The Louisville Chef

And the list continues:


9) Colatura, Nettuno Brand- This is an amazing fermented fish based sauce and somewhat similar to Thai fish sauce but softer and richer. It adds a wonderful depth to sauces, and pastas and risottos. As it says on the Gustiamo website, take a few Tbsp of EVO, a clove of crushed garlic and one teaspoon of Colatura and toss over spaghetti. No cheese will be needed. Experiment and enjoy it, but use sparingly as it is quite salty. You can find this at www.gustiamo.com


10) Nunez de Prado EVO - This is just stunning. It has the fruitiness and grassy flavors of the Tuscan oils without the peppery bite. While that Tuscan flavor is wonderful in some dishes, I find that the subtleness of this Spanish oil is perfect when you want finesse. You can find this online at www.deandeluca.com


11) Aleppo Chile Pepper - From southern Syria and the ancient city of Aleppo, this chili pepper is subtle and with a savory after taste and medium heat. I find that it adds an interesting nuance…

As we move closer to year end, I enjoy looking at the new ingredients and ideas I've found over the past year and sharing some of the essential ingredients I always have in my kitchen or refrigerator.


I find that sometimes the most simple ingredients can send you down a path of discovery with a new cuisine or a new direction in trying new ideas and challenging yourself.


1) White Truffle Salt - What was I thinking? I should have bought this years ago. I can't imagine anything that wouldn't taste better with this fabulous salt. It makes mashed potatoes that are sublime. www.deananddeluca.com


2) Sil Pat Silicone Pads - I know these have been around for a long time, but I finally tried them this year and they are really handy. It makes baking so much easier and no more hassling with parchment paper and it's more economically friendly as well. www.williams-sonoma.com


3) Tamari Almonds - I basically live on these little gems as a quick snack. I have tried a lot of them, but I fi…

Kung Pao Chicken 
This is a wonderful dish, which combines the smoky flavor of dark soy sauce, the freshness of green onion and the crunch of peanuts.




It is a fusion dish, as it often shows up on Szechwan menus, but is actually a dish from the Beijing region. Always a favorite of mine from Chinese take away, I finally worked out the recipe to make it at home.
Ingredients 
1.5 lbs of boneless Chicken Breast, cut into cubes 2 Tbsp Cornstarch 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar 1 Egg White 1 Tbsp Mirin, or dry Sherry
Mix all ingredients together and marinade in refrigerator for at least one hour prior to cooking.
Prepare the sauce mixture just before beginning to cook and set it aside.
Sauce Mixture: 2 Tbsp of Mirin, or dry Sherry 1 Tbsp of Chili Garlic Paste, or 6-8 dried whole red chilies 2 tsp of Worstershire Sauce 2 Tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce 2 tsp of Toasted Sesame Oil 1 Tbsp of Light Brown Sugar 2 Tbsp of Water 1 Tbsp of Cornstarch

4 cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped ¼ - ½ cup of unsalted Chicken S…

Sweet Potato Pie
On a trip down to our farm in Southern Virginia, I bought some sweet potato fried pies from a woman at a summer fair out at the elementary school.
As we walked and looked at all the booths, we finished them off and they were so good that we came back and bought all she had. 



A great day for her and certainly a diet buster for us. This is the larger pie version of her recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pound of white Sweet Potatoes or Yams cooked until tender but not mushy 6 Tbsp. of Butter 1 cup of Sugar 1 tsp. Nutmeg 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/3 cup evaporated Milk  2 Eggs beaten well

After the potatoes are cooked until just tender, drain them and transfer them to a large bowl and blend well with the butter using a  potato masher. 
Add  the remaining ingredients except the eggs and allow the mixture to cool. When sufficiently cool , add the eggs and blend well and pour into a 9 inch deep dish pie crust and bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly before servi…

I know that most people are desperately trying to get out of London, and we feel for them one and all. However, if you have to be stranded in a city, this is one of the best. 
Having lived in London, I am often asked for tips when people are visiting. Here are some great restaurants, some top sights and a few things to remember about London:
Sights
If you are interested in history, do not miss Hampton Court. It was just the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII, so they have many things going on. You will need a day, but well worth it. If you buy this all inclusive ticket you can see all five palaces, including the Tower of London and the Banqueting house (amazing). Well worth the money,  http://89.151.104.52/supportus/membership/default.aspx
If you want to go a bit off the track the Royal Mews (Carriages and royal coaches) and the Queen’s Gallery are very good. Both are next to BuckinghamPalace. You can see the Changing of the Guard and then visit both.
The top museums are the NationalMuseum, N…

I adore cheese and I enjoy finding new cheeses and trying out new types.
Certainly some areas in the world are known for making world famous cheeses, and of course I will talk about those in future posts.
However, to start,  I wanted to stay in tune with my strong belief in supporting local farmers and artisans and want to help you discover some of the wonderful cheeses we have in our own backyard.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and books could be and probably have been written on this subject alone. However, I thought I would share a few of my favorites.
Cypress Grove Chevre Arcata CA
This cheeses are some of my absolute favorites and so unique and really reflect their terroir (derived from French for earth, meaning distinctly reflecting attributes from where that come).
·Humboldt Fog, a ripened goat’s cheese with a layer of ash and perfectly tangy. Quintessential chevre (Goat’s Cheese) with ash.
·Purple Haze, a fresh chevre with lavender and fennel pollen which gives this cheese a swe…

So rainy and cold here today, it just begs for some French bistro comfort food. Yes, I know that it wouldn't seem cold to others, but it's all relative and in Pasadena CA, it's cold to us. 



So, time to crack open a nice bottle of wine and make a hearty beef stew. I just braved the weather to pull together the basics for preparing my beef bourguignon.

Ingredients


2 Tbsp. Butter 3 cloves of Garlic, chopped 1 Shallot, chopped 1/4 lb. lightly smoked, unsmoked Bacon or salt pork 1 lb pearl Onions, blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes and then peeled. ½ lb of whole Mushrooms 4 lbs. of boneless Beef Short Ribs, or Beef Chuck, cut into 2 to 3inch pieces 3 large Carrots, peeled and chopped into 2 to 3 inch pieces, or a 1 lb bag of baby Carrots 1 bottle of Red Wine (Pinot Noir is perfect) ½ cup Cognac ½ tsp. dried Thyme, or 6 stalks of fresh thyme 2 Bay Leaf 3 tsp. of Salt Fresh ground Black Pepper
Cut the meat and put into a large bowl or plastic freezer bag with 4 springs of the fresh thyme, …