I love the idea of the Inside Out Burger that Aaron did on the Today Show this morning. I’m just not sure I liked the execution.
Aaron’s been off my radar for awhile, but I was happy enough to see him. He begins his presentation with, “It’s all about the love first.” I know it’s his stock line, but making hamburgers on morning television really doesn’t lend itself to spiritual one-liners, for me anyway.
He puts a number of ingredients in the meat itself – Worcestershire sauce, shallots, salt and pepper. Then because folks were having a problem with the fillings falling out - I DO understand that problem - he came up with this idea. He takes an uncooked burger and tops it with any number of fillings and then presses another uncooked burger on top. He grills it for 2 minutes on each side and then puts it in an oven for 4 to 6 minutes at
350°F.
Great idea, but what if you don’t want to eat two burgers squashed together to make one giant one? I would have preferred two skinny ones with the fillings in between and cooked for half the time.
Apparently he made this burger on his FN show. It would have great to see the reviews of the recipe, but there’s a glitch on the Food Network website…or maybe they just didn’t want us to see them.
Showing posts with label Aaron McCargo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aaron McCargo. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Love Ya, Aaron, But Keep Your Canned Pie Filling To Yourself
Big Daddy’s House with Aaron McCargo
Keep me in Bed
Super-Stuffed French Toast
Eggscellent Bean and Beef Burrito
Big Daddy Parfait
Getcha Goin' Grits
Aaron’s making breakfast, something special for his wife. He’s making a bean and beef burrito. (That’s a rather substantial start to the day. If he brings her all that food in bed, he may need a crane to get her out of there.)
He puts refried bean into a bowl with a bit of sour cream and then zaps it for 2 minutes in the microwave. He shows us 6 eggs in a big bowl. He chops a small onion and a poblano pepper finely along with some garlic.
Aaron opens up one pound of hamburger meat. He heats oil in a pan and adds the meat. It hits the pan with a big sizzle. He stirs it around and adds the vegetables with a lot of seasoning.
Aaron adds pepper to the eggs and whips them, telling us the more air you whip into them the fluffier they’ll be. He snips in some chives for “hidden onion flavor and eye appeal”. He adds a little oil to a nonstick pan. He pours in one ladle worth of beaten eggs and twists and turns the pan to makes crêpes. “Eggs, like my wife in the morning need(s) to be handled gently.” He says to get the egg crêpe as close to the edge as possible and then he flips it beautifully.
“Let’s start building this bad boy.” Oh, this reminds me of an absolutely fantastic Julia recipe – I call it crêpe pie. Julia made a gâteau by stacking up crêpes in a buttered soufflé dish, alternating different fillings made from all kinds of bits and pieces. I often use leftover chicken in a white sauce and then a piperade type of thing with onions and peppers sautéed with diced tomatoes. I top the whole thing with another crêpe and then cover it with a Mornay sauce and bake it and serve it in wedges. I often use tortillas instead of crêpes or sometimes I use eggs, like Aaron is doing. It’s fantastic!
Back to Aaron, he’s making a variation of a traditional burrito. He places tortillas on a board and spoons some refried beans in the middle. Then he adds some meat on top and then Colby cheese. He brings in the sides and rolls it up from the bottom. Then Aaron rolls the whole thing in an egg pancake. He places it on a dish and tops it with more cheese. (Wasn’t there a Taco Bell-something like this, which was a tortilla wrapped around a taco?)
It goes into the microwave for 3 minutes. He puts a little salsa down the middle and a dollop of sour cream on each one. He garnishes it with some long pieces of chives. He tastes and exclaims “Baby, I know why you love me.”
I would have preferred if he had scrambled the eggs and added them to the inside of the tortilla, and just completely forgot about the meat. But I guess he knows the Mrs.
He moves on to super stuffed French toast. He starts with fresh ½ inch slices of brioche. He mixes together 6 jumbo eggs, with a lot of vanilla - 2 tablespoons for 6 eggs - ¼ cup heavy cream, a heavy teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ cup sugar and a pinch of salt.
Just a minute, here, folks. WHY is Aaron using jumbo eggs? Remember how we always have the same issue with Ina with extra large eggs? Here’s the chart again. It doesn’t even HAVE 6 jumbo eggs on it. Luckily, for this recipe the measurement isn’t critical. I would just use 7 or 8 large eggs.
Okay, this is not good…what’s about to happen. I’ll tell you in a sec. He beats the eggs. He brushes the eggs around the edges of half of the pieces of bread. He presses the center down to make a bit of an indentation. THEN, this is the bad part, he puts 3 spoonfuls of CANNED CHERRY PIE FILLING in the center. He tops it with a slice of the brioche which has been brushed with the egg. He presses the whole thing together.
He repeats the same thing with APPLE canned pie filling. Then he dips the entire assembly into the eggs to coat the outside. Aaron places them on a hot griddle. Oh, that’s a panini press type griddle. He cooks them for 6 to 8 minutes. He smears the syrup from the cans on the plate and plates the French toast. He covers them with powdered sugar that’s been mixes with cinnamon. He garnishes with strawberries and a mint leaf.
Okay, let’s get real here. Cooking canned pie filling between 2 pieces of bread is NOT what I signed up for in watching this show. I don’t mind fast. I don’t mind easy. But I do mind CRAP.
For his grits, Aaron heats 1½ cups water and 1½ cups milk with a pinch of salt over medium high heat in a covered saucepan. He places the container of instant grits near the stove to be at the ready.
Aaron dices 4 or 5 slices of bacon. He’s using it as a salt and fat substitute. He chops ½ onion very finely (and very nicely) and slices scallions. He adds the bacon to a hot pan. He renders the fat and then adds the onions. The bacon starts to get crispy. He adds black pepper.
He stirs 1½ cups of grits into the boiling liquid. He cuts a huge amount of American cheese off a huge block and dices it into small cubes. He adds it to the grits and stirs well. He adds the bacon mixture, which looks particularly good and stirs in the scallions. He pours it into a bowl. To add a bit of color, he slices some pepper rings and fits a bouquet of parsley inside them to garnish the plate.
