Cooking Lesson with a Master Chef!

           

            The other day I had the honor of cooking with Chef Helmut Holzer, a certified master chef in the United States and Europe.  The chef currently works at Atlanta Foods International, creating spectacular dishes for restaurants and caterers.  

             Chef Holzer and I decided to make an intricate twist on a traditional American dinner.  There is so much I could say about what we cooked, so I think I'll explain picture by picture.  

On the menu:

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with a Mushroom Log Center

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Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

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Green beans with Roasted Pine Nuts

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Passionfruit Mousse

Chef explained to me how he puts flavors together in his meatloaf.   We used onions, mustard, garlic, worcester sauce, salt and pepper, ketchup, eggs, and panko in ours.  

I sauteed mushrooms and onions
 in butter for the meatloaf filling.  
We also added garlic, cream,
and cornstarch to the mixture. 

Final bit of salt before we put the mushroom filling into
 the glass chiller to cool off.   Once it was cool,
we rolled it into a log using parchment.

"You notice I'm not using water.
Water is for fish to swim in."

Putting the meatloaf onto the finest bacon money can buy

Our mushroom log center in action

I'm very jealous of his spice cabinet.

We cooked our food in the world's coolest oven.  It bakes, roasts, steams, smokes, and grills.

The chef taught me that putting the hot cooked
 beans on ice helps them retain their color.

We made scalloped potatoes by layering
 sliced potatoes, cream, herbs, and cheese.

Our finished scalloped potatoes 

To finish the meal, we made a passionfruit mousse for dessert.  We used whipping cream,
sugar, sour cream, rum, passionfruit puree, and the chef's homemade vanilla extract.  

Chef Helmut Holzer and The Teenage Foodie

I had a wonderful time cooking with Chef Holzer.  I love anyone who puts cream and garlic into pretty much everything they make. :)  I look forward to cooking and experimenting with the inspiration and knowledge he gave me.

Thank you Chef Helmut!
The Teenage Foodie

The Everything Pizza Post

            Pizza takes many forms.  It is also one of my guilty pleasures within the realm of food.  From traditional italian to cold pizza for breakfast, pizza is awesome.
            I grew up ordering delivery pizza at least once a month on a Friday night.  The conclusion I've come to is that they're all the same.  They all have garlic smothered crust and tomato sauce and heaps of cheese.  Dominoes' thin crust pizzas that have fresh ingredients (tomato, basil, etc) are a good change of pace for a not-too-pizzalike-pizza.
            I've definitely come to appreciate the kind of "middleman" pizza franchises, like Mellow Mushroom and Fellini's.  Their pizza tastes like it was made by a human rather than a machine.  I also really enjoy the tough chewy crusts they have.  I usually ask for some ranch to dip them in when I'm done; I'm afraid my teenager side really comes out around pizza.
            To show that I had room to be talking, I made my own the other day.  I thought I'd make something a little different, so I made my own interpretation of a white pizza.  I knew I wanted completely fresh ingredients, and I knew I wanted to keep it simple.  Publix sells pre-made pizza dough in the bakery.  I bought one of those to take some of the hard labor out, and I added a decent amount of salt.  Salty crust is the key to authentic tasting pizza.  I made my own pesto for a base using fresh basil, olive oil, and garlic.  Then I added feta cheese and lots of fresh mozzarella.  I put lots of spinach on top and drizzled it with olive oil to keep the spinach from withering dry. Then I baked it until the crust was golden and the cheese was bubbly.

Fresh Ingredients

Basil Pesto

Feta and Mozzarella

Spinach

My White Pizza!

            I must say my pizza was very delicious.  My family approved as well.  Fresh ingredients are really the only key to a good pizza.  It wasn't very difficult either, and it was fun to make!  Maybe next time we go to call pizza hut I'll make my own instead.  

Thanks for reading!

The Teenage Foodie

Sushi Avenue

            FINALLY I have time to post some more!  Of course it's a day that I'm sick and staying home from school (and supposed to be resting) but here I am.
            A favorite restaurant of my family's is Sushi Avenue in Decatur.  Incidentally, there are two in town within a mile of each other, but I've only been to the one on West Ponce.  The other one is on the square, right next to Raging Burrito.  The restaurant is very cute and hidden, with one room opening into another and then another.  The atmosphere is very chic; my only complaint is that the tables are a little close together sometimes.  As for the service, they're usually very attentive, but sometimes a little slow when there's a big crowd.
            Every good japanese restaurant has miso soup and a house salad with ginger dressing.  However, I've never had anything as good as they have.  Not joking, I often order two soups and two salads to start.  One time I even got my mom to pick me up some miso soup to go when I was sick.  As for an entree, I usually just get one sushi roll which is eight pieces.  With my two soups and salads, it's definitely enough food.  My parents really like to get the Bento Box.  It's a big plate split into a bunch of compartments, a couple pieces of sushimi (raw fish over rice), a couple appetizer-like bites, a few veggies, a piece of tempura, and a good sized piece of what you choose, like fish or teriyaki.  As for the TONS of kinds of sushi they have, I've never tried one I didn't like.  I almost always get the spicy crunchy tuna roll; it's absolutely delicious.  My mom really likes the eel roll, with a nice slimy piece of eel on top ;)  I'm afraid that one's a little too fishy for me.

