One thing is for certain: chicken in any preparation will always taste like chicken. It will forever be the guide by which people judge another protein.

Chicken is probably (playing it safe, as I did not Google it) the most widely consumed protein in all cultures. It is the first meat we are introduced to as babies. Have you ever heard someone take a bite of chicken and say “oh, that tastes like caribou”? No! Because chicken tastes like chicken!

Rattlesnake, “tastes like chicken”; alligator, “tastes like chicken”; Tofurkey burger, “tastes like chicken”— which I don’t really get. If you don’t wanna eat meat, why do you want your soy-based protein replacement to look and taste like meat?

All in all, chicken has proven itself a standard by which all others are compared. Next time you pick up a whole chicken at the grocery store, give it a little wink and a thank-you for staying true to itself.

I love a really good roasted chicken, stuffed with lemon, garlic and rosemary, salt and peppered, roasted on a bed of onions, till crisp on the outside but tender and juicy on the inside, oh so good!

Good food starts with good ingredients. Your choice of bird is of the utmost importance. I dig what the Pittman family of farmers are doing at Mary’s Free Range Chicken. Pasture raised in the beautiful sunny San Joaquin Valley, Mary’s Free Range Chickens grow naturally on a ranch with plenty of open space. These chickens are raised in a humane manner by allowing them to roam in a stress-free environment that is four times the size of the average commercial ranch. Because of cleaner living quarters, a healthier and happier chicken is produced with a better taste.
Sustainable farm practices and humane treatment of the birds are not just catch phrases that sell birds. It is a core value of this farm. And what I like is they were farming this way a long time before it was cool to be cool to chickens. And speaking of cool, these chicks get a cold stream of air that cools them individually, rather than the more commonly used method of placing the chickens in a communal bath of water. This air-chilled method prevents the absorption of water, greatly reducing the potential of bacterial cross-contamination — and produces a better-tasting chicken. With no water added, the air-chilled method keeps the “real” chicken flavor and juices.

No matter the side, whether you pilaf or mash, green bean or carrot, it is all about the “yard bird” itself. Stuffing the cavity with the aforementioned ingredients flavors the bird from the inside out, as well as creating delicious pan drippings that transmit distinctively the flavors of what it is you’re eating. Tastes like chicken!

Speaking of chicken, I would be in a heap of trouble with a few longtime readers if I didn’t divulge my recipe for the best Chinese chicken salad, an ancient Chinese secret recipe handed down from generation to generation and then given to me by my uncle on his death bed, who had a place just a few miles off the east side of the Great Wall.

OK, I’m not really of Chinese descent. But I do have an uncle and a bitchin’ Chinese chicken salad recipe for you to try.

Confucius says, “When making chicken salad, texture is of utmost importance!” Or maybe that was Bill Lee. Anyway, shredding is the key, shredded chicken, shredded cabbage, shredded lettuce. And crunch, crunch, crunch in that order.

Celebrity chef Todd Fisher is a Herald columnist, chef de cuisine at Stick’s at the Inn at Spanish Bay and a brand consultant. E-mail him at cheftoddsdish@gmail.com.

CT’s Chinese Chicken Salad

2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 T. honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 T. Sesame Oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 roasted chicken (about 2½ lbs.), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)
¼ medium red cabbage (8 oz.), cored and thinly shredded
¼ medium white cabbage (8 oz.), cored and thinly shredded
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup Mandarin orange segments
8 oz. sugar snap peas (blanched)
1 large head Romaine lettuce, shredded
½ cup cashews
½ cup fried won ton strips
½ cup broken ramen noodles

Steps: Season with a healthy shake of salt and pepper and stuff the cavity with herbs and other aromatics before roasting in a 375 F. oven. Once cooked, remove skin and bones and shred chicken. Set aside to cool.

For the dressing: In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, honey and oils; season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine chicken and the remaining ingredients, toss with ½ cup dressing. Divide among four bowls, drizzle with more of the remaining dressing, and enjoy this crispidy, crunchidy, fun-to-eat flavor explosion!