There was a really good Scotch Brite commercial about 2 guys that have their own Iron Chef cook off and use the occasion to raise money for something or other. They were charming. Plus the food looked good (monkfish) and the loser gets to clean the kitchen with Scotch Brite sponges. Here's another really funny one.
Back to Aaron, he’s finishing up with a parfait. He grabs a huge martini glass. He drains yogurt through paper towels. I prefer cheesecloth. “This is going to be a dance party in your mouth when we’re done.” He prepares fruit, lots of fruit - 1½ pints of strawberries, blackberries, bananas and blueberries. He zests an orange and adds it to ¼ cup coconut flakes and some sugar. He chops up pineapple.
To assemble, Aaron adds granola to the bottom of the dish, then yogurt, then fruit, yogurt, granola, blackberries, yogurt and finally blueberries and then strawberries and bananas. He sprinkles over the coconut mixture. He mixes whipped cream with the pineapple and spoons that on top and tops the whole thing with a strawberry and mint. “It’s a circus” after he tastes.
Wait, there’s more bad news. I check the tape, because I thought I spied something strange. Yup, there it is. I check the recipe and it says, “1 (8-ounce) container whipped cream (recommended: Cool Whip) “ Cool Whip can only be “recommended” if you’re making a list of things to be banished from the face of the earth, not to use with 5 pounds of fresh gorgeous fruit. There is no reason in the entire world to use Cool Whip. If this trend continues, I may have to reconsider the potential of Ms. “Fine-Dining” as a cooking show host.
Aaron ends the show with, “I told you I was gonna make you want what I got, but the only way you’re gonna get it is to make it yourself.” Fair enough, but I’m leaving out the Cool Whip and canned pie filling.
Keep me in Bed
Super-Stuffed French Toast
Eggscellent Bean and Beef Burrito
Big Daddy Parfait
Getcha Goin' Grits
Aaron’s making breakfast, something special for his wife. He’s making a bean and beef burrito. (That’s a rather substantial start to the day. If he brings her all that food in bed, he may need a crane to get her out of there.)
He puts refried bean into a bowl with a bit of sour cream and then zaps it for 2 minutes in the microwave. He shows us 6 eggs in a big bowl. He chops a small onion and a poblano pepper finely along with some garlic.
Aaron opens up one pound of hamburger meat. He heats oil in a pan and adds the meat. It hits the pan with a big sizzle. He stirs it around and adds the vegetables with a lot of seasoning.
Aaron adds pepper to the eggs and whips them, telling us the more air you whip into them the fluffier they’ll be. He snips in some chives for “hidden onion flavor and eye appeal”. He adds a little oil to a nonstick pan. He pours in one ladle worth of beaten eggs and twists and turns the pan to makes crêpes. “Eggs, like my wife in the morning need(s) to be handled gently.” He says to get the egg crêpe as close to the edge as possible and then he flips it beautifully.
“Let’s start building this bad boy.” Oh, this reminds me of an absolutely fantastic Julia recipe – I call it crêpe pie. Julia made a gâteau by stacking up crêpes in a buttered soufflé dish, alternating different fillings made from all kinds of bits and pieces. I often use leftover chicken in a white sauce and then a piperade type of thing with onions and peppers sautéed with diced tomatoes. I top the whole thing with another crêpe and then cover it with a Mornay sauce and bake it and serve it in wedges. I often use tortillas instead of crêpes or sometimes I use eggs, like Aaron is doing. It’s fantastic!
Back to Aaron, he’s making a variation of a traditional burrito. He places tortillas on a board and spoons some refried beans in the middle. Then he adds some meat on top and then Colby cheese. He brings in the sides and rolls it up from the bottom. Then Aaron rolls the whole thing in an egg pancake. He places it on a dish and tops it with more cheese. (Wasn’t there a Taco Bell-something like this, which was a tortilla wrapped around a taco?)
It goes into the microwave for 3 minutes. He puts a little salsa down the middle and a dollop of sour cream on each one. He garnishes it with some long pieces of chives. He tastes and exclaims “Baby, I know why you love me.”
I would have preferred if he had scrambled the eggs and added them to the inside of the tortilla, and just completely forgot about the meat. But I guess he knows the Mrs.
He moves on to super stuffed French toast. He starts with fresh ½ inch slices of brioche. He mixes together 6 jumbo eggs, with a lot of vanilla - 2 tablespoons for 6 eggs - ¼ cup heavy cream, a heavy teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ cup sugar and a pinch of salt.
Just a minute, here, folks. WHY is Aaron using jumbo eggs? Remember how we always have the same issue with Ina with extra large eggs? Here’s the chart again. It doesn’t even HAVE 6 jumbo eggs on it. Luckily, for this recipe the measurement isn’t critical. I would just use 7 or 8 large eggs.
Okay, this is not good…what’s about to happen. I’ll tell you in a sec. He beats the eggs. He brushes the eggs around the edges of half of the pieces of bread. He presses the center down to make a bit of an indentation. THEN, this is the bad part, he puts 3 spoonfuls of CANNED CHERRY PIE FILLING in the center. He tops it with a slice of the brioche which has been brushed with the egg. He presses the whole thing together.
He repeats the same thing with APPLE canned pie filling. Then he dips the entire assembly into the eggs to coat the outside. Aaron places them on a hot griddle. Oh, that’s a panini press type griddle. He cooks them for 6 to 8 minutes. He smears the syrup from the cans on the plate and plates the French toast. He covers them with powdered sugar that’s been mixes with cinnamon. He garnishes with strawberries and a mint leaf.
Okay, let’s get real here. Cooking canned pie filling between 2 pieces of bread is NOT what I signed up for in watching this show. I don’t mind fast. I don’t mind easy. But I do mind CRAP.
For his grits, Aaron heats 1½ cups water and 1½ cups milk with a pinch of salt over medium high heat in a covered saucepan. He places the container of instant grits near the stove to be at the ready.
Aaron dices 4 or 5 slices of bacon. He’s using it as a salt and fat substitute. He chops ½ onion very finely (and very nicely) and slices scallions. He adds the bacon to a hot pan. He renders the fat and then adds the onions. The bacon starts to get crispy. He adds black pepper.