Miso Soup and House Salad         

                                                                                               

Eel Roll

Bento Box with Salmon

Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll!

California Roll (After a few bites)

            Overall, Sushi Avenue has my vote for any occasion.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different.

Hope to have time to post more soon!
The Teenage Foodie

MY Fried Bologna Sandwich

            I'm sorry I've been so lazy about posting!  Sophomore year has been kicking my butt.  Soooo, back in July I reviewed The Pinewood, and I spoke very highly of their fried bologna sandwich.  Shortly after, I recreated it myself!
            There were three main components in the sandwich, just like I had at the restaurant: egg salad, fried green tomatoes, and of course, fried bologna.  I tried to plan out all the preparation so it'd be ready to put together at the same time, a skill that all good cooks must possess.  I started by slicing some green tomatoes from my dad's garden, dipping them in egg, coating them in a dry mixture of cornmeal, salt, and pepper, and finally putting them into hot crisco in a cast iron skillet. (If you're gonna do Southern, you have to do it full out.) Then, I put together a simple egg salad, boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, dill pickle relish and a dash of paprika.  I mushed that together and put it into the fridge to chill so that I would have a variety of temperatures as well as textures.  Now, frying bologna is something I didn't have much experience in, but I figured it was just like frying anything else.  In a fresh pan, I threw in another dollop of crisco, let that melt, and laid down four pieces of the despised lunch meat.  I flipped my tomatoes once they were golden brown, trying desperately not to lose their cornmeal surrounding.  Once the bologna puffed up like a balloon, I flipped them too.  I was nearing the end of the cooking, so I toasted four pieces of bread and smothered them with plenty of my egg salad.  As the bologna and tomatoes finished frying, I put them on too.  Finally, I cut the sandwiches into triangles and added some sliced dill pickles for presentation's sake.
            They weren't quite as good as the one from the restaurant, but it was pretty tasty!

Nothing like messin around in the kitchen,

The Teenage Foodie

The Pinewood

          I went to the Pinewood this past weekend with my family trying to get a sense of what this new Decatur restaurant was like.  The Pinewood is on the corner of West Ponce, in the location that Cakes and Ale used to be, and it is definitely trying to fill the big shoes left there by Cakes and Ale.  From huge mason jars to fried bologna sandwiches, they've got the hipster twist on Southern food DOWN.
          Right when we walked in, unfortunately I was a little disappointed.  First of all, there's a curtain right by the door that cuts off the whole restaurant.  I felt like I had to be let into the "club" before I could see behind the big curtain and into the dining area.  Also, the couple in front of us told us that there was an HOUR long wait.  We were prepared to find a different restaurant, until the hostess began to seat us right away.  Apparently the hour wait was for a table for two, but four people could sit right away.  That didn't make very much sense to me, especially because there were at least four open tables inside, but they were for six people, so two person parties had to wait an hour until one of the few small tables opened up?  The atmosphere in the Pinewood screams old Southern.  Old carbon lights and chalkboards line the wall, and all the tables and chairs were wooden and wicker, creating a nice feel in the room.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Spinach and Beet Salad

          We got fried green tomatoes for an appetizer, and my mom got the beet salad to start as well.  The fried green tomatoes themselves were unremarkable; I've made better.  The remolade that topped them however was magnificent.  I could eat it on anything.  My mom's beet salad was also really tasty.  Usually I think that people have to be "beet people" to enjoy beets, but anyone would love this salad.  The sweetness of the beets was balanced out with a terrific herby goat cheese, and it was topped with some candied walnuts.  The dish epitomized a creative version of the kind I talked about in my post about THE Salad.  (http://theteenagefoodie.blogspot.com/2012/06/salad.html)

Fried Chicken and Collards

Fried Bologna Sandwich

          The only two entrees I tasted were my mother's and my own, so those are the only two I can speak for in this post.  I got the fried chicken which came with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.  I would say that this wasn't as much of a twist on Southern food as it was a solid interpretation of it.  It was really good, crispy fried chicken, with really creamy mashed potatoes, and a really good gravy.  However, the flavors didn't keep me enticed, or make me want to go rushing back for more.  I got a separate side of collard greens, and they were pretty good.  They actually came out cold (not on purpose,) and they had a little too much sugar for my taste.  Now, my mom got the fried bologna sandwich.  It. Was. So. Good.  Even though I like to think of myself as a Southern girl, I'd never had a fried bologna sandwich before this.   The sandwich had fried bologna, a fried green tomato, and a spicy egg salad on toasted white bread.  My first bite left me beyond intrigued.  I wanted to know what I was tasting, and how so many intricate flavors could work so well together and taste like something I 'd never had before.  My second bite just made me wish that I had gotten that instead of my one-toned plate overflowing with rich comfort food.

