Interview: Chef Tyler Florence

Chef Tyler Florence has hosted several programs on The Food Network including Food 911 and How to Boil Water and currently hosts Tyler's Ultimate. He is a graduate of the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina campus of Johnson & Wales University.

In addition to his work in television, he has also developed three new restaurant concepts in the San Francisco Bay Area: Rotisserie & Wine in Napa, El Paseo in Mill Valley, and the Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco. Florence is also the author of several cook books including:

Family Meal
Dinner at My Place
Stirring the Pot
Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time
Eat This Book: Cooking With Global Fresh Flavors
Real Kitchen

also mentioned in this interview:
Alexia Foods
Husk Restaurant - Charleston
McCrady's Restaurant - Charleston
The Lion - New York City
Wayfare Tavern - San Francisco

Book Review: 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes

It’s been 10 years since the first edition of 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, by Judith Finlayson, was released. The second edition of this slow cooker “Bible” has been revised by the author to include new, healthier recipes and to upgrade many of the existing favorites. Finlayson has kept about 100 of the original recipes and added new dishes that include whole grains, fish and seafood, and vegetarian and vegan dishes as well. In addition to these new recipes, the book has retained many of the old classics including 15 different recipes for chili.

The popularity of slow cookers has increased dramatically since this book was first released. As such, the sizes and varieties of slow cookers have also increased. In response to these changes, the second edition of 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes has added slow cooker size recommendations to its recipes and guidance for halving recipes.

In addition to a large collection of slow cooker recipes, Judith Finlayson includes an informative section in her book entitled, “Understanding Your Slow Cooker.” Her recommendations in this section help the reader to not only achieve success with the recipes included in the book but also provide helpful tips that can be used to create new recipes for the slow cooker. Some of the recommendations include:

• Brown meat and soften vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker as this adds color, begins the caramelization process, and extracts fat soluble components that enrich flavor.


• Use broth rather than water to reduce the quantity of liquid in the dish.


• Cut root vegetables into small pieces to accommodate their slow rate of cooking in the slow cooker.


• Pay attention to cooking temperatures. Use high temperatures when working with milk, cream, or leavening agents. When using large cuts of meat, use high temperature for at least 1 hour.


• Use whole-leaf herbs and spices instead of their ground counterparts since they will release flavor more slowly and not degrade in the slow cooker. Add leafy greens, peas, seafood, milk and cream during the final stages of the cooking process as these can degrade as well.

In the course of our review, we chose three recipes that are strongly associated with the nations of their origin. These recipes were the Classic Boeuf Bourguignon, Lamb Korma with Spinach, and Hearty Carbonnade from France, India, and Belgium respectively. Each of these three recipes was fast and easy to prepare. Each had exceptional flavor and were very versatile in terms of pairing with side dishes.

We give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The author has successfully built upon the strengths of her original work and added a wealth of new information in response to new trends in slow cooker features and applications. This book would appeal to anyone looking for ways to prepare fast, easy, and healthy meals.

Chicken Calvados Recipe

Calvados is the famous apple brandy of Normandy, and the bonnes femmes of Normandy often use the spirit to flavor their cooking. But don't feel you have to buy a bottle of the real thing for this recipe. If there's an apple brandy made in your region, reach for that over Calvados. As for the apples, use the best locally grown apples you can find. After all, the more local your products, the more true-to-France your cooking will be.



Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup Calvados or apple brandy or 1/2 cup apple juice or cider and 1/2 cup white wine
2 small tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp snipped fresh parsley or chives, or a combination

Preparation:

1. Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. (Alternatively, you can halve each breast horizontally, or butterfly them). Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (in batches, if necessary) and cook, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 6 to 8 minutes (reduce the heat to medium if the meat browns too quickly). Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Stir in the shallot and sauté briefly, until translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and add the broth and Calvados, taking care not to let the liquid spatter. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring with a wire whisk to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the apples. Let the mixture boil until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, turning the apples occasionally - this should take about 4 minutes, depending on the heat and your pan size; it will take closer to 7 minutes if you substitute apple juice and wine for the Calvados.
4. Stir in 1/4 cup cream and boil until the sauce thickens and the apples are crisp-tender. For a creamier sauce, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to boil until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken on four dinner plates, spoon the sauce and apples over the chicken, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Recipe courtesy of the Bonne Femme Cook Book by Wini Moranville

France [ print this recipe for Chicken Calvados ]

Calzone di Ricotta alla mamma Recipe

From Ciao Italia Family Classics by Mary Ann Esposito....