He stirs 1½ cups of grits into the boiling liquid. He cuts a huge amount of American cheese off a huge block and dices it into small cubes. He adds it to the grits and stirs well. He adds the bacon mixture, which looks particularly good and stirs in the scallions. He pours it into a bowl. To add a bit of color, he slices some pepper rings and fits a bouquet of parsley inside them to garnish the plate.
There was a really good Scotch Brite commercial about 2 guys that have their own Iron Chef cook off and use the occasion to raise money for something or other. They were charming. Plus the food looked good (monkfish) and the loser gets to clean the kitchen with Scotch Brite sponges. Here's another really funny one.
Back to Aaron, he’s finishing up with a parfait. He grabs a huge martini glass. He drains yogurt through paper towels. I prefer cheesecloth. “This is going to be a dance party in your mouth when we’re done.” He prepares fruit, lots of fruit - 1½ pints of strawberries, blackberries, bananas and blueberries. He zests an orange and adds it to ¼ cup coconut flakes and some sugar. He chops up pineapple.
To assemble, Aaron adds granola to the bottom of the dish, then yogurt, then fruit, yogurt, granola, blackberries, yogurt and finally blueberries and then strawberries and bananas. He sprinkles over the coconut mixture. He mixes whipped cream with the pineapple and spoons that on top and tops the whole thing with a strawberry and mint. “It’s a circus” after he tastes.
Wait, there’s more bad news. I check the tape, because I thought I spied something strange. Yup, there it is. I check the recipe and it says, “1 (8-ounce) container whipped cream (recommended: Cool Whip) “ Cool Whip can only be “recommended” if you’re making a list of things to be banished from the face of the earth, not to use with 5 pounds of fresh gorgeous fruit. There is no reason in the entire world to use Cool Whip. If this trend continues, I may have to reconsider the potential of Ms. “Fine-Dining” as a cooking show host.
Aaron ends the show with, “I told you I was gonna make you want what I got, but the only way you’re gonna get it is to make it yourself.” Fair enough, but I’m leaving out the Cool Whip and canned pie filling.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Aaron’s Great Take On Asparagus And, Yes, He Kissed a Steak…
Plus, Don’t Hate Me For THE Most Confusing Measurement Treatise You’ll Ever Read
Big Daddy's House with Aaron McCargo
Dream Dinner
Herb Potatoes au Gratin
NY Strip au Poirve(sic)
Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
Plantains Foster
Aaron’s doing his dream dinner of steak and potatoes au gratin. He starts with the potatoes. He melts one stick of butter in a pan and stirs in 4 oz. of flour. Oh my, only 3 sentences in, and, Houston (Seattle and New York), we have a problem. But before I bother you with it, I’m going to let him get this dish into the oven.
Aaron actually adds the flour before all the butter is melted. Then he adds ½ quart milk. He says to use a cold liquid, because it allows the flour, butter and liquid to cook at the same time. There are differing opinions about that point. I do usually add COLD milk, just because I’m lazy.
BUT the classic béchamel sauce is made from milk which has been heated with the heel of an onion, whole peppercorns and a bay leaf. IF you have never done this, try it! Just add those things to your milk and heat until just below boiling, turn off the heat, cover and let the milk infuse for 5 minutes. Strain before using. It’s amazing the depth of flavor the bay leaf, in particular, gives to the finished product. It’s particularly evident in a béchamel, but it gives a great flavor to a Mornay or cheese sauce too.
Aaron cooks the sauce until thick and adds cheddar cheese AND a slice of individually wrapped American cheese food slices!!! (IF I were going to do that, I certainly wouldn’t let the camera see). He seasons it with a bit of chicken bouillon and nutmeg (not freshly grated) and black pepper. He leaves it to simmer.
He puts butter in the microwave to melt for the crumb topping.
Aaron slices 3 lbs. of baking potatoes (with the skin still on) into thick slices. He layers them in a gratin dish and pours the cheese sauce over the top. (I would have Pam-ed the dish first.) He’s not trying to mix it up, just cover the top, he says.
He adds panko to the melted butter. He likes its crunch. He adds 2 teaspoons of his best friend, smoky paprika. He likes its ”rich woodsy flavor”. If you didn’t want as pronounced a flavor here, you could always just use regular paprika and you’d get that beautiful color.
Aaron covers the dish with foil (I NEVER do that) and cooks it at 350°F for 35 – 45 minutes and then uncovers it and cooks it another 10 minutes. Why not just cook it 10 minutes less uncovered the entire time? Believe me with all that sauce on top it’s not going to dry out.
Okay, now that that’s in the oven, let’s have a little chat about flour measurements.
I’ve said before that I have this whole measurement and conversion thing pretty well figured out. I can metricate and unmetricate without too much problem. I grew up with cups and tablespoons; went to cooking school with ounces, pounds and imperial measurements with the beginnings of metric kilos and grams; and in South Africa, lived with the metric system with some ounces thrown in. It CAN get a little tricky. One big confusion is with flour.
Aaron said to use 4 oz. of flour. The website recipe says to use ½ cup. They are NOT the same thing. They would be, if they were talking sugar or butter, but not flour.
We know that 1 cup is 8 ounces. Butter, for example, measures in cups the same as it weighs in ounces. That means if you take a stick of butter – 4 oz. – and shove it into a measuring cup (or melt it) it will fill a ½ cup measure, which means its volume is the same as its weight. That’s also true for sugar: ½ a dry measuring cup of sugar is equal to 4 oz. on a scale.
HOWEVER, the situation is different for flour. Half a dry measuring cup of flour actually weighs TWO ounces and not the FOUR ounces that butter or sugar would weigh. Flour takes up approximately two times in volume what it weighs on a scale. Think of it as always having to double the weight of flour to get the volume. Have I confused you? Just remember this:
1 cup butter = 8 oz.
1 cup sugar = 8 oz.
BUT
1 cup flour = 4 oz.
A HALF A CUP OF FLOUR
WEIGHS
TWO OUNCES ON A SCALE.
Here’s another wrinkle. The truth is that the website recipe proportions are correct; what Aaron said isn’t. When you’re making a white sauce, in general, you want to add equal amounts of butter and flour BY VOLUME, not weight. So if Aaron was using 1 stick or half a cup of butter he would need ½ cup flour and NOT 4 oz.