A long-time reader called with what should have been an easy-to-answer question about Truffle oil, sort of a when-should-I, how-should-I-use-it deal. But you know me, and after triple-distilling my thoughts and over-kneading my dough, here is what I came up with.

When I started to answer the two questions, I realized there are a few things we all must understand before revealing the who, what, where and when of truffle oil usage.

One, lets make sure we all know what it is we’re talking about. Let us start with the first ingredient. Truffles have been found in Europe, Asia, North Africa and North America. They live in close mycorrhizal association with the roots of specific trees. Their fruiting bodies grow underground. Truffles are round, warty, and irregular in shape and vary from the size of a walnut to that of a man’s fist. The season for most truffles falls between September and May.

Just the mention of truffles conjures up images of the expensive French black truffle from the Périgord region of southwest France, used in making p té de foie gras. Or the renowned odorous white truffle of Alba, in the Piedmont district of Italy, famously shaved paper thin over tender arborio rice.

Truffles are among the most expensive of the world’s natural foods, often commanding as much as $1,000 per pound. Truffles are harvested in Europe with the aid of female pigs or truffle dogs, which are able to detect the strong smell of mature truffles underneath the surface of the ground. The female pig becomes excited when she sniffs a chemical that is similar to the male swine sex attractant. Yummy!
The use of pigs is risky, though, because of their natural tendency to eat any remotely edible thing. For this reason, dogs have been trained to dig into the ground wherever they find these odors, and they willingly exchange their truffle for a Scooby snack and a pat on the head.

The flavor of the truffle is directly related to its aroma. The chemicals necessary for the odor to develop are created only after the spores are mature enough for release, so they must be collected at the proper time or they will have little taste. This is the only sure indication that the mushrooms are ready to be harvested. That is why animals have proven to be the best means of assuring that the fungi collected will be flavorful.

Truffles are evanescence. For one to truly appreciate the sensational experience of dining on truffles, one must eat fresh, uncooked specimens as soon after harvest as possible. The intensity of the truffle flavor decreases rapidly with each passing moment above ground. However, these earthly gems can be purchased online from some specialty stores that will pack them in airtight containers and overnight them to you — adding yet more to the already exuberant price tag.

Now to the oil part of the deal. Olive oil and grape seed oil are the two most common oils chosen for truffle oil. Good choices, I’m sure you would agree. No first-press olive oil here, That would be too strong for the subtle flavor of the truffle. A pomace quality oil that will carry the flavor but not over power it is ideal.

Very few truffle oils on the market are, in fact, oil with crushed or chopped truffle added to them to create truffle oil. Premium retailers and online sources will offer you the best options. Look for packaging that says made with real truffle. And never have I found real white truffle oil.

Unfortunately most truffle oils are actually artificially enhanced oils that use an organic compound called 2,4-dithiapentane (the most prominent of the hundreds of aromatic molecules that make the flavor of white truffles so exciting). These oils, created in a laboratory with their petrol-chemical, one-dimensional flavor, are changing common understanding of how a truffle should taste. Many of us have never had the privilege of sitting down to a plate full of succulent, tender pasta adorned with white truffle shaved over the top with the orgasmic scent wafting up, intoxicating our minds with sinfully decadent wonderment! And to be quite honest, no truffle oil will ever give you the same wow factor as the real McCoy!

Should you choose to use truffle oil, less is more. Drizzling real black truffle oil over a hot, creamed soup like cauliflower or parsnip gives an earthen, musky, sexy aroma that elevates the simple row crop bisque into something far more elegant and unique.

Drizzled in unison with a vibrant vinegar over pungent greens to top a juicy, well-marbled, toothsome cut of beef, will draw out the forest floor of any dreamy Cabernet you choose to enjoy in harmony. You can dress up macaroni and cheese for a high end steakhouse rendition of your childhood favorite. Or make a batch of “Princess” french fries — crispy shoestring potatoes doused in black truffle oil, sea salt and Grana Padana cheese that will make any regal royal weak in the knees.