Whenever I visited my mother, I would take her out to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. Mom was never one about ambiance; it was all about the food. So it was not surprising that she often liked to go to a nondescript, hole-in-the-wall diner where they made delicious ricotta cheese-filled calzones. They were as big as a platter and she often brought half of one home for lunch the next day. Mom could re-create anything, so instead of asking the diner folks how they made them, she created her own recipe with many filling variations, such as spinach and cheese or broccoli and cheese or sausage and cheese. Still, I loved the ricotta-filled ones the best because she did, too. The success of this recipe depends on the quality of the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.

Ingredients:
Filling
1 pound good-quality ricotta cheese, well drained
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella or provolone cheese, cut into bits
1 1/2 tspn fine sea salt
coarsely ground black pepper

Dough
1 cup warm water (110 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 tspn sugar
3 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tspn salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Topping:
1 large egg, lightly beaten with a fork
coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top of calzones

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, combine the cheeses and salt and season generously with pepper and mix well. Cover and keep refrigerated while making the dough.
2. In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
3. Add the olive oil and 2 1/2 cups of the flour and mix by hand or on medium speed with the dough blade until blended. Add additional flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough begins to wind around the blade or is not sticking to your hands. Strive for a soft but not sticky dough.
4. Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough. With wet hands knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into four equal-size balls and place them on a clean kitchen towel. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. With a rolling pin, flatten each ball and roll into an 8-inch-diameter round. Spread 1/2 cup of the ricotta filling on one half of each round. Fold the other half of the round over the filling to create the calzone, or turnover, shape. Seal the edges with a fork that has been dipped in flour.
6. As you form the calzones, place them, 2 inches apart, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
7. Brush the tops of each calzone with the beaten egg; sprinkle with the coarse salt and make an X with a scissors in the top of each one.
8. Bake the calzones for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Makes 4 calzones

Recipe courtesy of Ciao Italia Family Classics, by Mary Ann Esposito

Italy [ print this recipe for Calzone di Ricotta alla mamma ]

Kalimotxo Recipe

Kalimotxo was invented in the early 1970s at a Basque festival in Spain. A couple of servers working at one of the stands where drinks were served (txosnas) noticed that the wine that they had purchased had gone bad and they decided to add Coca-Cola to it in order to balance out the sour taste. The drink was named after two friends of the servers: Kalimero and Motxo. Since then, Kalimotxo has become popular throughout Spain and other countries as well.

Our friend John told us about this drink which he had encountered during his travels in Spain. He claims that the actual recipe is literally quite fluid: 50% Coke, 50% wine at first. Then the ratio of wine becomes greater with each subsequent drink. However you decide to mix them is up to you as is the type of red wine that you use. My niece recommended Apothic Red as a exceptionally good, cheap red (about $10) so we decided to use this with the Coca-Cola and the results were very good. Here's to friends and family!

Ingredients:
Coca-Cola
Your favorite red wine
Ice

optional: you can also add a dash Ouzo, blackberry brandy, or anise for additional flavor.