Lemon Jar

Funnel Cake

          For our dessert, we got two out of the three that they had.  We got a "Lemon Jar" and a funnel cake.  The lemon jar was a lemon custard in a mason jar topped with whipped cream and fresh berries.  It was really, really good.  I detected I super subtle hint of goat cheese in the custard; that was a very nice touch.  The funnel cake tasted just like what it was, and it was also very good.  I'm not sure if the whipped cream on both dishes was homemade, but it tasted like it.
          Overall, the Pinewood is definitely worth some attention.  It will be a force to be reckoned with among all the hipster Decatur restaurants, and I look forward to returning soon.

The Teenage Foodie

Beach Meal

         Oh, the beach.  I was on the South Carolina coast for the week with my family for our annual beach visit.  My family has what's called "beach rules".  Beach rules state that no one has to do anything they don't want to do, but every person has to cook dinner one night out of the week.  Of course there are unofficial beach rules, like help out with the dishes and don't be a sore loser at Monopoly, but for the most part, making dinner one night was my only obligation. 
          A few years ago I was at the gym and someone had one of the TV's set to Paula Deen's cooking show.  The only part of the show that stuck with me were the tilapia sandwiches she made.  So, created my own little twist for the focus my beach meal.  I knew I wanted to use whatever fish was swimming that morning; it didn't really matter what kind it was.  The freshest fish at the market that day were grouper.  We got one filet per two people, because they were huge and had to fit on a bun.  I mixed together cornmeal, old bay seasoning, blackening, and salt to put on my fish.  I dipped the filets in egg, then coated them in the dry mixture.  I also filled a cast iron pan with about a centimeter of oil and let that get extremely hot, which, in the un-air conditioned house, didn't make the kitchen feel too great.  I carefully set the filets in, because as soon as they hit the pan, spurts of hot oil went in every direction.  I flipped the fish when they were golden brown and crispy on one side.  When they were done, I set them on tons of paper towels to let the excess grease drip out.  When I was watching Paula Deen, she made a lime and dill mayo.  I didn't follow her recipe exactly, but obviously it was the same idea.  I chopped up lots of fresh dill, squeezed a juicy lime, and stirred that into a good heap of mayonnaise.  I put a decent dollop of that on toasted buns for each person, and laid the fish on top.

          Along with the fish, I created a corn, cucumber, and tomato salad that I found online.  I made sure to only use very fresh produce from the family-run stand on the side of the road.  Here is the recipe:
http://localfoods.about.com/od/salads/r/corncuctomsalad.htm

          I wanted the starch for my meal to be easy; I could only slave away in an un-air conditioned kitchen for so long.  I bought a bag of sweet potato waffle fries from the freezer section in the grocery store, threw them in the oven for twenty minutes, and served them alongside my fish and salad.  They were kind of a strange combination, but it worked nonetheless.

         Overall my beach meal was definitely a success.  With influences from Paula Deen, fresh fish and fresh produce, online recipes, and my own genius, this summer dinner was exciting, different, and tasty.

Happy Dining,
The Teenage Foodie

Louisa's Pita Calzones

          Today I had literally 10 minutes to feed myself lunch before running off to go babysit. I'm so sick of sandwiches I could die, and unfortunately our Easy Mac supply is dithering. So, I got creative. I decided to make mini calzone pita bite... things.          We have these mini pita rounds that we use with hummus, but I wanted to stuff it and make a mini calzone.  I started by cutting a slit in the pita so I could stuff it with what I wanted. We didn't have any pizza sauce, but we had a little spaghetti sauce in the fridge. I spooned about two tablespoons of marinara sauce into the pita, and then I stuffed them with mozzarella and pressed them shut. I could've put pepperoni or ham or some other topping in them, but I was low on time, so I stuck with just cheese.  I put them in the oven for about 7 minutes on 375 degrees until the cheese was melted and gooey.  
          I had no idea how these were going to turn out. I just threw them together as a random experiment, and I didn't expect much. For a pretty sad attempt at a garnish, I tossed on a little fresh parmesan. They really didn't look like the most appetizing thing in the world, but I popped one into my mouth, and they were great! I successfully made my own little pizza bites, and they were a wonderful experiment. I will definitely make these again.