Okay, folks, just for fun, if you weighed 3/4 of a cup of flour, how many ounces would it be? If you weighed 3/4 of a cup of sugar, how many ounces would THAT be? C’mon, you can do it.*
Okay, where was I? Aaron is starting the steak. “It’s like Christmas when I’m around meat,” Aaron enthuses about NY strip steak au poivre. He unwraps it with a huge smile on his face. He admires the marbling which gives it its juiciness and flavor. He suggests inviting the butcher over to dinner to thank him. Did he actually kiss the steak? I guess since the butcher wasn’t available…
Aaron drains a jar of green peppercorns and crushes and chops them a bit. He adds black pepper and chops some more. He rubs the mixture on both sides of the steaks. He adds a good amount of olive oil to the pan and heats it on high. He adds the steaks.
Aaron likes the sweetness of the shallot. He chops it (the proper French way). He flips the steaks, then takes them out to sit on a rack to rest. He continues cooking the rest of the steaks. They come out of the pan and the shallot goes into the remaining oil in the pan. (That’s A LOT of oil in there.) He adds flour to the pan and stirs it in. He says to measure out equal parts of fat to flour, but he didn’t. I guess Big Daddy doesn’t have to.
He continues to stir and cook the roux. He pulls the pan away from the flame and adds 1 ½ cups (!!!) of brandy. It flames up nicely. He stirs in 2 cups beef stock and ½ cup heavy cream.
I like Aaron’s easy way about everything. He makes you feel that you can do anything he does. Not because it’s so elementary, but because he explains it in a very clear and simple way.
I do think that the FN made the best choice in their pick of TNFNS winner. It’s amazing in a way, because I don’t think he demonstrated this side of himself that well during the competition. Could it be that these folks actually know what they’re doing and can see the potential in someone even before he can see it in himself?
The next dish is his asparagus salad. Aaron does something VERY interesting. He cuts the thickish asparagus spears in half LENGTHWISE. He says that way they’ll have nice grill marks and the flavor of the dressing will get on the INSIDE of the asparagus. You won’t have “to struggle for where the flavor’s going to be.”
He spoons some prepared garlic and oil (a lot) over the asparagus. He adds some salt and freshly cracked black pepper (I like his expression freshly “cracked”), plus coarsely chopped thyme and rosemary. He tosses it well. Aaron tells us it’s good enough to eat just as it and you don’t even have to bother cooking it. But today he is. He grills the spears, cut side down, and saves all that good dressing in the bowl.
He quickly stirs his pepper sauce.
He turns over the asparagus spears and then takes them off the grill and puts them back into the bowl with dressing. (Of course, if you were making chicken, fish or meat, you couldn’t return the cooked food to the raw food’s marinade…unless you had cooked the marinade after the raw food left it.) Aaron juliennes sun-dried tomatoes. “I smell success.” They go in the bowl.
He removes the stems from the shitake mushroom and slices them. He adds some of the flavored oil from the asparagus to a frying pan and heats that up.
He adds the shitake mushrooms with some good advice. Do not throw them in from high up. The oil will spatter all over the place. “Get close and let them go softly.” He stirs them around.
Now here MC’s sautéing trick would come in handy. Stir the mushrooms to coat with oil and then leave them to cook undisturbed and, oh boy, they’ll get browned and crispy. Aaron gives a nice tossy toss and they look good.
Commercial. There’s really odd tip by Robin Miller on keeping your freezer organized. Does ANYONE keep a list on the outside of the refrigerator of what’s in the freezer and then cross it off? Anybody? I don’t have the courage to show you my freezer, but let’s just say it’s NOT ready for its close-up. In fact, there’s so much stuff jammed in there that you couldn’t get close even you wanted to.
Aaron puts his steaks in the oven to keep warm. He adds the mushrooms to the asparagus salad. He takes out the potatoes and then the steaks. He plates the steaks and “runs” the sauce down the middle of the plate. He serves himself a plate of everything. He’s in heaven.
He says there’s only one way to top off that meal (a little Lipitor, perhaps?). No, Plantains Foster. Okay by me.
He melts half a stick of butter in a pan. (Well, people what does that weigh? YOU’RE RIGHT! 4 oz.) He takes ice cream out of the freezer. He adds plantains to the pan and stirs them around to coat them well in the butter. Aaron adds nutmeg (ground) and ½ cup brown sugar. He pours in rum and banana liqueur, reminding us again to take the pan off the flame when adding it. It flames up BIG.
He adds 1/3 cup of OJ and a little more cold butter. It looks a little liquidy. I think I would have removed the plantains and boiled the mixture down to reduce it a bit. He spoons out the plantains into a dish. He adds some ice cream on top and digs in. He is a happy man and, despite the flour controversy, he's shown us quite a few worthwhile things on today's show.
* 3/4 of a cup of flour weighs 3 ounces. 3/4 of a cup of sugar weighs 6 ounces.
Big Daddy's House with Aaron McCargo
Dream Dinner
Herb Potatoes au Gratin
NY Strip au Poirve(sic)
Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
Plantains Foster
Aaron’s doing his dream dinner of steak and potatoes au gratin. He starts with the potatoes. He melts one stick of butter in a pan and stirs in 4 oz. of flour. Oh my, only 3 sentences in, and, Houston (Seattle and New York), we have a problem. But before I bother you with it, I’m going to let him get this dish into the oven.
Aaron actually adds the flour before all the butter is melted. Then he adds ½ quart milk. He says to use a cold liquid, because it allows the flour, butter and liquid to cook at the same time. There are differing opinions about that point. I do usually add COLD milk, just because I’m lazy.
BUT the classic béchamel sauce is made from milk which has been heated with the heel of an onion, whole peppercorns and a bay leaf. IF you have never done this, try it! Just add those things to your milk and heat until just below boiling, turn off the heat, cover and let the milk infuse for 5 minutes. Strain before using. It’s amazing the depth of flavor the bay leaf, in particular, gives to the finished product. It’s particularly evident in a béchamel, but it gives a great flavor to a Mornay or cheese sauce too.
