Cilantro/Coriander

Cilantro is the leaf of the coriander plant and one of the oldest known herb, it looks similar to flat leaf/Italian parsley. Cilantro is used widely throughout the world but mainly in Mexican and Thai dishes. With a distinctive fresh pungent smell, cilantro is a required herb in curries, Dhal (an Indian dish made from a variety of legumes), chutneys, and kebabs. It has been also known to treat indigestion.
The spice coriander seed or ground coriander comes from the seed of the plant. Coriander is a relative of the carrot family, with a sweet, musky flavor. Coriander is a great spice for gingerbread, cookies, cakes, biscuits, stuffing, pork dishes, and cheese dishes.

Barbecue

A cooking technique used to cook foods at a low temperature for a long period of time, to deliver a wonderful smokey flavor and a gorgeous charred color. Barbecue and grilling (mentioned in the next post) are not the same, barbecue requires smoke for proper flavor and coloring. Meat, fish, seafood, poultry and vegetables are common for barbecue. Fish and seafood such as shrimp, does not need a lot of time on the grill to become tender, as they are already pretty tender.
Hard woods such as, hickory, maple, pecan wood has a very specific flavor and are common for smoking. Softwoods such as pine, spruce an evergreen wood should never be used, they produce a very resinous and bitter flavor.
Smoking meats requires indirect heat whereas the fire and meat are in separate chambers, cooked between 225°F and 250°F, to produce a smokey flavor. Barbecued meats are more charred flavor where direct heat is used, placing the meats over an open flame and maintaining a temperature between 300°F and 3…

8 Primal Cuts of Beef

Chuck- shoulder cut, very tough. Cuts from this area are normally stewed, braised or pot roasted.
     Chuck Pot Roast
     Short Ribs
     Chuck Eye Roast
     Blade Roast Brisket-lower chest cut, fairly tough. Cuts from this area are normally stewed, braised or pot roasted.
     Corned Beef
     Ground Beef
     Stew Meat
     Pastrami Rib-upper back cut, very tender and rich flavored. Cuts from this area are normally roasted, sautéed, pan-fried or grilled.
     Rib Roast
     Back Ribs
     Rib-eye Steak
     Prime Rib ShortPlateand FlankSteak- belly cut, very tough. Cuts from this areas are usually used for stew meat or fajitas.
     Stew Meat
     Skirt Steak
     Ground Beef
     Flank Steak ShortLoin- middle back cut, very tender. Cuts from this area are normally sautéed, pan-fried, broiled or grilled.
     Top Loin Steak
     T-Bone Steak
     Porterhouse Steak
     Tenderloin Steak (filet mignon) Sirloin- lower back cut, very tender and flavorful. Cuts from this area are normally …

Mother Sauces

Bechamel Sauce - a whole milk based white sauce usually thickened with a white roux.
Espagnole Sauce - a brown sauce that is normally made with veal stock and sometimes chicken stock, usually thickened with a brown roux.
Hollandaise Sauce - a egg yolk and clarified butter based sauce, thickened by emulsification.
Tomato Sauce - a tomato based sauce commonly thickened by reducing the sauce slowly and/or a puree of the sauce.
Veloute Sauce - a white stock based sauce made of veal, chicken or fish stock, usually thickened with white roux or sometimes a liason.

Cheftionary

Search This Blog