Death Of Notes : Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog

Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Due to the tragic explosion and fire in San Bruno last night, the Comcast service to our house had been knocked offline. We just got our connection back, and are feverishly working away to catch up. Stay tuned for some delicious new content soon!

About My Cookbook: "A" Book, But Not "THE" Book

Here's a little HD walk-through of the new cookbook. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any confusion that this was some sort of official Food Wishes cookbook. Hopefully that will happen very soon, but in the meantime I'm very proud to have authored this great collection of American recipes for the highly regarded Parragon Publishing.

As I brag about in the video, what you see, is what you get. I was allowed to photograph all the recipes I prepared for the book. For better or worse, there are no photo studio tricks here – just simple home cooking as it really looks, imperfections and all.

I'm not exactly sure whether I'll sell them directly from the blog, or simply refer people to Amazon, but I will post more detailed ordering information as soon as it comes available. You can pre-order the book on Amazon, but be sure to use this link, so Chef John gets a little taste of the action. Thanks!

Peach Brulee Burrata Bruschetta – What a Great Way to Waste a Peach!

Whenever I make anything with a fresh peach – like this lovely peach brulee burrata bruschetta – I always get the feeling that I'm somehow wasting the fruit. The sheer perfection of a sweet, ripe peach eaten as is, makes using it in a recipe seem almost ridiculous.

Well, if you are going to "waste" a fresh, ripe peach, this little late-summer snack is a great way to go. Besides, this recipe is a creation of my wife Michele, so you know it's going to be great.

A slice of toast with a schmear of burrata is already a beautiful thing, but when you add a nice pinch of Herbes de Provence salt, then a slice of peach brulee, you are talking about a whole other level of beautiful.

As I explain in the video, the burnt sugar crust will not stay crispy very long, but the incredibly complex, caramelized peach syrup it creates on the slice's surface is so wonderful, you'll really not care. By the way, be sure you buy "freestone" peaches, not "clingstone," otherwise by the time you get the stone out, you'll basically be left with a small puddle of peach puree.

This is one of those recipes that's halfway between sweet and savory, and that's a place I love to be. This is perfect for any kind of entertaining that occurs while fresh peaches are still in season. Also, if you can swing it, you get extra credit for toasting your bread over a smoky, charcoal grill, in true bruschetta style.

Speaking of "bruschetta," in case some of you were wondering, yes I do know how to pronounce it correctly (like that adorable Giada De Laurentiis), I just choose not to. Enjoy!

Peach Brulee Burrata Bruschetta Ingredients:
1 large freestone peach, cut in about 12 slices
6 oz burrata cheese
Herbes de Provence and sea salt to taste
about 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, or "Sugar in the Raw" or regular white granulated sugar
12 pieces of toasted or grilled Italian bread

View the complete recipe

Cast Iron Salmon – Searing Pleasure

There are many things I miss about the professional kitchen; the gambling, the inappropriate humor, the feats of strength – but none as much as the giant commercial exhaust fans. One reason is the salmon recipe you see here. Actually, I shouldn't really call it a recipe, it's salt and salmon, but to do it correctly you have to sear the fish over very high heat to get a nice thin, crispy crust encasing a moist custardy center.

At home this is next to impossible – besides the huge, smoky, splattering mess, you really don't want to be "that neighbor." You know, the one who's place always smells like fried fish and steamed broccoli. This heavy metal backyard solution is as minimalist as it is effective. I love how a couple dozen hot coals under a thick cast iron pan turns simply salted salmon into something a little more remarkable.

Even if you don't get that perfect crust and moist center, at the very least your home won't smell like fish for a week. This is great to use for a seafood course after another protein has already been done on the grill. Just rake up the coals into a pile and get to searing. I served this with a dollop of tarragon aioli, which was fantastic. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy!

Random Kitchen Scenes: How to Slice a Ripe Peach

I've been playing around with the idea of posting short, random kitchen tips and techniques, and this "how to slice a ripe peach" is a little experiment along those lines. Inspired by a classic sushi cut, this two-part slice is great for precise cuts on soft juicy fruit. Just make sure your blade is sharp, and try not to shave off your fingertips. Enjoy!

Nominate Chef John for a 2011 Tasty Award!

The Annual Tasty Awards are the premier awards show to celebrate the best in food and fashion programs on TV, in film, and online. Last year, Food Wishes wasn't nominated for an award, but that was my own fault. I was so busy at the time the awards were announced, I never asked for a help getting nominated!

If you'd like to help nominate me, please follow this link and cast your vote. Nominations are only open until September 5th! I believe you can nominate the website in several categories, but "Best Food Program - Web" and Best "Home Chef in a Series" are the ones I'm hoping to get. Thanks!

Grilled Five Spice Chicken – Four Wouldn't Have Been Enough, and Six Would Have Been Too Many

Chinese Five Spice has a proven track record of awesomeness when combined with smoky, caramelized meats, and this grilled five spice chicken recipe is a great example.

I'm not a huge fan of premixed spices. I don't buy rubs and seasoning blends, although thanks to my swag-baggy lifestyle I do have a decent collection. The problem with these aesthetically pleasing packages is you're getting someone else's idea of the perfect formula.

I have a pantry full of spices, and half the fun of cooking is tossing them together until deliciousness is achieved, but, once in a while it's nice to reach over and grab the 5-spice.

This blend, usually consisting of cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, and fennel, has been used for centuries to turn the flavor dial up more than a few aromatic notches.

Grilling season will be coming to a damp end soon, so don't wait too long to give this a go. I think you'll also enjoy the super simple, sharply flavored rice vinegar condiment that I serve along side. I didn't, but this would be absolutely perfect served with a cold rice salad. What kind? Surprise me. Enjoy!

Chinese Five Spice Chicken Recipe Ingredients:
For the marinade:
1/2 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic crushed
2 teaspoons sambal, or other red chili sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon 5-spice powder
For the sauce:
1/2 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sambal, or other red chili sauce
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
all these can and should be adjusted to taste