                                     

Colbeh Persian Kitchen and Bar

           I feel a little weird reviewing a restaurant that hasn’t quite gotten itself established yet.  Colbeh Persian Kitchen has the potential to be a great Decatur restaurant.  They just haven’t gotten the hang of being a restaurant yet.  They specialize in authentic Persian food.  My family and I love international foods, so that’s why we wanted to give it a shot.

          The restaurant is trying very hard to have their customers try many different types of Persian food.  The moment we sat down, we were given a three-dish starter, as well as an authentic type of bread.  This won my mom’s heart, because they made sure she had food right away.  The decoration and feeling in the room was very pleasant.  The tables were a good distance apart, the lighting wasn’t too harsh or too nonexistent, and the brick wall across the side added tons of cool character.  The only negative parts of the atmosphere were the frantic waiters.  They had probably five waiters on staff, and there were only about four tables.  They were trying very hard to get everyone served and seated quickly, but they were a little too fast and determined to make you feel comfortable.  The waiters were constantly running around, like they might at a hectic full restaurant, but that night was neither hectic nor full.

My mom's Plate

My plate

My dad's plate

          The menu has a series of deconstructed plate options; there are all different choices for meat skewers, vegetables, and rice.   Then, they have the more completed, all-in-one plates focused around the meat.  They also have an assortment of intricate Persian stews.  My mom ordered the lamb, which was a small portion, but the meat was flavorful and cooked well.  My dad and I were going to order the same thing, but the waiter gave us a choice of a half or a whole order.  My dad wasn’t extremely hungry, so he got the half order while I got the whole.  Little did we know that portion size wouldn’t be the only difference.  When mine got out, it came with a long cut of well seasoned chicken, fragrant, delicious, rice, and a roasted tomato.  When my dad’s plate came out, it had half the chicken, no rice, and no tomato.  His chicken wasn’t nearly as good as mine, and we thought we’d receive the same thing.  His was the consistency of being ground and then overcooked, because it was extremely dry.  Mine, however, was moist and string-like, and it was very delicious.

          As always, we ordered two kinds of dessert.  We ordered the red velvet cake and the cream puff.  I have no idea if either of these is authentic and Persian, but they were tasty.  The red velvet cake was moist and thick, and it had a fantastic cream cheese frosting.  The cream puff was even better.  It was crispy, but also doughy, and it had a wonderful creamy filling.  The presentation for both desserts was impressive.

Red Velvet Cake

Cream Puff

           In time, I think that Colbeh Persian Kitchen will be a great addition to Decatur.  They just have a few flaws that they need to sort out, and then they will be very successful.  If you’re in the mood for something international but still simple, give the restaurant a try.  You’ll have a nice meal.

Thanks for reading,

The Teenage Foodie

THE Salad

          I've realized many hip restaurants I’ve visited have their own interpretation of this one salad.  Some create it well, some create it terribly.  The successful version of this salad plays off of different acidities, bitterness, and sweets.  There are five main components.

 1) Some fancy lettuce, maybe a bitter arugula or a simple romaine

 2) Fresh, sweet fruit, like craisins, apples, pears, or strawberries

 3) Blue cheese (the most common), sometimes feta.

 4) Nuts.  My favorite is when they put candied pecans or candied walnuts.

 5) A simple, sweet vinaigrette

Here are some pictures I found off of google that are like the salad I'm talking about.

          Almost every time I order a salad at any restaurant, I pinpoint their variation of this just to try it and see how it compares to other restaurants’.  I love the balance of flavors between bitter and sweet that comes from every bite.  The bitter lettuce balances out the sweet fruit, the bitter sourness of the blue cheese is balanced by the sugary nuts, and then the vinaigrette ties everything together.  The trick to mastering this salad is fresh, quality ingredients, and well thought out proportions.  The lettuce has to be at the peak of freshness, or else it doesn’t hold it’s own weight as a component rather than a base.  The fruit has to be ripe, but not mushy or else it takes away from the freshness of the salad.  The blue cheese has to be good quality and strong, or else the salad is too sweet, like eating candy.  In my opinion the nuts really should be candied or sweetened, or else they don't hold their own weight as a flavor component rather than just a component.  The vinaigrette is important too.  It has to be sweet and sour, but it has to be subtle enough to let the other ingredients stand out.  It also has to be light and acidic, to keep the salad fresh and airy.  If done right, this salad can be my favorite aspect of the entire meal.  I have yet to find the best variation, but I look forward to letting you all know when I do. I also might try and duplicate it myself once I can get my hands on the ingredients.


Keep eatin'!
The Teenage Foodie