Restaurant Week - The Method to My Madness, Restaurant Review - Forum (Boston, MA), Restaurant-Inspired Recipe

Restaurant Week in Boston officially kicked off last week! For two weeks, dozens of restaurants in the Boston metro area offer prix-fixe menus for lunch and/or dinner. Normal people browse the listings, check out a handful of menus, and pick a spot, but I am not a normal person. As usual, I scoured every single menu, making notations here and checkmarks there, creating The List that my friends have come to expect (though I suspect no one fully understands). 

There is a method to my madness. I only consider restaurants I haven’t yet tried, and I carefully evaluate restaurants and menus based on the following criteria:

• Value: Does the restaurant week price discount allow me to dine at a restaurant I couldn‘t otherwise afford?
• Choice: Does this restaurant offer three or more offerings per course?
• Differentiation: Does this menu offer one or more unique dishes and/or does the menu feature an ingredient or dish I’ve never tried?
• Special features: Does this menu offer any special features, i.e. a wine pairing or complimentary drink?

Once I’ve rated each restaurant based on those four criteria, I create a spreadsheet with columns for each of the criteria above. Then, each restaurant that meets that criteria is listed in the rows below. Now I calculate: restaurants that meet all four criteria are coded green, three out of four are blue, two our of four are yellow, and restaurants that only meet one out of four are not assigned a color.

Once I’ve color-coded my chart, my choices are based on if/when I can get reservations at the green restaurants. I always aim to hit four new restaurants, but usually I’m lucky if I can squeeze in two. However, I’m not going to complain about getting to try two new restaurants!

This year, my trusty spreadsheet got thrown for a loop for one reason and one reason only¾I never expected the need to create an “outdoor seating” column in March! Mother Nature certainly felt generous last week, blessing us with a sunny, 80-degree day (why she can’t wait until the weekend to give us these little gifts is beyond my comprehension). I ignored my spreadsheet completely and set out on a mission to sit on a patio.

at Forum, 755 Boylston St.

My mission landed me at Forum, a Back Bay fixture for trendy, manicured types who like to imbibe in style.  While I knew that Forum served dinner, its reputation as a place to sip cocktails with shiny strangers is what puts Forum on the map, at least among my age demographic. Had I not been desperate for a patio fix, I would have never considered Forum as a dining destination.

Whoa¾when I’m wrong, I cop to it. I was wrong. The meals my friend and I had at Forum were excellent! We had to wait a while for a patio table, but that’s not the restaurant’s fault; I blame a four-top of really stiff-looking MetroWest types that lingered at their table far longer than acceptable by any standard of courtesy. But, I enjoyed an Aviation at the bar while we waited for our table.

Having studied the menu earlier that day, I already knew what I was going to order, and knowing my friend as well as I do, I was fairly certain I could predict his picks as well. I had the Trio Tartare (tuna, steak, and salmon tartare), Salmon with Bulgur Wheat, Rapini, Pomelo, and King Oyster Mushrooms, and for dessert I had the Meyer Lemon Meringue with Graham Cracker and Earl Gray. My friend had the Tortellini (duck confit and butternut squash filling in sage brown butter), Mock “Wellington” (filet mignon in puff pastry with wild mushrooms and bordelaise sauce), and the German Chocolate Cake with coconut, pecans and Guinness.

My salmon dish was delicious. The fish was perfectly cooked, skin crisped and served atop a bed of bulgur wheat and rapini that had been pureed into a pesto-like sauce. The plate featured a few bite-sized bits of pomelo, and a few small sautéed king oyster mushrooms. Serving the rapini as a puree was a great idea, as its flavor blended very well with the bulgur. I liked that the eater could control how much or how little of the rapini went on his/her fork; otherwise, such a strongly-flavored vegetable could have been overpowering for diners that do not appreciate rapini’s ultra-bitter flavor.

The meringue? Eh. I like meringues, and my lukewarm reaction is certainly no reflection on the chef, I’m just not very likely to fawn over dessert. In fact, I would love to see more restaurants allow diners to skip dessert and instead choose an additional appetizer, a side dish, or an aperitif or cordial.

All of the appetizer and entrée dishes were amazing, but the one that I felt a compulsive need to replicate was the steak tartare. While I used to find the idea of raw beef repulsive, my mind opened up at some point. I’ve been on a mission to try steak tartare for a few weeks now, and the discounted price and small portion on the restaurant week menu allowed me to try it without committing to an entire order (not that there’s ever much of a chance that I’m not going to like a new dish, but I’m very mindful when it comes to animal proteins).