Aaron cooks the sauce until thick and adds cheddar cheese AND a slice of individually wrapped American cheese food slices!!! (IF I were going to do that, I certainly wouldn’t let the camera see). He seasons it with a bit of chicken bouillon and nutmeg (not freshly grated) and black pepper. He leaves it to simmer.
He puts butter in the microwave to melt for the crumb topping.
Aaron slices 3 lbs. of baking potatoes (with the skin still on) into thick slices. He layers them in a gratin dish and pours the cheese sauce over the top. (I would have Pam-ed the dish first.) He’s not trying to mix it up, just cover the top, he says.
He adds panko to the melted butter. He likes its crunch. He adds 2 teaspoons of his best friend, smoky paprika. He likes its ”rich woodsy flavor”. If you didn’t want as pronounced a flavor here, you could always just use regular paprika and you’d get that beautiful color.
Aaron covers the dish with foil (I NEVER do that) and cooks it at 350°F for 35 – 45 minutes and then uncovers it and cooks it another 10 minutes. Why not just cook it 10 minutes less uncovered the entire time? Believe me with all that sauce on top it’s not going to dry out.
Okay, now that that’s in the oven, let’s have a little chat about flour measurements.
I’ve said before that I have this whole measurement and conversion thing pretty well figured out. I can metricate and unmetricate without too much problem. I grew up with cups and tablespoons; went to cooking school with ounces, pounds and imperial measurements with the beginnings of metric kilos and grams; and in South Africa, lived with the metric system with some ounces thrown in. It CAN get a little tricky. One big confusion is with flour.
Aaron said to use 4 oz. of flour. The website recipe says to use ½ cup. They are NOT the same thing. They would be, if they were talking sugar or butter, but not flour.
We know that 1 cup is 8 ounces. Butter, for example, measures in cups the same as it weighs in ounces. That means if you take a stick of butter – 4 oz. – and shove it into a measuring cup (or melt it) it will fill a ½ cup measure, which means its volume is the same as its weight. That’s also true for sugar: ½ a dry measuring cup of sugar is equal to 4 oz. on a scale.
HOWEVER, the situation is different for flour. Half a dry measuring cup of flour actually weighs TWO ounces and not the FOUR ounces that butter or sugar would weigh. Flour takes up approximately two times in volume what it weighs on a scale. Think of it as always having to double the weight of flour to get the volume. Have I confused you? Just remember this:
1 cup butter = 8 oz.
1 cup sugar = 8 oz.
BUT
1 cup flour = 4 oz.
A HALF A CUP OF FLOUR
WEIGHS
TWO OUNCES ON A SCALE.
Here’s another wrinkle. The truth is that the website recipe proportions are correct; what Aaron said isn’t. When you’re making a white sauce, in general, you want to add equal amounts of butter and flour BY VOLUME, not weight. So if Aaron was using 1 stick or half a cup of butter he would need ½ cup flour and NOT 4 oz.
Okay, folks, just for fun, if you weighed 3/4 of a cup of flour, how many ounces would it be? If you weighed 3/4 of a cup of sugar, how many ounces would THAT be? C’mon, you can do it.*
Okay, where was I? Aaron is starting the steak. “It’s like Christmas when I’m around meat,” Aaron enthuses about NY strip steak au poivre. He unwraps it with a huge smile on his face. He admires the marbling which gives it its juiciness and flavor. He suggests inviting the butcher over to dinner to thank him. Did he actually kiss the steak? I guess since the butcher wasn’t available…
Aaron drains a jar of green peppercorns and crushes and chops them a bit. He adds black pepper and chops some more. He rubs the mixture on both sides of the steaks. He adds a good amount of olive oil to the pan and heats it on high. He adds the steaks.
Aaron likes the sweetness of the shallot. He chops it (the proper French way). He flips the steaks, then takes them out to sit on a rack to rest. He continues cooking the rest of the steaks. They come out of the pan and the shallot goes into the remaining oil in the pan. (That’s A LOT of oil in there.) He adds flour to the pan and stirs it in. He says to measure out equal parts of fat to flour, but he didn’t. I guess Big Daddy doesn’t have to.
He continues to stir and cook the roux. He pulls the pan away from the flame and adds 1 ½ cups (!!!) of brandy. It flames up nicely. He stirs in 2 cups beef stock and ½ cup heavy cream.
I like Aaron’s easy way about everything. He makes you feel that you can do anything he does. Not because it’s so elementary, but because he explains it in a very clear and simple way.
I do think that the FN made the best choice in their pick of TNFNS winner. It’s amazing in a way, because I don’t think he demonstrated this side of himself that well during the competition. Could it be that these folks actually know what they’re doing and can see the potential in someone even before he can see it in himself?
The next dish is his asparagus salad. Aaron does something VERY interesting. He cuts the thickish asparagus spears in half LENGTHWISE. He says that way they’ll have nice grill marks and the flavor of the dressing will get on the INSIDE of the asparagus. You won’t have “to struggle for where the flavor’s going to be.”
He spoons some prepared garlic and oil (a lot) over the asparagus. He adds some salt and freshly cracked black pepper (I like his expression freshly “cracked”), plus coarsely chopped thyme and rosemary. He tosses it well. Aaron tells us it’s good enough to eat just as it and you don’t even have to bother cooking it. But today he is. He grills the spears, cut side down, and saves all that good dressing in the bowl.
He quickly stirs his pepper sauce.
He turns over the asparagus spears and then takes them off the grill and puts them back into the bowl with dressing. (Of course, if you were making chicken, fish or meat, you couldn’t return the cooked food to the raw food’s marinade…unless you had cooked the marinade after the raw food left it.) Aaron juliennes sun-dried tomatoes. “I smell success.” They go in the bowl.
He removes the stems from the shitake mushroom and slices them. He adds some of the flavored oil from the asparagus to a frying pan and heats that up.
He adds the shitake mushrooms with some good advice. Do not throw them in from high up. The oil will spatter all over the place. “Get close and let them go softly.” He stirs them around.
Now here MC’s sautéing trick would come in handy. Stir the mushrooms to coat with oil and then leave them to cook undisturbed and, oh boy, they’ll get browned and crispy. Aaron gives a nice tossy toss and they look good.
