Category Archives: Their Cooking

Corned Beef and Cabbage

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As you all know, if you read this blog regularly, I was in Philadelphia for St. Patty’s Day this year.  While it was a traditional St. Patty’s Day with beer and bagpipes, I did not get to enjoy the traditional corned beef and cabbage.  One of my friends, who went to Philadelphia with me that week suggested that we get our own and use her families recipe for the corned beef.  So, last week, while I was in the grocery store, I saw a row of packages of corned beef that were tossed aside, not used, rejects from St. Patty’s Day.  So I bought one of the discounted corned beef’s, brought it home and planned on cooking it.  My schedule got so crazy last week that it didn’t end up happening, so instead I had my friends over last night.

First I boiled the corned beef.  I have a confession to make, I’m a chef and I use google all the time.  I googled how long you should boil a corned beef and I found a site that said 1 hour per pound.  This little baby was around 2 pounds.

While I was boiling the corned beef I made a glaze with 1/2 cup of sugar, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, and some ground cloves.  The recipe called for ground cardamom but I couldn’t find it in the store.  Once I finished boiling the corned beef I took it out and cut some of the fat off the top of it.  Then I lathered it with the glaze, put it in a pan with some aluminum foil on top and then put it in a three hundred and fifty degree oven.

You cook it for 1/2 hour and it comes out all nice and glazed.  While the corned beef was in the oven I cooked potatoes and cabbage in the same pot that I cooked the corned beef in.  Once done I sliced the corned beef, drained the potatoes and corned beef and enjoyed it!  The glaze had saturated the whole corned beef and it was sweet and salty.  

We all sat down in the living room to watch ‘The Voice’ and enjoy our dinner.  Even Zoe snuggled up in a blanket!

Dad’s Corned Beef Brisket

1         Disposal aluminum pan (11 x 9 x 2)

1         Flat cut corned beef brisket (boiled, about 5 lbs)

Vegetable cooking spray

 1/2 cup         Brown Sugar

1 tbsp         Dijon Mustard

1 tsp         Ground Cardamom

1/4 tsp         Ground Cloves

Instructions to glaze fork-tender boiled corned beef brisket.

Lightly coat disposable pan: arrange Corned Beef in disposable pan; whisk Glaze in a small Bowl, brush over Corned Beef; cover pan with aluminum foil. Poke holes in foil with fork.

Set pan on center rack. Bake 30 minutes @ 350º, or until Corned Beef is knife tender. Remove foil until Glaze is caramelized.

Meanwhile, boil Vegetables in salted water.

Slice into thin slices across grain to serve with Vegetables.

Karla’s Restaurant in New Hope, Pa.

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This past weekend I went on a  short but adventurous 36 hour trip to Pennsylvania.  I left Massachusetts with my friends at 2:30pm on Saturday and arrived in balmy Philadelphia about 7pm.  As soon as the car door opened I could smell and feel the moisture in the air.  It was refreshing because with the dry mountain air of the Berkshires I’ve been prone to nose bleeds, ok so that might be too much information for you all.  We parked my car near the famous art museum steps, I turned around and saw this beautiful cathedral.

I later learned that one of my good friends grew up in that church, I was in awe of its beauty.  That evening happened to be St. Patrick’s Day, while we had come into the city for a TV shoot the next day, one of the real reasons was so my friend could see her family. She grew up in Philadelphia, one of nine kids, in an Irish family. I was sure we were in for wild times.  We, actually, only went to two pubs in town, Fergie’s and Moriarty’s.  It was a blast though, drinking Guinness, hanging with her family and listening to bag pipes.  We got back to her brother’s house about midnight and had a good old-fashioned sleep over.  Four people slept on the floor and two couches.  I was lucky enough to get the couch otherwise I would have been a grumpy man the next day.