To make steak tartare, start with good, naturally raised sirloin¾if you can find grass fed sirloin, this would be the time to buy it. Although you can cheat and have your butcher grind it for you, true steak tartare is not made with ground beef, but with very finely chopped steak. Time to sharpen your chef’s knife!

I chopped and chopped and chopped until the steak was broken up into miniscule bits. However, I decided to stray from the classic steak tartare, and I flavored it a bit differently. Although I stuck with the classic capers and egg yolk, a bit of grated orange peel, ground coriander, and rose water gave a Middle Eastern flavor to my very first batch of steak tartare. If you’re a steak lover, try this recipe served with some toasted pita crisps! 



Recipe - Steak Tartare with Middle Eastern Flavors

8 oz/230 g top-quality sirloin
2 t/10 g ground coriander
1 t/5 g orange rind, very finely grated
½ t/2.5 g rose water
1 t/5 g salt-packed capers, chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
2 egg yolks
Four whole wheat mini-pitas, quartered and toasted, to serve

Using your sharpest knife, chop the sirloin until its consistency is very fine, but coarser than ground beef. In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped sirloin, coriander, orange rind, rose water, capers, and black pepper. Using a wooden spoon, fold the seasonings into the chopped sirloin. Set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

After the sirloin mixture has chilled, divide the mixture in half. Using ring molds, press the steak into the molds on individual plates. Make an indentation in the top surface, creating a “well” for the egg yolk. Top the steak tartares with a raw egg yolk, and serve with quartered and toasted mini-pitas.

Nutritional information: Serves two. With pita crisps, 393 calories, 23 g fat, 25.9 g carbohydrates, 29.4 g protein. Without pita crisps, 273 calories, 22 g fat, 1.9 g carbohydrates, 23.4 g protein

Chicken with Crunchy Veggies and Thai Flavors

This is yet another one of my recipes that wasn’t necessarily inspired, but came together when I said, “I’m hungry!” Thinking of what I could cook, I realized that I rarely cook chicken. I eat a lot of seafood, pork, beef, and vegetarian dishes, but I don’t do chicken too often. Why not? No conscious reason. I like chicken, but since starting this blog, I’ve leaned towards recipes with stronger flavors and uncommon ingredients.

When I do cook chicken, I buy organic, free-range, air-chilled chicken. Organic and free-range chicken is better for your body, the environment, and the chickens themselves. If you’ve never heard of air-chilled chicken, seek it out¾while normal chickens are dunked in an ice water bath to lower their temperature after slaughter and processing, air-chilled chickens are sent through several courses of cold air. This significantly lowers the risk of bacterial contamination (one infected chicken in an ice water bath can contaminate an entire lot), but it is also more economical - chickens given ice baths absorb water, and the consumer ends up paying for water. When chickens are air-chilled, you're not paying for anything but chicken. Air-chilled poultry costs a little more than conventional chicken, but I think it’s worth it to pay a slightly higher price for clean, unadulterated chicken.

Chicken pairs with pretty much everything, as does rice. But plain chicken and plain rice isn’t very exciting; I wanted to spice it up a bit. When you add in bold flavors, a little meat goes a long way, so if you’re looking to cut down on meat consumption, crunchy vegetables and Thai-inspired flavorings provide flavor and textural contrasts to the rather neutral chicken and jasmine rice. Even better, this recipe couldn’t be easier!



Chicken with Crunchy Veggies and Thai Flavors

1 T. coconut oil
8 oz. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 lb. Green beans, cut into 1” lengths
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. grated fresh ginger
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 T. fish sauce
2 T. Boston Olive Oil Company’s lemongrass & mint white balsamic vinegar
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
2 Serrano chiles, minced
2 fresno chiles or red jalapenos, minced
3 green onions, sliced into rings
Handful chiffonade-cut basil
1 T. toasted sesame oil

Coked rice, to serve
Extra basil, to garnish
A few very thin slices Serrano chile, to garnish


In a large metal pan or wok, heat the coconut oil over high heat until it becomes fluid. Add the chicken pieces and brown for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the green beans, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and lemongrass & mint vinegar. Cook for 5-7 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Next, add the cucumber, tomato, Serrano chile, and fresno chile. Continue to stir constantly, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the green beans are no longer raw tasting but still retain their crunch.

Finally, add the green onions, basil, and sesame oil. Stir until blended, then spoon over cooked rice. Garnish with basil sprigs and thin slices of serrano chile. 