Commercial. There’s really odd tip by Robin Miller on keeping your freezer organized. Does ANYONE keep a list on the outside of the refrigerator of what’s in the freezer and then cross it off? Anybody? I don’t have the courage to show you my freezer, but let’s just say it’s NOT ready for its close-up. In fact, there’s so much stuff jammed in there that you couldn’t get close even you wanted to.
Aaron puts his steaks in the oven to keep warm. He adds the mushrooms to the asparagus salad. He takes out the potatoes and then the steaks. He plates the steaks and “runs” the sauce down the middle of the plate. He serves himself a plate of everything. He’s in heaven.
He says there’s only one way to top off that meal (a little Lipitor, perhaps?). No, Plantains Foster. Okay by me.
He melts half a stick of butter in a pan. (Well, people what does that weigh? YOU’RE RIGHT! 4 oz.) He takes ice cream out of the freezer. He adds plantains to the pan and stirs them around to coat them well in the butter. Aaron adds nutmeg (ground) and ½ cup brown sugar. He pours in rum and banana liqueur, reminding us again to take the pan off the flame when adding it. It flames up BIG.
He adds 1/3 cup of OJ and a little more cold butter. It looks a little liquidy. I think I would have removed the plantains and boiled the mixture down to reduce it a bit. He spoons out the plantains into a dish. He adds some ice cream on top and digs in. He is a happy man and, despite the flour controversy, he's shown us quite a few worthwhile things on today's show.
* 3/4 of a cup of flour weighs 3 ounces. 3/4 of a cup of sugar weighs 6 ounces.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
2 Next Food Network Star Updates
I don't want to get all gossipy about someone else's kid, but you know how we were wondering about the deal with Aaron's son running away? I couldn't figure out how it could have been one of those cute little boys they show at the beginning of Big Daddy's House. Well, it was, in fact, Josh. He's 14 years old and he's home safely now. It seems like he has been for awhile, at least according to Susie.
Plus there's word out on the street, actually online, that Lisa Garza
will be getting her own non-Food Network show. You all on Facebook can check it out on her profile. Let me know what it says.
Plus there's word out on the street, actually online, that Lisa Garza
will be getting her own non-Food Network show. You all on Facebook can check it out on her profile. Let me know what it says.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Aaron McCargo, You Had Me At Hello…
Big Daddy's House with Aaron McCargo
Boys Night In
Justin’s Chicken Tender Salad
Josh’s Roast Pork Sandwich
Oven Baked Seasoned Fries
Well, not exactly, but I DO love that movie and Aaron is a friendly enough sort of guy. Oh, lookie here, the Neelys had Aaron over at their show to cook. How did they do THAT so fast? The show ends with Aaron sitting down to dinner with the barbecue couple. They look cozy together.
Aaron’s show starts. We see a quick repeat of his winning moment. We get a glimpse of his Camden hometown and lots of scenes of him in the kitchen. We meet Dad (who looks really young) and Mom (who he says ate anything he cooked) and his sons Josh, Justin and Jordan.
Didn’t he mention that one of his sons had run away right before TNFNS. These kids are young! (And I think he only has 3 kids.) I’m confused…what else is new?
Today’s recipes are inspired by his boys. Aaron is cooking Justin’s Chicken Tender Salad and Josh’s Roast Pork Sandwich, plus Oven Baked Seasoned Fries.
He starts by mixing up a spice mix, using smoked paprika, granulated onion and granulated garlic powder. Stop right there.
I HATE dried onion and garlic and the ONLY time I use them is when I make a Cajun style rub. I figure if Paul Prudhomme requires them in his seasoning mix, that’s good enough for me. This is basically what Aaron is doing with the seasoning, so I'll let him proceed. He’s going to use it as a rub on pork and chicken, as well as on potatoes.
The spice blend is 1/2 cup salt, 1/4 cup pepper, 1/4 cup granulated onion and garlic powder, 1/2 cup smoked paprika and 3 tablespoons seasoned salt. Aaron mixes it up with his hands.
Aaron pounds out the chicken under a piece of plastic to make it thinner and then cuts it into strips. He says his three year old gave him the idea for this salad.
He’s using tortilla chips instead of breadcrumbs. That’s a really good idea. He puts them in a bag and suggests having your kids smash them into crumbs. THAT’S a good idea, too. Aaron gets flour and 3 beaten eggs ready to coat the chicken.
Do you remember my chant? Flour, egg, crumb; flour, egg, crumb. Aaron quickly coats the chicken. I do like to be a bit more precise. I also only use one hand to flour, egg and crumb and I try not to get ooky above the second knuckle. That sounds really obsessive, but really it’s just so I have one hand free for emergencies and who wants to be up to one's elbow in raw-chicken-touched-coating-stuff?
It’s interesting that Aaron is having no problem talking as he’s cooking. That was one of his problems on TNFNS. He seems at ease. He’s got good technique and he’s easy to watch and listen to.
Oh, I can’t believe I just said that. I totally couldn’t understand the last thing he said. I thought he said, “DON’T LET your kids eat the chicken out of the bowl.” And I thought WHO would let a kid eat raw chicken?!! I replayed it and he was talking about the CHIPS. Okay, but the rest was fine.
Oh, this interesting. He’s doing 2 kinds of chicken fingers. He’s crushing up spicy tortilla chips for one batch and blue tortilla chips for another with a milder flavor. The 2 colors will look good together too. You know THIS IS a good idea and it’s a good way to use up the end of a bag of chips.
Aaron pours A LOT of grapeseed oil (a cup) into a frying pan over medium high heat. He likes this oil because it can stand up to a lot of heat. He adds enough chicken to fit the pan, but not enough to overcrowd it. It needs to breathe, Aaron tells us. Because the chicken has been pounded thin, it will cook quickly. He finishes frying and sprinkles over a bit of his spice mix. He tests the blue tortilla chip ones for doneness.
Next is Josh’s Roast Pork Sandwich. Aaron heats a cast iron frying pan to sear the pork. He heats water to cook the broccoli rabe. He shows us a tied pork loin. He splits his seasoning up, so he can use some for the pork without tainting it for everything else.