For real-deal truffle appeal at home, I highly recommend dropping a little coin on truffle salt, generally made of French sea salt and minced pieces of truffle, which is excellent for finishing grilled steaks, succulent scallops and other delicious mentionables. Also, truffle butter, made from combining minced black truffle with creamy butter, is a staple in my freezer. Yes, it freezes remarkably well and easily shaves off to finish a sauce or adorn some roasted vegetables for a fantastic winter melange.

Until next time my friends, cheers!

Celebrity chef Todd Fisher is a Herald columnist, chef de cuisine at Stick’s at the Inn at Spanish Bay and a brand consultant. E-mail him at cheftoddsdish@gmail.com.

I don’t know if it was a bolt of lightning, charbroiling a goat in the middle of a field or a clever caveman who was tired of the same old sashimi platter that put fire to the foods we eat, but I must say bravo!

I mean think about sitting around the old campfire next week, gearing up to watch the annual T-rex bowl, gnawing on some buffalo-style pterodactyl wings that were a little on the, well, freshly killed and raw side. Don’t you think they would be so much better with a touch of flame-broiled culinary mastery applied to the recipe?

Three Uhgs for whoever pulled that one out of their animal skin cap. For centuries, or at least as long as I can remember, food has been cooked. Of course, not all food, but let us not stray from the course we have set out upon. Cooking, we know, began with the understanding of man’s red fire. The open flame licking at and charring your brontosaurus chop was the original secret recipe. There was no other means by which to cook food. The understanding of trapping and containing heat to create an oven did not come along till much later, just like in this column, and we will get to that shortly.

Initially, animal carcasses were simply charred, either laid directly into the fire or affixed to a tree branch that was supported on each end and hung above the flames and turned occasionally to essentially rotisserie cook the beast. The first grill masters used green tree saplings stretched over circles of rocks to create grates or grills that would suspend food over the hot coals and would take a long time to burn, yet allow the foods to cook along the way.
Undoubtedly it was these green saplings that gave way to wrapping foods in plant leaves to defer direct heat and create steam that would cook the meats faster as well as add flavor and moisture to the cooked meat. It was this technique that led to the first oven or pit. Large pits were dug and filled with rocks and a fire was built atop the stones, once the coals burnt down and fell below the rocks, creating a bed of coals and embers, the plant-wrapped meats were laid onto the rocks and covered with earth and more rocks to trap the heat within the pit.

This method is still used to date, reserved by most cultures for special occasions and large gatherings. The advancement of trapped heat eventually lead to what we now know as our ovens. Still, the first ovens were heated by wood and, dating back as far as 29,000 BC, it was used as a roasting and boiling pit and to cook mammoth! Hmmm.

There have been advances with brick and clay construction, as well as the use of natural gas as fuel. But the wood-fired oven is a heritage that has long been passed down from generation to generation. Whether called a forno, horno, hibachi, churrasco, kamado, tandoor or kettle, wood-fired ovens and grills have become widely popular again. It is no mistake that restaurants across the country are highlighting their wood-burning ovens as a signature of their establishments. It is a style of cooking that resonates with the diner in a very rustic and primitive way, yet offers tremendous diversity and unique characteristics.

Artisan style pizzas for example, where the crust is thin and crisp with the random blisters of charred deliciousness generated from the intensity of the hot wood burning just inches away, precisely dressed with slices of potato, sheep’s milk cheese and Merquez sausage accented with a drizzle of Meyer lemon oil. A petite cocotte (classic French individual size roasting pan) bubbling up with fork tender parsnips and caramelized shallots, smothered with a pungent combination of Gruyere cheese, bread crumbs and cracked pepper for a masterful gratin, slowly cooking along side a perfectly crafted, crispy skinned, succulent pheasant roulade, set away from the intense fire to breathe in the heat and smoke of the oven.