The shoot on Sunday went really well and we started our trip back at about 6pm, but we were starving!  So we decided to stop in a quaint, cute town called New Hope, Pennsylvania and get some food.  When I go on these trips I don’t eat very well, meaning hardly at all.  So I was in desperate need of a nice meal.  My friend had been to this beautiful restaurant called Karla’s before.  Unbeknownst to us, it was restaurant week in the town.  We were given a 4 course menu and it only cost $29 per person.

I chose the soup of the day, which was a seafood bisque, brie, pork chop and then I got a white chocolate mouse for dessert.  The soup was creamy and had a great orange tint to it.

The brie was the most fascinating dish because it was not what I had excepted.  It was brie that was baked but oozing out onto the plate.  Hey, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with brie but I just didn’t expect it to be served that way.  It had a lovely apricot glaze drizzled on the plate as well as toasted almonds.  If should be noted that if I had the opportunity to eat brie every day, I would!

 

 

The pork chop was tasty but nothing spectacular but the chocolate mouse desert had a crunchy chocolate shell and then beautifully formed mouse below with a nut bottom (I’m sure there is a joke here).

The ambience was wonderful, restaurant doors were open to take in the fading sunlight of the day.  Couples were walking hand in hand, kids were playing and it is only March!  I hope to one day have an excuse to visit Karla’s again!

Saint Patty’s Day Road Trip!!!

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I’m lounging in the back seat of my car while my friend is driving to my weekly gig in Philadelphia. It’s nice to have a few friends come with me to break up the monotony of the long road trip. Truth is I made the trip back from Philly just four days ago. The trips are wearing on me but I’m loving what I’m doing.

The reason this trip is a little different is because it’s St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve been told we are going to have a grand ole time in Philly with my friend who lives there. Only time will tell!

I’ll report back tomorrow.

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Philly Cheesesteak in West Chester, Pa…..

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Many years ago I lived in West Chester, Pa for about a year or so working at a talent management company.  Lately, I’ve found myself back there, actually once a week for the past few weeks.  Next to the office where I worked was a cheese steak and hoagie place called Lorenzo’s.  I was addicted to cheese steaks.  I ate them at least two or three times a week.  I also smoked cigarettes back then, I wonder which is worse?  I gave the cigarettes and cheese steaks up when I moved out of West Chester.  Ok, so it took me more than a few years for the cigarettes.

Anyway, Monday was a sort of day off so because the weather was so nice I decided that I would stay down in West Chester.  One of the things I’ve been longing to do since I started going down there again is eat a cheese steak.  My hope was a one from Pat’s or Geno’s but that didn’t happen this trip.  Instead I went to Lorenzo’s and got a cheese steak with fried onions.  

It was everything I remembered.  The bread was moist but also had a great crust to it.  The cheese evenly mixed in, it was like eating a soft pillow of steak, onions and cheese.  I’ve been told that everyone always eats their cheese steak differently.  I was taught by my friend years ago to use Ketch up.  It was like being transported back in time!  Maybe one of these days I’ll get to the Geno’s and Pat’s but for now I’m perfectly happy with Lorenzo’s.

 

Belgian Waffle with Peanut Butter

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Tuesday is the off day at work, for the workshop I’m currently cooking for. That means that I serve a
brunch instead of the normal lunch. People think it’s simple but actually it can be more difficult because it starts a lot earlier than the typical lunch.

I digress, again. Last year I bought a fancy two waffle at the same time maker for a valentines day brunch I was catering. I like to make use of it as much as I can. So typically we
serve waffles on Tuesday, today was no exception.

At the end of the meal today my sous chef went to make himself a waffle and told me that he likes to put peanut butter on his waffle. I laughed him off. Then immediately made myself a waffle and tried it. It was mind altering. It tasted like a Reese pieces candy. My all time favorite candy in the world. Of course, I felt like crap afterwards but it was worth it! I recommend you give it a try! Two more weeks to go and I’ll have more time to blog, record videos etc.

Be well everyone!

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