He tells us about his restaurant in Camden. Wait, he never said anything about a restaurant. Maybe it closed and instead of whining about it like Adam, he became a chef in a hospital and actually did something with his life…
He coats the pork with the spices. Aaron adds a bit of grapeseed oil to the hot pan. (I’m seeing a trend here.) He puts the loin in fat side down in the hot oil. He rolls it all four sides. It’s browned-burned. He puts it on a rack on a baking sheet into the oven. No hint as to the temperature or time.
Aaron cuts the broccoli rabe into one inch pieces. He blanches it in salted, boiling water for one minute. (I’m not sure that’s enough time to tone down the bitterness.) He gets another frying pan ready with oil, garlic, and cayenne. He heats that until the garlic is just brown. Aaron says the broccoli rabe will be ready in 2 or 3 minutes. (That’s more like it.) He throws the drained greens into the frying pan. He shakes it nicely and adds his seasoning and then cooks it for a minute or two.
Aaron starts on his fries. He grabs his ingredients.
Hold on a second. Let’s digress to speak about his speaking. He is definitely not using the Queen’s English. Do I care? Actually, I don’t. Maybe it’s because I like him that I don't mind his colloquial speech. He’s not so over the top that I can't understand him. Perhaps the reason it’s ok with me is because he’s SPEAKING. I admit there may be an issue when and if there’s a Big Daddy cookbook. I’m not sure how “I also gonna need me some fresh herbs,” is going to translate to written form. All I can say is that he’s a pleasure to watch. He’s easy going, so is his language and so what?
He’s using a mandolin to cut his potatoes. That’s funny, my friend A just asked me if I thought she should get one. THAT is the one piece of kitchen equipment that I have never missed. I guess if I had one, I’d use it all the time, but I like having a pile of vegetables in front of me with a knife to do my dirty work…..
So Aaron French fries his potatoes on a mandolin (it sure is quicker than by hand) and pours over what looks like a lot more than a quarter cup of grapeseed oil. He says don’t drown them, but because you’re not frying them you can afford to use a reasonable amount. He strips rosemary and chops it with thyme and puts that with the potatoes along with chopped garlic in oil. He adds 2 tablespoons of his seasoning and mixes it around. “There are a lot of happy flavors going on around here.”
They go on 2 baking sheets in a single layer. He makes sure to use all the oil and seasoning in the bottom of the bowl. He bakes them at 325°F, no at 350°F, no at 400°F. What?!! I’m confused.
Aaron puts together the salad. He cuts a head of romaine, drains the black beans and cuts tomatoes. Romaine and field green go on a platter. The beans go over that. (I like to rinse them until the water doesn’t have any foamy stuff in it.) Next Aaron sprinkles over cheese (what kind?) and then adds the tomatoes and the chicken fingers. It looks pretty. He chops up and sprinkles some fresh cilantro over.
The pork loin comes out. Still no hint about time or temperature. Aaron slices it as thinly as possible. He cuts ciabatta rolls in half and puts them cut side down on the cutting board. Huh? He covers them with provolone cheese, then pork, then the broccoli rabe. None of this is easy, because the tops are domed and everything is sliding off of them.
He gets out a tabletop grill and manages to get these leaning tower of Pisa sandwiches in there and barely closes the top. He does this, he says, because the tops and bottoms are already crusty. THIS way the soft insides of the roll will pick up some texture. That’s fine, but I think he needs to SQUASH THEM DOWN more. There is no way to eat that.
Aaron takes out the fries. The sandwiches have compressed (a bit). He tastes one. “This is so good. It’s making me cry.” He brings Justin to the table. He makes him wash his hands first. Aaron serves him some salad. He offers him some Peppercorn Ranch Dressing…out of a jar.
Okay, where did THAT come from? Please don’t tell me from a supermarket shelf. There’s no way of knowing, because the Food Network, which DID do a good job of rushing Aaron to air before we all forgot about him, has not seen fit to post his actual recipes. I hope the links at the top will have the recipes soon.
In general, good job. Producer Gordon Elliot is clearly letting Aaron being Aaron. I like him, so I like the show. If you’re not a fan, you won’t like the show most likely. Lucky for you, you'll have your Sunday afternoons free. Me? Remember how I started this post, so I’m sticking around hoping he doesn’t say bye-bye too soon.
Boys Night In
Justin’s Chicken Tender Salad
Josh’s Roast Pork Sandwich
Oven Baked Seasoned Fries
Well, not exactly, but I DO love that movie and Aaron is a friendly enough sort of guy. Oh, lookie here, the Neelys had Aaron over at their show to cook. How did they do THAT so fast? The show ends with Aaron sitting down to dinner with the barbecue couple. They look cozy together.
Aaron’s show starts. We see a quick repeat of his winning moment. We get a glimpse of his Camden hometown and lots of scenes of him in the kitchen. We meet Dad (who looks really young) and Mom (who he says ate anything he cooked) and his sons Josh, Justin and Jordan.
Didn’t he mention that one of his sons had run away right before TNFNS. These kids are young! (And I think he only has 3 kids.) I’m confused…what else is new?
Today’s recipes are inspired by his boys. Aaron is cooking Justin’s Chicken Tender Salad and Josh’s Roast Pork Sandwich, plus Oven Baked Seasoned Fries.
He starts by mixing up a spice mix, using smoked paprika, granulated onion and granulated garlic powder. Stop right there.
I HATE dried onion and garlic and the ONLY time I use them is when I make a Cajun style rub. I figure if Paul Prudhomme requires them in his seasoning mix, that’s good enough for me. This is basically what Aaron is doing with the seasoning, so I'll let him proceed. He’s going to use it as a rub on pork and chicken, as well as on potatoes.
The spice blend is 1/2 cup salt, 1/4 cup pepper, 1/4 cup granulated onion and garlic powder, 1/2 cup smoked paprika and 3 tablespoons seasoned salt. Aaron mixes it up with his hands.
Aaron pounds out the chicken under a piece of plastic to make it thinner and then cuts it into strips. He says his three year old gave him the idea for this salad.
He’s using tortilla chips instead of breadcrumbs. That’s a really good idea. He puts them in a bag and suggests having your kids smash them into crumbs. THAT’S a good idea, too. Aaron gets flour and 3 beaten eggs ready to coat the chicken.
