now reacquainting myself with my kitchen and the kinds of food I used to eat pre-California, pre-fast food, pre-lavender-infused everything. One of the last meals I had before the trip was with a beautifully rustic pesto made with walnuts. It started with a bunch of basil I couldn't refuse. It called out to me with such an intoxicating Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-62234620085933944052008-07-08T22:37:00.006-04:002008-07-09T03:08:55.527-04:00California recapHello everyone. I hope you're having a nice summer so far. I had a blissful, beautiful and relaxing time at the festival. Most of my time was spent at the Lavender Green Cafe making sandwiches and salads and gaining some front-of-the-house experience. I'm not exactly a social creature, but I really got a kick out of making customers happy, especially when they seemed to get excited about the Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-89050644768639795272008-06-06T13:09:00.020-04:002008-06-09T02:36:25.886-04:00What lettuce tastes likeWhen I lived with my parents in Queens several years back, I got to experience the beauty of living off the land. Being Korean and never fully comprehending what a big patch of grass did for anybody, my parents converted the entire back yard into an edible garden. It wasn't a big yard, maybe 10 x 20 feet total, but they managed to plant a plum tree, a pear tree, and an apple tree amongst the Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-19004391369408007222008-06-05T23:39:00.012-04:002008-06-06T13:04:17.587-04:00Spaghetti with rampsLast week I brought myself down to the Union Square Greenmarket with the hopes of picking up some final harvest of ramps. If you've never tasted them, I suggest you put it down on your list of must-eats. Ramps are wild leeks, with a soft, almost velvety green body and a scallion-like stem that's slightly more bulbous. They taste like punched-up leeks, made pungent with notes of garlic and onions.Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-8470372272050323572008-06-04T16:35:00.013-04:002008-06-04T17:43:31.735-04:00June Lavender Festival in Beaumont, CAStarting this weekend! I'll be slaving away in the kitchen somewhere on the last two weekends, working with beautiful organic lavender buds. This is an incredibly beautiful property, with hiking trails, fig trees, a wondrous olive grove, and what they call, "The Thousand Year Oak" tree. If any of you are out in California during the month of June, please be sure to stop by. Highland Springs Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-57868679751504621542008-06-04T00:19:00.011-04:002008-06-04T16:16:30.394-04:00Crêpes a la JannetteAhhhhh... food memories. This is one of the last things I ate before the big stomach trauma, and I think in just about 24 hours, my tummy will be strong enough to revisit this happy moment in my gastronomical life.As often is the case, the simplest things make the best meals. Here is a basic crêpe rolled in a schmear of glistening butter and strawberry-rhubarb jam, topped with a dollop of crème Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-79463167233384292022008-05-31T23:35:00.009-04:002008-06-01T20:56:48.669-04:00Blue Hill at Stone BarnsI'd like to share a video and some pictures I took at Stone Barns Center for Agriculture, a Rockefeller-funded organic farm near Tarrytown, NY. And for a hint of some changes to come: I also spent two days trailing (kitchen-style interviewing) in the kitchen of Blue Hill, the restaurant run by Dan Barber, the ultimate East coast farm-to-table chef.Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-71256971722994867002008-05-31T22:24:00.006-04:002008-06-01T20:48:42.449-04:00I hate foodFor three days straight it's made me ill to think about any kind of food except a dry piece of toast (hold the butter) with some penne pasta, dry, no sauce, maybe with just a dab of tomato sauce on the side. I visited the farmer's market today to see if I could rev up my appetite by the sight of some fresh Spring produce, but all I felt towards the beautiful bunches of local asparagus was neutralUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-18215668832036312482008-05-28T15:41:00.001-04:002008-06-04T16:17:07.405-04:00Horseradish crème fraîche with salt-crusted beetsThis is an amazing combination of flavors. So simple and elegant. The salt crust looked fun to make so I tried it, but I won't be attempting it again as it's too time-consuming for what you get as a result - pure saltiness with none of the orange and thyme flavors coming through. The horseradish crème fraîche is a keeper though, and I'm rather addicted to its flavor. Last night, I made a new Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-34548607605607249232008-05-28T15:24:00.008-04:002008-06-04T16:17:38.648-04:00Lavender-infused virgin mojitosThis is a recipe I tried out for the upcoming Lavender Festival. It's so refreshing, and the lavender adds a subtle bit of loveliness and interest to an otherwise common summer drink.Recipe: Lavender-infused virgin mojitosAdapted from Food and WineVIRGIN MOJITOSIngredients15 mint leaves1 teaspoon raw sugar1 ounce fresh lime juice1/2 ounce Lavender Simple Syrup (recipe follows)Ice4 ounces chilledUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-18782488439376878382008-05-21T00:25:00.004-04:002008-06-04T16:19:23.895-04:00Feeding the massesApologies for my long hiatus from the blog world. It's been a crazy few months here, as early spring probably is for most people. Birthdays, visitors from abroad, feeding an a**load of mouths (more on that later), exploring new avenues, etc, etc. I've also been feeling a massive computer burn-out. Having sat in front of a computer for 8 hours straight at the office, it's hard to turn one on againUndercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-30978139516425536502008-05-19T15:40:00.004-04:002008-05-19T15:46:40.685-04:00Yo tambien!Anyone want to eat through Spain with me? I mean, I'd much rather do it with Batali and Bittman, but if we could get ourselves there and in front of some good food, I won't make a squeak. Here's a little trailer for a new show coming in the fall - a road trip through Spain with two of my favorite cooks/chefs, Bario Batali and Mark Bittman, eating and discovering their way through Spain, my next Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-11258611132103846762008-04-18T15:55:00.009-04:002008-04-22T11:22:42.892-04:00SweetPassion for food and cooking. My friend MF has it. A long, long time ago, we worked together at my very first advertising agency. It was a scary, scary place and those of us who've worked there all share a special bond over the experience. As MF describes it, it's as if we're survivors of an abusive family. Haha! I can only laugh about it now. I think it was she who once calculated the number of Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5809236790880701298.post-24544608319234724152008-04-18T14:01:00.010-04:002008-04-18T15:20:41.587-04:00BleepHow timely for this NY Times article to appear the Wednesday following my Saturday with my new sous chef Raj. I found it worth a few chuckles, and it gives us some chefs' insights on the high level of profanity in the kitchen:Tom Colicchio“Mr. Colicchio blames a loosening of standards in the whole of American culture: ‘You read Rolling Stone and you don’t see rock stars curse like this… And it’s Undercover Cookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013301238298401755noreply@blogger.com2