Rib Eye - 3 ways

The Rib eye is most defintely my favourite cut of beef. It has great balance in flavour, tenderness and richness due to the different parts. The cap is the most succulent part, tender and rich with marbling. The eye is flavourful and still tender. Then there is that small piece of meat attached by the eye and the bone. I like to call it a chuck, though I'm sure butchers probably have an official name for it. The idea really came started with the thought that these 3 parts cook in different rates, and should have varying doneness. The cap, having much more fat should be cooked closer to medium in order to render and melt as much fat without sacrificing the tenderness. The eye, having less fat content, and can be lean in some instances, should be cooked at medium rare. The chunk should take advantage of all the connective tissue and bone; I think this part should be braised or slow cooked. So here, The rib eye is separated into those 3 parts.


The cap is rolled and cooked sous vide to medium, and then lightly seared.


The eye is grilled to medium rare, and...


the chunck, which is the most flavourful, is poached in butter for 20 hours, then broiled to obtain a crust.

Back from Culinary School

It's been a month well spent at the French Culinary Institute in NY. I love that place. Well-equipped kitchens! Also a massive thanks to Chefs Jessica and Ryan. They were great instructors. I also got an opportunity to do an short internship there. They have a small group that cooks using all sorts of newer, 'scientific' methods. Hopefully I get the cookbook done in time for that before I start at George Brown.

I definitely learned a lot of hints and tricks during my stay at FCI. Those tricks will be showing up in my future dishes...ahem bacon...ahem butter.

First week back and I couldn't wait to get back to playing around the kitchen. So I made some cream puffs and panna cotta. For the panna cotta dish, carrageenan was used as the gelling agent, as well as the thickening agent for the white and dark chocolate sauces.

it's been a while!

Well, with the initial draft, recipes and all else done, I can start posting again. To start things off, here's a risotto tempura nugget. Mixed mushroom risotto, truffle oil, balsamic reduction.

The Day Draws Near

My deadline to create this cookbook for the company is nearing, so for the past week or two, I've been busy creating as many recipes as I can, about 1-2 a day. So not as much write ups on each of my posts, but I'll still be sharing the photos :). Enjoy!

Shrimp Terrine - avocado puree, garlic and chive cream, bacon bits


Pulled Ox Tail - pan-toasted bread, arugula salad, onion tempura (Think of pulled short ribs, only more succulent)


Porkchop with Asian Flavours - smoked soy sauce, sriracha, grilled scallions, fried onion and garlic, cripsy vermicelli with ginger



Strawberry and Cream Crepe - assorted fruits, maple syrup (The strawberry and the cream ARE the crepes)

Almond cream, marinated strawberries

A play on the classic strawberries and cream. The classic version is simple and oh so decadent! This dish attempts to improvise the tried and true and add a few more components. The strawberries are marinated in grappa, then sprinkled with some sugar. The cream, which usually used full fat (35%), is made with table cream (18%). Using carrageenan, we can achieve a texture that is just as creamy if not creamier than full fat cream. The carrageenan also helps to allow the flavour to linger just a bit more. I also added pure almond extract to the cream and just enough sugar to enhance the almond flavour without making the cream too sweet. Some chocolate and blueberries to complement and colour the dish. The people who tried it said the sweetness was just right. Just enough to be considered desert sweet, but not too much to be the dominant flavour.

Creamy Chicken Pate

This thing is actually inspired from faux gras, but instead of using butter, I used cream. MAN it's good. A very creamy and LIGHT texture to it. Not as fat-filled since I used butter. The taste is also more pronunced. So I decided to pair it with some fairly sweet complements, all with different textures. Crispy, crunchy and...crushy? The sugar brulee on the side, with some sauteed cried currants, and sliced apples.

In retrospect, I wish I had sprinkled some fresh thyme as an aromatic and for a bit of colour.

Scallops and Saffron!

It's been a while since my last post! I was kept busy attending workshops during the research chef conference in Phoenix, AZ. I'm back now though, with plenty of ideas sparked from the conference.

First creation, seared scallops with saffron cream. Those 2 key ingredients are really the base for this dish, and everything else is only complementary. Saffron tastes incredible with almost any seafood. Unfortunately, it's quite expensive, $9 Canadian per gram in grocery stores. Regardless, its price is well worth it. Scalded the saffron with table cream for about 30 minutes, VERY low heat. Added some carrageenan into the cream to make it behave as if it was 35% cream. Parsley puree is made with blanched parsley and thickened with carrageenan as well. I could use xanthan as a thickener, but I'm not a fan of xanthan gum for this dish. Its mouthfeel is too clingy for the puree. I wanted the puree to be tasted, and then disappear, not linger. Added a twist to the puree by putting in some grill flavour. Complements are roasted peppers and sauteed asparagus. OH, and of course, extra virgin olive oil.