Wood fired cooking is unique unto each oven and each chef. It is the chef who creates stimulating and inspired creations, who must perfectly execute the technique, but it is the oven that exquisitely cooks and accentuates the chosen ingredients. I believe there is no greater style of cooking that so wonderfully combines the heritage of food with the present day palate of the experiential diner. Whether you have a wood-burning oven at home or a kettle grill, cooking with wood can make the ordinary, extraordinary.

Need a little advice on how to do it? Got a question or two? Send me an email. Any opportunity to share my passion is a good day! Till next time, Salud!

Celebrity chef Todd Fisher is a Herald columnist, chef de cuisine at Stick’s at the Inn at Spanish Bay and a brand consultant. E-mail him at cheftoddsdish@gmail.com.

As seen in the Monterey Herald

for the holidays

As seen in the Monterey County Herald

Posted: 11/16/2011 01:43:14 AM PST                                                                                                   Updated: 11/16/2011 08:18:24 AM PST

Todd Fisher: Yam it up

for the holidays

So I learned something the other day that I thought I would share with you because, well, I need something to write about and figured I could entertain and teach at the same time. A question that has been asked for centuries (OK, at least several decades) is: “What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?” I won’t bore you with the embryonic seed leaf differences or the scientific names and horticultural family breeds, but I will break it down to a fairly simple explanation.

Yams are native to Africa and Asia. There are more than 600 varieties of yams, with 95percent of the world’s crops being grown in Africa. Yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a rumored 130 pounder that holds the much coveted world record for yams. They have a deep, red skin with vibrant orange flesh, which is why they are sometimes referred to as garnet yams. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier.

Sweet potatoes, an American crop with numerous varieties, have skin color that ranges from white to yellow to red, or even purple. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow to orange or orange-red. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either firm or soft. When cooked, those in the firm category remain firm, while soft varieties become soft and moist. It is the soft varieties with the reddish-purple skin and orange-red flesh that are often labeled as yams in the United States.

Here is why it is confusing: In the United States, firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the soft sweet potatoes “yams” because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, soft sweet potatoes were referred to as yams to distinguish them from the firm varieties.

The firm varieties have all but vanished, leaving only the soft sweet potatoes to mistakenly be called a yam. When shopping for yams, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term yam to be accompanied by the term sweet potato. So unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually only found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!

I cannot talk about sweet potatoes and not think of my mother-in-law. She makes an awesome sweet potato pie, with a smooth, dense, creamy custard that is cloyingly sweet. Yet the deep caramelization gives it a sultry, savory balance that is magnificent.

Now, anyone who knows me even a little knows I am no baker. In fact, I hate to bake. I can when I need to, but try hard to not be in a position where I need to. I prefer to leave the scaling and sifting to the highly meticulous, uber accurate, saintly patient and finely calibrated peeps.

When you’re talking pie, it’s all about the crust. The crust makes or breaks the pie, flakey and tender yet crisp. Some pies call for sweet dough, some employ a touch more neutral shell as the canvas for the guts of the confection, while a crumb crust can be called upon to harbor any one of the limitless possibilities.

Apple, berry, pumpkin, cherry, rhubarb, peach, lemon, (deep breath), pecan, chocolate, banana cream, coconut cream, Boston cream, French silk, buttermilk, shoe-fly, key lime, mincemeat … well I think you see the dealio with pie. It is an inexhaustible creation that also transcends every season. But I would have to say that no one season gets more pie action than Thanksgiving. Nothing says “gobble-gobble” like a slice of pumpkin pie with whooped cream to put a wrap on the festive day.

Although a slice of pecan pie says a lot, too. And I have heard an olallieberry pie can be rather eloquent as well. I mean, who can have just one conversation on Turkey Day?

Now, not every pie has to be sweet, yet another example of the versatility of pie. Meat pies are far less common here in the United States as, say, England, but delicious all the same. We know them as pot pies when they are of the savory selection. Guess that’s because pot pie sounds just a tad better than meat pie or kidney pie.

A quiche is a kind of custard pie, often filled with cooked vegetables and sometimes meat, and real men do eat it. Shepherds pie, yummo-licious! Tender meat in a rich gravy baked under a cheesy mashed potato crust. And, of course, no one should forget the cheese pie known by some as pizza.