Preparation:

1. In a glass, mix together the wine and Coca-Cola (50% wine, 50% Coke).
2. Add ice and serve.

Spain [ print this recipe for Kalimotxo ]

Arancine Siciliane (Sicilian Rice Balls) Recipe

Nonna Saporito could do no wrong in her kitchen. She could wield a cleaver like a pro, cut up a chicken lickety-split, and roll out pasta without breaking a sweat. Her signature dish, chicken in wine, is to this day my very favorite and one that I have never been able to duplicate in taste. Never! And when she served it, she also made arancine-fried rice balls. I devoured them. Arancine are traditional Sicilian street food that has its beginnings in many foreign cultures. The rice and saffron from the Arabs, the sheep's milk cheese from the Greeks, ragú from the French, and tomatoes from the Spanish. No wonder they are so good! Do not attempt to make these with regular rice. Make them with Arborio, the short-grain, starchy rice used to make risotto. It has the heft to stand up to frying.

Ingredients:
Ragú Sauce
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced carrot
1/4 cup minced onion
1 tspn hot red pepper flakes
1 pound ground beef or pork
2 cups crushed plum tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup peas

Rice Balls
1 cup Arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tspn saffron threads, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
4 large eggs
unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups fine dry bread crumbs
4 cups canola or peanut oil for frying

Preparation:
Ragú Sauce

1. Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan and cook celery, carrot, and onion until the vegetables soften.
2. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
3. Add the meat and brown it well.
4. Combine the tomatoes with the wine and add to the meat, stirring the ingredients well.
5. Cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes. The mixture should be thick, not watery.
6. Stir in the peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The sauce can be made several days in advance.

Rice Balls

1. Pour the rice into a 2-quart saucepan and add the chicken broth. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the rice to cook, covered, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Strain the saffron threads and add the saffron water to the rice. Stir well.
3. Off the heat, stir in the cheese, and add 2 of the eggs. Season with salt to taste. Let cool.

To assemble the rice balls:

1. Scoop up about 1/2 cup of the rice in the palm of your hand; form small orange-size balls then make an indentation in the center of each ball with your finger.
2. Fill the indentation with a generous tablespoon of the ragú.
3. Close the rice around the filling. Set the balls aside.
4. Put the flour in a shallow bowl.
5. Beat the remaining 2 eggs with a fork in another shallow bowl.
6. Coat the balls in flour, then the egg mixture. Roll the balls in bread crumbs to cover completely.
7. Heat 4 cups of oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit in a deep fryer of heavy-bottomed deep pot.
8. Fry the arancine in the oil until nicely browned. Drain them on paper towels.
9. Serve them hot with or without tomato sauce on the side.

Variation:
Make arancinette, small olive-size rice balls, for part of an antipasto; instead of ragú filling, use a mixture of diced ham and Italian fontina cheese.

Chef's Secret
After coating the rice balls in bread crumbs allow them to dry out, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before frying. This will help the bread crumbs stay put when frying.

Makes about 12 rice balls

Recipe courtesy of Ciao Italia Family Classics, by Mary Ann Esposito

Italy [ print this recipe for Arancine Siciliane (Sicilian Rice Balls) ]

Classic Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe

To the French, this is comfort food - a long-simmered dish that evokes warm memories of childhood. To North Americans, it's great bistro food - flavorful and hearty, perfectly suited to a full-bodied red wine and lively evenings with friends. Either way, it's perfect for the slow cooker and great as a leftover since it's even better reheated. Serve with new potatoes in their skins, buttered noodles or plain white rice and a simple green vegetable such as beans or broccoli.

Recommended Equipment:
medium to large (3 1/2 to 5 quart) slow cooker

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
4 oz. chunk of bacon or salt pork belly, cut into 1/2-inch(1 cm) cubes
2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1-inch(2.5 cm) cubes, and patted dry
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tspn dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cracked black peppercorns
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup beef broth
zest of 1 orange
chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel to drain. Drain off all but 2 tbsp(30 mL) fat in pan.
2. Add beef to pan, in batches, and brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware.
3. Add mushrooms to pan and cook until tops are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to stoneware. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and carrots to pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and beef broth, bring to a boil and cook, stirring, and scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Stir in bacon and orange zest. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until beef is very tender. Discard bay leaf. Just before serving, garnish liberally with parsley.

Recipe courtesy of The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson

France [ print this recipe for Classic Boeuf Bourguignon ]