Chestnut Flour Pasta with Sautéed Radicchio, Chicken Livers, and Grapefruit

chestnut honey, chestnut flour pasta,
parsley, radicchio

This is one of those recipes that snowballs from a basic idea until I have no choice but to give into my curiosity and try a recipe that sounds like a long shot flavor-wise. First, I wondered if chestnut honey and grapefruit juice would taste good together. They did. I wanted to carry the chestnut theme through the dish, and I had about a cup of chestnut flour in my pantry, so that got thrown in a bowl with some eggs and I turned it into pasta. Chestnut flour is a bit gritty and earthy tasting, so I needed ingredients that would not be overpowered by the chestnut flavor. Radicchio and chicken livers seemed perfect. Would it work?

It worked! It would have been more appropriate in autumn, but it tasted great! This dish is not for everyone - you have to be a true lover of intensely earthy, woodsy, bitter flavor combinations in order to appreciate this one, but if you’re anything like me and you can’t bear to not try something, take a chance on this recipe!



Chestnut Flour Pasta with Sautéed Radicchio, Chicken Livers, and Grapefruit

1 batch cooked chestnut flour pasta (recipe below)
Splash olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
12 oz. Chicken livers, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 T. chestnut honey
1/3 c. grapefruit juice
½ c. coarsely grated pecorino romano
2 heads radicchio, shredded
Salt and coarsely ground pepper
Handful coarsely chopped parsley
Pecorino romano shavings, to garnish

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and chicken livers and saute for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots are softened and the chicken livers have browned.

Add the chestnut honey, grapefruit juice, and pecorino romano, stirring gently a few more times until the mixture is well-blended. Add the radicchio, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the radicchio is wilted.

Add the salt and parsley to the mixture, stir until blended, and spoon over the cooked chestnut flour pasta. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and shaved pecorino romano.


Chestnut Flour Pasta

¾ c. chestnut flour
¾ c. unbleached white flour
1 t. salt
1 t. olive oil
2 eggs

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and blend, using your hands. Work the ingredients together until you have a stiff dough, and knead for 6-8 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour, if not overnight.

After the dough has refrigerated, use a pasta machine to roll out the dough. Don’t use the thinnest setting; chestnut flour pasta tends to be more brittle than wheat flour pasta. I recommend the 2nd or 3rd thinnest setting. Cut the dough into 1/3” wide noodles, and let dry for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to cook the chestnut flour pasta, cook it in heavily salted water and stir as little as possible, as it has a tendency to break easily. Serve with the recipe above.

Nothing on my "To-Do" List But Eating, Drinking, and Relaxing!

Peter Gibbons, my hero!
taken from examiner.com

It’s not very often that I find myself able to simply sit down, relax, and watch a movie. All too frequently, my free time is spent at the gym, in the kitchen, or locked in my room furiously scribbling away thoughts and stories in any one of a dozen active notebooks. But on Friday night, after a jam-packed week at the office, I treated myself to a night of nothing.


Once the work day was finally done, I bolted out the door, scrambling to get to Salumeria Italiana before close. I made it in time and filled my basket with an assortment of goodies, including burrata and taleggio cheeses, farro pasta, and a jar of eucalyptus honey produced by Alce Nero, a group of organic farmers based in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Somehow I resisted the salumi counter―no small feat, considering what a rare occurrence it is for me to leave this shop without at least a few strips of their 24-month prosciutto.

Treats in tow, I rounded the corner onto Hanover Street, on my way to The Wine Bottega, where the team was pouring French, Italian, and Portuguese wines from Oz Wine Co., a Massachusetts-based importer of organic/biodynamic/sustainable wines. I left with two wines: an Aglianico-based red from Campania featured in the Oz array, and a recommended Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that I passed on my way to the cash register but couldn’t pass up when I saw that it was only $12.00.

Next stop? Mercato del Mare, because a food-gathering excursion to the North End that doesn’t include oysters is like a martini without an olive. I left with 6 Onset oysters from Buzzards Bay, MA, as well as a half-pound of local cod and inspiration for an interesting mignonette (recipe below).

Finally home!  I changed into pajamas, uncorked the Montepulciano, threw “What About Bob?” in the DVD player, shucked my oysters, plated my cheeses, kicked up my feet, sipped my wine, and basked in the glory of doing nothing. It was everything I thought it could be!



Curry Mignonette for Oysters

1 t. malt vinegar
1 T. mild white vinegar
1-2 drops vanilla extract
Dash hot curry powder

Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl; use a few drops to season oysters on the half-shell.


 

Onset oyster, Buzzards Bay, MA

 

Onset oyster with Curry Mignonette



Burrata - Cow's Milk; Puglia, Italy

Taleggio - Cow's Milk; Lombardy, Italy - drizzled with Alce Nero Eucalyptus Honey