But I digress. With Thanksgiving next week, here is a recipe for a Bourbon Pecan Pie that will speak volumes to your guests and is one of my favorites.

Now, you might be saying, “Why do I want a pie recipe from a non-baker?” Good question, To which I will answer, seriously, I may not like to bake ‘em, but do I look like I don’t know how to pick ‘em? Which is why you should listen to me when I tell you that The Farm — in, might I say, “cute as pie” Spreckels — bakes up awesome pies. Call ahead to order, because they only make what they bake.

Celebrity chef Todd Fisher is a Herald columnist, chef de cuisine at Stick’s at the Inn at Spanish Bay and a brand consultant. E-mail him at cheftoddsdish@gmail.com.

THE KITCHEN, located in the industrial artisan corridor in Sand City, will be open for your cooking class pleasure!

Reserve your chopping block today, classes are filling up fast!  Call (831) 206.8401 or email events@cheftoddfisher.com.

Each class has room for 12 cutting boards for about 3 hours.

$500 for a pack of 6 six classes or $95 per class for each  future chef.

Subject to change – but guaranteed to make you laugh, learn a little and eat a lot!

January

Delicious & Nutritious

Eating for a Healthier You…Whole Grains, Veggies, & Whooped Cream…Really…

Saturday, January 7th   11:00a – 2:00p

February

Dinner for Two…or Four…or Six…However You Swing!

Aphrodisiacs a go-go. Foods that stimulate…

Saturday, February 4^th 11:00a-2:00p

March

Sauces 101

Get Saucy with Chef Todd…Mother Sauces to Simple Dishes

Saturday, March 10th 11:00a – 2:00p

Sauces 201

Come Back for More…Step into the world of Emulsions, Nage, & other Fortified Sauce…

Saturday, March 17^th _or 24th TBD 11:00a-2:00p

May

Cinco de Mayo

Ceviche, Tamales and other Pico Licious dishes…

Saturday May 5^th 7:00p – 10:00p

Celebrating Mothers

Bring your Mom & Treat Her to a Day of Fun & Flavors

Special pricing for this day :: 2 for $160.00

Saturday May 12^th 11:00a-2:00p

June

Celebrating Dads

Man Foods, Ch ili to Rib Eye, Meat, Meat, & more Meat

Special pricing for this day :: 2 for $160.00

Saturday, June 9th 11:00a – 2:00p

August

Handmade Cheeses and Bitchen, Delicious Tomatoes

Mozzarella, Ricotta, & Fromage Blanc with Heirloom Tomatoes and more…

Saturday, August 4^th 11:00a-2:00p

September

Canning & Preserving the Season’s Bounty

Jams-Jellies, Pickles & Krauts, Salted & Dried, Inside and OUT…

Saturday, September 8^th 11:00a – 2:00p

October

Fall into Fall Foods

Sensational Squash Dishes, Awesome Autumnal Flavors…

Saturday, October 6^th 11:00a-2:00p

November

Not the Pilgrims Dinner table

Rosemary lemon Turkey, Artichoke crostada & sweet potato soufflé

Saturday, November 3^rd 11:00a-2:00p

December

Holiday How to’s  from the Host with the Most

Show Stopping Starters, Dynamic Libations and Time to Chat with you guests…

Saturday, December 1^st 11:00a-2:00p

]]> http://www.cheftoddfisher.com/2011/11/2012-cooking-classes-now-that-is-some-class/feed/ 0 http://www.cheftoddfisher.com/2011/09/dishing-it-outfor-all-you-shingles-out-there/ http://www.cheftoddfisher.com/2011/09/dishing-it-outfor-all-you-shingles-out-there/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:07:25 +0000 admin http://www.cheftoddfisher.com/?p=443 As seen in Monterey County The Herald

The name doesn’t do it justice. The greasy-spoon specialty that has been served to every branch of the United States Military for more than a century is nothing short of delicious and, might I say, genius.