Do you remember my chant? Flour, egg, crumb; flour, egg, crumb. Aaron quickly coats the chicken. I do like to be a bit more precise. I also only use one hand to flour, egg and crumb and I try not to get ooky above the second knuckle. That sounds really obsessive, but really it’s just so I have one hand free for emergencies and who wants to be up to one's elbow in raw-chicken-touched-coating-stuff?
It’s interesting that Aaron is having no problem talking as he’s cooking. That was one of his problems on TNFNS. He seems at ease. He’s got good technique and he’s easy to watch and listen to.
Oh, I can’t believe I just said that. I totally couldn’t understand the last thing he said. I thought he said, “DON’T LET your kids eat the chicken out of the bowl.” And I thought WHO would let a kid eat raw chicken?!! I replayed it and he was talking about the CHIPS. Okay, but the rest was fine.
Oh, this interesting. He’s doing 2 kinds of chicken fingers. He’s crushing up spicy tortilla chips for one batch and blue tortilla chips for another with a milder flavor. The 2 colors will look good together too. You know THIS IS a good idea and it’s a good way to use up the end of a bag of chips.
Aaron pours A LOT of grapeseed oil (a cup) into a frying pan over medium high heat. He likes this oil because it can stand up to a lot of heat. He adds enough chicken to fit the pan, but not enough to overcrowd it. It needs to breathe, Aaron tells us. Because the chicken has been pounded thin, it will cook quickly. He finishes frying and sprinkles over a bit of his spice mix. He tests the blue tortilla chip ones for doneness.
Next is Josh’s Roast Pork Sandwich. Aaron heats a cast iron frying pan to sear the pork. He heats water to cook the broccoli rabe. He shows us a tied pork loin. He splits his seasoning up, so he can use some for the pork without tainting it for everything else.
He tells us about his restaurant in Camden. Wait, he never said anything about a restaurant. Maybe it closed and instead of whining about it like Adam, he became a chef in a hospital and actually did something with his life…
He coats the pork with the spices. Aaron adds a bit of grapeseed oil to the hot pan. (I’m seeing a trend here.) He puts the loin in fat side down in the hot oil. He rolls it all four sides. It’s browned-burned. He puts it on a rack on a baking sheet into the oven. No hint as to the temperature or time.
Aaron cuts the broccoli rabe into one inch pieces. He blanches it in salted, boiling water for one minute. (I’m not sure that’s enough time to tone down the bitterness.) He gets another frying pan ready with oil, garlic, and cayenne. He heats that until the garlic is just brown. Aaron says the broccoli rabe will be ready in 2 or 3 minutes. (That’s more like it.) He throws the drained greens into the frying pan. He shakes it nicely and adds his seasoning and then cooks it for a minute or two.
Aaron starts on his fries. He grabs his ingredients.
Hold on a second. Let’s digress to speak about his speaking. He is definitely not using the Queen’s English. Do I care? Actually, I don’t. Maybe it’s because I like him that I don't mind his colloquial speech. He’s not so over the top that I can't understand him. Perhaps the reason it’s ok with me is because he’s SPEAKING. I admit there may be an issue when and if there’s a Big Daddy cookbook. I’m not sure how “I also gonna need me some fresh herbs,” is going to translate to written form. All I can say is that he’s a pleasure to watch. He’s easy going, so is his language and so what?
He’s using a mandolin to cut his potatoes. That’s funny, my friend A just asked me if I thought she should get one. THAT is the one piece of kitchen equipment that I have never missed. I guess if I had one, I’d use it all the time, but I like having a pile of vegetables in front of me with a knife to do my dirty work…..
So Aaron French fries his potatoes on a mandolin (it sure is quicker than by hand) and pours over what looks like a lot more than a quarter cup of grapeseed oil. He says don’t drown them, but because you’re not frying them you can afford to use a reasonable amount. He strips rosemary and chops it with thyme and puts that with the potatoes along with chopped garlic in oil. He adds 2 tablespoons of his seasoning and mixes it around. “There are a lot of happy flavors going on around here.”
They go on 2 baking sheets in a single layer. He makes sure to use all the oil and seasoning in the bottom of the bowl. He bakes them at 325°F, no at 350°F, no at 400°F. What?!! I’m confused.
Aaron puts together the salad. He cuts a head of romaine, drains the black beans and cuts tomatoes. Romaine and field green go on a platter. The beans go over that. (I like to rinse them until the water doesn’t have any foamy stuff in it.) Next Aaron sprinkles over cheese (what kind?) and then adds the tomatoes and the chicken fingers. It looks pretty. He chops up and sprinkles some fresh cilantro over.
The pork loin comes out. Still no hint about time or temperature. Aaron slices it as thinly as possible. He cuts ciabatta rolls in half and puts them cut side down on the cutting board. Huh? He covers them with provolone cheese, then pork, then the broccoli rabe. None of this is easy, because the tops are domed and everything is sliding off of them.
He gets out a tabletop grill and manages to get these leaning tower of Pisa sandwiches in there and barely closes the top. He does this, he says, because the tops and bottoms are already crusty. THIS way the soft insides of the roll will pick up some texture. That’s fine, but I think he needs to SQUASH THEM DOWN more. There is no way to eat that.
Aaron takes out the fries. The sandwiches have compressed (a bit). He tastes one. “This is so good. It’s making me cry.” He brings Justin to the table. He makes him wash his hands first. Aaron serves him some salad. He offers him some Peppercorn Ranch Dressing…out of a jar.
Okay, where did THAT come from? Please don’t tell me from a supermarket shelf. There’s no way of knowing, because the Food Network, which DID do a good job of rushing Aaron to air before we all forgot about him, has not seen fit to post his actual recipes. I hope the links at the top will have the recipes soon.
In general, good job. Producer Gordon Elliot is clearly letting Aaron being Aaron. I like him, so I like the show. If you’re not a fan, you won’t like the show most likely. Lucky for you, you'll have your Sunday afternoons free. Me? Remember how I started this post, so I’m sticking around hoping he doesn’t say bye-bye too soon.
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